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Can calcium sprays alleviate jelly seed in mango fruits?
(2020-03-27)
Jelly seed is a major challenge in mango production leading to enormous losses in the value chain. This internal fruit disorder is characterised by disintegration of cells, consistency of jelly and broken cells. Calcium plays an important role in enhancing tissue stability and firmness thus reducing cell disintegration. A two-year field study was conducted in Embu County, Kenya using ‘Van Dyke’ cultivar trees of approximately 10 years old. The objective of the study was to investigate the effect of varied sources of ...
Aufsatz
Scaling up community-based goat breeding programmes via multi-stakeholder collaboration
(2020-05-01)
Community-based livestock breeding programmes (CBBPs) have emerged as a potential approach to implement sustainable livestock breeding in smallholder systems. In Malawi and Uganda, goat CBBPs were introduced to improve production and productivity of indigenous goats through selective breeding. Scaling up CBBPs have recently received support due to evidence-based results from current implementation and results of CBBPs implemented in other regions of the world. This paper explores strategies for scaling up goat CBBPs ...
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Effects of agroecological practices on soil organic carbon sequestration using synchronic and diachronic approaches in Madagascar
(2020-06-16)
Soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration in agricultural systems is a key indicator of soil fertility improvement and climate change mitigation at the global scale. In Madagascar, the effect on SOC sequestration of converting from traditional practices to agroecological ones remains unclear. The objectives of this study were (i) to assess the impact of agroecological practices, such as agroforestry (AF), tree plantation (TP) and improved farming practices (IFPs), on SOC sequestration at the field level; and (ii) to ...
Aufsatz
Adoption and utilisation of Zai pits for improved farm productivity in drier upper Eastern Kenya
(2020-03-06)
Inadequate and poorly distributed rainfall and declining soil fertility have led to low crop productivity in most smallholder farms in sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, there has been a renewed quest for sustainable and resource-use efficient agricultural production practices. Zai pit technology is a practice that has the potential to alleviate water stress and enhance soil fertility. We assessed the factors that influence farmers' adoption and utilisation of Zai pits in Tharaka-Nithi County in upper Eastern Kenya. ...
Aufsatz
Income Diversification trough Animal Husbandry for Smallholder Vanilla Farmers in Madagascar
(2020-05-07)
The SAVA region in northeastern Madagascar is the largest vanilla producing area globally. Here, we investigated the role of animal husbandry (AH) for income diversification of small-scale vanilla farmers. To do this, 300 household heads were interviewed about livestock ownership, management and marketing. This information was complemented by data from 1800 households (HHs) on involvement in vanilla production (VP) and AH. Throughout the region, 83 % of HHs produced vanilla and 84 % kept livestock. Chicken-keeping ...
Aufsatz
Competitiveness of sea buckthorn farming in Mongolia: A policy analysis matrix
(2020-05-09)
Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) provides multiple products that are beneficial to human health. In addition, the plant is also used to combat desertification. In contrast to the vast ecological, agronomic and nutritional literature on this species, little is known about its economic and marketing aspects, particularly in Central Asia. We therefore analysed the private and social competitiveness of sea buckthorn farming in 21 households of Bulgan county of Khovd province in Mongolia. The results show that half ...
Aufsatz
The diversity and contribution of indigenous edible fruit plants to the rural community in the Gayo Highlands, Indonesia
(2020-05-15)
The Gayo Highlands offer different indigenous edible fruit species (IEFs) used by the rural community, essentially to provide products such as fruits, oil, medicine, nuts, and fodder. In recent times, these IEFs are being threatened by over-exploitation and biodiversity loss. This study, therefore, aimed to explore the diversity of IEFs and evaluate its contribution to the enhancement of the rural community income in the Gayo Highlands region. The plant materials were randomly collected from nine villages in three ...
Aufsatz
Influence of stage of ripening and dietary concentration of Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) powder on broiler performance
(2020-04-08)
Phyto-additives in poultry diets enhance growth, feed eciency and product quality and minimise the possible risk of residues from chemical additives. There are reports on the use of noni (Morinda citrifolia) fruit powder as phytoadditive in poultry diets but information on the eect of fruit ripening is scanty. Hence, this study compared the eect of unripe and ripe noni fruit owder on broiler performance. A control diet without and 4 diets containing two levels (0.25 and 0.5 %) unripe and ripe fruit powder were fed ...
Aufsatz
The effects of grain storage technologies on maize marketing behaviour of smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe
(2020-01-13)
This study investigated the effects of grain storage practices on smallholder farmers’ maize marketing behaviour using primary data collected from 413 random households in Makoni and Shamva Districts of Zimbabwe. The data was analysed using the ordered probit model and the study results revealed that storage practices had significant effects on the maize marketing behaviour of smallholder farmers. Storage using insecticide and traditional granary increased the chances of farmers to become net sellers of maize. Using ...
Aufsatz
Does backyard-keeping of native sows by smallholders in Quezon, Philippines, offer sustainability benefits compared to more intensive management of exotic sow breeds?
(2020-04-03)
The present study in Quezon, Philippines, assessed the sustainability of small-scale production systems, based either on native or on exotic sow breeds, using different survey tools in a socio-economic approach. In two research periods, data sets with 49 households and 68 households, respectively, all smallholder farmers keeping ≤5 sows, were compiled. In 2016, four municipalities were purposively selected, each representing one of Quezon’s four districts. In 2017, two municipalities, both with larger populations of ...