Pub Date : 2019-12-03DOI: 10.17170/KOBRA-20191127813
M. F. Melo, V. Mendonça, D. V. Silva, L. F. M. Mendonça, T. H. S. Irineu
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 from February to May 2017 in Mossoro city, Brazil. The following variables were analysed: number of leaves; shoot and root length; stem diameter; root, stem, shoot and total dry mass; and leaf area. As a result, only guava plants suffered negative effects on growth due to the competition. W. indica and C. benghalensis were the most competitive species, reducing the number of leaves, leaf area and total dry matter of guava plants. However, guava and W. indica produced more root biomass when in competition. In contrast, B. subalternans and C. benghalensis was not affected by the presence of guava. In conclusion, competition with W. indica or C. benghalensis reduces the growth of guava after transplanting.
{"title":"Competitive interaction between guava and weeds: Effect on initial growth","authors":"M. F. Melo, V. Mendonça, D. V. Silva, L. F. M. Mendonça, T. H. S. Irineu","doi":"10.17170/KOBRA-20191127813","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17170/KOBRA-20191127813","url":null,"abstract":"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 from February to May 2017 in Mossoro city, Brazil. The following variables were analysed: number of leaves; shoot and root length; stem diameter; root, stem, shoot and total dry mass; and leaf area. As a result, only guava plants suffered negative effects on growth due to the competition. W. indica and C. benghalensis were the most competitive species, reducing the number of leaves, leaf area and total dry matter of guava plants. However, guava and W. indica produced more root biomass when in competition. In contrast, B. subalternans and C. benghalensis was not affected by the presence of guava. In conclusion, competition with W. indica or C. benghalensis reduces the growth of guava after transplanting.","PeriodicalId":54889,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics","volume":"120 1","pages":"149-155"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42511560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-12-02DOI: 10.17170/KOBRA-20191030734
O. Chamdimba, G. Ortmann, E. Wale
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 analysis suggests that when selection bias and endogeneity were accounted for, jatropha cultivating farmers' welfare was lower as compared to their counterparts. In the absence of tangible empirical evidence on welfare benefits to smallholder jatropha feedstock producers, this study concludes that jatropha is unlikely to bring meaningful welfare benefits to smallholders. As such, further research should consider pursuing other potential biofuel options like ‘moringa” for biodiesel in the future Malawi biofuels policy. These findings also show that biofuels are not a panacea to the rural development and welfare of smallholders. Rather, the results suggest that programme initiatives which build household assets need to be encouraged to improve the plight of rural households largely dependent on agriculture.
{"title":"Biofuels and livelihoods: Empirical findings on the welfare impacts of Jatropha cultivation in the Mangochi district, Southern Malawi","authors":"O. Chamdimba, G. Ortmann, E. Wale","doi":"10.17170/KOBRA-20191030734","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17170/KOBRA-20191030734","url":null,"abstract":"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 analysis suggests that when selection bias and endogeneity were accounted for, jatropha cultivating farmers' welfare was lower as compared to their counterparts. In the absence of tangible empirical evidence on welfare benefits to smallholder jatropha feedstock producers, this study concludes that jatropha is unlikely to bring meaningful welfare benefits to smallholders. As such, further research should consider pursuing other potential biofuel options like ‘moringa” for biodiesel in the future Malawi biofuels policy. These findings also show that biofuels are not a panacea to the rural development and welfare of smallholders. Rather, the results suggest that programme initiatives which build household assets need to be encouraged to improve the plight of rural households largely dependent on agriculture.","PeriodicalId":54889,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics","volume":"120 1","pages":"129-140"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45952816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-12-02DOI: 10.17170/KOBRA-20191030733
J. Wyatt, A. Winterborn, Ibu Setiawati, Yusus Muhummad
Poverty limits options available to smallholder, subsistence farmers to prevent or reverse livestock malnutrition and endoparasitism, two of the global drivers of goat morbidity and mortality in resource-constrained, tropical, agricultural communities. Our first study objectives describe changes observed in body condition and anaemia after implementation of three feasible and simple husbandry changes to improve health of smallholder herds of kacang goats in rural, Indonesian Borneo. These changes included routine hoof trimming and increased access to food and fresh water. We observed an impressive six-fold decrease in emaciated animals from 26 % to 4 % and an almost doubling of goats in ideal body condition from 29 % to 54 % after fourteen months of improved hoof care and nutrition. The second study objective described herd health changes observed fourteen months after adding a targeted, selective, refugia deworming regimen to the enhanced husbandry program. We observed a significant decrease in proportion of anaemic goats from 88 % to 74 % fourteen months after initiating the targeted selective herd anthelmintic treatment. Impoverished, smallholder subsistence agricultural communities with limited resources should first initiate feasible husbandry enhancements to begin improving overall herd health especially when anthelmintic expense or availability delays establishing an ideal program which includes a deworming component.
