Volume 50 (2017): Issue 4 (December 2017)

Deceptive practices of poultry input suppliers are partly responsible for inability to meet the consumption of recommended animal protein (35g/person/day). The study examined the prevailing deceptive practices and effects on poultry production in Nigeria. Proportionate random sampling technique was used to select 70 small scale poultry farmers used as respondents. Data were analyzed using percentages and means. The respondents (68.6 %) had a minimum of secondary school education and spent averagely 15.7 years in poultry production. The findings showed that deceptive practices include adulteration of feed ingredients, marketing of under-weighed feeds, lack of proximate analysis of nutrient composition of feeds and use of old bags for packaging. The respondents (81.3 %) agreed that deceptive practices delayed the start of growing period of the fowls. Similarly, 79.5 % and 61 % experienced low meat and egg production, respectively, resulting in expensive animal protein, increased production overheads (83.4 %), lowered returns on investment (90.1 %). The result of hypothesis indicated a positive significant relationship between the level of educational attainment of respondents and ability to identify deceptive practices in poultry production (R = 0.214, P ≤ 0.05) among respondents. Nigerian Institute of Animal Science and other relevant regulatory agencies should have a structure to regulate and award penalties to culpable individuals in these deceptive practices. Extension organizations should educate poultry producers on the concept of deceptive practices and its consequences.

This study assessed the constraints faced by commercial poultry farmers in waste management practices in Kogi and Kwara States, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from randomly selected 138 and 125 registered commercial poultry farmers from both states, giving a total sample size of 263 for the study. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data for the study. Results of analysis showed that mean age was 46.7 years, farm size was 991 birds and poultry farming experience was 11 years. Also, majority were male (82.0 %), married (88.8 %), had tertiary education (94.0 %). Mean age of farm was 9 years. Poultry dropping was the most (mean = 2.36) generated waste in the study area. The most prevalent waste management methods used by poultry farmers were open dumping around the farm (mean = 2.23), giving wastes free to the public as farmyard manure (mean = 2.16), poultry wastes are dumped in a nearby bush (mean = 2.09), dead birds are buried in a pit near the farm (mean = 2.08), dead birds are thrown into a nearby bush (mean = 2.01) and dead birds are burnt inside a pit or in a heap near the farm (mean = 2.01). The major constraints faced by farmers in waste management practices were lack of awareness on how to use the wastes productively (mean = 4.06), no agricultural land nearby where wastes can be used (mean = 3.69), excessive odour from waste (mean = 3.66), high cost of chemical treatment (mean = 3.56), high transportation cost (mean = 3.24) and high cost of private waste management agencies (mean = 3.01). Results of Multiple Regression Analysis show that poultry wastes used as farm yard manure, burnt and buried in a pit, sun-dried and burnt and given freely to interested farm workers had inverse significant relationship to constraints while dumping of poultry wastes around the farm, nearby bush and to animals such as dogs had positive significant relationship to constraints faced by respondents in waste management. The study concluded that the level of constraints faced by commercial poultry farmers in waste management practices was high (mean = 3.39) in the study area. The study recommends among others the needs for existing poultry farmers association to include programmes that will enlighten members on poultry waste management practices that will not have negative effect upon their birds and the environments.

The study sought to examine the differences between savers and non-savers among a cross-section of 562 farmers randomly selected from six districts in three regions (Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Upper East) of Ghana. By means of descriptive statistics in the form of frequencies and percentages, the study segregated the respondents into savers and non-savers and Kendall coefficient of concordance was employed to identify the motives of saving among savers and non-saving among non-savers. In order to test whether savers and non-savers differ in relationship to some key socio-economic demographic characteristics, a series of Pearson’s Chi-tests for independence were employed. Finally, by the application of economic-psychology theory on financial savings through binary logistic regression, the study examined empirical differences between savers and non-savers. The study found out that in terms of a key economic variable, that is, income generated from tomato production, savers tend not to differ from non-savers. The issue then is since savers are faced with similar economic challenges relating to their income generating activities, but still manages to save, then the differences between savers and non-saver go beyond economic reasons. Thus, the distinction between saving and non-saving which is underlined by psychological traits have been found to be mainly behavioural and demographic in nature conveying the idea that rural households themselves have a significant part to play with regards to forming, improving and maintaining their savings habits.

The universal soil loss equation (USLE) and water erosion prediction project (WEPP) (inter-rill and rill) erodibility factors are important indicators for land degradation assessment all over the world, which were primarily developed for the United States of America (USA). However, information on suitability of USLE and WEPP for tropical environment is scarce. Therefore, studies were carried out to investigate the suitability of USLE and WEPP for selected tropical soils of Southwestern Nigeria. Four pedons classified based on USDA soil taxonomy as Plinthic Petraquept (Adio series), Kanhaplic Haplaustalf (Oyo series), Typic Plinthustalf (Temidire series) and Typic Haplaustalf (Owutu series) were used for the study. Soil erodibility factor was determined using USLE and WEPP models. Origin-Pro. 8.1 software was employed to compare USLE and WEPP models for conformity and suitability. The results showed perfect agreement (R² = 1.0; P < 0.001) between the two WEPP (inter-rill and rill) erodibility models in all the four soil types investigated. In addition, WEPP models (inter-rill and rill erodibility) significantly (R² = 0.82; P < 0.001) related to USLE (El-Swaify and Dangler, 1977) erodibility model. There was a poor relationship (R² = 0.46; P < 0.06) between USLE (Wischmeier and Mannering, 1968) and the WEPP erodibility factors. The WEPP erodibility models with a perfect relationship with soil properties of the four soil types are more suitable than USLE models for predicting soil erodibility of the identified soil types in tropical environments.