11 research outputs found
Evaluation of Land-Bank Beneficiaries’ Extension Services and Household Food Security in North-West Province
No full textDSc (Agricultural Extension), North-West University, Mahikeng CampusFarmers’ effectiveness and efficiency in agricultural practices hinges on timely and adequate information that are relevant to farmer’s needs. Also, land bank support to its beneficiaries serves as “endowment” and “entitlement” which provides beneficiaries with access to credits and other means of production. Thus, the focus of this study was on “Evaluation of Land-Bank beneficiaries’ extension services and household food security in Northwest Province”. For this study 169 beneficiaries were selected and only 115 were willing to participate. Data collection was done with the aid of a structured questionnaire. Results from the field survey revealed that beneficiaries are aware of extension services and the relevance of information dissemination to farmer’s needs and its potential to facilitate their productivity. However, factors such as information relevance and frequency of extension visits to farms are main determinant factors of beneficiaries’ access to extension services. Also, most beneficiaries are food secure however, their food availability does not automatically results in food nutrition as most respondents attested to not regularly feeding on balance diet and reliance on less preferred and expensive food is a major indicator that though they might be food secure the presence of balanced diet in their meals lacks consistency. Furthermore, results indicates that that gender was coefficient at (0.8246) and significant at (5%), this implies that male headed households are more likely to access extension services either by initiating extension visits or visiting extension offices as compared to female headed households. This is because women are more tasked with home chores such as cooking, cleaning and catering for the children. Also, marital status was coefficient at (0.9723) and significant at (5%) this implies that beneficiaries that are married have more likelihood to access extension services as there is division of role amongst partners i.e. the man or woman can serve as a representative for the entire household during extension trainings while the other partner takes care of other activities that might not be farm related as compared to a single individual that has to attend training while been tasked with other off farm responsibilities. Educational level was coefficient at (0.5620) and significant at (5%) this implies that respondents with high level of education are more likely to comprehend and grasp extension training, adopt latest technologies for farming and also use multiple platforms for accessing extension services. Also, farm size was coefficient at (.0209752) with a significant value of (P≤0.10), this indicates that an increase in farm size has the probability to increase the household food security of respondents, this implies that farm size is likely to impact food security as those with smaller farm sizes are likely to have lower production output
which has the probability to result in reduction in income which limits ability to purchase food in situation where their farm products are not ready for harvest. Labour source was coefficient at (.6037481) with a significant value of (P≤0.5) this implies that sources of labour has the probability to impact food security as farmers with more labour sources such as self, family members and hired labour combined are more likely to yield higher production output as compared to farmers who rely on either self, family members or hired labour only. In addition, income of respondents was coefficient at (.0001141) with a significant value of (P≤0.5) this implies the income generated by respondents has the probability to increase or decrease household food security as those respondents with higher income have the purchasing power to buy food when needed as compared to those with lower income. This means the more income respondents have the more likely they are to be food secure and the lesser the income the more likely they are to be food insecure. Lastly, involvement in off farm activities was coefficient at (1.274086) with a significant value of (P≤0.10) this shows that respondents that are involved in off farm activities other than farming are probably more food secure than those that are not. This is because the off farm activities serve as a means of additional income to respondents which in turn increases their income generation and a better livelihood thereby giving them more purchasing power as an effective alternative to source for food rather than reliance solely on production output or income generated from sales of their agricultural products.Doctora
The Role of Neuroscience in Shaping Marketing Narratives for Rural Agricultural Producers: A Systematic Review
No full textRural agricultural markets face unique challenges, yet neuromarketing applications in this sector are understudied. This systematic review investigates how neuroscience has been applied to shape marketing narratives for rural agricultural producers. The objectives were to catalog relevant studies, identify key themes using inductive thematic synthesis, and derive practical implications for rural marketing strategy and future research. We systematically searched English-language, peer-reviewed studies published between 2016 and 2024 across multiple academic databases, following PRISMA guidelines. Two independent reviewers screened the records, resulting in the inclusion of 20 studies. Key data from each study were extracted and synthesized using an inductive thematic analysis approach. The synthesis revealed several recurrent findings. First, in terms of social and community context, farmers showed greater trust and engagement with familiar local buyers than with distant corporations, indicating that local relationships strongly influence producer behavior. Second, regarding product and narrative attributes, marketing narratives that emphasized local provenance, organic or sustainable production, and ethical values such as animal welfare and environmental sustainability resonated strongly with rural consumers. Third, sensory and emotional cues particularly visual elements and storytelling techniques including color, imagery, and packaging design consistently enhanced consumer attention and engagement. Overall, these neuroscience-informed themes suggest that marketing narratives emphasizing authenticity, trust-building, and community values can effectively strengthen rural agricultural marketing. This review provides neuroscience-informed interpretations of key rural marketing challenges, drawing on dual-process theory and consumer decision models for applying neuromarketing insights in this context. Practically, rural producers can leverage these findings by designing marketing messages and packaging that highlight local identity and ethical values, thereby building consumer trust and loyalty. The review also highlights gaps such as the need for more field-based neuromarketing studies and suggests directions for future research, offering guidance for both scholars and practitioners working at the intersection of neuroscience and rural consumer behavior
