June 2012

Ownership and use of mobile phones for agricultural transactions by traders: The case of the Analanjirofo and Atsinanana Regions – Madagascar

This paper analyzes the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in improving the performance of agricultural markets. It focuses on ownership and use of mobile phone by the rural traders in the Regions of Analanjirofo and Atsinanana, a target zone of the public-private initiative "Programme de Promotion des Revenus Ruraux" (PPRR) that develops a market information services program. The paper...

Author(s): ABEL-RATOVO Henri L.,, RAHELIZATOVO Noro C., OKELLO Julius J., RASOARAHONA Fenosoa and RASOARAHONA Jean

June 2012

What factors determine the time allocation of agricultural extension agents on farmers' agricultural fields? Evidence form rural Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, agricultural extension (AE) agents are expected to play a key role in linking smallholder farmers to agricultural scientists and researchers. AE workers assist farmers in the adoption of improved agricultural technologies and facilitate the adjustment of the new technologies to the local agro-ecological conditions. Using data collected from a total of 236 randomly selected extension agents working in eight...

Author(s): Mekbib Gebretsadik Haile and Degnet Abebaw

June 2012

Foraging and pollination activities of Xylocopa olivacea (Hymenoptera, Apidae) on Phaseolus vulgaris (Fabaceae) flowers at Dang (Ngaoundere-Cameroon)

To evaluate the impact of the carpenter bee (Xylocopa olivacea) on pod and seed sets ofPhaseolus vulgaris (black seed outlets), its foraging and pollinating activities were studied in Ngaoundéré, during the June-July 2009 and 2010 cropping seasons. Treatments included unlimited floral access by all visitors, bagged flowers to avoid all visits, and limited visits of X. olivacea....

Author(s): Bernice Mireille Tekombo Kingha, Fernand-Nestor Tchuenguem Fohouo, Albert Ngakou and Dorothea Brückner