Effect of Targeted Agricultural Information Delivery Approach on Farmers’ Access to Agricultural Information in Nigeria

Access to information by rural farmers in Nigeria is inefficient due to a variety of factors which include insufficient extension staff and dearth of information in the right format. In order to ensure delivery of timely and relevant information to rural farmers, Information Resource Centers (IRCs) were established in Adopted Villages across the country by the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), an agricultural extension research institute based in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Farmers’ access to information was enhanced through this approach and it was cost effective as both NAERLS and the farmers contributed to running the IRCs.     

Assessment of Farmers’ Access to Agricultural Information on Selected Food Crops in Iddo District of Oyo State,Nigeria

This study focused on the use of combined media to minimize the time lag for both awareness and adoption of best practices for food crop production in Oyo State, Nigeria. One hundred and eighteen registered farmers in the Iddo District were sampled and interviewed. Results showed that the majority of the farmers were male (83.9%) and married (67.8%), and about one third (27.1%) completed elementary education. Fellow farmers (76.3%), extension agents (63.3%), friends (49.2%), and radio (48.3%) readily served as information sources for farmers. The quantum of agricultural information to which farmers had access was significantly related to varieties of information sources (r = .26, p = .05) used by farmers. The empowerment of elite farmers and capacity strengthening for extension agents are advocated for improved agricultural information dissemination.     

Farmers’ Perspectives on Animal Husbandry Information Services in India

In an emerging knowledge economy, an efficient transfer of quality information to farming communities for better decision making is critical. This article analyzes the effectiveness of livestock information delivery services in Uttar Pradesh, India, based on primary and secondary data sources. Findings of the study indicate that public sector initiatives to deliver information on livestock practices are seriously lacking and farmers are primarily dependent on progressive farmers for livestock-related solutions. In addition, there is limited availability of information on critical aspects of livestock decision making, as about 70% of farmers are using only animal-health-related information. Results from a primary survey indicate that the information used by farmers is of average quality due to the paucity of information emanating from organized extension services and suggest improvement in the quality, reliability, and timeliness of information delivery.     

Farmers’ perceptions of earthworms and their role in soil

Farmers’ perceptions of earthworms were surveyed based on the criteria they use to identify them, i.e., use of common names, knowledge of morphological characteristics, presence in various land uses, soil layers, as well as direct and indirect use. A total of 39 farmers of the La Vieja River watershed in Colombia were interviewed and the data submitted to chi-square test and multiple correspondence analysis. Significant differences (p < 0.1) were found in farmers’ replies in relation to recognition and use of earthworms depending on gender, level of schooling, and age. According to the interviewees, earthworm abundance was highest in plantain and coffee crops, in places where harvest residues accumulate, and in soil layers from 0 to 20 cm depth. The topsoil was identified as the main area of recognition, which can be attributed to soil preparation tasks. Farmers differentiated earthworms by shape and color and in 97% of the cases, by size and how they react when captured. They recognized nine species and used several common names to differentiate them. Most (95%) farmers considered earthworms as soil quality indicators and many (38–49%) of them recognized their use for recreation and medicinal purposes and as important for soil organic matter decomposition. This study showed the value of local farmer knowledge for scientists as part of research aiming to facilitate communication between farmers and scientists and generate complementary means of addressing and interpreting natural processes and dynamics at the ecosystem level. It also highlights the need to draw from farmers’ perceptions in informal education processes and to link the contributions of scientists to traditional knowledge in order to consolidate proposals related to biodiversity conservation and use in rural development programs.     

Farmers’ Assessment of Extension Services in Ogun State,Nigeria

This study examined farmers’ assessment of extension services in Ogun State, Nigeria. One hundred and twenty respondents were randomly selected and an interview schedule was used to collect data. Frequency distribution, percentages, chi-square, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that more than half of the farmers (55%) fall within the age range of 40–59, most are female (66.7%), 70% have some level of formal education, and the majority (80%) had more than 10 years of experience with more than one farm location. A high percentage (90.0%) had frequent contact with extension agents, but less than half (49.2%) acknowledged extension services to be effective. Extension agents should be equipped with necessary materials and training in order to improve their services.     

