International Journal of Life Science and Agriculture Research

Drivers of Urban Agriculture and their Influence on the Socio-Economic Status of the Urban Farmers in Uganda, A Case Study of Kampala and Mbarara Cities

2024-05-04T08:19:46+00:00

The study analyzed the influence of forms and drivers of urban Agriculture on the socio-economic status of the farmers in Kampala and Mbarara Cities. The specific objective of the study was to examine the influence drivers of urban agriculture on the socio-economic status of farmers. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design using multiple data collection methods. A multistage cluster sampling technique involving simple random sampling to get both primary and secondary sampling units, snowball to get target respondents and purposive sampling for key informants and focus group members was used. Data were collected using social survey questionnaires for households, focus group discussions checklist (FGDs), key informant interview guides and observations, from a sample of 384 respondents. The study found a strong association between drivers of UA and the socioeconomic status of the urban farmers in Kampala and Mbarara Cities. Household socio-economic status has substantially correlated with the drivers of the urban farmers and out of 9 items considered only 5 was significant which include access to capital (x² = 1.175, p< 0.047), access to agriculture extension services (x² = 3.634, p< 0.026), access to financial grants (x² = 5.190, p<0.001), access to markets (x² = 6.993, p< 0.001), value addition(x² = 3.718, p<0.014). The study confirmed a significant relationship between drivers of urban agriculture and the socio-economic status of urban farmers. Urban agriculture drivers like access to capital and financial grants, nature of market access and value addition had a significant influence on household socio-economic status.

Effects of Phytase and Tannase Enzyme Supplementation on in Vitro Nutrient Digestibility and Tannin Degradation of Sorghum-Based Broiler Diets

2024-05-04T07:52:31+00:00

An in vitro study was conducted to assess the effects of phytase and tannase enzyme supplementation on nutrient digestibility and tannin degradability in sorghum-based broiler diets. A two-stage in vitro experiment involving simulation of gastric and ileal digestion in vivo was used. Data were analysed using Statistical Analysis System (SAS, 2011). The data were analysed for descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were performed to check for possible associations among variables. Analysis of variance were performed to determine the effects of sorghum inclusion level as well as the effects of exogenous phytase and tannase supplementation on nutrients digestibility and tannin degradability using the GLM procedure. All tests were done at p<0.05 level of significance. The results of this study indicated that phytase and tannase supplementation significantly influenced calcium, phosphorus, fat and crude protein digestibility (p< 0.01). Sorghum inclusion level had no significant effect on calcium, phosphorus, fat and crude protein digestibility. Sorghum inclusion level significantly influenced tannin degradability (p<0.01). Chi-square test showed that there was an association between sorghum inclusion level and tannin hence increasing sorghum level increased tannin degradability. Both enzyme supplementation and sorghum inclusion level had significant effect on crude fibre and tannin degradability.

The Effects of Pineapple Leaf Powder on Growth Performance and Carcass Traits of Noi Crossbred Broilers

2024-05-03T08:11:33+00:00

To meet the increasing demand of consumers on poultry products, poultry feed does not only improve the growth performance but also enhance meat quality. By this reason, the study was to evaluate the effects of pineapple leaf powder on growth performance and carcass characteristics of Noi broiler chickens from 5-12 weeks of age. The study was conducted at Tra Vinh University – experimental farm involving with 120 Noi crossbred broilers from 4 weeks of age. The study was a completely randomized design with 04 treatment and 03 replicates, consisting of 0% (control treatment, T0), 0.1% (treatment 1), 0.3% (treatment 2) and 0.5% (treatment 3) of pineapple leaf powder in the diet. Birds were fed ad libitum throughout the experiment. The results showed that body weight (1603 g/bird at 12 weeks of age), daily weight gain (21.90 g/bird/day) had the highest performance while feed intake (55.28 g/bird at treatment 2) and feed conversion ration (2.610) showed the lowest performance in the treatment 3 (P<0.05). However, the study did not record any significant changes in carcass traits, pH and cooking loss of broiler meat between treatments (P>0.05). It can be concluded that the inclusive of pineapple leaf powder on diets could improve growth rate of Noi crossbred chickens from 5-12 weeks of age.

Enhancing Rice Productivity and Ensuring Food Security in Indonesia Through The Adoption of Innovative Technologies in Tidal Swamp Rice Farming

2024-03-27T10:36:55+00:00

The expansion of rice cultivation areas in tidal swamp lands is crucial for Indonesia to increase rice production in order to meet the rising food demand in line with population growth. The purpose of this study is to comprehensively explore and assess innovative technologies that can be developed for rice cultivation in tidal swamp lands. The research was conducted using ScienceDirect (Core Collection) with keywords "Tidal Rice Farming," "Rice Productivity," "Technology," and "Food Security in Indonesia," and Google Scholar with keywords "Rice Production," "Tidal Swamp Rice," and "Indonesia," following the guidelines from PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). The research includes peer-reviewed studies published between 2014 and 2024, focusing on the recent technology of rice farming in tidal swamp fields. The research result show Tidal swamp land in Indonesia, covering 8.92 million ha with mineral soil 7.56 million ha and peat soil 1.36 million ha, mainly used for rice farming 2.8 million ha. The current rice productivity ranges between 4-5 million tons of unhulled rice per year. This finding concludes that the adoption of innovative technologies can be applied to increase rice productivity in tidal swamps, which holds great potential for enhancing food security in Indonesia. The study also highlights the importance of additional research to address challenges such as soil salinity, water availability, accessibility, and the adoption of these technologies across different tidal swamp land conditions.