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.     

Effect of Pregnancy on Some Biochemical Parameters in Sahel Goats in Semi-arid Zones

The effects of pregnancy on some biochemical parameters were studied using 20 sexually mature, cycling goats with weight range 20-25 kg. They were randomly separated into two groups of 10 animals each. In one group, oestrus was detected while going round with a buck in the morning and evening; a single buck on detection of oestrus mated the does and the does were tagged as pregnant after confirmation of non-return of oestrus. The other group was kept cycling and tagged as non-pregnant. The mean serum glucose concentration in pregnant does was 63.35 +/- 7.70 mg/dl, significantly lower than 71.59 +/- 1.14 mg/dl for non-pregnant does (p < 0.05); the mean serum cholesterol concentrations were 79.48 +/- 14.93 for pregnant and 67.29 +/- 1.10 for non-pregnant does, with significant difference (p < 0.05). Protein (g/dl), urea (mg/dl), creatinine (mg/dl) and free fatty acid (microequiv/L) remained unchanged between the two groups (p > 0.05), as did the liver enzymes (ALT, AST). Therefore this study showed that low serum glucose and high cholesterol levels are features of mid to late pregnancy in Sahel goats.