Assessing Sustainability of Paddy Farmers in Peri-Urban Khulna: An Application of Farmer Sustainability Index

Association of sustainability agriculture and farming practices is somehow closely connected. There are necessary different farming practices for both adjusted and unadjusted PFSI measurement. The study observes practices of paddy farming and if farmers are practicing agriculture sustainably by estimating PFSI in three villages of Gutudia union. The objective is to spot the present agricultural practices and accessible sustainable practices, to examine the sustainability degree at field beneath the present paddy farming systems using PFSI and additionally to identify recommendations. The unit of analysis is 50 farmers and measured on a scale of 0 to 100 and also through Saltiel, Bauder, and Palakovich (1994) index. The results discovers that the average sustainability level which is presumably quite unsustainable this shows the necessity for more extension of correct practices. Chi-square analysis shows that the level of farmers’ awareness toward sustainable agriculture and positive attitude are considerably different with the level of PFSI.

Productivity and Profitability of Aromatic Rice Production in the Philippines

With the 2019 implementation of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), prices of ordinary white rice are expected to go down as a response to the influx of cheaper rice imports. This could put the local farmers at a disadvantage and could provoke them to reduce rice cultivation. Production of aromatic rice, a type of specialty rice with pandan-like scent induced by 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP) compound, could serve as a viable enterprise for the local farmers. Covering the provinces of Oriental Mindoro and Apayao, this study was conducted to produce baseline information and gain a comprehensive understanding of the production and potentials of aromatic rice. A survey was carried out to obtain 2017 cropping season farm-level data from 82 market-oriented farmer-respondents. Descriptive statistics and costs and returns structure were employed for data analysis. Results showed that venturing into aromatic rice cultivation can be a viable enterprise for the farmers as a coping mechanism with the ill effects of RTL. Yield level of modern aromatic rice varieties is at par with the national average. Aromatic rice cultivation also appeared to be profitable. Findings showed that the current local aromatic rice industry has high potential for expansion and opportunity for import substitution. Furthermore, top aromatic rice varieties in the country must be looked into to increase profitability. With these conclusions, strategies for yield enhancement, cost reduction, and premium quality preservation are recommended.

Analysis of Smallholder Farmers Repayment of Bank of Agriculture Loan in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria (2009-2018)

Smallholder farmer’s repayment of Bank of Agriculture (BOA) loan in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State was studied using 120 smallholder farmer beneficiaries selected using multistage sampling technique. Data were collected from primary source only using structured questionnaire and analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Results showed default of 32.3% as out of N333, 997,620.50 were disbursed to the farmers a total of N226, 080,887.00 were repaid. However, the socioeconomic characteristics of the loan beneficiaries contributed about 75 % (R2 = 0.754) significant influence on repayment of Bank of Agriculture loan. Meanwhile, high interest rate, excessive bureaucracy, high rate of illiteracy, late approval of loan, lack of collateral, short payback period, and low farm output were identified as the major constraints to the repayment of BOA loan. It is recommended that as a measure to promote efficient and timely repayment of BOA loans by the farmers, management of BOA should address the institutional factors such as high interest rate, excessive bureaucracy and late approval of loan, high-value collateral and short payback period that were identified as the major constraints to BOA loan repayment.

Soil Properties and Growth of Maize as Affected by Slope Position and Fertilizer Type on Coastal Plain Sands

A study was conducted to determine the effects of slope position and fertilizer type on soil properties and growth of maize (Zea mays) on Coastal Plain Sands of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Results obtained showed that soils of lower slope (LS) had the highest contents of clay and silt compared with those of upper slope (US) position. Bulk density of the upper slope soil and that of the middle slope (MS) soils were significantly higher (P≤0.05) than that of LS soil and subsequently, total porosity and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) increased downslope. Bulk density of soils that received poultry manure (PM) and NPK+PM were significantly reduced compared to those of NPK and control while total porosity and Ksat of soils that received PM and NPK+PM were significantly higher (P≤0.05) than those of NPK and control. Soils of LS had highest pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, ECEC compared to those of MS and US. The application of poultry manure yielded increase in soil pH, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and ECEC when compared to soils of NPK and control. Growth of maize obtained with LS were consistently higher than those of the MS and US soils. Soils of LS that received NPK and NPK+PM had consistently similar maize growth, higher than other combinations of slope position and fertilizer type. The complementary application of poultry manure and NPK 15:15:15 can be the best option for increasing the fertility of soils with varying slope positions on Coastal Plain Sands.