Farm Management
Nnamdi Ehirim; Glory Ben-Chendo; Stephen Onyeagocha; Ubon Essien; Emeka Osuji; Melissa Okwara
Volume 6, Issue 4 , Autumn 2016, , Pages 409-420
Abstract
Viable sweet potato production is hard to achieve with indiscriminate use of farm inputs, resulting to wastage and environmental damages, as consequences are common problems of arable crop farming in Abia State. Issues arising from farm input use and their corresponding implications for environment called ...
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Viable sweet potato production is hard to achieve with indiscriminate use of farm inputs, resulting to wastage and environmental damages, as consequences are common problems of arable crop farming in Abia State. Issues arising from farm input use and their corresponding implications for environment called for a study on suitable farming practices and farm-specific technical efficiency for optimal resource use in sweet potato production in Abia State. Data were obtained from 156 sweet potatoe farmers through a multistage sampling technique using a structured questionaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean, relative frequency distribution, and the stochastic production frontier. Results showed that using inorganic fertilizer (65.378%) under rainfed production system with a frequent bush burning (66.67%) and low liming (5.8%) were very common practices with leaching, fragile soil, erosion, flooding, and soil acidity as consequences. Mixed cropping (63.46%) with improved varieties like TIS 8164 (71.2%) and 0087 (64.1%) were copping measures to some environmental challenges. Maximum Likelihood Estimates (MLE) showed a decreasing return to a scale of 0.236. The implication is that an increase in farm size and fertilizer application can significantly lead to a less than 0.06538 and 0.08142 proportionate increase in output of sweet potato respectively, or reduces it by less than 0.00413, with interest on borrowed capital. The gamma (0.0403) was less than unity and was significant at p < 0.05, implying that about 4.30% discripancies in observed and frontier output was due to technical inefficiencies of sweet potato farmers. The wide disparity in farmers’ technical efficiencies ranged from 0.298% to 99.4%, and a mean of 47.1% suggested a need to bridge the gap. Hence, a reduction in household size, farming experience, and sourcing of planting materials from NRCRI or IITA is believed to increase farmers’ technical inefficiency, which can be reduced with age and formal educational level of sweet Potato farmers in the area. All in all, the results suggest that reducing bush burning but increasing liming as well as including organic soil ammendments and irrigation practicies, when combined with the use of young and educated farmers, can reduce environmental damages and also increase farmers’ technical efficiency when it comes to sweet potato production in the area.
Ronald O. Nyamwamu; Justus M. Ombati; John G. Mwangi
Volume 4, Issue 2 , Spring 2014, , Pages 133-145
Abstract
Agricultural Training Centres (ATCs) promote crop and livestock development by providing extension information to farmers and serving as models of improved crop and livestock husbandry practices. Although potato farmers in Nyandarua County were trained on potato production technologies, their average ...
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Agricultural Training Centres (ATCs) promote crop and livestock development by providing extension information to farmers and serving as models of improved crop and livestock husbandry practices. Although potato farmers in Nyandarua County were trained on potato production technologies, their average yield was ≤16 tonnes per hectare compared to the national potential of 30 tonnes. This study therefore sought to determine the effectiveness of ATCs’ curriculum in promoting farmers’ adoption of selected potato production technologies in Nyandarua County in Kenya. A survey design was used. Primary data was collected from 136 farmers trained at ATCs on potato production using interview schedules. The respondents were sampled through a five-stage technique. The data was analysed using T-test and ANOVA, then summarized into percentages. Study results showed that adoption of recommended potato production technologies produced high yields compared to traditional technologies. It was therefore concluded that ATCs’ curriculum was effective in promoting farmers’ adoption of potato seed selection, planting, crop protection and harvesting technologies. It is recommended that ATCs’ curriculum prioritise demonstrations that show the influence of clean seed, fertilizer application, timely harvesting and spacing on potato yields. Further, campaigns should be held to educate farmers on the importance of potato dehaulming to promote its adoption. In addition, farmer-based seed production programs should be started in the County aimed at ensuring ready availability of seed.
Saheed Ige Adetumbi; Olumuyiwa Akin Olaniyi; Jacob Gbemiga Adewale
Volume 3, Issue 2 , Spring 2013, , Pages 131-139
Abstract
The study was carried out to assess the implication of the use of selected Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for extension service delivery in Nigeria. The simple random technique was used to select fifty percent of the total extension agents which equivalent to forty-two respondents ...
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The study was carried out to assess the implication of the use of selected Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for extension service delivery in Nigeria. The simple random technique was used to select fifty percent of the total extension agents which equivalent to forty-two respondents as sample size for the study. Frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation were used as descriptive statistic. Also, Chi-Square test and Spearman’s rho correlation were employed as inferential statistic to test for the hypotheses. Findings indicated that access to various ICTs tools especially Radio and Mobile phone and were found to be relevant to farming operations. The result of Chi square test revealed that significant relationship exist between sex, age, level of education, years of working experience of the extension agents and level of use of ICTs. Furthermore, the result of Spearman rho Correlation showed that there was no significant relationship between ICT training of extension workers and the level of use of ICTs. The study recommended among others that, there should be a periodic review of the use of current ICTs in extension service delivery to facilitate effectiveness in the use of ICTs for extension service and adequate funding of extension service should also be ensured to enhance the maintenance of ICTs made available to extension personnel.