{"title":"Assessment of a pragmatic strategy to improve health of kacang goats in subsistence agricultural communities in Indonesian Borneo","authors":"J. Wyatt, A. Winterborn, Ibu Setiawati, Yusus Muhummad","doi":"10.17170/KOBRA-20191030733","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17170/KOBRA-20191030733","url":null,"abstract":"Poverty limits options available to smallholder, subsistence farmers to prevent or reverse livestock malnutrition and endoparasitism, two of the global drivers of goat morbidity and mortality in resource-constrained, tropical, agricultural communities. Our first study objectives describe changes observed in body condition and anaemia after implementation of three feasible and simple husbandry changes to improve health of smallholder herds of kacang goats in rural, Indonesian Borneo. These changes included routine hoof trimming and increased access to food and fresh water. We observed an impressive six-fold decrease in emaciated animals from 26 % to 4 % and an almost doubling of goats in ideal body condition from 29 % to 54 % after fourteen months of improved hoof care and nutrition. The second study objective described herd health changes observed fourteen months after adding a targeted, selective, refugia deworming regimen to the enhanced husbandry program. We observed a significant decrease in proportion of anaemic goats from 88 % to 74 % fourteen months after initiating the targeted selective herd anthelmintic treatment. Impoverished, smallholder subsistence agricultural communities with limited resources should first initiate feasible husbandry enhancements to begin improving overall herd health especially when anthelmintic expense or availability delays establishing an ideal program which includes a deworming component.","PeriodicalId":54889,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics","volume":"120 1","pages":"119-128"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47787589","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-11-19DOI: 10.17170/KOBRA-20190613561
Sara Nicli, J. Mantilla-Contreras, Roberto Waldemar Moya Fernandez, M. Schermer, David E. Unger, S. Wolf, S. Zerbe
Promoting sustainable agricultural practices such as agroforestry (AF) could improve long-term productivity, enhance a sustainable rural livelihood and reduce pressure on natural resources and ecosystems in the tropics. However, AF seems to have adoption problems due to external market forces, lack of skills, financial resources and know-how ending in low flexibility and discontinuity of farmers in practicing AF. The objective of this study is to identify social, institutional, and economic factors that influence the adoption of AF on the household and community level, taking the region Alta Verapaz in Guatemala as a case study. Alta Verapaz is amongst the poorest regions in the country but also a tropical biodiversity hotspot where current agricultural practices are threatening forest environments and social development objectives. Our study explores how capital accessibility and institutional incentives are related to farmer’s livelihood sustainability and AF compositions. The methodology is composed by semi-structured interviews with nineteen farmers and field observations. The interviews have been analysed based on a qualitative content analysis by using the inductive category development. Based on these outcomes, the study found that human and economical capitals are favoured in communities were institutions are present especially through AF training offers, creation of farmers cooperatives and economic incentives. The role of institutions resulted to be crucial in the promotion of organic AF methods, forest protection and creation of long-term income. The combination of agricultural diversification with institutional incentives is one key livelihood strategy adopted by the farmers in order to achieve a socio-economic and ecological sustainability of their households. The further promotion of community forestry projects, expansion of networks and ongoing agricultural trainings as well as the diversification of agricultural systems could be beneficial for farmers in Alta Verapaz.
