6 research outputs found
Chemical and Heat Treatment of Pathogenic Microorganisms on Cannabis Plants
No full text<p>The paper uploaded above describes the Chemical and heat treatment methods employed to bring down the bioburden of microorganisms on the Cannabis Plants. Over-the-counter prescriptions of Cannabis is fast emerging in many European countries as well as Australia. To ensure patient safety, regulatory bodies in those respective countries are ensuring the Cannabis Cultivators are following strict Good Agricultural and Collection Practices(GACP) and Good Manufacturing Practices( GMP) so that Cannabis dispensed for inhalation is low as possbile on microorganisms. In this paper, chemical as well as heat treatments are explored to draw a conclusion on which method could be employed to reduce the bioburden to an acceptable limit as per the Cannabis monograph.</p>
SMEs AS VEHICLE FOR PROMOTING YOUTH EMPLOYMENT: BEDCO CASE STUDY
No full textMM - P&DMYouth unemployment is one of the major challenges in many countries in the world and much more acute in Lesotho in particular. The focus is on the Basotho Enterprise Development Corporation (BEDCO) as a case study which is mandated with promoting employment creation and economic growth through the establishment and development of SMEs. The study assessed the extent to which the government of Lesotho through BEDCO curbs youth unemployment through SME development. In particular, the study examined the contribution of BEDCO in terms of facilitating creation of new businesses and the expansion of the existing small businesses as part of employment generation, especially for the youth.
The research results indicate that the contribution of BEDCO to SME development and thereby employment creation for the youth, leaves much to be desired. BEDCO has a minimal impact in terms of developing business skills of entrepreneurs to start new businesses and to enable them to manage their finances and effectively market their businesses once established. As a result, the businesses fail to grow and graduate to higher levels in order to have a multiplier effect in terms of generating even more employment opportunities.
Despite being in operation for a several years, the businesses on the sample were largely stagnant and not graduating. In fact some of them were even registering negative employment growth. This was, among others, mainly due to the poor industry conditions, small and saturated markets, lack of proper and demand-driven training in general and financial management and marketing, inadequate follow-up support from BEDCO, as well as lack of financial support to facilitate and stimulate business growth
Farmers’ Perspective on Insect Pests that Affect Vegetables in Protected Structures with Emphasis to Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) in Lesotho
No full textProtected farming is one of the innovations used by farmers to control pests and climatic conditions and therefore improve yield of vegetables. However, these structures also provide an ideal environment for biotic factors such as insect pests and diseases. In this study, a survey of 60 farmers was conducted to determine the types of vegetables cultivated under protected structures, insect pests and management practices employed by farmers using structured questionnaires. Data was analysed through descriptive statistics using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results showed that most farmers grew tomato, cabbage, swiss chard, rape and peppers. Farmers considered insect pests as the major constraint to vegetable production. The most important insect pests found infesting farmers’ vegetables were aphids (Aphis gossypii), tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta), bagrada bug (Bagrada hilaris) and cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon). To manage these pests, farmers relied heavily on chemical pesticides which are dangerous to them and to the environment. It is therefore important to develop an integrated pest management plan that farmers can use to reduce use of pesticides
Accessing small business support programmes in Maseru, Lesotho
No full textDissertation (MBA (Business Administration))--University of the Free State, 2022The terms small and medium enterprise (SME) and entrepreneurship were developed in the late 1940s. In developing these terms, policies emerged that included grants, subsidised credits, and special taxes for SMEs. It also included the establishment of small business support agencies funded by governments for the benefit of SMEs. The agencies were established in Japan, the United States of America (USA), India, Tanzania and Turkey in 1948, 1953, 1954, 1966, and 1976, respectively (Keskin et al., 2010, p. 189). According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), SMEs are essential participants in the economy and the broader business ecosystem (OECD, 2022, p. 19). SMEs play a critical role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, providing employment and decent work for all, promoting sustainable industrialisation and fostering innovation, and reducing income inequalities across countries at all stages of development (OECD, 2017, p. 8). In 2016, the government of Lesotho developed the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) policy, aiming to address the issues and problems affecting the development of MSME in Lesotho (Masupha, Beharry-Ramraj and Amolo, 2017, p. 7). The policy identified challenges to MSMEs as access to finance, market access, technological development and innovation, entrepreneurial training, skills development, infrastructural development, and business working space (Molebatsi, 2021, p. 20). Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the small business support programmes in Maseru, Lesotho, by establishing the types of small business support programmes available, determining the barriers for small businesses to access the SMEs support programmes, and lastly, determining what needs to be done to improve existing small business support programmes to ensure that they address SME challenges
Rabbit Gastrointestinal Parasites Prevalence and Farmer’s Knowledge in Maseru District, Lesotho
No full textRabbitry holds an important position for sustainable agriculture in developing countries and support vast majority of socioeconomic activities globally. However inappropriate management practices on control of gastrointestinal parasites infesting rabbits have hindered successful development of this sector. Therefore the study was carried out to evaluate rabbit owner’s knowledge on health practices and to develop effective management strategies aimed at controlling gastrointestinal parasites of rabbits. The cross sectional study was conducted and a total of 300 faecal samples were collected from rabbits in six communities of Maseru district. In addition 120 farmers were interviewed to assess farmers’ demographics, factors affecting growth of rabbit production and viability of rabbit production in relation to their management practices. Descriptive statistics was used in which to give report of collected data and percentages were used to measure knowledge of the respondents. The data was further subjected to Chi-square test to observe the association between farmers’ knowledge on health management practices on rabbits. Considering prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites of rabbits, a modified McMaster egg counting technique was used to examine the faecal samples. Data was analyzed using generalized linear model and subjected to binary logistic regression to determine prevalence of gastro-intestinal parasites in response to location, sex and age of rabbits. The findings indicated that rabbit farming mostly dominated by male farmers 90% than females 10%. Additionally, farmers’ gender showed no significance (p>0.05) with flock size of rabbits, most farming household were made up age ranging from 14 to 58 years, and majority of them were unmarried. The overall prevalence of GIPs was 76%, 23% and 13% for coccidia, nematodes and cestodes respectively. Matala and Stadium Area had the highest 95% prevalence of coccidia followed by Qoaling 75%, Khubetsoana 71%, Abia 63% and Lithabaneng 59%
Effects of Irrigation Regimes on Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) in Ogbomoso, Nigeria
No full textAims: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different irrigation depths and intervals on cucumber yield and water use efficiency (WUE) in Ogbomoso, Nigeria, to develop sustainable irrigation strategies for water-limited environments.
Study Design: The experiment employed a split-plot randomized complete block design with three irrigation depths (D1: 100% ETc, D2: 85% ETc, D3: 70% ETc) as main plots and three irrigation intervals (I1: daily, I2: 2-day, I3: 3-day) as sub-plots.
Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Agricultural Engineering Department, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Nigeria, during the dry season between February and April 2024.
Methodology: The Darina F1 cucumber variety was grown under drip irrigation. Yield and water consumption were monitored throughout the growing season. Irrigation volumes were calculated based on crop evapotranspiration (ETc), and WUE was determined as the ratio of yield to total irrigation water applied. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, and treatment means were separated using Fisher’s Least Significant Difference (LSD) test at a 5% probability level.
Results: The highest yield (8,738.79 kg/ha) was achieved under full irrigation (D1), while the highest WUE (155.30 kg/m³) was observed under D3, representing a 15% improvement over full irrigation. Daily irrigation (I1) produced the highest WUE (196.52 kg/m³), approximately 37% higher than 2-day intervals. The interaction between depth and interval revealed that D3I1 (70% ETc with daily irrigation) achieved the optimal balance between yield and water use efficiency, with a WUE of 210.18 kg/m³.
Conclusion: 70% ETc irrigation combined with daily water application offers a sustainable approach for cucumber production in water-limited environments, balancing yield and water conservation. Full irrigation with daily intervals remains the most productive approach where water availability is not constrained
