GAJRC | Global Academic Journal of Agriculture and Biosciences

Journal Name:	Global Academic Journal of Agriculture and Biosciences
Abbr. Title:	Glob Acad J Agri Biosci
ISSN(Print):	2706-8978
ISSN(Online):	2707-2568
Frequency:	Bi-Monthly
Language:	English
Chief Editor:	Dr. Abdul Wali A. Al Khulaidi
Publisher:	Scholars Middle East Publishers
Country of Origin:	United Arab Emirates

Journal Name:

Global Academic Journal of Agriculture and Biosciences

Abbr. Title:

Glob Acad J Agri Biosci

ISSN(Print):

2706-8978

ISSN(Online):

2707-2568

Frequency:

Bi-Monthly

Language:

English

Chief Editor:

Dr. Abdul Wali A. Al Khulaidi

Publisher:

Scholars Middle East Publishers

Country of Origin:

United Arab Emirates

Feb. 8, 2025

Effectiveness of ICTs in Extension Service Delivery among Smallholder Farmers in Kwali Area Council, Abuja, Nigeria

Ayoola Faith Joel, Joseph Bamidele, Beatrice Itoya Oyediji, Mudashir Adeola Olaitan, Ugochinyere Princess Eleke, Oluwamayowa Joseph Joel, Abubakar Tukur Tata, Samson Olayemi Sennuga
Glob Acad J Agri Biosci, 2025; 7(1): 8-17
DOI : https://doi.org/10.36348/gajab.2025.v07i01.002

This study examined the effectiveness of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in extension service delivery among smallholder farmers in Kwali Area Council, Abuja. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select 120 smallholder farmers on which structured questionnaire was administered complemented with interview schedule. Primary data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentages and mean. Findings from the study revealed that majority farmers are male (91.7%), 63.3% aged between 36-45 years, married (66.7%), 60% have secondary education. Household sizes typically range from 4 to 6 members (45%), with farming experience mainly between 6 to 10 years (80.8%). Despite the importance of ICT in agriculture, only 10% of farmers currently use these technologies, primarily mobile phones (75%), with infrequent use overall. ICT-based extension services have notable impacts, including expanded information accessibility (75%), timeliness and relevance of information (90%), knowledge exchange (83.7%), skills development (72.5%), advancements in agricultural methods (85%), market access and financial integration (55%), risk management support (67.5%), and collaboration opportunities (73.3%). However, 80% of respondents find ICT tools not accessible or moderately accessible, and 90% have difficulty accessing ICT for farming information and support. Key constraints include limited ICT infrastructure (97.5%), high costs of devices and services (99.2%), low digital literacy (75%), language barriers (66.7%), geographical isolation (70%), limited content relevance (45%), inadequate technological support (95.8%), privacy concerns (47.5%), cultural barriers (90%), and poor connectivity (93.3%). Therefore, the study recommends; enhancement of ICT infrastructure, subsidizing ICT devices and services, improving digital Literacy, developing relevant and accessible ICT content and establishing technological support systems in the study region.

Soil acidity is one of the chemical soil degradation problems that affect the productivity of the soil in Ethiopian highlands. The purpose of this research was to study the influence of lime and P fertilizer on the acid properties of soils under the Barley crop grown in the Loya southern region of Ethiopia. A field experiment was conducted at Loya Woreda for three consecutive seasons. The experiment comprised the following treatments; Five levels of Lime (0,58.5,117,175.5, and 234 kg/ha-1) and Four Levels of phosphorous (0,23,46, and 69 kg/ha-1) and was Laid out in a Randomized complete block design with three replications. The pooled mean analysis result showed that above ground, biomass was significantly (p>0.05) influenced by the application of phosphorus fertilizer, lime, and their interaction. The maximum and minimum above-ground biomass is 16840 kg/ha and 9920 kg/ha. They obtained at 46 kg P ha-1 and control treatments, respectively. Amongst the liming treatments, liming at 117kg/ ha gave significantly (P < 0.05) the highest above-ground biomass of barley. Similarly, the grain yield of barley was significantly influenced by applying different phosphorus fertilizers; the highest gain yield was obtained at 46 kg P ha-1. However, grain yield was not significantly affected by applications of different levels of lime but numerically highest grain yield (2320 kg/ha) was obtained at 117kg/ha of lime. In all harvesting seasons, and pooled mean of TSWT did not show significant variation among different levels of phosphorus and lime. Hence, for sustainable and higher productivity, barley production in Loya southern Ethiopia should be 117 kg ha-1lime and46 kg P ha-1. However, the effect of lime application on soil reaction and exchangeable acidity was not properly discussed in this particular study due to a lack of soil laboratory results.

