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Now showing items 11-20 of 26
Aufsatz
Smallholder goat production in the Namaacha and Moamba districts of southern Mozambique
(Kassel University Press, 2019-01-10)
Goat rearing is one of the most common livestock farming activities in Mozambique and has the potential to play a powerful role in improving the livelihoods of resource-poor farmers. This study was conducted to investigate the status of goat husbandry practices in rural areas of southern Mozambique. Data were collected from a total of 45 smallholder goat keepers in three different villages through questionnaires complemented by interviews. Most households were dependent on crop production and livestock as their main ...
Aufsatz
Socio-economic aspects of irrigation agriculture as livelihood for rural families in Brazil’s semi-arid northeast
(2019-12-04)
Along the lower-middle São Francisco River, in the semi-arid region of northeast Brazil, irrigated agriculture contributes to reduce rural poverty. In the framework of the Itaparica Reservoir construction, three irrigation schemes were implemented in the Pernambuco state to compensate the local population for flooded land. Despite favourable production conditions for irrigated agriculture, many smallholders in the irrigation schemes are facing poverty. To identify socio-economic key indicators on farm income, expert ...
Aufsatz
Competitive interaction between guava and weeds: Effect on initial growth
(2019-12-03)
Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is one of the 50 most consumed fruits in the world. However, weed competition compromises fruit production in cultivation areas. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate the competitive interaction between guava plants and common infesting species on initial growth. Guava seedlings were cultivated during 60 days with Bidens subalternans DC., Waltheria indica L. or Commelina benghalensis L. in a randomized block design with four replicates. The experiment was conducted under greenhouse condition ...
Aufsatz
Biofuels and livelihoods: Empirical findings on the welfare impacts of Jatropha cultivation in the Mangochi district, Southern Malawi
(2019-11-27)
This study evaluates the welfare impacts of jatropha (Jatropha carcus) cultivation measured as consumption expenditure per adult-equivalent for smallholders in southern Malawi. Household survey data from the southern region of Malawi collected in 2014 from 303 smallholders using purposive and random selection strategies were used. Propensity score matching and endogenous switching regression methods were employed to address the selection bias problem and to control for observed and unobserved covariate effects. The ...
Aufsatz
The impact of uncertainty on smallholder farmers' income in Kyrgyzstan
(2019-12-12)
The farming systems in the mountain areas of Kyrgyzstan are primarily characterised by small-scale crop and livestock activities. Farmers are faced with several environmental, socio-economic and political challenges and constraints that result in significant uncertainties affecting their operations. This paper attempts to model how various sources of uncertainty collectively affected the smallholders’ farm incomes during a mid-term horizon using Monte Carlo simulation. The analyses were based on data collected through ...
Aufsatz
Liming effects on reproductive growth and yield components of maize grown on an acid rainforest soil
(2019-12-03)
Maize was planted on limed and unlimed plots to study the effect of soil acidity on reproductive growth and yield components of the crop in Owerri southeastern Nigeria. Eight (8) maize varieties (Factor A) and two lime levels (0 and 2 t ha-1, Factor B) were arranged as a factorial experiment in a randomised complete block design with three replications. The number of days to 50 % anthesis and silking, anthesis-silking interval (ASI), physiological maturity and grain filling duration were measured to determine the ...
Aufsatz
Determinants of participation in rural non-farm economy in Zvimba District, Zimbabwe
(2019-11-06)
The capacity of agriculture to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities is exceeded by the rural populations of developing countries, and with limited opportunities available in urban centres, the rural non-farm economy (RNFE) becomes pivotal in improving rural livelihoods. Within an empowerment agenda, it is important for policy makers to understand why households enter into the RNFE. We investigated participation in the RNFE of farm worker livelihoods along with the motivation for participation in RNF employment. ...
Aufsatz
A value chain analysis of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) products in Eastern and Coastal Kenya
(2019-11-14)
A growing demand for the highly nutritious baobab fruit pulp from Europe and North America raises the question whether the marketing of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) products could be an opportunity as an income source for rural communities in Kenya, or if the increased demand from overseas would disturb domestic baobab use. To gain an idea of domestic baobab use, a value chain analysis of edible baobab products was performed, using qualitative methods. By using a non-probability sampling, 134 baobab value chain ...
Aufsatz
Quality of black bean seeds harvested with different moisture contents and submitted to two different storage systems
(2019-12-05)
Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is one of the main foods of the Brazilian diet. However, to achieve high yields, one of the determining factors is seed quality, which can be influenced by harvesting time and storage. The objective of this work was to evaluate the physical quality and physiological performance of black bean seeds as function of the moisture content at harvest and storage method. For that, black bean seeds, cultivar BRS Campeiro, were used. The harvest was performed when the seeds reached moisture contents ...
Aufsatz
Natural and land-use drivers of primary production in a highly vulnerable region of livestock production (Sierras del Este – Uruguay)
(2019-02-21)
Sierras del Este is one of the two regions in Uruguay that are most vulnerable to climate change. A relevant vulnerability factor is the variability of the natural grasslands’ productivity. The objective of this study was to analyse the role of natural and land use drivers on grassland productivity as an essential factor for increasing the adaptive capacity of livestock production and reducing their vulnerability to extreme climatic events. The period 2000–2015 was analysed using the aboveground net primary production ...