Discriminant analysis was used to identify the characteristics that distinguish between fully-certified organic, partially-certified organic and non-organic farmers in Umbumbulu district, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa (SA) during October- November 2004. 200 farmers interviewed were drawn by...

Striga hermonthica (del) Benth is threatening rural livelihoods in western Kenya where maize is the major food and cash crop. Vulnerability analysis was conducted on a sample of 802 households in eight districts of Nyanza and Western provinces. Farmers perceived Striga as the major cause of...

As part of a major effort to address soil fertility decline in West Africa, a project on Balanced Nutrient Management Systems (BNMS) has since 2000 been implemented in the northern Guinea savanna (NGS) of Nigeria. The project has tested and promoted two major technology packages, including a...

L’objectif de ce papier est d’identifier les contraintes de commercialisation des petits ruminants sur le marché aux bestiaux. Ces contraintes sont particulièrement prononcées chez les petits éleveurs. Notre recherche met en évidence la relation entre les caractéristiques de cette...

The need for increase in fish production in order to improve protein intake by Nigerians led to this study. The study analyzed information needs of backyard fish farmers in Osun State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study investigated the socio-economic characteristics of backyard fish farmers,...

Striga is an indigenous parasitic weed that attacks cereals and other crops in Africa. In maize croplands alone, Striga infests over 2.3 million ha resulting in 1.6 million tons of grain loss worth US $383 million annually. An innovative approach to controlling the parasite was to induce...

Une enquête diagnostique a été conduite en zones agro-écologiques côtière et guinéenne du Bénin pour évaluer le niveau d’exposition à l’aflatoxine d’origine alimentaire et l’état nutritionnel et de santé des enfants de moins de 5 ans. La régression multiple et une analyse...

Although microfinance has elicited different reactions from different stakeholders, there seems to be a general agreement that it is useful in reducing poverty. This study is an attempt to contribute in to the debate on the impact of microfinance on household incomes. We use a pooled data set...

Social capital is an important characteristic of a community and is one of the components of the asset pentagon of the sustainable livelihood framework. The study aimed at assessing the levels and dimensions of social capital and how social capital influences other livelihood capitals. A...

Livestock farming is an important facet of agriculture and livelihood in South Africa. It forms the essence of rural agriculture contributing food, socio-economic stability, employment and income. After the liberalization of the agricultural sector and phasing out of past protection mechanisms...