Quantification of Organic Matter in Agricultural Soils from the Central Region of Paraná State,Brazil

The organic matter (OM) quantity in soils is of fundamental importance for agriculture. The indirect determination of the OM through the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) quantity is performed by most soil laboratories in Brazil using the Walkley–Black (WB) method. This procedure involves oxidation with potassium dichromate which is a cancerous reagent. The objective of this study is to optimize the parameters for OM determination by the gravimetric method and to estimate the van Bemmelen factor for the studied soil. The studied region is the second and third plateau of Parana State, Brazil, from which 50 agricultural soil samples were analyzed. The temperature and exposition time in muffle were determined after a thermal analysis. The optimized parameters for the gravimetric method were 3 h at 420°C in the muffle furnace. The results for WB and gravimetric methods presented a good correlation and the van Bemmelen factor for the studied soil was 4.37.     

Nutrient Accumulation and Utilization in Rice Under Film‐Mulched and Flooded Cultivation

Abstract

In recent years, plastic film mulched cultivation has been widely used in China as a strategy to reduce irrigation water consumption and increase water use efficiency (WUE). Experiments were conducted to study nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) accumulation and utilization in flooded rice comparing plastic film mulched (PFM) and conventionally flooded cultivation (CFC) in two successive years. In comparison with the plants under CFC, the plants under PFM had significantly higher N concentration at booting stage and lower K and P concentrations at heading and maturity stages and N concentrations after booting stage. More N accumulation was found in PMC‐treated plants than in CFC‐treated plants before booting, while thereafter CFC showed a significant increase in nutrient accumulation. N, P, and K accumulation ratios were significantly larger for PFM than for CFC at early stage (before booting), but the trend was just opposite after booting. The PFM‐treated plants substantially showed smaller nutrient accumulation rate through the whole growing process relative to the CFC‐treated plants. Although PFM‐treated plants had significantly higher physiological efficiency (PE) of all three nutrients than the CFC‐treated plants, its fertilizer recovery efficiency (RE) and agronomic nutrient utilization efficiency (AE) was markedly lower due to lower biomass and grain yield. In addition, the PFM‐treated plants had lower P/N and K/N in terms of nutrient accumulation, suggesting the importance to improve the P and K availability in rice film‐mulched cultivation.     

Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering:A Leading Academic Journal in Agricultural Engineering in China

Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering sponsored by the ChineseSociety of Agricultural Engineering ( CSAE) is a national excellent academic journal,whichintroduces the latest scientific achievements and developing trends of Agricultural Engineering( AE) and providesthe academic developments abroad and athome of the discipline.Itisunder theleadership of China Association for Science and Technology.The Transactions of the CSAE wasstarted in Beijing in May 1 985…     

IT—Information Technology: Simulation of Automatic Tray-unloading Operations for Rice Seedlings

In Taiwan, rice nursery centres widely adopt gantry transport systems for transferring seedling trays to/from the hardening field. To facilitate the loading and unloading procedures, a tray-unloading machine riding on top of a gantry has been developed which can orderly lay down the trays on the ground for field hardening and also pick up the trays of grown seedlings onto the loading conveyer in sequence when they are ready for transplanting. The whole system can be run automatically in an open field for seedling preparation.A simulation model for seeded tray-unloading operations by the automatic tray-unloading machine has been developed and verified with six operational conditions. Judging by the slight difference between the simulated and observed results, it was concluded that the model can accurately predict the real tray-unloading operations and, therefore, can be used as a tool for further sensitivity analysis on the maximum operation patterns.A model simulation for the total system was set up and analysed by various operation combinations. The results indicate that the system throughput can be increased from 771 to 957 trays h⁻¹ with 20 trays in a working row which represents an increase of 24·8%. Longer working rows will result in higher system throughput. The simulated results show that the system throughput changes from 771 trays h⁻¹ for 10 trays per row to 1140 trays h⁻¹ for 60 per row, with a significant increase of 48%.     

