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Aufsatz
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Determinants of households’ membership in agricultural cooperatives in Bhutan
(2021-10-05)
The Royal Government of Bhutan has been promoting agricultural cooperatives (ACs) in the country; however, the number of people joining ACs is small. This study was conducted to identify the factors influencing households' decision to join ACs in Central Bhutan. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to collect data from 384 households (192 AC members and 192 non-AC members). Trained enumerators collected data in June and July 2018 using structured questionnaires. The binary logistic regression showed that households ...
Aufsatz
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Pyrolytic transformation of indigenous biomass wastes into biochar: an insight into char structure and physicochemical characteristics
(2022-08-20)
Biochar, the product obtained by the pyrolysis of organic materials with little or no available air, acts as a longterm recalcitrant source of organic carbon when applied to soil. In the present study an in-farm method has been standardized for the pyrolytic conversion of four indigenous biomass resources into biochar. The biomass feedstocks viz. bovine bone (BB), coconut shell (CS), rubberwood (RW) and water hyacinth (WH) were dried and subjected to proximate, ultimate, biochemical analysis and were subjected to ...
Aufsatz
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Understanding beef cattle production practices and associated factors constraining performance: A survey of smallholder farmers in South Africa
(2022-05-01)
Farm practices of beef cattle smallholders in South Africa are characterized by poor management practices with limited advisory services. This study aimed to assess current beef cattle farming practices and limiting factors for improved beef production in South African smallholder farmers. A questionnaire was administered to 460 individual smallholder farmers purposively selected from seven provinces of South Africa (SA). The questionnaire captured information on demographics and farm profiles, constraints on ...
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
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Influencing factors of performance of agricultural cooperatives in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta
(2022-03-22)
The study identifies the influencing factors of the performance of agricultural cooperatives (ACs) in the Mekong Delta (MD) of Vietnam. The study used a disproportionate stratified sampling method, with 308 valid samples collected from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in the districts and the Management Boards of ACs in 9 provinces in MD. Performance of AC is measured against five indicators, namely return on sales (ROS), return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), responsiveness to cooperative ...
Aufsatz
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Seasonal variation in mycoflora associated with asymptomatic maize grain from small-holder farms in two provinces of South Africa
(2020-11-27)
Seed quality plays an important role in the establishment of healthy crop stands. The aim of this study was to identify the mycoflora associated with maize grain collected over two growing seasons, one experiencing severe drought, from small-holder farms across KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and the Eastern Cape (EC), two important provinces with maize producing small-holder farmers in South Africa. Asymptomatic maize ears were collected at harvest during two maize growing seasons from farms located in Hlanganani (KZN), ...
Aufsatz
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A comparative cost-benefit analysis between fairtrade certified and non-certified cocoa production in the South-West region of Cameroon
(2021-12-31)
In order to promote cocoa agroforestry by encouraging cocoa farmers to integrate fruit trees inside their cocoa orchards, cocoa certification was initially launched since 2012 in Cameroon. Nowadays, cocoa certification is adopted by a few farmers and makes up only 3% of the national cocoa production. Using the most predominant Fairtrade certification in the South-West region, this study compared certified and non-certified cocoa production via a cost-benefit analysis. The results indicated that, in spite of its ...
Aufsatz
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Effect of different mechanical seed scarification methods on germination and emergence dynamics of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.)
(2021-10-28)
The African baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) is a multipurpose fruit-producing tree that is indigenous to the African savannahs. Commercial interest in the species has grown in recent years. The major obstacle of seed-based propagation of baobab is its inherent seed dormancy. Therefore, in this study the effects of different mechanical seed scarification methods on seed germination parameters and seedling development of A. digitata were tested. The results show that mechanical scarification had a significant effect on ...
Aufsatz
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Growth performance and immunological response of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) juveniles reared in biofloc system
(2021-06-08)
This study was conducted to examine the growth and immune performance of catfish (Clarias gariepinus) juveniles cultured in a biofloc fish farming system. To achieve this, 900 C. gariepinus juveniles (9.0 ± 0.23 g) were cultured in an intensive zero water exchange biofloc system for 72 days in 9 separate tanks (2 m3 each) aerated by an air blower, after which growth assessment of fish was conducted. The trial consisted of three treatments in triplicates, a control without carbon source addition, and two biofloc ...
Aufsatz
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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 ...