The contamination of aquatic ecosystems by crude oil spills is a pervasive issue in Nigeria's oil-producing regions, where waterways are frequently polluted with hydrocarbons, a primary constituent of crude oil. This study examined the phycoremediation capabilities of Chlorella vulgaris using established protocols. The algae isolated from freshwater samples were confirmed to be C. vulgaris. The results of the screening test revealed the organism's capacity to degrade heavy crude oil, as evidenced by varying levels of turbidity in the mineral salts-oil medium. Over a 47-day period, the pH of the mineral salts-oil medium decreased progressively, transitioning from neutral to acidic levels, ultimately reaching a pH of 4.1. Conversely, the absorbance of the medium increased over the same period, indicating C. vulgaris growth. Notably, the residual oil content in the mineral salts-crude oil medium decreased substantially, with a degradation rate of 80%. This study demonstrates the potential of C. vulgaris in phycoremediation of crude oil spills in Nigeria.

Dec. 14, 2024

Growth, Yield and Yield Components of Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia L.) as Influenced by Plant Spacing and Harvesting Age

Basazinew Degu, Sulti Amano
Glob Acad J Agri Biosci, 2024; 6(6): 218-225
DOI : https://doi.org/10.36348/gajab.2024.v06i06.005

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia L.) is the most important aromatic and medicinal plant in the world grown for its essential oil predominantly extracted from its aromatic leaves and inflorescence. The experiment was conducted with irrigation supplement during the 2017, and 2018 cropping seasons at the Wondo Genet Agricultural Research Center experimental field in Southern Ethiopia. One of the study's goals was to investigate the ideal plant spacing and harvesting age for lavender growth, yield, and yield components under supplemental irrigation circumstances. Three levels of harvesting ages following transplant (9, 10, and 11 months after transplanting (MAT)) and four levels of intra-row spacing (45, 60, 75, and 90 cm) with an inter-row spacing of 60 cm made up the experiment. Three replications were used in the factorial arrangement in the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) experiment. The combined analysis's findings showed that the number of branches per plant, fresh leaves and inflorescence weight/plant, fresh leaves and inflorescence yield/ha, and essential oil yield/ha were all significantly impacted by plant spacing. Conversely, it had no discernible impact on the amount of essential oil or plant height. Plant height, fresh leaf, and inflorescence weight/plant, inflorescence yield/ha, and essential oil yield/ha were significantly impacted by harvesting age, but not the number of branches/plants. Fresh leaf and inflorescence yield/ha and essential oil yield/ha were significantly influenced by the interaction of plant spacing and harvesting age. The highest essential oil yield/ha (98.72 kg) and fresh leaf and inflorescence yield/ha (24.56 t) were achieved at 10 MAT and 60*45 cm spacing. Conversely, the 60*90 cm spacing and 11 MAT had the lowest essential oil yield/ha (34.42 kg). Therefore, it is highly recommended to grow Lavender with a supplement of irrigation at Wondo Genet and a place that has the same agroecology with a spacing of 60*45 cm and harvest it at 10 MAT to get the highest essential oil yield/ha.

This study examines the influence of ICT-based training on livestock production efficiency among farmers in Bwari Area Council, with a focus on socio-economic characteristics, ICT knowledge post-training, productivity impact, effectiveness factors, and preferred ICT tools. Using a multi-stage sampling approach, 250 livestock farmers were selected. Primary survey were collected and analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics to meet the research objectives. The socio-economic analysis reveals a farming population primarily composed of middle-aged individuals (mean age 41.7 years), with 72% male and 64% married. Education levels varied, with 38% having secondary education. Post-training evaluations indicated that 80% of farmers were proficient in SMS alerts for disease management, 72% confident in mobile applications, and 70% experienced productivity gains using ICT tools. ICT training was found to positively impact areas like increasing awareness of government programs and subsidies (3.4), scheduling vaccinations accurately (3.3), disease prevention (3.2), and record-keeping (3.1) and feeding practices (3.0), preparing and storing livestock feeds (2.9), etc. Logit regression analysis identified significant factors influencing ICT effectiveness, including educational level (p=0.010), cooperative membership (p = 0.012), household size (p=0.032), contact with extension agents (p=0.011), and access to credit (p = 0.002), while gender, marital status, and farm size were non-significant. Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance analysis ranked mobile applications, SMS alerts, and radio broadcasts as the most effective ICT tools, demonstrating high consensus. Partnerships with telecommunication companies and government initiatives is recommended to address connectivity barriers, ensuring that all farmers can fully utilize digital tools in their livestock management practices.