The development of Conservation Agriculture in Australia—Farmers as innovators

The Australian story of farmer innovation in Conservation Agriculture reveals a complex interplay of policy, economics, science, and farming. Farmer experimentation with Conservation Agriculture began in the 1960's and has continued to this day where around 80%-90% of Australia's 23.5 million hectares of winter crops are now grown using Conservation Agriculture principles. This remarkable achievement is the result of both sustained investment in agricultural research and development and farmer innovation. Australian economic settings and science policies have encouraged and facilitated farmer participation in the Conservation Agricultural innovation system. Australian farmers have embraced Conservation Agriculture because it has met their needs, maintaining productivity and profitability in the face of declining terms of trade, and sustainably intensifying production with enhanced environmental outcomes. Drawing on individual farmer case studies, the specific strengths of farmer innovation are identified and the enabling conditions necessary for farmer innovation to flourish are discussed.     

Prediction of Yield and Nitrogen Uptake of Wheat from Net Nitrogen Balance after Rice in Rice–Wheat Cropping System

Net nitrogen (N) balance after rice (Oryza sativa L.) and its relationship with yield and N uptake of succeeding wheat crop was studied in a greenhouse. Three urea-enriched green manures, namely dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata L.), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.), and guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba L.) were compared with split application of urea in a rice–wheat cropping sequence. After rice, a negative N balance was measured in all treatments; however, the N balance values were greater with urea than with green manures. The N balance was positively correlated with the N content but negatively correlated with lignin content and carbon (C)–N ratio of the green manures. Lignin content was a better index than C/N ratio for predicting the net N balance, which described 82.3% of the total variations. Efficiency of residual N utilization by wheat could be determined by estimating the N balance after rice. Net N balance after rice can be used as a yardstick for the prediction of yield and N uptake by wheat crop.     

Intensification of Upland Agriculture in Thailand: Development or Degradation?

The large scale conversion of extensive swidden agriculture to intensive market oriented production of maize in upland areas of South East Asia is a cause of environmental concern. This study investigates how intensive maize cultivation affects soil quality in an upland area of Northern Thailand by comparing commonly used indicators of soil quality in soils from maize fields used at various intensities. Relations between these indicators and concentration of permanganate oxidizable carbon (Pox‐C) – a low cost proxy for soil quality – are also examined. The extent, type and drivers of land use changes between 2002 and 2012 are investigated by classification of high resolution satellite images, interviews, participatory mapping and questionnaires. We document a widespread change from traditional swidden agriculture to intensive cultivation of maize that is mainly brought about by economcic and political drivers. We show that the concentration of Pox‐C in the top soil of the maize fields is closely related to common indicators of soil quality and to farmers' perceptions of soil quality. Most of the other soil quality indicators are negatively – albeit not significantly – related to intensity of maize cultivation. There is a strong negative correlation between intensity of maize cultivation and concentration of Pox‐C in the upper 5 cm of the soil where the Pox‐C concentration declines with a rate of 40 mg year under maize⁻¹. We conclude that Pox‐C is a sensitive indicator of effects of land use intensity on the soil and a useful integrative measure of soil quality. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of Agricultural Extension Agents’ Marketing-Related Services: Implications for Policy Makers in Ekiti State,Nigeria

This study assessed the marketing-related services performed by agricultural extension agents in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Data were collected from agricultural extension agents in the service of the State Agricultural Development Program. A questionnaire was administered to the agents during the fortnightly training meeting. Data were summarized with frequency, mean and percentages, correlation and regression analysis. Results of the study showed that the mean age of the agents was 39 years and the mean working experience was 9 years. A significant relationship exists between the perceived legitimate marketing-related services and the performed services (r = 0.413). Performed marketing-related services significantly correlate with qualification of the agents (r = 0.324), working experience (r = 0.301), number of farmers visited and transportation (r = 0.281, 0.280), respectively. The study concluded that policy makers should include agricultural marketing specialists in fortnightly training.     

