International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797 Vol. 5 (6), pp. 001-015, June, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Changes in agricultural policy and services as a drive for effective extension?

Clément Gbêhi¹* and Cees Leeuwis²

¹Département d’Economie, Socio-Anthropologie et Communication (DESAC/FSA/UAC), Université d’Abomey-Calavi, Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, 01 B. P. : 526 Cotonou, République du Bénin.

²Communication and Innovation Studies Group, Wageningen University, Hollandseweg 1, P. O. Box 8130, 6700 EW, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Accepted 22 April, 2017

Abstract

In many parts of the world, agricultural policy is being restructured to promote changes which advance new mechanisms of financing knowledge-based services. In Bénin, a Project for Restructuring Agricultural Services (PRSA-Bénin) is achieved. This study considers this project journey and the recent changes in agricultural policy. A key concern of the Béninese government in advancing these changes, as argued in this article, is to make it a better policy instrument for more intensive involvement of farmers and other private sector organizations in funding arrangements. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, and reconstruction ex-post of activities undertaken were used to investigate the project journey. Additionally, to support our analysis, we made use of the results of evaluative studies, documents and project reports, and findings of meetings of a specified forum designed for three days. Results show that the perspective and management of agricultural policy and knowledge-based services changed. Several private sector organizations have interests, including farmers’ organizations, NGOs, commercial companies and micro-finance institutions. New mechanisms of financing agricultural policy and services are institutionalized. Results also question the conventional understanding and practices of agricultural knowledge-based services.

Key words: Agricultural policy, knowledge-based services, privatization, financing mechanisms, private sector organizations, demand articulation, Bénin.

International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797  Vol. 5 (5), pp. 295-301, May, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Factors affecting adoption of post-harvest technologies of selected food crops in Rivers State, Nigeria

¹Elemasho M.K., ²S.D.Y. Alfred, ¹C.C. Aneke, ¹A.J.C. Chugali and ¹O. Ajiboye

¹Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

²Department of Agricultural Extension and Communication Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria.

Corresponding author. [email protected]. Tel. +234 8037535105; +234 8024609761

Accepted 23 May, 2017

Abstract

The study was conducted to determine the factors affecting adoption of post-harvest technologies of selected food crops in Rivers State, Nigeria. A multistage snow-ball procedure was used to sample 135 selected food crops farmers in the State. A well structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from the respondents and analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The results revealed that, majority (85.9%) of the respondents were females, mostly married (84.4%), with house-hold sizes between 5-9 persons (54.8%). Respondents mean age was 41.0 years, with mean of 15.9 years’ farming experience co-farmer was the most commonly used sources of information on post-harvest technologies. Factors determined to be affecting the adoption of selected post-harvest technologies in the study area were, socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and sources of information on post-harvest technologies. All socio-economic characteristics measured were significantly related to adoption level with P – value less than 0.05. The technologies in the package were not introduced to the farmers (100%) and the level of adoption was poor (100%). The respondents’ sources of information influenced their adoption of post-harvest technologies with the p- value less than 0.05. The study recommended that available post-harvest technologies should be made known to all users.

Key words: Adoption, factors, food crops, post-harvest, technologies.

International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN: 2329-9797 Vol. 5 (4), pp. 284-294, April, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Resource use efficiency of fadama III small-scale rice farmers in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

¹OK Ishiaku,²U Haruna, ²HA Danwanka and ³HR Suleiman

¹National Agricultural Seed Council 6^th Floor BOA Plaza Central District Abuja, ²Department of Agricultural Economics Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, Nigeria ³Department of Agric and Natural Resources, Nasarawa State Local Government Commission Lafia, Nigeria.

*Corresponding author E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 10 April, 2017

Abstract

This study examined the utilization of farm resources among fadama III small scale rice farmers in Nasarawa state. Data were collected from a random sample of 1200 farmers (600 participating and 600 non participating farmers) from seven local government areas of Nasarawa state. These were analyzed using regression analysis, farm budget, t-test and efficiency measures. The result revealed that the coefficient of labour, fertilizer, seed were statistically significant at (P<0.01) and farm size (P<0.05) and herbicide (P<0.1) for participants, while the non participants fertilizer was found to be (P<0.01), labour, seed and herbicide (P<0.05) and farm size (P<0.1). The overall production elasticity of the inputs used was 1.045 and 1.356 for participants and non participants. Participants used all the resources more efficiently than the non participants with a ratio of 6.40 as against 9.04 for labour, 6.71 as against 7.60 for fertilizer, 3.74 as against 7.11 for seed, 7.00 as against 10.92 for herbicide and 3.25 as against 5.27 for farm size. The result for MVP adjustment reveal 84.38% adjustment is required for optimum utilization in labour for participants as against 88.94% for non participants. 85.10% adjustment is required for optimum utilization in fertilizer for participants as against 88.85% for non participants. 73.22% adjustment is required for optimum utilization in seed for participants as against 85.93% for non participants. 83.30% adjustment is required for optimum utilization in herbicide as against 90.84% for non participants. 67.23% adjustment is needed for optimum utilization in farm size as against 81.03% for non participants. Production resources in the study area were found not to be efficiently utilized for both groups, hence, not to optimum economic advantage. It therefore goes that urgent attention is needed through provision of agricultural inputs to bridge the gap for optimum use of the resources in the study area and technical efficiency in rice production in Nasarawa state could be increase through better use of farm inputs; as such there should be provision of such enabling policies (such as making available all agricultural inputs required at the right time and affordable prices). There is also need for fadama III participants to have access to credit, as financial assistance from fadama project cannot meet their demand for inputs. 

