Volume 48 (2015): Issue 1-2 (June 2015)

The study carries out a gender based economic analysis of yam production among resource poor farm households in Kwara State with implication for poverty reduction in the state. One hundred and eighty randomly selected representative farm households were used for the study. Descriptive statistics, budgetary analysis and multiple regression model were the analytical tools. The results of the descriptive statistics show that 85% of the heads of the farm households were male with 66% of the male heads having no western education against 59% for the female-headed households. Labour cost was the major cost of production accounting for 64% and 66% of the total cost of production for the male and female-headed households, respectively. Yam production enterprise was profitable in the study area with net farm income of N136,950 and N128,800 for male and female-headed households, respectively. The return on capital employed was 48% and 45% for male and female-headed households, respectively. This shows that for every naira invested in yam production enterprise in the study area, average returns of 48kobo and 45kobo were obtained for the male and female-headed households, respectively. Farm size, family labour and yam seeds were the significant variables explaining the variation in yam output in the study area. Farm size and labour were under-utilised while yam seeds were over-utilised. The study recommends increased farm size and labour use per hectare and reduction in yam seeds per hectare for efficient resource use and increased net farm income for better living standard for the farm households.

Forest resources still play a major role in sustaining livelihoods in rural communities, most especially in developing countries. Namibia’s community forests have much potential to combat rural poverty and contribute to rural development. Keeping the balance between the two chief objectives of the national forest policy; conservation and socio-economic development is of vital importance in combating both deforestation and rural poverty. Thus, this study primarily aimed to investigate the influence of Namibia’s national forest policy on forest resources contribution in rural development from 2009-2013. Forestry and environmental experts and local residents were interviewed. The results show that the lack of full governmental involvement in the management of community forests resources, low, erratic and irregular rainfall are the main challenges community forestry economy is facing. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis indicates that good institutional arrangement of community forestry and active community participatory are some of the pillar strengths of the community forestry programme. The study concludes that there are several research gaps such as statistical information of forest conditions and the degree of poverty within rural communities. Motivating and supporting rural community forests management in any possible manners to give a ground to alleviate rural poverty and combat deforestation is the essential next step.

The broad objective of the study is to examine input availability and use under poultry import prohibition in southeast Nigeria from 1994-2009. The specific objectives include: to determine whether there is increased demand for poultry feed, drugs and day old chicks before and since the ban; to determine the effect of input supplied on domestic poultry production. The study adopted trend analysis of before (1994-2001) and since (2002-2009) the ban to examine the variations in poultry input and supply. Three states were sampled out of the five states that made up the zone. Data were collected through the use of a questionnaire. A total of sixty respondents were used, 20 persons each from the three states selected. The results showed that feed demanded has a mean value of 141.75 tons before the ban and 82.19 tons since the ban indicated a decrease in demand for feed. While day-old chicks demanded has a mean value of 310.47 birds before the ban and 466.3 birds since the ban indicated an increase in the demand for day-old chicks. The mean value of Drugs was 266.7 grams before the ban and 299.3 grams since the ban, indicating an increase in demand for drugs. There was also a significant variation in the standard deviation and also in both maximum and minimum values over the time period in feed, day-old chicks and drugs. The major constraint is input availability. The study concluded that there was an increase in demand for day old chicks since the ban.

The study was conducted to evaluate the zootechnical index analysis of West African Dwarf (WAD) rams. Twenty body measurements were taken on 100 WAD rams of average ages of 18-24 months. Data collected were subjected to PROCMEANS procedure of the SAS (2004) package. The average body weight of the animals was 39.20 ± 0.95 kg, the coefficient of variation indicated variability between 1.45% (head width) and 12.90% (body weight) which were the lowest and highest variability, respectively. Thus, a moderate variability of coefficient of variation ranging between 8% and 12.90% in all morphological measures was considered. Also the variability between the rams with respect to the zootechnical indices is indicated by their coefficient of variation which ranged between 0.11% (length) to 10.80% (cephalic). There was a positive and significant correlation between body weight and other phenotypic traits (P < 0.001) except for ear width, chest girth, neck length, neck width, and also head width. The result obtained in this study revealed that the estimated zootechnical indices reinforced classification of WAD breed as a small-sized and short-shaped body frame suitable for the sporting activities as preferred by the users.

This study investigated the economic effect of malaria on artisanal fish production in Lagos State, Nigeria. A total of 120 fisher folks households were sampled through a multi-stage random sampling procedure. Primary data which were obtained through administration of structured questionnaire was used for this study. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Cost of Illness (COI) approach and ordinary least square (OLS) regression analysis. The study found that 1.67% of the sampled respondent used only mosquito coil as preventive measure while 41.67% of the respondents used a combination of mosquito coil, insecticide and immunization as preventive measures to avert the possible occurrence of malaria among their household members. The mean COI among the fisher folks’ households was ₦109, 995.85 per year, out of which 31.6% was spent on drugs and herbs, 15.5% on hospital consultancy fees while the time cost of illness of both the sick person and the caretaker were 28.4% and 13.1%, respectively. The regression analysis result revealed that aged and experienced fisher folks were more susceptible to malaria attack while number of days absent from work, number of malaria episodes and cost of treatment had adverse effect on fish production in the study area. The study concluded that the incidence of malaria in the households impact negatively on fish catch level. It is therefore recommended, among others, that health care services in the fishing communities be improved while fishers should make proper use of preventive measures so as to reduce cost and number of days lost to illness.

The worldwide trade in non-pathogen-free animals and their products has led to irreparable global spread of animal infections. Among factors supporting this spread belong: countless pathogen species able to reproduce and spread horizontally and to the next generations causing immense number of sufferings and premature deaths of affected animals and humans; increasing long distance export of animals and their products due also to not requiring by relevant international organizations healthy and innocuous pathogen-free commodities; illegal export/import of animals and their products; deficiencies related to diagnosis of pathogen-free status; inability to discover all imported infections, to control and eradicate them; international sanitary certificates without pathogen-free guarantee; inability of public animal health services to control on the spot the international trade with animal commodities; minimum of successfull animal infection eradications and absence of information about global spreading of pathogens to alert the countries in question. Huge daily flow of exported non-pathogen-free animal commodities conduces to permanent deterioration of global epizootiological situation. Irreparable man-made global spread of invisible pathogens with continuous multiplying sanitary, economic, social and ecological consequences represents a worldwide ecological disaster contributing to shortening life on Earth and survival of species, including self-destruction of humankind. Extraordinary existential significance requires international control of epizootics to be dealt with at the highest decision-making level of the United Nations Organization.