Faculty of Agriculture

THE ROLE OF BLOCK FARMING IN ASSURING FOOD SECURITY IN LESOTHO: THE CASE OF BEREA, LERIBE AND MASERU DISTRICTS

Thu, 01 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

THE ROLE OF BLOCK FARMING IN ASSURING FOOD SECURITY IN LESOTHO: THE CASE OF BEREA, LERIBE AND MASERU DISTRICTS Seboka, Bolebali Maitumeleng J; Seboka, Bolebali Maitumeleng J Many developing countries are characterised by low levels of poverty caused mainly by food insecurity. There are different factors causing food insecurity in many developing countries, and changing climatic conditions especially severe drought is mentioned as the major one. However, high population increase is another cause of food insecurity in many developing countries, and Lesotho is not an exception. There are different measures used to solve the state of food insecurity in many countries, and increasing agricultural productivity is one of them. The Lesotho government has implemented different agricultural programmes to increase production in agriculture since colonialism. Although many colonial rural development strategies in Lesotho focused more on preventing and controlling soil erosion, there were some agricultural projects implemented in some parts of the country. The agricultural rural development programmes implemented in Lesotho since colonialism meant to reduce poverty and improve the living standards of people. And block farming is one of such agricultural development projects. Block farming is not a new agricultural rural development project in Lesotho. Block farming project was introduced in the Senqu River Valley Integrated Rural Development Project in the 1970s. The idea was to increase food production among Basotho farmers. This agricultural initiative was revived in the New Millennium. The government of Lesotho entered into sharecropping with subsistence farmers through block farming. The purpose of government was to reduce poverty by increasing agricultural food production in the country. And since the introduction of block farming, especially in the early stages of implementation, the lives of many farmers improved for the better. This is because they now cultivate their fields that have been left fallow for many years because of lack of agricultural inputs. However, of late, block farming is facing many challenges that affect agricultural production. As a result, it is not a profitable agricultural programme for many farmers.

Opportunities for University-community engagement in Roma Valley, Lesotho

Mon, 07 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Opportunities for University-community engagement in Roma Valley, Lesotho The study explored the opportunities for university-community engagement in Roma Valley, Lesotho. The specific objectives were to: describe the outreach needs of Roma Valley community that could be addressed by the Faculty of Agriculture, assess the capacity of the Faculty of Agriculture to provide outreach services to Roma Valley and the willingness of Roma Valley community to engage with the Faculty of Agriculture. The study surveyed 30 experts from four departments of the Faculty of Agriculture and 46household heads from five villages of Roma Valley. An interview schedule was used for collect data which were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer programme version 20.0. The findings revealed that respondents recognized the outreach role of the Faculty of Agriculture in providing training to Roma Community members on a wide range of topics and subject areas and that the F culty of Agriculture has enormous capacity to provide outreach services. Community members require extension support on a wide range of issues and have great desire to engage with the Faculty of Agriculture in outreach activities. It is concluded that opportunities exist for university-c Roma Valley. mmunity engagement in

Nutritional Zinc Status of Free-Living Elderly Farmers in Abanla Village, Oyo State, Nigeria

Mon, 07 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT

Nutritional Zinc Status of Free-Living Elderly Farmers in Abanla Village, Oyo State, Nigeria Abiola Akintunde1, Ganiyat Akintunde One hundred and twenty elderly farmers aged 60-100 years living in Abanla village of Idi-Ayunre Local Government area of Oyo State, Nigeria, were assessed for dietary and urinary Zinc excretion. Dietary zinc intakes were measured from meals consumed over a two day period. The dietary zinc intake of the elderly male and female farmers was similar(P>0.05).The mean daily zinc intake of 12.46+/-1.45mg for males and 11.82+/-2.61mg for females appeared marginally adequate compared to the recommended dietary allowance (RDA). The respondents may be deficient in zinc because there was lack of or low intake of rich sources of zinc such as beef, egg, and oyster. The diet of the elderly people were also predominantly of plant origin. However, the urinary zinc excretion was within acceptable ranges. The males excreted significantly more (P<0.05) urinary zinc than the females (3.01+/-2.21g/8 hours and 2.00 +/-1.40 g/8 hours respectively). No correlation existed between age and urinary zinc excretion (r=0.029, n=90). Nutrition education should be promoted throughout life especially during adolescent period when food habits are being formed. Regular medical check-up should also be encouraged so that early detection and correction of infirmities would reduce age onset or pathological conditions.

Growth Patterns and Condition Factors of Some Freshwater Fish Species in Lake Erelu, Southwestern Nigeria

Wed, 01 Jul 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Growth Patterns and Condition Factors of Some Freshwater Fish Species in Lake Erelu, Southwestern Nigeria Kareem, O.K. 1, Olanrewaju, A.N.2, Jenyo-Oni A.1, Osho E.F. 1 and Akintunde M.A Studies on length-weight relationship of fish provide valuable information on standing stock biomass for comparative growth studies. Information on growth patterns also remains an important tool for proper exploitation and management of population of fish species. The length-weight relationship (LWR) and condition factors of four dominant fish species in Erelu Lake, Oyo, Nigeria were therefore investigated. A total of 2663 specimens were caught between July, 2013 and March, 2015 using various mesh sizes of gillnets. Weights were taken to the nearest gram and length measured to the nearest centimeter using tabletop weighing balance and wooden measuring board, respectively. The sampled population was male dominated except for Raimas senegalensis. Total length was least in R. senegalensis (14.27±1.92) and highest in Sarotherodon galilaeus (18.30±1.92), while the least weight (51.26±29.53g) and the highest weight (85.60±42.99g) were obtained in R. Senegalensis and Oreochromis niloticus, respectively. The lowest growth coefficient (b) value (1.024) was obtained for O. niloticus while the highest (2.697) was recorded for R. senegalensis. This result indicates that all the investigated fish exhibited negative allometric growth. The mean condition factors (K) of the fish species ranged between 1.241±0.43 in S. galilaeus to 1.709±0.39 in O. niloticus. The condition factors fell within the range recommended for fresh water fish species in the tropics hence, Erelu Lake is suitable for the sustainable production of all the four fish species investigated. Therefore, the environmental condition of the lake should be maintained.