Assessing Factors Influencing Farmers Adoption of Improved Potato Varieties in Malawi
Kapalasa Eliya,
Demo Paul,
Nyekanyeka Ted,
Okero Julius
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 1, February 2019
Pages:
1-10
Received:
15 August 2018
Accepted:
1 September 2018
Published:
28 February 2019
Abstract: Cultivation of improved varieties is one way of increasing productivity of many crops especially in developing countries where there is pressure of land due to high population growth. Adoption studies have proved to be helpful in giving the picture of the performance of technologies amongst users like farmers and in line with this the study was carried out to assess the factors that influence a farmer to adopt improved potato varieties using cross-sectional data that was collected from 300 households by the International Potato Center (CIP) in 2013. The study used a Hurdle Poisson model to effectively assess the socio-economic and demographic characteristics that influence farmers to adopt improved potato varieties. The results of the study show that amongst the household socio-economic characteristics that were included in the model, age of the household head and farm size were significant at 5 percent level of significance whilst access to information through extension agents and distance to the market were the institutional factors that significantly influence a farmer. The results further show that the variety characteristics that were significant in influencing adoption of improved potato varieties included high yield, early maturity and larger tuber size that were preferred variety characteristics. Results of the decision on how many potato varieties individual farmer decides to grow shows that age of the household head, access to information and varieties that are high yielding had a significant influence. To increase adoption of recommended potato production practices, it was recommended that extension agents should be well involved in disseminating these production practices by using open field days, demonstration and control plots to encourage farmers to adopt the production practices. Secondly, the study also recommended that Government and other stakeholders need to also invest in extension service in sensitizing potato farmers in key potato production areas especially on production practices that have potential to increase level of adoption as well as farmer’s productivity and income.
Abstract: Cultivation of improved varieties is one way of increasing productivity of many crops especially in developing countries where there is pressure of land due to high population growth. Adoption studies have proved to be helpful in giving the picture of the performance of technologies amongst users like farmers and in line with this the study was car...
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Aboveground Live Carbon Storage in Woody Agroforestry Systems of Sokoru District, Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 1, February 2019
Pages:
11-17
Received:
17 January 2019
Accepted:
16 February 2019
Published:
5 March 2019
Abstract: There is a growing interest in the role of different types of land use systems in stabilizing the atmospheric CO2 concentration, reducing the CO2 emissions and on increasing the carbon sink of forestry and agroforestry systems. Agroforestry has potential to mitigate climate change and help farmers to adapt the impacts of climate change. Different types of agroforestry systems such as homegarden, cropland and pastureland have great role in storing carbon and stabilizing the climate change by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. The main objective of this study was to investigate aboveground live carbon storage in agroforestry of Sokoru District, Jimma Zone. The study was conducted from February to May, 2018. Descriptive statistics and one way ANOVA were used to analyze the population density, above ground live biomass, carbon storage, tree height and diameter at breast height and basal area for each tree was calculated. Aboveground live biomass of each tree was determined by using the revised nondestructive equation. The amount of carbon stored in each tree was estimated at 50% of the aboveground live biomass hence 5.54 t, and in homegarden, 9 t in cropland and 3.47 t pastureland carbon was stored. From three land use types the highest amount of carbon was stored in cropland followed by homegarden and pastureland. Eventually, the study revealed that the woody species found in different agroforestry system of the study area have great role in carbon storage and CO2 sequestration. Thus all stakeholders should focus on conservation of trees and shrubs found agricultural landscapes.
Abstract: There is a growing interest in the role of different types of land use systems in stabilizing the atmospheric CO2 concentration, reducing the CO2 emissions and on increasing the carbon sink of forestry and agroforestry systems. Agroforestry has potential to mitigate climate change and help farmers to adapt the impacts of climate change. Different t...
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Impact of Economic Policy Uncertainty on Chinese Carbon Price
Chen Ling-Ling,
Wang Wen-Jun
Issue:
Volume 4, Issue 1, February 2019
Pages:
18-23
Received:
23 January 2019
Accepted:
12 March 2019
Published:
30 March 2019
Abstract: There are direct as well as indirect linkages between economic policy uncertainty and carbon market through the channels of market fundamentals. This paper theoretically analyzes the linkages between economic policy uncertainty and carbon price and empirically examines the impact of Chinese economic policy uncertainty on Hubei carbon prices. A two-regime Markov-Switching process is introduced into the VAR model to examine the impact of economic policy uncertainty during different regimes of the carbon market. The empirical results show that the two-regime Markov-Switching model applies well in modelling the return series from Hubei carbon market during April 2014 to December 2017. Under the two different regimes, although the impacts from economic policy uncertainty are both significantly positive, the magnitude of the impacts differs. The impact of Chinese economic policy uncertainty on Hubei carbon price is larger during the low volatility period on carbon market than that during the high volatility period on carbon market.
Abstract: There are direct as well as indirect linkages between economic policy uncertainty and carbon market through the channels of market fundamentals. This paper theoretically analyzes the linkages between economic policy uncertainty and carbon price and empirically examines the impact of Chinese economic policy uncertainty on Hubei carbon prices. A two-...
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