Agroforestry and beekeeping are widely promoted as prospective Nature-</span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""> </span></span></span><span...Agroforestry and beekeeping are widely promoted as prospective Nature-</span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""> </span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Based Income Generating Activities (NIGAs) to improve livelihoods while at </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">the same time enhancing biodiversity conservation in degrading</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> agro-ecologies. These activities can diversify and increase famers’ incomes and support in</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">stinctive biota and fauna resilience. However, evidence to showcase and compare their long-term benefits is scant. We use the case of Uluguru</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> Mountains in Tanzania to evaluate and compare viability of agroforestry and beekeeping projects using the Cost</span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Benefit Analysis (CBA) approach. The results of analysis yielded positive NPVs for both agroforestry and beekeeping projects at discount rates not higher than 8.2% and 8.5% respectively. Overall, the comparison of economic viability between agroforestry and beekeeping projects revealed that the former was relatively more profitable than the later in terms of both the NPV and Benefit</span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Cost Ratio (BCR) criteria. However, the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) for beekeeping was slightly higher than that of agroforestry. Yet, we underscore the fact that these two projects can jointly be implemented to enhance livelihoods of farmers and support biodiversity conservation in the study </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">area </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and other parts with similar agro-ecologies in developing countries. However, farmers in these agro-ecologies need to be supported by governments and non-government development partners in terms of training and inspiration to shift from orthodox farming to sustainable NIGAs.展开更多
Modern nursery methods of seedling production in different sized root trainers, were compared by raising seedlings of Pinus wallichiana involving costs incurred and benefits received. In order to provide a common basi...Modern nursery methods of seedling production in different sized root trainers, were compared by raising seedlings of Pinus wallichiana involving costs incurred and benefits received. In order to provide a common basis for the comparisons, the study involved the raising of 1000 seedlings annually on a continuous basis for seven years. A relative economic analysis of raising P. wallichiana seedlings in 300, 150 and 100 cm^3 root trainers was carried out and we estimated that the root trainers of 300 cm^3 capacity recorded the highest total input cost of Rs. 35571 and Rs. 40018 for 1000 seedlings produced annually at discount rates of 12% and 6%. Seedlings raised in 100 cm^3 root trainers recorded the lowest total input cost of Rs. 23390 and Rs. 27737 per 1000 seedlings annually at discount rates of 12% and 6%. Hence, returns per rupee invested in raising seedlings in the 100 cm^3 root trainers accounted for the maximum benefit-cost ratio (i.e., 1.56 and 1.61) at discount rates of 12% and 6%. Thus seedlings raised in 100 cm^3 and 150 cm^3 root trainers were found to be most cost effective when compared with seedlings grown in 300 cm^3 root trainers. The results can be attributed to the larger number of cells per tray (higher growth density) in the 100 and 150 cm^3 root trainers, compared to the number of seedlings in the 300 cm^3 root trainers.展开更多
This paper mainly discussed the operation benefits of fruit dealers in farm market. Taking fruit dealers in Shizishan Street Farm market in Wuhan City as the research object,this paper introduced current operation sit...This paper mainly discussed the operation benefits of fruit dealers in farm market. Taking fruit dealers in Shizishan Street Farm market in Wuhan City as the research object,this paper introduced current operation situation of fruit dealers and made a descriptive statistical analysis on characteristics of operators,operation situation,and cognitive status. Besides,it introduced the concept of net cost-benefit ratio to reflect the operation benefits. From further analysis on the operation benefits of fruit dealers,it found that there is little difference in the costbenefit ratio between dealers in the farm market. The average net cost-benefit ratio was 11. 94%. Specifically,if the total cost is 100 yuan,the dealer can obtain 12 yuan net profit. In order to find out how cost factors affect the operation benefits,it established a regression model for cost factors and net cost-benefit ratio. According to the survey results,when the wholesale cost increases 10000 yuan,the cost-benefit ratio will increase by 1. 454 percentage points,thus increasing the wholesale investment is helpful for increasing the net cost-benefit ratio; when the loss cost increases 10000 yuan,the cost-benefit ratio will increase by 7. 501 percentage points,thus the dealers can increase the operation benefits through controlling the loss cost and reducing the operation cost. Finally,it came up policy recommendations from the perspective of government and operators.展开更多
