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Assessment of Smallholder Rice Farmers' Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change in Kebbi State, Nigeria.
No full textThe future of food production in Nigeria where smallholding agriculture is prevalent is threatened
by climate change. Despite the threats, Nigeria has no specific plan or policy to combat it.
Therefore, understanding how smallholder farmers adjust to the changing climate and the factors
that influence their adaptation choices will facilitate developing a policy to tackle climate change.
This study therefore evaluates climate change adaptation techniques among smallholder rice
farmers in Kebbi state, Nigeria. The study employs a simple random sampling technique to select
345 respondents. The data was analysed using multivariate probit and ordered probit regression.
The findings revealed that marital status, literacy, farm size, farming experience, major occupation,
extension visits, amount of credit, and access to climate information influenced adaptation strategy
choice. Furthermore, marital status, literacy, household size, farm size, extension visits, and access
to climate information are crucial drivers of adoption intensity. This study concludes that
smallholder rice farmers in the study area adopt several practices to cope with climate change,
however, farmers’ intensity of adoption is low. This study recommends that stakeholders in the
food systems in the study area should consider literacy, farm size, extension service, credits, and
climate information in designing viable policies toward combating the vagaries of climate
Constraints limiting the effectiveness of extension agents in disseminating climate-smart agricultural practices among rice farmers in north-Central Nigeria
No full textClimate-smart agricultural practices play a crucial role in achieving national food security and development goals, and the significance of extension agents in this endeavor is invaluable. In view of this, this study investigated the constraints limiting the effectiveness of extension agents in disseminating climate-smart agricultural practices to rice farmers in North-central, Nigeria. The study specifically examined the socioeconomic characteristics of the extension agents, the dissemination pathways employed by them, constraints limiting extension agents from effectively disseminating climate-smart agricultural practices, and the factors that influence their constraints. Data were collected using a well-structured questionnaire administered to 88 respondents selected through a multistage sampling procedure. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and Pearson product–moment correlation. Results showed a mean age of 48 years; most respondents were male (93.2%), married (95.5%), and had tertiary education (85.2%). The main dissemination pathways used were farm and home visits (x̄ = 1.73), result demonstration (x̄ = 1.66), and method demonstration (x̄ = 1.58). Key constraints were insufficient number of extension workers to serve many farmers (x̄ = 1.87), lack of incentives for staff motivation (x̄ = 1.83), and inadequate means of transportation (x̄ = 1.83), ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd, respectively. There was a negative significant correlation (p = 0.05) between number of trainings and personal constraints, and also with institutional constraints (p = 0.017) in disseminating climate-smart agricultural practices. Therefore, it is recommended that extension agents receive periodic training and incentives such as awards, cash rewards, promotions, and staff recognition from government bodies to enhance their performance
Does Nigeria’s underdeveloped financial sector harm non-crude oil export trade? Empirical evidence from linear and non-linear models
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to determine the effect of financial sector development on Nigeria’s non-crude oil export trade. For this reason, we employ a battery of econometric models and tools, including the Autoregressive Distributed Lag model and the sequentially determined threshold model. The study found that financial sector development and export of non-crude oil merchandise are unrelated in the long term, which challenges theoretical view that financial sector development and trade are linked at any time. The study further showed that, in the short term, the country's level of financial sector development, though shallow and seeming underdeveloped, is able to support exports of non-crude oil products. This finding challenges theoretical view that lower levels of financial sector development could hinder non-crude oil export trade flows. The study, however, found a threshold effect showing a minimum level of financial sector development that promotes non-crude oil export trade, which indicates that the relationship between financial sector development and non-crude oil export is non-linear, which contradicts the theoretical view. The study recommends that Nigerian policymakers and the government adhere strictly to the minimum level of financial sector development; otherwise, non-crude oil export trade may worsen
Determining the Ideal Temperature and Fermentation Duration to Enhance Crude Protein Content and Reduce Crude Fiber in Rice Bran Using Solid-State Fermentation with Aspergillus niger (USM F4)
Get PDFSolid-state fermentation (SSF) offers a sustainable method for enhancing the nutritional quality of agricultural
residues such as red rice bran. This study aimed to determine the optimal temperature and duration for SSF of red rice bran, focusing specifically on increasing the crude protein (CP) content and reducing the crude fiber (CF)
content. SFF of rice bran with Aspergillus niger (A. niger) USM F4 was conducted over 14 consecutive days at three
different temperatures (25°C, 35°C, and 45°C). A total of 63 samples of rice bran were divided into three temperature groups, each containing 21 samples. Three samples per group were collected at 48-hour intervals over the 14-day fermentation period. The fermentation process for the collected samples at 48-hour intervals was halted by oven drying at 60°C for 24 hours. The fermented products were subjected to proximate analysis for crude protein (CP), ash, ether extract (EE), and crude fiber (CF) contents using the methods outlined by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). The results revealed a significant effect of temperature and fermentation duration on CP, ash, EE, and CF content when compared to the unfermented rice bran kept at room temperature (25oC). The peak values of CP and the highest degradation of CF across all temperature levels were observed on day 10 while the maximum increase in ash and EE content occurred on day 8. Among the temperature conditions, the highest CP values and the lowest CF values were recorded at 35°C. Conversely, the lowest improvements in CP and CF
degradation were observed at 25°C on day 10. In conclusion, the optimal conditions for SSF of rice bran with A. niger to enhance CP content and degrade CF are a temperature of 35°C and a fermentation duration of 10 days
INCOME INEQUALITY AND HEALTH STATUS IN NIGERIA: IMPLICATIONS ON ECONOMIC GROWTH
Get PDFABSTRACT
This study examined the long run effect of income inequality and health status on economic
growth in Nigeria between 1992 and 2022. Time series data for thirty one years were used
while the authors employed Johansen Co-integration test as an estimating technique to
evaluate the data based on the nature of the variables. The outcome of the findings revealed
that income inequality has a significant negative effect on economic growth. It also revealed
a statistically significant positive relationship between government healthcare spending and
economic growth in Nigeria. Furthermore, capital formation, life expectancy and labor force
on the other hand, revealed a significant positive effect on economic growth. As a result, this
research suggests that governments should reduce the high level of income inequality through
job creation and fiscal policies, increase their public expenditure on health and ensure all
factors of production are employed and encourage inclusive economic growth.
