International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension

International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797 Vol. 14 (1), pp. 001-010, January, 2026. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Productivity Drivers and Land Use Patterns Among Zimbabwean Land Reform Beneficiaries

L. Musemwa* and A. Mushunje

Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University of Fort Hare, P. Bag X1314, Alice 5700, RSA.

Accepted 9 February, 2025

The objectives of the study were to determine the level that resettled farmers in Mashonaland Central Province of Zimbabwe utilise their land in the production of field crops as well as to determine their mean yields per hectare. Factors that affect yield and land utilisation were also determined. Data was collected from 245 households using a questionnaire as the main instrument. The majority of the households in the resettled areas, A1 (91%), A2 (87%) and the old resettlement areas (70%) were male- headed and had at least primary education. A2 farms have the lowest mean yield per hectare of US$714.80 which significantly differed from A1 (US$854.60) and the old resettled farms (US$846.55) which had higher but similar mean yield per hectare. The mean land utilisation rate varied significantly (p<0.05) with the land reform model with A2 having highest land utilisation rate of 67%. The A1 and old resettlement households had land utilisation rates of 53 and 46% respectively. Average total revenue varied significantly with the model of land reform. Sex, marital status, age of the household head, education and household size significantly affected land utilisation (P<0.05).

Key words: Land reform, land utilisation, old resettlements, revenue, yield.
 

International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797 Vol. 14 (1), pp. 001-006, January, 2026. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Evaluating Farmer Awareness and the Efficacy of Modern Vegetable Technology Packages in Northeastern Nigeria

Sabo Elizabeth¹* and Dia Y. Zira²

¹Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Adamawa State University, P.M.B 25 Mubi Nigeria.

²Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Adamawa State College of Agriculture, Mubi, Nigeria.

Accepted 8 September, 2025

Dry season vegetable production plays a key role in agricultural economics of Adamawa state, as a basic source of food, income and employment especially for resource poor farmers. This study evaluates the awareness and effectiveness of agricultural technology information by dry season vegetable farmers in Mubi region. Findings revealed that the vegetable production is gender sensitive to the male sex. Most household depend on family as a reliable source of labour. Awareness was high for vegetable production information packages. The farmers indicated the need for agricultural extension services, the dearth of which limits achieving high productivity. The use of mechanized land preparation techniques was less effective among the farmers interviewed. Vegetable technology information as seed dressing, availability of improved seeds, planting methods, weeding, water and disease management, pest control, harvesting and use of fertilizer were found to be very effective among the farmers. This could influence positively vegetable production in the study areas. The low effectiveness rating for mechanized land preparation and water management practices may be associated with the complex and expensive nature of these technologies.

Key words: Dry season farming, agricultural technology information, complex technology, effectiveness, awareness.

International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797 Vol. 13 (5), pp. 001-012, May, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Micro-Evidence on the Interplay of Poverty, Inequality, and Economic Growth in Rural Ethiopia

Fekadu Gelaw

Department of Agricultural Economics, Haramaya University, Ethiopia. E-mail: [email protected].

Accepted 11 November, 2024

Abstract

The Ethiopian government has boldly set very rapid and sustainable growth and its equitable distribution as its prime development objective to end poverty in the foreseeable future. For this reason, promoting agricultural and rural development has been purported by the government as its top development agenda since it took power some 19 years back. Yet the extent to which the government realizes this objective remains in doubt. This paper attempts to analyze the dynamic relationships among poverty, inequality and growth. While many of the available studies use aggregate cross-country data sets, this study, however, uses household panel data-set. The decomposition result indicates that the observed growth was neither rapid nor sustainable. Poverty and inequality have not also declined considerably except between 1995 and 1997. The study also systematically generated 90 observations of indices from the five rounds to estimate Fixed Effect (FE) regression model. The estimated growth and inequality elasticities of poverty were found equal to 3.32 and -3.68, respectively. What this means is that poverty could still remain high if the country fails to achieve rapid and sustainable growth, on the one hand, and simultaneously reduce inequality, on the other.

Key words: Inequality, poverty, growth, fixed effects.
 

International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797 Vol. 13 (5), pp. 001-015, May, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Exploring the Link Between Irrigation Availability and Economic Expenditure in Ghana's Farming Communities

John K. M. Kuwornu¹* and Eric S. Owusu²

¹Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, P. O. Box LG 68, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
²Food Research Institute, P. O. Box M20, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Accra, Ghana.