South-western Uganda annually experiences prolonged drought that results in dramatic drop in milk production of dairy cattle. This study was conducted to assess the nutritional value and economic benefits of feeding s...South-western Uganda annually experiences prolonged drought that results in dramatic drop in milk production of dairy cattle. This study was conducted to assess the nutritional value and economic benefits of feeding silage and hay to dairy cattle in the sub-region. The cross-sectional study covered seven districts with 105 farmers interviewed during the wet and 45 others in the dry season. Up to 88 soil samples were collected and analyzed for soil texture, soil pH, organic matter and total Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Sodium and Magnesium. Likewise, 148 forage (105 fresh, 25 silage and 18 hay) tissues from 21 pasture species were collected and analyzed for nutritional values. Using a questionnaire, data on production costs and milk revenues were collected for cost-benefit analysis. Results showed that silage of Napier grass treated with molasses (10.2 MJ/kg) and hay of naturally established pastures (10.6 MJ/kg) had the highest metabolisable energy (ME) values, while the lowest (8.30 MJ/kg) was for star grass. Hay of star grass presented the highest level of crude protein (21.4%) with maize (corn) showing the lowest (9.38%). Digestibility of hay of naturally established mixed pastures was the highest (64.4%), followed by that of silage of Napier grass treated with molasses (62.0%), while star grass hay had the lowest (52.6%). With exception of silage made from maize, all the other six forms of silage had a good crude protein (CP) content. Regardless of the good CP content (≥9.9%), all silage untreated with additives was poor in quality since its ME was less than 9.9 MJ ME/kg and ration digestibility less than 67%. Nonetheless, feeding of silage and hay increased milk yield and farm productivity with a benefit-cost ratio of 5.5 and 2.7 for silage and hay respectively.展开更多
Cassava-groundnut intercropping is not a common practice among smallholder farmers in Sierra Leone even though both crops are well suited for intercropping. On-farm trials were conducted in three locations (Bai Largor...Cassava-groundnut intercropping is not a common practice among smallholder farmers in Sierra Leone even though both crops are well suited for intercropping. On-farm trials were conducted in three locations (Bai Largor, Bassah, and Njala Kanima) in the Moyamba district during the 2021 cropping season to investigate the efficacy of cassava-groundnut intercropping for increasing crop productivity and soil organic carbon stock on smallholder farms in the Moyamba district, Southern Sierra Leone. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design in three replications with treatments of sole groundnut, sole cassava and cassava-groundnut intercropping. Data on the yield and yield components of cassava and groundnut were analysed using the PROC MIXED procedure of SAS 9.4 and means were compared using the standard error of difference (SED). The above-ground biomass, number of roots per plant, and fresh root yield of cassava were not significantly (p > 0.05) affected by the cassava-based cropping system. Averaged across locations, intercropping cassava with groundnut decreased the above-ground biomass, the number of roots per plant, and fresh root yield of cassava by 17%, 11%, and 17%, respectively. The above-ground biomass, number of pods per plant and fresh pod yield of groundnut were significantly (p 1), the highest net revenue and benefit-cost ratio. The benefit-cost ratio was also favourable for the sole cassava (BCR > 1) but not favourable for the sole groundnut (BCR < 1). Averaged across locations, intercropping cassava with groundnut increased the benefit-cost ratio by 121% and 13% when compared to the sole groundnut and sole cassava. In the event of a 40% yield loss for the cassava and groundnut, the benefit-cost ratio was favourable (1.12) only for the cassava groundnut intercropping system. The net soil organic carbon stock was favourable only for the cassava-groundnut intercrop. Averaged across locations, the net soil organic carbon for the cassava-groundnut intercropping increased by 3.4% when compared to the baseline within one cropping cycle of the cassava (12 months). The results confirm that cassava-groundnut intercropping is a sustainable land management practice that could enhance crop productivity and soil organic carbon stock on smallholder farms.展开更多