{"title":"Socio-economic, political, and institutional sustainability of agroforestry in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala","authors":"Sara Nicli, J. Mantilla-Contreras, Roberto Waldemar Moya Fernandez, M. Schermer, David E. Unger, S. Wolf, S. Zerbe","doi":"10.17170/KOBRA-20190613561","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17170/KOBRA-20190613561","url":null,"abstract":"Promoting sustainable agricultural practices such as agroforestry (AF) could improve long-term productivity, enhance a sustainable rural livelihood and reduce pressure on natural resources and ecosystems in the tropics. However, AF seems to have adoption problems due to external market forces, lack of skills, financial resources and know-how ending in low flexibility and discontinuity of farmers in practicing AF. The objective of this study is to identify social, institutional, and economic factors that influence the adoption of AF on the household and community level, taking the region Alta Verapaz in Guatemala as a case study. Alta Verapaz is amongst the poorest regions in the country but also a tropical biodiversity hotspot where current agricultural practices are threatening forest environments and social development objectives. Our study explores how capital accessibility and institutional incentives are related to farmer’s livelihood sustainability and AF compositions. The methodology is composed by semi-structured interviews with nineteen farmers and field observations. The interviews have been analysed based on a qualitative content analysis by using the inductive category development. Based on these outcomes, the study found that human and economical capitals are favoured in communities were institutions are present especially through AF training offers, creation of farmers cooperatives and economic incentives. The role of institutions resulted to be crucial in the promotion of organic AF methods, forest protection and creation of long-term income. The combination of agricultural diversification with institutional incentives is one key livelihood strategy adopted by the farmers in order to achieve a socio-economic and ecological sustainability of their households. The further promotion of community forestry projects, expansion of networks and ongoing agricultural trainings as well as the diversification of agricultural systems could be beneficial for farmers in Alta Verapaz.","PeriodicalId":54889,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics","volume":"120 1","pages":"105-117"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45690937","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-11-14DOI: 10.17170/KOBRA-20191030732
Lisa Jäckering, S. Fischer, K. Kehlenbeck
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 respondents from producers to retailers of baobab products were interviewed on sales data, volumes and profits. Results from an additional household survey, key informant interviews and participatory research were used to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of and to the baobab business. The main actors of the baobab value network were farmers, collectors, wholesalers, processors and retailers; 72% of the respondents were female. The products most traded were unprocessed pulp-covered seeds and mabuyu, a candy made out of baobab pulp-covered seeds, sugar and food colour. The average value of the product along the mabuyu value chain increased from 0.07 USD per kg of raw pulp-covered seeds paid to the farmer to up to 1.50 USD per kg paid by the end consumer for the mabuyu candy. For farmers, the harvesting and trading with baobab products is an additional source of income during the dry season. Increased commercialisation of baobab products and better integration of farmers into value chains may enhance income, particularly of women.