Key Words: Income Inequality, Health Status, Gini-coefficient, Co-integration,
Economic Growth
Numerical Simulation of Flow in an Artery using One-dimensional System of Hyperbolic Quasilinear PDEs
No full textGENDER-RESPONSIVE POLICIES FOR ENHANCING FOOD SECURITY IN AQUACULTURE AMIDST CLIMATE CHANGE IN ONDO STATE, NIGERIA
No full textGender disparities persist within the aquaculture value chain, affecting women’s empowerment and
overall food security. Multi-stage sampling techniques were used in selecting 231 catfish farmers for
the study. Data were collected with the aid of structured questionnaire and were subjected to descriptive
statistics such as frequency, percentage and mean as well as inferential statistics such as Food Security
Index and Logistic regression. Results revealed that average age for catfish farmers were 42, 43 and 40
years for the pooled, male and female respectively (p<0.10). The distribution of catfish farmers
according to years of fishing experience showed that the mean farming experience of the fish farming
were 11, 12 and 9 years for the pooled, male and female respectively (p<0.05). The results showed that
while food insecurity affects households led by men and women equally, it affects the latter group more
severely. Household size (p<0.10), education (p<0.01), fishing experience (p<0.05), climate effects
(p<0.05), were found to be significant factors influencing food security status for families headed by
men and women, respectively. The study concluded that food insecurity affects female households’
more than male households. The study therefore recommends that gender should be mainstream in
aquaculture policies and programs by fishery stakeholders in addition to enforcing policies that
guarantee women’s rights to access to land and water bodies for aquaculture through facilitating
women’s access to microcredit, grants, and insurance tailored to aquaculture activitie
Precolonial African material culture: Combatting stereotypes of technological backwardness: by V. Tarikhu Farrar, Lanham, MD, Lexington Books,
No full textA preliminary geophysical investigation of lead mineralization in parts of the crystalline basement complex of Nigeria
No full textComparative study on proximate, phytochemicals and mineral components of different parts of Parkia biglobosa (pod, seed, and leaf)
Get PDFA study was conducted to assess the proximate
composition, phytochemicals, and mineral components of the pod, leaf, and seed of the Parkia biglobosa (P. biglobosa) tree, with the aim of determining their suitability as animal feed resources. The findings revealed that the seed exhibited significantly higher (P < 0.05) levels of crude protein (CP) and ether extract (EE) compared to the leaf and pod. Specifically, the seed recorded the highest values (P < 0.05) for CP (15.31±0.03) and EE (13.23±0.04), while the pod displayed the lowest values of 3.91±0.12 and 0.89±0.04 for CP and EE, respectively. The pod registered the highest values (P < 0.05) for crude fiber (CF) and nitrogen-free extract (NFE) with respective values of 8.85±0.1 and 75.14±0.11. Conversely, the leaf exhibited the highest (P < 0.05) ash content, while the seed had the lowest ash value (1.99±0.04). In the mineral analysis, the seed and pod had the highest values (P < 0.05) for calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P), respectively. Phytochemical screening esults
indicated that the pod contained the highest values (P < 0.05) of alkaloid (19.06±0.09) and tannin (10.97±0.08), while the leaf showed the highest values (P < 0.05) for saponin (34.20±0.25) and hydrocyanic acid (HCN) (2.22±0.30). The overall conclusion drawn from this study suggests that all three parts of P. biglobosa (seed, pod, and leaf) have the potential to serve as alternative feed resources for livestock