Exploring neuromarketing strategies towards boosting consumer engagement with rural agricultural products: A systematic review
No full text
Rural agricultural products play a crucial role in local economies and cultural heritage; however, they encounter significant market challenges, such as limited consumer trust, weak branding, and inadequate marketing resources. Neuromarketing, which involves the application of neuroscience tools such as eye-tracking, electroencephalogram (EEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), provides a novel approach to understanding consumers\u27 unconscious responses to marketing stimuli. This systematic review synthesises the literature on neuromarketing strategies designed to enhance consumer engagement with rural agricultural products. Multiple searches were conducted across various academic databases (e.g., Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, PubMed, PsycINFO, JSTOR, AGRIS) using targeted keywords (e.g., "consumer neuroscience," "rural agricultural products," "sensory marketing"), focusing on peer-reviewed English studies published from 2018 onwards. From an initial pool of 236 articles, screening and eligibility checks yielded 14 highly relevant studies. Key themes that emerged include the influence of emotional and cognitive stimuli, packaging design, narrative storytelling, labelling, pricing, and ethical cues on consumer behaviour. For instance, appealing emotional narratives and authentic cultural storytelling consistently enhance recall and brand loyalty. Clear, trust-building labels (e.g., "organic," "antibiotic-free") engage decision-making regions of the brain, serving as cognitive shortcuts that strengthen perceived value. Additionally, visual design elements such as prominent eco-labels and origin indicators capture attention and convey quality. Despite their value, existing studies face key limitations such as small, non-representative samples and artificial settings. However, applying neuroscience insights can help rural producers enhance packaging, branding, and storytelling to build consumer trust and promote sustainable economic growth
Empowering and Optimising Postgraduate Research: An In-Depth Exploration of the Impact of Writing Camps on Academic Writing Skills and Self-Efficacy
No full textJournal Article, Faculty of Humanities,North--West University-Potchefstroom campusThe higher education landscape in South Africa is characterised by alarming levels of student attrition and the prolongation of academic programmes. The lack of proficient academic writing skills hinders their achievement and impacts their success rates. This study examined the transformative effects of postgraduate writing camps on students' academic writing skills and self-efficacy. This article drew its data from the larger project, ‘Postgraduate Research Support for Enhanced Throughput’, conducted by the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the
North-West University (NWU), South Africa. Based on Halpern's four-part model of critical thinking, the research investigated the acquisition of skills, development of disposition, transfer of skills, and metacognitive processes in a sample of 50 postgraduate students. The findings revealed that writing camps effectively enhance language skills, encourage individual voices in academic discourse, and improve professional competence. A well-structured writing environment and effective feedback mechanisms play a crucial role in increasing productivity and satisfaction. Additionally, the study highlighted the acquisition of functional and self-management skills, including effective time management and collaborative interaction. The recommendation to target newly admitted postgraduate students emphasised the potential to address writing difficulties from the outset. The
implications for supervisors and institutions include utilising the insights for mentoring practices, investing in conducive and structured settings, and integrating effective feedback mechanisms
Collaborative Supervision Pedagogy for Increased Postgraduate Student Success: The Importance of Writing Camps as an Alternative Supervision Programme
No full textA persistent challenge in postgraduate studies is the low retention and throughput rate following initial access, often due to delayed graduation. This issue is frequently exacerbated by the prevailing 'lonely scholar' model typically adopted by academic faculties and research supervisors. This paper proposes an alternative supervisory pedagogy grounded in a multifaceted, collaborative approach. It integrates the structured design of a writing camp with the traditional ‘master-apprentice’ supervision model. The study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of this collaborative support system in accelerating the completion of postgraduate research reports – dissertations and research articles – while enhancing the quality of scholarly output. Adhering to established ethical standards in social science research, the study employed a qualitative approach within a descriptive and programme evaluation research design. Thirty-nine pipeline students were purposively selected to participate in a writing camp, based on a defined set of selection criteria. Data were gathered through participant testimonials and a post-camp telephonic survey, then analysed using Atlas.ti (Version 23). Ethical principles – including voluntary participation, the right to withdraw, confidentiality, and anonymity – were rigorously upheld. Findings highlight the substantial benefits of collaborative supervision models in strengthening research and academic writing skills, alleviating the supervisory burden, and incorporating specialist input to enhance the overall quality of student research. The study recommends the early integration of writing specialists into postgraduate supervision to build student confidence and improve throughput rates
Collaborative Supervision Pedagogy for Increased Postgraduate Student Success: The Importance of Writing Camps as an Alternative Supervision Programme