{"title":"A value chain analysis of baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) products in Eastern and Coastal Kenya","authors":"Lisa Jäckering, S. Fischer, K. Kehlenbeck","doi":"10.17170/KOBRA-20191030732","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17170/KOBRA-20191030732","url":null,"abstract":"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 respondents from producers to retailers of baobab products were interviewed on sales data, volumes and profits. Results from an additional household survey, key informant interviews and participatory research were used to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of and to the baobab business. The main actors of the baobab value network were farmers, collectors, wholesalers, processors and retailers; 72% of the respondents were female. The products most traded were unprocessed pulp-covered seeds and mabuyu, a candy made out of baobab pulp-covered seeds, sugar and food colour. The average value of the product along the mabuyu value chain increased from 0.07 USD per kg of raw pulp-covered seeds paid to the farmer to up to 1.50 USD per kg paid by the end consumer for the mabuyu candy. For farmers, the harvesting and trading with baobab products is an additional source of income during the dry season. Increased commercialisation of baobab products and better integration of farmers into value chains may enhance income, particularly of women.","PeriodicalId":54889,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics","volume":"120 1","pages":"91-104"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45197962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-11-07DOI: 10.17170/KOBRA-20190613559
J. Muthui, J. Matofari, A. Kingori, C. Hülsebusch
Agricultural production in Kenya is dominated by smallholder enterprises which provide up to 60% of the country's workforce. The agrarian transition to enhance smallholder participation in neoliberal capitalistic markets demands compliance to sanitary and phytosanitary standards and with codes for worker's welfare and thus the concept of decent work. Evaluation of decent work deficits in the informal economy however remains a challenge associated with sector uniqueness and differences in socio- cultural attributes of labour. Nevertheless, there is need to build on analytical methods prescribed by the International Labour Organisation of the United Nations that make use of sector specific data and indicators. This study used 27 variables from a survey of 144 pig enterprises in three geographically and demographically distinct Counties in Kenya to develop five indices using Porter's diamond methodology. The five indices were subjected to Principal Component Analysis using SPSS statistical software to extract two components which were latent variables for decent work. The two components were then subjected to Analysis of variance with Tukey's test to separate the means. Results showed that decent work deficits were more pronounced (p ≤ 0.05) in pig enterprises in Busia County as compared to enterprises in Nakuru or Kiambu Counties. Decent work deficits became more pronounced (p ≤ 0.05) as the education level of household head reduced. Decent work deficits were also more pronounced (p ≤ 0.05) in enterprises where the age of the household head was 35 years and below. The study identified enterprises in Busia County as deficient in their decent work status with low technology adoption and production efficiency, weak market access and quality control as the most important determinants of decent work status. This study recommends that approaches to address decent work deficits should focus on training farmers to improve technology use and improve production efficiency as well as enhancing surveillance for quality. For further research, the study recommends that evaluation of decent work in smallholder systems could be done through aggregation of the many indicators around the concept of competitiveness where PCA can be used for data convergence.
{"title":"Comparison of decent work status among smallholder pig farmers in Kenya; An empirical approach using Principal Components","authors":"J. Muthui, J. Matofari, A. Kingori, C. Hülsebusch","doi":"10.17170/KOBRA-20190613559","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17170/KOBRA-20190613559","url":null,"abstract":"Agricultural production in Kenya is dominated by smallholder enterprises which provide up to 60% of the country's workforce. The agrarian transition to enhance smallholder participation in neoliberal capitalistic markets demands compliance to sanitary and phytosanitary standards and with codes for worker's welfare and thus the concept of decent work. Evaluation of decent work deficits in the informal economy however remains a challenge associated with sector uniqueness and differences in socio- cultural attributes of labour. Nevertheless, there is need to build on analytical methods prescribed by the International Labour Organisation of the United Nations that make use of sector specific data and indicators. This study used 27 variables from a survey of 144 pig enterprises in three geographically and demographically distinct Counties in Kenya to develop five indices using Porter's diamond methodology. The five indices were subjected to Principal Component Analysis using SPSS statistical software to extract two components which were latent variables for decent work. The two components were then subjected to Analysis of variance with Tukey's test to separate the means. Results showed that decent work deficits were more pronounced (p ≤ 0.05) in pig enterprises in Busia County as compared to enterprises in Nakuru or Kiambu Counties. Decent work deficits became more pronounced (p ≤ 0.05) as the education level of household head reduced. Decent work deficits were also more pronounced (p ≤ 0.05) in