Agricultural market creation was critical for rural growth in Africa. How to achieve this based on crops other than major staples （e.g. maize） and traditional export crops （e.g., tea, coffee, cotton） remained a pr...Agricultural market creation was critical for rural growth in Africa. How to achieve this based on crops other than major staples （e.g. maize） and traditional export crops （e.g., tea, coffee, cotton） remained a problem since most African countries did not give them policy attention. This study used a three-tier-model, developed based on successful strategies in Nigeria and Zimbabwe, to develop multi-level soybean market creation in Kenya. Data were from secondary sources, formal and informal interviews, farm-level data, and participant observations. Analysis was carried out using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. Result showed increasing in farmers＇ confidence to produce, process, consume, and sell more soybeans than before. Trained farmers＇ groups were developing new soybean products for cash, poverty reduction and improvements in livelihoods. Net returns had been increased from 4 to 14 times from processed products. Selected farmers＇ groups had begun to supply large-scale processors with soybean grains, substituting imports. The overall project＇s impact on number of participating farmer groups and the actual land area devoted to soybean cultivation ranged from a factor of 2.3 to a factor of 77.4 between the long rainy seasons of 2005 / 2006 and the short rainy seasons of 2009. Farmers had given testimonies on live improvements.展开更多
The fit-for purpose of agricultural graduates in the job market remains a challenge to agricultural training and education despite the active involvement of farmer organizations, non-governmental organizations （NGOs...The fit-for purpose of agricultural graduates in the job market remains a challenge to agricultural training and education despite the active involvement of farmer organizations, non-governmental organizations （NGOs）, and agribusiness in the agriculture job market. This paper traces： （1） the employment of agricultural graduates in the last 10 years in Mali, Republic of Congo, Ghana, and the Gambia; and （2） through a case study, assesses the attitudinal and mindset change in the way research for development is conducted by research staff of the National Agricultural Research Institute （NARI） of the Gambia. Not surprisingly, the public sector consistently employed more agricultural graduates in all four countries. The next highest employer of agricultural graduates was the NGOs, followed by agribusiness. Positive attitudinal and mindset change among research staff and their collaborators in the Gambia was enhanced when collaborative learning and coaching and mentoring in managerial and financial skills enhancement complemented technical skills improvements. Employers indicated strong preference for graduates in agricultural engineering and farm machinery; agricultural economics with emphasis on farm management; innovation systems and value chains; and information communication technology including report writing. Farmers＇ organizations showed particular interest in interpersonal skills; participatory technology development and dissemination; and appreciation of socio-cultural contexts including farmer innovations. In Mali, Ghana and the Gambia, employers reported that 4%-14% of the agricultural graduates they hired were women.展开更多
文摘Agricultural market creation was critical for rural growth in Africa. How to achieve this based on crops other than major staples （e.g. maize） and traditional export crops （e.g., tea, coffee, cotton） remained a problem since most African countries did not give them policy attention. This study used a three-tier-model, developed based on successful strategies in Nigeria and Zimbabwe, to develop multi-level soybean market creation in Kenya. Data were from secondary sources, formal and informal interviews, farm-level data, and participant observations. Analysis was carried out using Microsoft Excel and SPSS. Result showed increasing in farmers＇ confidence to produce, process, consume, and sell more soybeans than before. Trained farmers＇ groups were developing new soybean products for cash, poverty reduction and improvements in livelihoods. Net returns had been increased from 4 to 14 times from processed products. Selected farmers＇ groups had begun to supply large-scale processors with soybean grains, substituting imports. The overall project＇s impact on number of participating farmer groups and the actual land area devoted to soybean cultivation ranged from a factor of 2.3 to a factor of 77.4 between the long rainy seasons of 2005 / 2006 and the short rainy seasons of 2009. Farmers had given testimonies on live improvements.
文摘The fit-for purpose of agricultural graduates in the job market remains a challenge to agricultural training and education despite the active involvement of farmer organizations, non-governmental organizations （NGOs）, and agribusiness in the agriculture job market. This paper traces： （1） the employment of agricultural graduates in the last 10 years in Mali, Republic of Congo, Ghana, and the Gambia; and （2） through a case study, assesses the attitudinal and mindset change in the way research for development is conducted by research staff of the National Agricultural Research Institute （NARI） of the Gambia. Not surprisingly, the public sector consistently employed more agricultural graduates in all four countries. The next highest employer of agricultural graduates was the NGOs, followed by agribusiness. Positive attitudinal and mindset change among research staff and their collaborators in the Gambia was enhanced when collaborative learning and coaching and mentoring in managerial and financial skills enhancement complemented technical skills improvements. Employers indicated strong preference for graduates in agricultural engineering and farm machinery; agricultural economics with emphasis on farm management; innovation systems and value chains; and information communication technology including report writing. Farmers＇ organizations showed particular interest in interpersonal skills; participatory technology development and dissemination; and appreciation of socio-cultural contexts including farmer innovations. In Mali, Ghana and the Gambia, employers reported that 4%-14% of the agricultural graduates they hired were women.