Keywords: Optimum economic advantage, Percentage MVP Adjustment, Production elasticity Resources use.

International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797 Vol. 5 (3), pp. 266-276, March, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Effects of drought on South African Agriculture

Gary Villiers Tambo¹*, Winnie Nadine Els², Hansie Shaun Neil², Jonty F. Barnard ³ and Justine Morgan¹

¹Department of Public Enterprises, University of Pretoria, South Africa.

²National Agricultural Marketing Council, South Africa.

³Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, South Africa.

 Email: [email protected]

Received 10 February, 2017; Accepted 19 March, 2017

Abstract

South Africa’s agricultural sector is comprised of livestock, field crops and fruit in their order of size, in gross value terms. Agriculture in South Africa accounts for a relatively low share in the economy (3% of gross domestic product - GDP), 6% of employment and about 10% of exports (over R144 billion in 2015). Currently (2015/16), South Africa is experiencing the worst drought in over 100 years, which has resulted in significant effects on agriculture, with eight of the nine provinces being declared disaster areas. The motivation of the study was to understand the severity of drought on agriculture as well the impact on the whole economy (to quantify the economy-wide effects/losses emanating from the drought). To quantify these effects a single-country computable general equilibrium (CGE) model was used. Four scenarios were developed: Impact of field crops losses; impact of livestock losses; impact of aggregated agriculture losses; and impact of aggregated agriculture losses plus drought relief. The analysis shows that all scenarios led to a negative impact on GDP, employment and exports while the drought relief was found to have saved some jobs, albeit not significantly.

Key words: Drought, computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, field crops, livestock and fruit, GEMPACK

International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797 Vol. 5 (3), pp. 277-283, March, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Determinants of small ruminant keepers’ input use and marketing practices and small ruminant productivity under six small ruminant production systems in Ethiopia

Solomon Gizaw*, Dirk Hoekstra, Berhanu Gebremedhin and AzageTegegne

International Livestock Research Institute, P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Accept 15 March, 2017

*Corresponding author E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Information on variations in producers’ input use and marketing strategies as well as in the level of small ruminant productivity across farming systems is essential for better targeting agricultural research and development interventions. The purpose of the current study was to identify important determinants of small ruminant productivity and farmers’ decisions on input use and marketing across the six small ruminant systems identified in the mixed crop-livestock system in Ethiopia. The study was based on analysis of data collected on 2621 small ruminant keepers from four regional states, fitting a generalized regression model to the data. The results showed that there are variations among the identified six systems in the level of small ruminant productivity and producers’ input use and marketing strategies. Households’ socioeconomic characteristics such as gender and literacy status and scale of production (e.g. flock size and land holding) were found to determine input use and marketing behaviors of producers. Productivity was found to be determined by availability and use of external inputs and land holding. The impacts of the various determinants varied across production systems. This calls for system-specific targeting approach for small ruminant development as well as a value chain approach addressing constraints at critical leverage points across the small ruminant value chain and targeting appropriate value chain actors (gender, literacy, etc.) for introducing technological interventions.

Keywords: Small ruminant, production system, household characteristics, productivity, input use, marketing.

International Journal of Agricultural Economics and Extension ISSN 2329-9797 Vol. 5 (2), pp. 259-265, February, 2017. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Understanding the factors affecting adoption of subpackages of CSA in Southern Malawi

Cassim Orton Justin*, Chakufwa E. Wiliams and Timika S. Vera

Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, P. O. Box 219, Lilongwe, Malawi.

Email: [email protected]

Received 10 January, 2017; Accepted 20 January, 2017

Abstract

This paper aimed to identify factors affecting adoption of multiple climate change adapta tion strategies in Southern Malawi. An ordered probit model was estimated using survey data collected in Nsanje and Balaka districts in 2014-2015 cropping season. Age of household head, total land area owned, petty trading and formal employment were found to reduce the probability of adopting more than two CSA strategies. Farmers who reported observing changes in moisture levels in their areas for the 20 -year period prior to the survey were found to have lower probability of adopting four CSA strategies as compared to those who reported not observing any changes in moisture in the same time period. Importantly, being a lead farmer, which proxied ample access to climate smart agriculture extension messages and training access, acreage used in agricultural production and observing an increase in incidences of floods in a 20-year period prior to this study increased the probability of adopting more than two CSA strategies. Interestingly, household income was found not to affect number of CSA strategies adopted. The study recommends that relevant stakeholders should provide farmers with CSA-related extension messages if more farmers are to adopt multiple CSA techniques.

Key words: Climate-smart agriculture, adoption, marginal effects, probability, ordered probit .