Senescence of Top Three Leaves in Field‐Grown Rice Plants

Abstract

The top three leaves play important roles in biomass production and grain yield of rice (Oryza sativa L.) crop since the three leaves not only assimilate majority of carbon for grain filling during ripening phase, but also provide large proportion of remobilized‐nitrogen (N) for grain development during their senescence. The objectives of this study were to (a) compare senescence of the top three leaves and (b) compare the changes in N, chlorophyll, and ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) contents of the top three leaves after their full expansion in field‐grown rice plants. When the basis of comparison among the top three leaves was plant age in terms of days after transplanting (DAT), senescence generally started earliest in ?3rd leaf, intermediate in ?2nd leaf, and latest in flag leaf. If the basis of comparison among the top three leaves was leaf age in terms of days after full leaf expansion (DAFE), it was not clear which leaf senesced earlier. Senescence rate was generally greatest in flag leaf, intermediate in ?2nd leaf, and smallest in ?3rd leaf. Ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase content declined earlier, and at a faster rate than N and chlorophyll contents during the senescence of all top three leaves. Correlation analysis indicated a close relationship between N and chlorophyll contents. Ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase content correlated with N content better than with chlorophyll content. The suitability of N, chlorophyll, and Rubisco contents for quantifying the leaf senescence of field‐grown rice plants is discussed.     

Spatial Differentiation of Elements in Soils on Red-Earthy Hill Landscape of Central China

Samples of 21 soil profiles and 165 top soils from an area of approximate 1.5km^2 on red-earthy hill landscape were collected and analysed.The content of Ca,Mg,K,P,Fe,Mn,Zn and Cu in soils relate with the kind of parent material and the position of topography,however,there is great variation due to the local difference of the form of soil utilization.From the difference in spatial distribution of elements content,it is believed that eight kinds of elements are lost by chemical leaching and physical translocation,meanwhile some are added (such as Ca,P,K,Mg) and some mobilized (such as Fe,Mn,Zn,Cu and P) through cultivation,fertilization and irrigation in the soils on the landscape investigated.The sectional differentiation in abundance or deficiency of elements in top soils on the landscape investigated is distinct,which is important for carrying out agricultural management and reasonable fertilization according to local conditions.     

Estimating the Demand for Organic Foods by Consumers at Farmers’ Markets in Northwest Arkansas

To answer the question, “How interested in buying organic foods are the majority of the current shoppers at our farmers’ market?,” more than 300 consumers at three diverse farmers’ market locations were surveyed for their organic food purchasing habits. Comparisons were made between purchasers who were new to purchasing organic foods and purchasers who had been buying organic foods for many years. Analysis showed that a majority of respondents (74%) were frequent purchasers of organic foods, buying once or twice a month and a significant percentage (44%) of those had been purchasing organic foods for 7 years or more. Opportunities exist to expand organic sales at these farmers’ markets in Arkansas, where only 42% purchased most of their organic foods and 80% surveyed answered “yes” that they would buy more organic if its price was similar to that of conventional foods.     

Water Budget Analysis of Red Soils in Central JiangxiProvince, China

The daily soil water budgets in the red soil areas of central Jiangxi Province, southern China, were investigatedwith a large-scale weighing lysimeter and runoff plots. From 1998 to 2000, peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.) and rape(Brassica napus L.) were planted in the lysimeter and in 1999, peanuts were planted in the runoff plots. The soil waterbudget components including rainfall, runoff, percolation and evapotranspirat.ion were measured directly or calculated by Richards‘ equation and water balance equation. The results showed that most rainfall, including rainstorms, occurredfrom March to July, and induced the greatest soil water percolation during the year. The evapotranspiration was stilllarge from July to September when rainfall was ininimal. Thus, the lack of synchronization in soil water inputs and losseswas disadvantageous to crops growing in this region. Among the soil water losses, percolation was the largest, followed byevapotranspiration, and then soil runoff. Runoff was very small on farmland with crops. It was significantly different, fromthe uncultivated uplands where large-scale runoff was usually reported. The soil water storage fluctuated sinusoidally,with a large amplitude in the rainy season and a small amplitude in the dry season.