No full textA persistent challenge in postgraduate studies is the low retention and throughput rate following initial access, often due to delayed graduation. This issue is frequently exacerbated by the prevailing 'lonely scholar' model typically adopted by academic faculties and research supervisors. This paper proposes an alternative supervisory pedagogy grounded in a multifaceted, collaborative approach. It integrates the structured design of a writing camp with the traditional ‘master-apprentice’ supervision model. The study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of this collaborative support system in accelerating the completion of postgraduate research reports – dissertations and research articles – while enhancing the quality of scholarly output. Adhering to established ethical standards in social science research, the study employed a qualitative approach within a descriptive and programme evaluation research design. Thirty-nine pipeline students were purposively selected to participate in a writing camp, based on a defined set of selection criteria. Data were gathered through participant testimonials and a post-camp telephonic survey, then analysed using Atlas.ti (Version 23). Ethical principles – including voluntary participation, the right to withdraw, confidentiality, and anonymity – were rigorously upheld. Findings highlight the substantial benefits of collaborative supervision models in strengthening research and academic writing skills, alleviating the supervisory burden, and incorporating specialist input to enhance the overall quality of student research. The study recommends the early integration of writing specialists into postgraduate supervision to build student confidence and improve throughput rates
Tri-quadratic skew upwind scheme for scalar advection in a control-volume-based finite element method
No full textThis paper develops a new tri-quadratic non-inverted skew upwind scheme (NISUS) for additional refinement of nodal integration points in numerical advection–diffusion of scalar transport. Using a control-volume-based finite element method, the performance of the eight-noded hexahedral formulation is compared with tri-quadratic hexahedral elements (27-noded hexahedral). As an extension of the NISUS formulation developed with eight-noded hexahedral elements, the new 27-noded hexahedral version uses isoparametric shape functions and integration point interpolation. The proposed method is applied to three cases of advection–diffusion of heat transfer and energy transport, including radial heat flow in a rotating hollow sphere, advection–diffusion in a cubical cavity, and combined advection/diffusion in an inlet/outlet tank. Performance improvement of the two versions of NISUS in terms of speed, accuracy, and stability are presented as a comparative assessment for the design of energy conversion systems
An overview of CBN intervention in the Nigerian economy (2009 - Date)
No full textThe author emphasize the major role the central bank of Nigeria plays in the socio- economic development of the country through various interventions. He stated historically that, the Bank had been involved in development financing since 1962
GeneHummus: An R package to define gene families and their expression in legumes and beyond
No full text© The Author(s). 2019 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License cc-byBackground: During the last decade, plant biotechnological laboratories have sparked a monumental revolution with the rapid development of next sequencing technologies at affordable prices. Soon, these sequencing technologies and assembling of whole genomes will extend beyond the plant computational biologists and become commonplace within the plant biology disciplines. The current availability of large-scale genomic resources for non-traditional plant model systems (the so-called 'orphan crops') is enabling the construction of high-density integrated physical and genetic linkage maps with potential applications in plant breeding. The newly available fully sequenced plant genomes represent an incredible opportunity for comparative analyses that may reveal new aspects of genome biology and evolution. The analysis of the expansion and evolution of gene families across species is a common approach to infer biological functions. To date, the extent and role of gene families in plants has only been partially addressed and many gene families remain to be investigated. Manual identification of gene families is highly time-consuming and laborious, requiring an iterative process of manual and computational analysis to identify members of a given family, typically combining numerous BLAST searches and manually cleaning data. Due to the increasing abundance of genome sequences and the agronomical interest in plant gene families, the field needs a clear, automated annotation tool. Results: Here, we present the geneHummus package, an R-based pipeline for the identification and characterization of plant gene families. The impact of this pipeline comes from a reduction in hands-on annotation time combined with high specificity and sensitivity in extracting only proteins from the RefSeq database and providing the conserved domain architectures based on SPARCLE. As a case study we focused on the auxin receptor factors gene (ARF) family in Cicer arietinum (chickpea) and other legumes. Conclusion: We anticipate that our pipeline should be suitable for any taxonomic plant family, and likely other gene families, vastly improving the speed and ease of genomic data processing
Distribution and Frequency of Salivary Gland Tumours: An International Multicenter Study
No full textSalivary gland tumours (SGT) are a relatively rare group of neoplasms with a wide range of histopathological appearance and clinical features. To date, most of the epidemiological studies on salivary gland tumours are limited for a variety of reason including being out of date, extrapolated from either a single centre or country studies, or investigating either major or minor glands only. This study aimed to mitigate these shortcomings by analysing epidemiological data including demographic, anatomical location and histological diagnoses of SGT from multiple centres across the world. The analysed data included age, gender, location and histological diagnosis from fifteen centres covering the majority of the world health organisation (WHO) geographical regions between 2006 and 2019. A total of 5739 cases were analysed including 65% benign and 35% malignant tumours. A slight female predilection (54%) and peak incidence between the fourth and seventh decade for both benign and malignant tumours was observed. The majority (68%) of the SGT presented in major and 32% in the minor glands. The parotid gland was the most common location (70%) for benign and minor glands (47%) for malignant tumours. Pleomorphic adenoma (70%), and Warthin's tumour (17%), were the most common benign tumours whereas mucoepidermoid carcinoma (26%) and adenoid cystic carcinoma (17%) were the most frequent malignant tumours. This multicentre investigation presents the largest cohort study to date analysing salivary gland tumour data from tertiary centres scattered across the globe. These findings should serve as a baseline for future studies evaluating the epidemiological landscape of these tumours. [Abstract copyright: © 2022. The Author(s).