Accepted 13 December, 2024

Abstract

Investment in agricultural water management has been one key poverty reduction strategy in developing countries. In Ghana, irrigation development for livelihood support, which dates back to the 1960s manifested in the development of formal irrigation infrastructure, starting with the rural savannah and coastal regions. This study applied a propensity score matching (PSM) approach and regression analysis (ordinary least squares and switching regression) to ascertain that, pro-poor irrigation investment in the rural savannah region of Ghana is justified due to significant irrigation contribution to consumption expenditure per capita in farm households. The results also show differences in the impacts of irrigation access on household consumption expenditure per capita due to differences in the methodologies employed. The gain in household consumption expenditure per (GH¢) using the different methodologies are as follows: Propensity Score Matching approach (GH¢ 24.90, GH¢28.30), ordinary least squares regression (GH¢ 5.40), and switching regression (GH¢23.70). Thus, the range of estimates of irrigation’s impact on household consumption expenditure is positive (GH¢ 5.4 to GH¢ 28.3). The differences in the magnitude of these estimates are ascribed to the underlying assumptions and robustness of each of these methodologies employed in the study.

Key words: Irrigation, consumption expenditure, propensity score matching, ordinary least squares regression, switching regression, Ghana.
 

International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797 Vol. 13 (5), pp. 001-009, May, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Food Insecurity in Northern Ghana: Strategies Employed by Rural Families to Navigate Seasonal Shortage

Fred Nimoh, Ayaburi Samuel and Ransford Yeboah*

Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University Post Office, Kumasi, Ghana.

Accepted 10 October, 2024

Abstract

A household survey was conducted in four villages in the Bolgatanga District of northern Ghana with the objective of identifying causes and effects of seasonal food shortages and coping strategies adopted by households to increase food availability. Data was collected using structured questionnaires from 200 households selected by the simple random technique and was analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test and probit model estimation. Findings of the study showed that effects of food shortages on households included difficulties in maintaining wards in schools and inability to register under the National Health Insurance Scheme as indicated by about 80.0% of the respondents. The chi-square analysis showed that household size and farm size were related to farm per capita output at 5 and 10% significant levels respectively. The probit analysis showed that education, farm size, income from off-farm activities, income from rearing and sale of livestock/poultry and receipt of remittances were the significant variables that determined household food availability at 5% significant level. The study recommends that efforts at reducing food insecurity among rural households should focus on increasing rural household income by engaging in off-farm income generating activities, literacy promotion, food supply and credit provision.

Key words: Bolgatanga municipality, coping strategies, food shortages, rural households.
 

International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797 Vol. 13 (5), pp. 001-011, May, 2025. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

The Economic Impact of a Common Monetary Area on the Namibian Beef Industry: A Vector Error Correction Model Analysis

Teweldemedhin, MY

Polytechnic of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel +264 61 207 2304.
Fax: +264 207 2143.

Accepted 12 December, 2024

Abstract

The aim of this study was to measure the cost of the common monetary area (CMA) to the beef industry in Namibia as a result of the South African Reserve Bank’s monetary policy. A vector error correction (VEC) model was applied to measure the dynamic effect of the interest and exchange rate between the rand/Namibian dollar on the Namibian beef industry, and more specifically to examine how the volatile nature of the rand/Namibian dollar interest and exchange rates has caused consumers to absorb short-run price changes. The study found that Namibian consumers have to absorb more than the South African short-run price overshot, causing the beef industry to lose even more of its competitive advantage. For example, the results show that a 1% change in South Africa’s money supply or in the appreciation (depreciation) of the rand/Namibian dollar leads to a 2% rise in beef prices in Namibia, making the cost of living more expensive in Namibia than in South Africa. Due to the linkages between monetary policy variables and relative agricultural prices, it is recommended that agricultural policymakers and monetary authorities in the CMA work closely together in designing and implementing monetary policy for the planned Southern African Development Community (SADC) in view of facilitating a common currency. This is important, because monetary policies that are meant to stabilise the entire region and positively influence the SADC economy may have a less-desirable impact on the agro-food industry, as well as on farmers and consumers, especially in the short run.

Key words: Common monetary area (CMA), interest and exchange rates, Namibian beef industry, vector error correction (VEC) model.