enterprises where the age of the household head was 35 years and below. The study identified enterprises in Busia County as deficient in their decent work status with low technology adoption and production efficiency, weak market access and quality control as the most important determinants of decent work status. This study recommends that approaches to address decent work deficits should focus on training farmers to improve technology use and improve production efficiency as well as enhancing surveillance for quality. For further research, the study recommends that evaluation of decent work in smallholder systems could be done through aggregation of the many indicators around the concept of competitiveness where PCA can be used for data convergence.","PeriodicalId":54889,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics","volume":"120 1","pages":"79-90"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48911065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-11-07DOI: 10.17170/KOBRA-20190613558
M. G. Kgatle, B. Flett, M. Truter, Moses Ramusi, T. Aveling
Alternaria leaf blight (ALB) has been shown in recent years to be one of the major potential disease threats of sunflower capable of causing yield losses in all major production areas. The aim of this study was to determine the causal agent, prevalence and geographical distribution of ALB in the major sunflower production areas of South Africa. Surveys were conducted during 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15 growing seasons at commercial sunflower production fields and at commercial cultivar trials. In the three growing seasons, twenty-nine sunflower commercial production sites were surveyed for ALB disease severity. Furthermore, four cultivars (AGSUN8251, PHB65A25, SY4200 and PAN7049) were surveyed for ALB during cultivar trials in a total of 25 localities during the three growing seasons. The plants were surveyed between 90 to 120 days after planting and leaves showing ALB symptoms were collected. Alternaria alternata was identified as the primary disease-causing organism of ALB in all the fields. Wesselsbron consistently had the lowest ALB disease severity during the 2013/14 and 2014/15 growing seasons, whereas Potchefstroom had the highest disease severity in all three growing seasons. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was greatest for temperature (r=0.6 in 2012/13, r=0.71 in 2013/14 and r=0.84 in 2014/15) and disease severity in all the growing seasons. Information about the distribution of sunflower diseases is important and this survey demonstrated that A. alternata is widespread across sunflower production areas in South Africa and may result in potential yield losses.
{"title":"Distribution of Alternaria leaf blight of sunflowers caused by Alternaria alternata in South Africa","authors":"M. G. Kgatle, B. Flett, M. Truter, Moses Ramusi, T. Aveling","doi":"10.17170/KOBRA-20190613558","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17170/KOBRA-20190613558","url":null,"abstract":"Alternaria leaf blight (ALB) has been shown in recent years to be one of the major potential disease threats of sunflower capable of causing yield losses in all major production areas. The aim of this study was to determine the causal agent, prevalence and geographical distribution of ALB in the major sunflower production areas of South Africa. Surveys were conducted during 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15 growing seasons at commercial sunflower production fields and at commercial cultivar trials. In the three growing seasons, twenty-nine sunflower commercial production sites were surveyed for ALB disease severity. Furthermore, four cultivars (AGSUN8251, PHB65A25, SY4200 and PAN7049) were surveyed for ALB during cultivar trials in a total of 25 localities during the three growing seasons. The plants were surveyed between 90 to 120 days after planting and leaves showing ALB symptoms were collected. Alternaria alternata was identified as the primary disease-causing organism of ALB in all the fields. Wesselsbron consistently had the lowest ALB disease severity during the 2013/14 and 2014/15 growing seasons, whereas Potchefstroom had the highest disease severity in all three growing seasons. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was greatest for temperature (r=0.6 in 2012/13, r=0.71 in 2013/14 and r=0.84 in 2014/15) and disease severity in all the growing seasons. Information about the distribution of sunflower diseases is important and this survey demonstrated that A. alternata is widespread across sunflower production areas in South Africa and may result in potential yield losses.","PeriodicalId":54889,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics","volume":"120 1","pages":"71-77"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49520231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-11-06DOI: 10.17170/KOBRA-20190613555
M. Dalu, T. Dalu
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. Moreover, we sought to determine the key barriers and enablers to the adoption of high return strategies in RNFE activities by rural farm workers in Zimbabwe. Quantitative household surveys and qualitative focus group discussions were used to investigate levels of household dependency, education and skills, income accumulation and enterprising, expenditure and household assets. Our results showed that the primary motivation for entry into the RNFE was distress-pushed diversification. Our study found that market dynamics, limited skills, education level, and lack of capital are the paralysing factors towards significant income returns from RNFE for households. This information is critical for policy development for sustainable rural livelihoods, especially for rural farm workers who constitute the most vulnerable of the entire African rural population.
