Roles of agricultural biotechnology in ensuring adequate food security in developing societies

Agriculture is asked to satisfy two apparently contradictory needs; to become more productive and at the same time more sustainable, that is, to supply the food needed without depleting renewable resources. While agricultural biotechnology holds enormous promise for significantly increasing food production and relieving already strained land and water resources in most developing societies, it hasbecome an emotional issue creating the strongest sense of unease and resistance among some consumers, developing countries farmers, environmental groups and some societies. This review appraises the food and fibre situations in developing societies so as to understand the roles which agricultural biotechnology could play therein. It revealed that the outlook for developing societies in food and fibre production is particularly grim; however, increases in crop and animal yields andtherefore the availability of food to feed the ever growing population of developing societies can be achieved through the adoption of biotechnology practices. The paper concludes with the recommendationthat individual countries need to identify their specific national priorities and preferences in food production, and harness the growing body of science and innovations in genetic engineering to address specific issues

Strategies For Increased Private Sector Participation In Funding Agricultural Extension Services In Nigeria: The Professionals Reactions In Enugu State

This study identified various strategies for increased private sector participation in funding agricultural extension sendee for more efficiency in a democratic and deregulated Nigerian economy. It paid particular attention to the reactions of extension professionals in Enugu state agricultural development programme towards the policy issue. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain informationfrom 117 extension professionals made up of 62 frontline extension workers and 55 extension administrators. Data were analyzed using percentage distribution, mean scores andstandarddeviation. Findings indicate that clear definition oftheform andbroad extent ofincreasedprivate sector participation adopted (x = 3.62); design of employment protection schemes to guard against job insecurity fix = 3.62); andmountingprogrammes topromotepublic awareness on the value ofincreasedprivate sector participation in agricultural extension service (X= 3.56) are the major strategies identified to achieve success in the programme. Areas in agricultural extension services with high scope of coverage by the professionals include: adaptive research (96.6%), food crop extension (95.7%) andsmall ruminant extension (94.9%), while snail extension (41.9%) and large ruminant extension (15.4%) have the lowest coverage. Also, the professionals recommended that if increasedprivate sector participation is to be achieved in agricultural extension, the priority areas should be in cash crop extension (72.7%), input procurement anddistribution (68.4%) andlarge ruminant extension (64.1%). They opposed vehemently the involvement ofprivate sectors in adaptive research (24.8%) and extensionpersonnel management (32.5%). Finally the study recommends that if the different strategies identifiedfor increased private sector participation in funding extension service and the priority areas in agriculture already identified by the professionals are adopted, the programme objective, which has been the target ofthe democratizedNigerian government, will be achieved

Climate information needs and services for climate change mitigation and adaptation in Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Tunisia

Poor access and use of accurate, timely and appropriate climate information consistently to inform decision making in African countries pose a huge dilemma for sustainable development. The existing climate data observations networks coverage are sparsely distributed. Development strategies and plans are not adequately informed by climate science due to the limited reliable and useable climate data and information produced by National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and other relevant institutions. This paper describes the climate information needs of Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Tunisia, the status of the climate information systems (CISs), gaps and recommends improvement in the generation, processing and use of climate information. A study involving in-depth desk studies, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and policy dialogue was conducted. Results revealed that the CISs in the target countries have weak forecasting and alert systems for weather events and low capacities of stakeholders in climate prediction, development of climate products and information to support long-term planning, climate adaptation and resilience. The quality and appropriateness of data collected needs to be improved through networking, development and use of innovative technologies and capacity building. Institutionalizing climate data management training within climate data collection stations, creating modern real-time CISs by strengthening the capacities of national and regional institutions to use and disseminate climate information, is paramount. The capacity of the ministries involved in climate data management to deploy appropriate climate information and best practices to effectively implement climate-proof policies and practices should be enhanced to increase climate resilience and productivity. Key words: climate information needs, climate service, adaptation, mitigation, capacit

Family Background as Correlate of University Students’ Agripreneurship Intentions in Niger Delta

The study investigated the influence of family background on university students’ agripreneurship intentions in Niger Delta, Nigeria. The correlational survey research design was used to collect data from a sample of 377, selected using multi-staged stratified random sampling procedure. The sample size was selected from a population of 18,474 undergraduate students studying Agriculture courses in federal and state universities in Niger-Delta. A questionnaire was used for data collection. The questionnaire was face validated by 5 experts. Split-half reliability method was used, and a Spearman-Brown coefficient of 0.883 was obtained, demonstrating the reliability of the instrument. The data collected from respondents were analyzed using pie-charts, Mean ( ), Standard Deviation, and correlation (γ). The findings revealed that a very weak positive relationship existed between parents’ occupation, educational background, income and students’ agripreneurship intentions, and a very weak negative relationship existed between family size and students’ agripreneurship intentions. Based on these findings, it was concluded that family background has very little influence on students’ agripreneurship intentions. Recommendations included that: parents should be sensitized on the entrepreneurial opportunities embedded in the Agricultural sector in light of the increasing rate of unemployment of graduates from various disciplines. Keywords: Family background, University Students, Agripreneurship Intentions, Niger-Delta DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-16-06 Publication date:June 30th 202

Analysis of Sustainable Small Scale Catfish Farming in South Eastern Nigeria

Small scale Catfish farming involves the rearing of catfish under controlled conditions for socio-economic benefits. It is regarded as excellent aquaculture specie because it grows fast, tolerates extreme temperature, and has a good feed conversion rate. Engaging in small scale catfish production is a way of substantially improving the demand-supply gap currently experienced in the industry. The study examined the socio-economic characteristics of the small scale catfish farmers in the study area, analysed the cost and returns of farmers and examined the influence of socio-economic characteristics on Net-income. Primary data used for the study was collected using well-structured questionnaires which were administered to sampled catfish farmers. In analyzing the data, descriptive statistical tools (frequency counts, means and percentages), enterprise budgeting techniques (Gross margin, Net-farm income) and Multiple Regression Analysis were used to analyse the data. The Return on Investment was ₦1.51 and it implies that the catfish production enterprise generated 1.51 times more income than expenses incurred for the production. In addition, the result indicates a Gross ratio of 66% and a Profitability Index (PI) of 0.34 which means that for every naira earned as revenue, 0.34kobo was returned to the farmer as net income. Out of the nine independent variables included in the model, five; (age, educational attainment, experience, flock size and membership of farmer’s society) were statistically significance while the rest were not significance. This result indicated that catfish production is a highly lucrative enterprise to venture into in the study area. &nbsp

Improving supply chain performance in the South African healthcare service : a literature based perspective

Abstract: Supply chain performance management plays an imperative role in keeping healthcare organizations sustainable and competitive by handling the storage and efficient distribution of resources in the value chain. Managing the complexity of healthcare demands and the application of improved technologies requires best practice supply chain models. The South African healthcare industry experiences unsatisfactory capacity limitations where there are extreme deficiencies of beds, equipment, facilities and trained healthcare professionals. This study highlights supply chain management strategies that can enhance efficient healthcare accessibility and delivery in South Africa using literature data. The results show that advanced healthcare delivery approaches such as ambulance divert and predictive analytics stand a good chance of improving supply chain management in the country