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Review: Role of Vetiver Grass (Vetiver zizanioides L) for Soil and Water Conservation in Ethiopia
Endale Bekele Jiru,
Buchura Negesse Wari
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 3, May 2019
Pages:
87-93
Received:
29 January 2019
Accepted:
22 March 2019
Published:
23 May 2019
Abstract: Today land degradation is a critical issue in developing country including Ethiopia; as a result, it threats agricultural crop productions, which expose the people under the power of poverty. Applying an integrating with physical structure or alone vetiver grass contributes incredible benefits in reversing degraded land via soil and water conservation practice. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to review the role of Vetiver grass for soil and water conservation in Ethiopia. Vetiver grass was introduced in Ethiopia since 1970s in Jimma research center for the purpose of preventing invasion of couch grass in the coffee production area and later time it was used for soil and water conservation purpose. Due to its exceptional characteristic, vetiver grass plays great roles in reducing soil erosion, runoff and improving soil fertility, and soil moisture and terrace formation. Even though it has been restoring degraded land for more than fourth decades in Ethiopia there are no enough documents. The advantages of Vetiver grasses were not yet known in Ethiopia except some that of soil and water conservation. Therefore, further research, experience sharing, and documentation should be encouraged throughout the country.
Abstract: Today land degradation is a critical issue in developing country including Ethiopia; as a result, it threats agricultural crop productions, which expose the people under the power of poverty. Applying an integrating with physical structure or alone vetiver grass contributes incredible benefits in reversing degraded land via soil and water conservat...
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Economic Evaluation of Rainwater Harvesting and Conservation (RWHC) Technologies for Sweet Potato Cultivation in Sierra Leone
Patrick Andrew Sawyerr,
Osman Nabay,
Keiwoma Mark Yila
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 3, May 2019
Pages:
94-100
Received:
7 March 2019
Accepted:
26 April 2019
Published:
29 May 2019
Abstract: A field trial was conducted to evaluate the economic performance of rainwater harvesting and conservation (RWHC) technologies for sweet potato cultivation in Sierra Leone during five intensive cropping seasons (2014 second – 2016 second cropping season) at the on-station research site of the Njala Agricultural Research Centre. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design in three replications following a factorial combination of two levels of mulch (no mulch and mulch) and three levels of RWH structures (open ridge, tied ridge and arch ridge). Six RWHC technologies evaluated: open ridge without mulch (OR-M), open ridge with mulch (OR+M), tied ridge without mulch (TR-M) and tied ridge with mulch (TR+M), arch ridge without mulch (AR-M) and arch ridge with mulch (AR+M). Profitability (gross margin, net income and breakeven), investment (NPV, IRR and BCR) and sensitivity analyses (25% root yield loss and 10% fall in the market price of sweet potato roots) were used to evaluate the economic performance of the RWHC techniques. The TR+M (SLL 2,091,280) had the highest net income followed by the AR-M (SLL 693,640) and AR+M (SLL 2,218,160) RWHC technologies. The traditional OR-M was not profitable (SLL -2,487,760) for sweet potato cultivation. Based on the cost of production, the OR-M, OR+M, and TR-M RWHC technologies require a root yield increase of 50.5%, 3.0% and 35.4% to breakeven. The AR+M had the highest and positive net seasonal cash flow returns throughout the five cropping seasons. The breakeven point on the net season seasonal cash flow returns for the TR+M, AR-M and OR+M RWHC technologies was in the 2015 main cropping season. At discount rates of 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% the highest NPV was obtained from the AR+M followed by the TR+M and AR-M RWHC technologies. The highest IRR was obtained from the AR+M (111%) followed by TR+M (84%) and AR-M (61%). The AR+M, TR+M and AR-M RWHC technologies had benefit-cost ratios greater than 1. Under uncertain conditions of 25% root yield loss and 10% fall in the market price of sweet potato roots, the AR+M and TR+M are the most profitable RWHC technologies that could be invested in. These technologies should, therefore, be promoted for adoption through on-farm trials in order to enhance intensive sweet potato cultivation on upland gravelly soils in Sierra Leone.
Abstract: A field trial was conducted to evaluate the economic performance of rainwater harvesting and conservation (RWHC) technologies for sweet potato cultivation in Sierra Leone during five intensive cropping seasons (2014 second – 2016 second cropping season) at the on-station research site of the Njala Agricultural Research Centre. The experiment was la...