{"title":"Determinants of participation in rural non-farm economy in Zvimba District, Zimbabwe","authors":"M. Dalu, T. Dalu","doi":"10.17170/KOBRA-20190613555","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17170/KOBRA-20190613555","url":null,"abstract":"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. Moreover, we sought to determine the key barriers and enablers to the adoption of high return strategies in RNFE activities by rural farm workers in Zimbabwe. Quantitative household surveys and qualitative focus group discussions were used to investigate levels of household dependency, education and skills, income accumulation and enterprising, expenditure and household assets. Our results showed that the primary motivation for entry into the RNFE was distress-pushed diversification. Our study found that market dynamics, limited skills, education level, and lack of capital are the paralysing factors towards significant income returns from RNFE for households. This information is critical for policy development for sustainable rural livelihoods, especially for rural farm workers who constitute the most vulnerable of the entire African rural population.","PeriodicalId":54889,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics","volume":"120 1","pages":"63-70"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44760189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-11-04DOI: 10.17170/KOBRA-20190613557
D. Kiobia, H. Graef, P. Reuben, F. Kahimba, F. Graef, B. Eichler-Löbermann, V. Silayo
Biochar application to soils increases biomass and crop yields, especially with rates higher than 100 t ha −1 . Yet, there is limited knowledge on the combined effect of biochar and chemical fertiliser under different tillage systems. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of maize-cob biochar (BC) (rates of 5 and 10 t ha −1 ) combined with chemical fertiliser micro-dosing (MD) at a rate of 25% of the recommended quantity on total shoot dry matter (DM) and plant height of maize cultivated under flat (F) and tied-ridge (R) practices during a humid season in Tanzania. The results indicate that combining 5 t ha −1 BC with 25% MD increases DM at harvest by 83% (4.16 t ha −1 ) compared to the control (2.27 t ha −1 ) and was in the same range as the DM obtained from the treatment with the recommended fertiliser rate (100% FD). The treatments with single applications of 25% MD, 5 t ha −1 BC, and 10 t ha −1 BC only tended to exceed the control of DM yield. Therefore, we recommend that small-scale farmers aiming at DM for livestock or grain yield with limited access to chemical fertilisers to combine biochar with 25% MD, rather than applying biochar or low chemical fertiliser rates alone.
在土壤中施用生物炭可增加生物量和作物产量，特别是施用量高于100 t / t / h时。然而，对不同耕作制度下生物炭和化肥的综合效果了解有限。本研究的目的是研究玉米穗轴生物炭(BC)(5和10 t ha - 1)与25%推荐量的微量化肥(MD)在坦桑尼亚湿润季节对平垄(F)和系垄(R)方式下种植的玉米茎部总干物质(DM)和株高的影响。结果表明，与对照(2.27 tha - 1)相比，5 tha - 1 BC + 25% MD可使收获时的DM增加83% (4.16 tha - 1)，与推荐施肥(100% FD)处理的DM相同。单施25% MD、5 t ha - 1 BC和10 t ha - 1 BC的处理只倾向于超过DM产量的控制。因此，我们建议那些以DM提高牲畜或谷物产量为目标的小规模农户，在获得化肥的机会有限的情况下，将生物炭与25%的MD结合使用，而不是单独施用生物炭或低化肥用量。
{"title":"Combining biochar with low rate of chemical fertiliser boosts maize biomass yield, regardless of tillage system, under humid conditions","authors":"D. Kiobia, H. Graef, P. Reuben, F. Kahimba, F. Graef, B. Eichler-Löbermann, V. Silayo","doi":"10.17170/KOBRA-20190613557","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17170/KOBRA-20190613557","url":null,"abstract":"Biochar application to soils increases biomass and crop yields, especially with rates higher than 100 t ha −1 . Yet, there is limited knowledge on the combined effect of biochar and chemical fertiliser under different tillage systems. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of maize-cob biochar (BC) (rates of 5 and 10 t ha −1 ) combined with chemical fertiliser micro-dosing (MD) at a rate of 25% of the recommended quantity on total shoot dry matter (DM) and plant height of maize cultivated under flat (F) and tied-ridge (R) practices during a humid season in Tanzania. The results indicate that combining 5 t ha −1 BC with 25% MD increases DM at harvest by 83% (4.16 t ha −1 ) compared to the control (2.27 t ha −1 ) and was in the same range as the DM obtained from the treatment with the recommended fertiliser rate (100% FD). The treatments with single applications of 25% MD, 5 t ha −1 BC, and 10 t ha −1 BC only tended to exceed the control of DM yield. Therefore, we recommend that small-scale farmers aiming at DM for livestock or grain yield with limited access to chemical fertilisers to combine biochar with 25% MD, rather than applying biochar or low chemical fertiliser rates alone.","PeriodicalId":54889,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics","volume":"120 1","pages":"55-62"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47545435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-10-14DOI: 10.17170/KOBRA-20190613556