文摘Agroforestry and beekeeping are widely promoted as prospective Nature-</span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""> </span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Based Income Generating Activities (NIGAs) to improve livelihoods while at </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">the same time enhancing biodiversity conservation in degrading</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> agro-ecologies. These activities can diversify and increase famers’ incomes and support in</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">stinctive biota and fauna resilience. However, evidence to showcase and compare their long-term benefits is scant. We use the case of Uluguru</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> Mountains in Tanzania to evaluate and compare viability of agroforestry and beekeeping projects using the Cost</span></span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Benefit Analysis (CBA) approach. The results of analysis yielded positive NPVs for both agroforestry and beekeeping projects at discount rates not higher than 8.2% and 8.5% respectively. Overall, the comparison of economic viability between agroforestry and beekeeping projects revealed that the former was relatively more profitable than the later in terms of both the NPV and Benefit</span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-family:""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Cost Ratio (BCR) criteria. However, the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) for beekeeping was slightly higher than that of agroforestry. Yet, we underscore the fact that these two projects can jointly be implemented to enhance livelihoods of farmers and support biodiversity conservation in the study </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">area </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and other parts with similar agro-ecologies in developing countries. However, farmers in these agro-ecologies need to be supported by governments and non-government development partners in terms of training and inspiration to shift from orthodox farming to sustainable NIGAs.
文摘Modern nursery methods of seedling production in different sized root trainers, were compared by raising seedlings of Pinus wallichiana involving costs incurred and benefits received. In order to provide a common basis for the comparisons, the study involved the raising of 1000 seedlings annually on a continuous basis for seven years. A relative economic analysis of raising P. wallichiana seedlings in 300, 150 and 100 cm^3 root trainers was carried out and we estimated that the root trainers of 300 cm^3 capacity recorded the highest total input cost of Rs. 35571 and Rs. 40018 for 1000 seedlings produced annually at discount rates of 12% and 6%. Seedlings raised in 100 cm^3 root trainers recorded the lowest total input cost of Rs. 23390 and Rs. 27737 per 1000 seedlings annually at discount rates of 12% and 6%. Hence, returns per rupee invested in raising seedlings in the 100 cm^3 root trainers accounted for the maximum benefit-cost ratio (i.e., 1.56 and 1.61) at discount rates of 12% and 6%. Thus seedlings raised in 100 cm^3 and 150 cm^3 root trainers were found to be most cost effective when compared with seedlings grown in 300 cm^3 root trainers. The results can be attributed to the larger number of cells per tray (higher growth density) in the 100 and 150 cm^3 root trainers, compared to the number of seedlings in the 300 cm^3 root trainers.
文摘This paper mainly discussed the operation benefits of fruit dealers in farm market. Taking fruit dealers in Shizishan Street Farm market in Wuhan City as the research object,this paper introduced current operation situation of fruit dealers and made a descriptive statistical analysis on characteristics of operators,operation situation,and cognitive status. Besides,it introduced the concept of net cost-benefit ratio to reflect the operation benefits. From further analysis on the operation benefits of fruit dealers,it found that there is little difference in the costbenefit ratio between dealers in the farm market. The average net cost-benefit ratio was 11. 94%. Specifically,if the total cost is 100 yuan,the dealer can obtain 12 yuan net profit. In order to find out how cost factors affect the operation benefits,it established a regression model for cost factors and net cost-benefit ratio. According to the survey results,when the wholesale cost increases 10000 yuan,the cost-benefit ratio will increase by 1. 454 percentage points,thus increasing the wholesale investment is helpful for increasing the net cost-benefit ratio; when the loss cost increases 10000 yuan,the cost-benefit ratio will increase by 7. 501 percentage points,thus the dealers can increase the operation benefits through controlling the loss cost and reducing the operation cost. Finally,it came up policy recommendations from the perspective of government and operators.