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Forecasting of Potato Prices of Hooghly in West Bengal: Time Series Analysis Using SARIMA Model
Debasis Mithiya,
Kumarjit Mandal,
Lakshmikanta Datta
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 3, May 2019
Pages:
101-108
Received:
10 February 2019
Accepted:
13 March 2019
Published:
5 June 2019
Abstract: Potato is one of the most important food crops in India. Potato is also one of the principal cash crop, it gives handsome returns to the farmers. West Bengal is a state in India where potato is one of the major agricultural crops. But potato markets are more volatile due to fluctuation in production rather than Stable. So price of potato is fluctuating in nature. Thus, the time series analysis and price forecast may help producers in acreage allocation and timing of sale of potato. The present study was conducted to know the statistical investigation of price behaviour of potato in Hooghly district of West Bengal. In the present study, Box-Jenkins Seasonal Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) modeling is deployed in forecasting of monthly average price of potato in Hooghly of West Bengal up to October 2020 based on data from November 2008 to October 2018 (a period of 120 months). Seasonal indices calculated showed that generally the price is low from January to April and it starts picking up from May and reaches the maximum in November. The best model has been selected based on the Bayesian Information Criteria (BIC), Root Means Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Percent Error (MAPE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and highest R-Square. The estimated best SARIMA model is (1,1,0)(4,1,0)12. Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Average Percentage Error (MAPE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and BIC for Hooghly district are 184.10, 19.08, 118.98 and 10.69 respectively. Short term forecasts based on this model are close to the observed values and the behaviour of forecasted price of potato truly reflected the actual price as well as market tendency.
Abstract: Potato is one of the most important food crops in India. Potato is also one of the principal cash crop, it gives handsome returns to the farmers. West Bengal is a state in India where potato is one of the major agricultural crops. But potato markets are more volatile due to fluctuation in production rather than Stable. So price of potato is fluctua...
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Determinants of Risk-Dependent Agricultural Field Behaviours in Bhutan
Bryan Gensits,
Rekha Chhetri,
Tshotsho
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 3, May 2019
Pages:
109-119
Received:
3 April 2019
Accepted:
9 May 2019
Published:
5 June 2019
Abstract: This article investigates the power of individual risk preference in combination with socio-economic and demographic characteristics to predict ten agricultural field behaviours in a developing country. A sample of 163 farmers from western-central Bhutan was interviewed regarding their farm management practices. Their risk preference was then experimentally elicited using a modified Multiple Price List. The results show farm size as being a primary determinant of income diversification, nitrogenous fertiliser application, and pesticide use. Farm diversification is most dependent on the household head’s level of education and the quantity of farm labour available. Finally, both income diversification and farm diversification are shown to have an inverse relationship with loss risk aversion. On the basis of the findings of this article, agricultural policy and programmes can increase their efficacy and efficiency by targeting agrarian Bhutanese households based on their characteristics.
Abstract: This article investigates the power of individual risk preference in combination with socio-economic and demographic characteristics to predict ten agricultural field behaviours in a developing country. A sample of 163 farmers from western-central Bhutan was interviewed regarding their farm management practices. Their risk preference was then exper...
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Review of Market Chain Analysis of Vegetable in Ethiopia
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 3, May 2019
Pages:
120-124
Received:
25 March 2019
Accepted:
26 April 2019
Published:
10 June 2019
Abstract: Vegetable are the most important horticultural crops among smallholder farmers because they derive benefits such as income, source of food, health care and rural employment. The market chain of vegetable in Ethiopia was limited due to lack of market information, price volatility related to seasonality of supply, perishability of product and poor performance of the vegetable market. The objective of this review was to review on vegetables market chain analysis, to review determinants of vegetables level of supply in Ethiopia and review vegetable marketing and its constraints in Ethiopia. Main marketing actors of vegetable in Ethiopia was producer, farmer traders, middlemen/ broker, wholesaler, retailers, transporters and consumer. In this review producers sell vegetable especially to wholesalers who resell to retailers and to consumers are major channel in different studies area. In this review was some of the principal production constraints are absence of reliable seed supply and unplanned production of vegetables crop, diseases and insect pests, lack of credit and insufficient product handling are problem on production of vegetables. Vegetable marketing is also constrained by lack of market information systems, poor market opportunities and high perishability. Several factors were identified by different studies on determinants of vegetables market supply in Ethiopia. Access to market information, quantity produce, and extension service was positive effect on market supply. Whereas distance to market was affect negatively in different studies
Abstract: Vegetable are the most important horticultural crops among smallholder farmers because they derive benefits such as income, source of food, health care and rural employment. The market chain of vegetable in Ethiopia was limited due to lack of market information, price volatility related to seasonality of supply, perishability of product and poor pe...
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Attitude and Intention to Buy Vietgap Vegetables of Inhabitants at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 3, May 2019
Pages:
125-134
Received:
31 January 2019
Accepted:
29 May 2019
Published:
11 June 2019
Abstract: The research aims at analyzing how the attitude factors affect the intention to buy VietGAP vegetables in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam (HCMC), by intervewing 633 inhabitants. The method of Cronbach’s Alpha analysis, EFA analysis, CFA analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used with the SPSS and AMOS programs. The result shows that there are 04 attitude factors affects on the intention to buy VietGAP vegetables in HCMC decreasingly: (1) Vegetables safety, (2) Belief, (3) Health concern, (4) Subjective norm. The research also suggests some solutions to the VietGAP vegetable producers to enhance the selling capability.
Abstract: The research aims at analyzing how the attitude factors affect the intention to buy VietGAP vegetables in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam (HCMC), by intervewing 633 inhabitants. The method of Cronbach’s Alpha analysis, EFA analysis, CFA analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used with the SPSS and AMOS programs. The result shows that there...
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