March 2023
Growth performance and carcass composition of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus Burchell, 1822) fed on black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens Linnaeus, 1758) larvae based diets
A 12-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing fishmeal with black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) meal on growth performance and carcass composition of African catfish fingerlings. Five isonitrogenous (40% CP) diets of 0 (Control), 25, 50, 75 and 100% fishmeal with BSFL were used in triplicate. A randomized complete block design was used, and 600 fingerlings (0.46±0.02g) were randomly...
March 2023
Biochar as an alternative to improve the in vitro environment for Pitaya (Hylocereus undatus Haw) and strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch) growing
In vitro cultivation is widely used for micropropagation of several plant species; however, the increase in the gas concentration, such as ethylene gas, inside the growth vials can cause physiological changes. Thus, 4 experiments were carried out at the Federal University of Minas Gerais to evaluate the biochar use from sugarcane bagasse in vials with or without caps with porous membrane in the in vitro growing of...
March 2023
Impacts of farmer field schools on food security and environmental conservation in Western Kenya
This study assessed the impacts of Farmer Field Schools (FFS) on household food security and environmental conservation in the Western Province of Kenya. The outcome variables were: Maize yield per acre, income per acre, household food insecurity score and environmental conservation score. Principal component analysis and propensity score matching techniques were used for analyses and regression method to test the...
March 2023
Typologies of pineapple-based farming systems in Centre-Cameroon
The high diversity in pineapple fields and farmers provide huge challenges in farm management in already dwindling pineapple production sector in the center region of Cameroon. A first step to overcome these production challenges is to manage the afore-mentioned diversity to a reasonable level without loss of detail and specific management interventions for each category or typology proposed. Field surveys were...
March 2023
Artificial intelligence and deep learning based technologies for emerging disease recognition and pest prediction in beans (phaseolus vulgaris l.): A systematic review
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deep learning have the capacity to reduce losses in crop production, such as low crop yields, food insecurity, and the negative impacts on a country’s economy caused by crop infections. This study aims to find the knowledge and technological gaps associated with the application of AI-based technologies for plant disease detection and pest prediction at an early stage and recommend...
March 2023
Design optimization of communal solar powered irrigation system
Communal solar-powered irrigation systems (SPIS) have the potential for sharing the upfront costs hence encouraging farmers to adopt irrigation. Conventional methods of sizing photovoltaic water pumping (PVWP) system for irrigation consider the hydraulic energy requirement by the pump and PV generator capacity separately from the available water source capacity. As a result, the potential of the technology is not...
March 2023
Determination of import demand of wheat in Kenya; A time series analysis from 2000 to 2019
Trade influences economic growth and entails imports and exports. In Kenya, wheat imports have been expanding with no sign of slowing down and this has become a matter of great concern because the country is losing over 30 billion Kenyan shillings in importing wheat on a yearly basis. This motivated the need to estimate wheat import demand model, which was conducted using secondary time series data from 2000 to 2019....
March 2023
Effects of plant densities on the performance of common bean varieties in multiple environments of northwestern Tanzania
A study was carried out at two sites in Tanzania to assess the effect of different planting densities on growth and yield of five recently released bush bean varieties. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design in a factorial arrangement with three replications during long and short rainy seasons of 2019/20 and 2020/21. The treatments comprised five bean varieties; TARIBEAN 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and five plant...
March 2023
Systemic challenges hindering the flow of sustainable forestry knowledge among smallholder farmers in South Africa
South African democratic governments instituted several policies aimed at developing the capabilities of smallholder foresters to ensure economic inclusion and rural development. Skills development to build smallholder capabilities was deemed necessary to improve productivity, food security and conserve forestry resources. However, systemic blockages within the South African skills system hinder skills development,...
March 2023
Coping with catastrophe: Crop diversity and crop production in Tigray National Regional State in Northern Ethiopia
Tigray, the most northern of Ethiopia’s ethnically based regional states, covers an area of 53 386 km2 and has a population exceeding 5.17 million of whom some 24.3% are urban dwellers. Wide agroclimatic variations result from altitudinal differences (600 to 3000 m) and rainfall patterns. The area is a center of origin of many cultivated and wild plants. The mainly agricultural rural population, farming small...
March 2023
Exploration of challenges and associated recommendations to livestock sector development in South Africa using a stakeholder-driven approach
Development of the livestock sector in South Africa has the potential to contribute significantly to national development. The aim of this study was to explore challenges and propose recommendations to support livestock sector development in South Africa using a stakeholder-driven approach. Interviews with high-level stakeholders across major livestock industries were conducted to gather insights. Responses were...
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