E. Palchetti, A. Calamai, E. Valenzi, Giacomo Rella, A. Whittaker, A. Masoni, M. Bindi, M. Moriondo, L. Brilli
Madagascar is recognised as having both a high level of poverty and a food shortage. The contribution of the agricultural sector to the national income is higher than for any other sector, though this sector remains insufficiently developed to sustain national food demand. In order to increase food production, the diversification of staple food in conjunction with the detection of best-yield genotypes may be considered the simplest and least expensive alternative approach. For this reason, the response of productive parameters, protein content, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacity of maize ( Zea mays L.) were tested in two different marginal uplands of southern Madagascar using 24 different genotypes. The length of the growing cycle and soil properties were shown to be key aspects for attaining optimal maize performances when cropped in the virgin soils of southern Madagascar. The results also indicated that maize may be considered a reliable alternative to the local staple food currently represented by rice, with sufficient protein and functional compounds for human health. The highest yields, protein content, total polyphenols, and antiradical power (ARP) were observed in the varieties Gasti, Local, Clariti, and Korimbos, respectively. To achieve a good compromise between yield and functional compounds, the varieties Maggi and Gasti are recommended for cultivation. The present results emphasise the effectiveness of maize cultivation in increasing food production in an undernourished country such as Madagascar. Further experiments are required to test maize performances under different soil, cultural and management conditions.
{"title":"Open field screening of the productive parameters, protein content, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacity of maize (Zea mays L.) in the marginal uplands of southern Madagascar","authors":"E. Palchetti, A. Calamai, E. Valenzi, Giacomo Rella, A. Whittaker, A. Masoni, M. Bindi, M. Moriondo, L. Brilli","doi":"10.17170/KOBRA-20190613556","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17170/KOBRA-20190613556","url":null,"abstract":"Madagascar is recognised as having both a high level of poverty and a food shortage. The contribution of the agricultural sector to the national income is higher than for any other sector, though this sector remains insufficiently developed to sustain national food demand. In order to increase food production, the diversification of staple food in conjunction with the detection of best-yield genotypes may be considered the simplest and least expensive alternative approach. For this reason, the response of productive parameters, protein content, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacity of maize ( Zea mays L.) were tested in two different marginal uplands of southern Madagascar using 24 different genotypes. The length of the growing cycle and soil properties were shown to be key aspects for attaining optimal maize performances when cropped in the virgin soils of southern Madagascar. The results also indicated that maize may be considered a reliable alternative to the local staple food currently represented by rice, with sufficient protein and functional compounds for human health. The highest yields, protein content, total polyphenols, and antiradical power (ARP) were observed in the varieties Gasti, Local, Clariti, and Korimbos, respectively. To achieve a good compromise between yield and functional compounds, the varieties Maggi and Gasti are recommended for cultivation. The present results emphasise the effectiveness of maize cultivation in increasing food production in an undernourished country such as Madagascar. Further experiments are required to test maize performances under different soil, cultural and management conditions.","PeriodicalId":54889,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development in the Tropics and Subtropics","volume":"120 1","pages":"45-54"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49117756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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