Postharvest loss of cowpea grains due to insect pests like cowpea bruchids is a common problem in Nigeria and has often exacerbated the food insecurity and poverty of households. In a bid to protect their cowpea grains, farmers’ indiscriminate use of insecticides (often misused and overused) has had a negative impact on human health and the environment. Efforts to promote the use of non-chemical hermetic storage have sought to address the issue. This study, therefore, examined the impact of a ...

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), entrepreneurship in the agriculture sector remains for youth a key pillar for income creation. However, few are attracted by agribusiness despite stakeholders’ efforts toward engaging youth in agriculture. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between entrepreneurial potential characteristics and youth desirability to start an enterprise in agriculture among 514 young people in Eastern DRC. This study revealed that youth in South Kivu have ...

Breeding is the most economical approach for controlling production constraints in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) smallholder farms. This study aims at assessing the performances of elite cassava clones in the province of Kwilu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Three sets of trials were established using an alpha lattice and a randomized complete block designs in two contrasting locations, upland savanna and valley forest agroecologies. Eleven traits were used in phenotyping the cassava ...

Information and communications technologies (ICTs) play a key role in improving agricultural production, enhancing socio-ecological resilience, and mitigating rural poverty. However, the use of ICTs for agricultural development among smallholder farmers, especially in the least developed countries, still lags behind. It is therefore critical to understand distinct attitudes among heterogeneous smallholder farmers that determine use of ICTs, such as mobile phones. Moreover, data-driven empirical ...

Assessing the benefits of adopting climate-resilient farming technologies without considering the heterogeneity among farmers, may not provide a sufficient evidence base for policy. Yet, most empirical studies do not go beyond documenting the average effects of climate-resilient technologies. Using farm household survey data from Nigeria, this paper examines whether and to what extent the yield and income impacts of adopting drought-tolerant maize varieties are heterogeneous. We used the ...

Background Gari and Eba (cassava semolina) is mainly consumed in Nigeria and other West African countries. Defining the food product profile (biophysical, sensory, and textural qualities) that drives its acceptability, and integrating the component traits into breeding programs, are critical for the better adoption of new genotypes. This study aimed to define the Gari and Eba critical quality traits, define medium and high throughput instrumental methods for use by breeders, measure their respective ...

Climate models predict increasing air temperature and decreasing rainfall patterns among cocoa growing regions around the world. Both heat and drought stress are known to affect physiology of cocoa plants through reduced rates of photosynthesis, lack of water and generally impaired physiological processes. This in turn leads to decreased yields and in severe cases, increased risks of mortality. Many studies have reported positive effects of shade on cocoa production; however, interest of full sun ...

Brown streak is the most destructive viral disease of cassava causing up to 100% yield loss whilst fungal diseases contribute up to 90% cassava yield loss in Sub Saharan Africa. Genetic diversity of novel virus and fungal species infecting cassava in Bagamoyo, Tanzania is not fully comprehended. For unclear reasons, it is difficulty to breed resistance for one causal pathogen of cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), Cassava Brown Streak Virus (CBSV) compared to another, Ugandan Cassava Brown Streak ...