文摘South-western Uganda annually experiences prolonged drought that results in dramatic drop in milk production of dairy cattle. This study was conducted to assess the nutritional value and economic benefits of feeding silage and hay to dairy cattle in the sub-region. The cross-sectional study covered seven districts with 105 farmers interviewed during the wet and 45 others in the dry season. Up to 88 soil samples were collected and analyzed for soil texture, soil pH, organic matter and total Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Sodium and Magnesium. Likewise, 148 forage (105 fresh, 25 silage and 18 hay) tissues from 21 pasture species were collected and analyzed for nutritional values. Using a questionnaire, data on production costs and milk revenues were collected for cost-benefit analysis. Results showed that silage of Napier grass treated with molasses (10.2 MJ/kg) and hay of naturally established pastures (10.6 MJ/kg) had the highest metabolisable energy (ME) values, while the lowest (8.30 MJ/kg) was for star grass. Hay of star grass presented the highest level of crude protein (21.4%) with maize (corn) showing the lowest (9.38%). Digestibility of hay of naturally established mixed pastures was the highest (64.4%), followed by that of silage of Napier grass treated with molasses (62.0%), while star grass hay had the lowest (52.6%). With exception of silage made from maize, all the other six forms of silage had a good crude protein (CP) content. Regardless of the good CP content (≥9.9%), all silage untreated with additives was poor in quality since its ME was less than 9.9 MJ ME/kg and ration digestibility less than 67%. Nonetheless, feeding of silage and hay increased milk yield and farm productivity with a benefit-cost ratio of 5.5 and 2.7 for silage and hay respectively.
文摘Cassava-groundnut intercropping is not a common practice among smallholder farmers in Sierra Leone even though both crops are well suited for intercropping. On-farm trials were conducted in three locations (Bai Largor, Bassah, and Njala Kanima) in the Moyamba district during the 2021 cropping season to investigate the efficacy of cassava-groundnut intercropping for increasing crop productivity and soil organic carbon stock on smallholder farms in the Moyamba district, Southern Sierra Leone. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design in three replications with treatments of sole groundnut, sole cassava and cassava-groundnut intercropping. Data on the yield and yield components of cassava and groundnut were analysed using the PROC MIXED procedure of SAS 9.4 and means were compared using the standard error of difference (SED). The above-ground biomass, number of roots per plant, and fresh root yield of cassava were not significantly (p > 0.05) affected by the cassava-based cropping system. Averaged across locations, intercropping cassava with groundnut decreased the above-ground biomass, the number of roots per plant, and fresh root yield of cassava by 17%, 11%, and 17%, respectively. The above-ground biomass, number of pods per plant and fresh pod yield of groundnut were significantly (p 1), the highest net revenue and benefit-cost ratio. The benefit-cost ratio was also favourable for the sole cassava (BCR > 1) but not favourable for the sole groundnut (BCR < 1). Averaged across locations, intercropping cassava with groundnut increased the benefit-cost ratio by 121% and 13% when compared to the sole groundnut and sole cassava. In the event of a 40% yield loss for the cassava and groundnut, the benefit-cost ratio was favourable (1.12) only for the cassava groundnut intercropping system. The net soil organic carbon stock was favourable only for the cassava-groundnut intercrop. Averaged across locations, the net soil organic carbon for the cassava-groundnut intercropping increased by 3.4% when compared to the baseline within one cropping cycle of the cassava (12 months). The results confirm that cassava-groundnut intercropping is a sustainable land management practice that could enhance crop productivity and soil organic carbon stock on smallholder farms.