Effect of supplementation of Moringa oleifera leaf slurry on performance, rumen metabolites and enteric methane emission of growing Yankasa rams

This study evaluated the anti-methanogenic and nutritional effects of Moringa oleifera leaf slurry (MLS) in growing Yankasa rams. Sixteen rams (16.6 ± 3.00 kg) were assigned to four treatments supplying 0, 4, 8, or 12 g MLS kg⁻¹ DM intake in a completely randomised design. All animals received the same total mixed ration at 5% of live weight for 85 days, followed by a 7‑day digestibility trial. Enteric methane was measured using a portable IRCD4 infrared gas analyser. MLS supplementation improved (p  0.05) nutrient utilisation and growth performance, and reduced CH₄ per unit of feed intake and CH₄ per unit of NDF digested. Rams receiving 8 and 12 g MLS kg⁻¹ DM showed higher (p  0.05) volatile fatty acid concentrations than the control. Principal component analysis revealed negative associations between MLS phytochemicals and CH₄/feed intake, CH₄/NDF digestibility, and feed conversion ratio. Overall, MLS inclusion up to 12 g kg⁻¹ DM increased feed intake (3.70–8.64%), weight gain (41.4–44.7%), feed efficiency (19.6–24.5%), nutrient utilisation, and volatile fatty acids, while lowering methane emission ratios. Although 4 g MLS kg⁻¹ DM appears effective for improving performance, further research should explore alternative feeding strategies and higher MLS levels in Yankasa rams and other ruminants

Growth performance, amino acid composition, and biochemical parameters of Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792) fed with Ipomoea aquatica supplemented diets

This study investigated the potential for supplementing the diet of the climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) with Ipomoea aquatica by evaluating its growth performance, amino acid composition and biochemical parameters. A 60-day feeding trial was conducted using five isonitrogenous diets that incorporated varying levels of Ipomoea aquatica: IP0 (0%), IP5 (5%), IP10 (10%), IP15 (15%) and IP20 (20%). Growth parameters, amino acid profiles and biochemical markers were analysed to determine the optimal dietary inclusion level. The results revealed that 15% inclusion of I. aquatica resulted in the highest final weight (FW), body weight gain (BWG) and specific growth rate (SGR), as well as an improved feed conversion ratio (FCR). This group also exhibited enhanced fish muscle amino acid composition, particularly of essential amino acids such as methionine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan. A similar increase in total immunoglobulin (TIg), lysozyme (LYZ) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities was observed in this group, suggesting improved immunity and health. No significant changes were observed in aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) or thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) activities across the different levels of inclusion. These findings suggest that I. aquatica can serve as a sustainable alternative protein source in A. testudineus feed, with a 15% inclusion level providing optimal growth, nutritional benefits, and immune enhancement. This study highlights the potential of I. aquatica as a viable alternative to conventional fishmeal and promotes sustainable aquaculture practices

Digital technologies in tropical agro-SMEs: Modelling return on investment, efficiency, and socio-environmental co-benefits in Costa Rica

Digital agriculture technologies are widely promoted as enablers of climate-resilient and efficient farming, yet empirical assessments of their financial, social, and ecological viability in tropical small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remain limited. This study evaluates the perceived return on investment, cost efficiency, and socio-environmental co-benefits of DATs among 389 agro-SMEs across Costa Rica's seven provinces using a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach. The analysis focuses on three commonly adopted technologies: sensor-based irrigation systems, GPS-enabled machinery, and drone-assisted crop monitoring. The analysis integrates the Technology Acceptance Model, Technology-Organisation-Environment, and classical investment theory to explain adoption behaviour and performance outcomes. Results show a mean return on investment of 34.8% and a median pay-back of 2.4 years, driven primarily by improved input management. Financial access significantly moderates the relationship between technology use and economic returns, with supported adopters achieving higher economic returns. Socio-environmental benefits, such as reduced resource use and improved labour quality, are partially mediated by gains in cost efficiency. Robustness checks confirm that outcomes are consistent across regions, firm sizes, and digital service types. The findings suggest that digital agriculture technologies represent a viable investment even in fragmented, resource-constrained contexts, provided that financial and infrastructural barriers are addressed. Policy recommendations include targeted loan guarantees, rural broadband corridors, inclusive training programmes, and results-based public–private partnerships. The study contributes to the evidence base for scaling digitalisation in tropical agriculture and positions digital technologies as drivers of productivity, inclusivity, and sustainability. Future research should expand longitudinal tracking, explore fintech-enabled models, and quantify environmental co-benefits for climate-finance eligibility

COVID-19’s impact on urban food security in Benin: Evidence from household dietary changes

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated response measures significantly affected household food consumption and security. In Benin, the most stringent intervention was the establishment of a sanitary cordon to restrict movement. This study examines the impact of the pandemic on urban household diets and consumption behaviours, as well as their coping strategies. A total of 149 households were randomly selected across four cities, both within and outside the sanitary cordon. Data on food consumption, dietary diversity, and expenditure were collected for 2019 and 2020, covering pre-, during, and post-pandemic periods.Findings reveal that dietary diversity declined more sharply within the sanitary cordon—up to 11.9% for male heads of households, and 7.2% and 5.3% for female heads of kitchens inside and outside the cordon, respectively. Children under five experienced reductions of 2.7% and 6.0%, respectively. Meat consumption was the only dietary component significantly affected, while household income remained stable. To cope, households relied on savings, borrowed money, and cut non-food expenses. These findings highlight the vulnerability of urban food systems to mobility restrictions and provide insights for designing adaptive responses to future public health crises

Drivers of rural household poverty in Sayed Abad district, Maidan Wardak Province, Afghanistan

Most of Afghanistan’s population lives in rural areas where poverty remains a persistent challenge, shaped by conflict, environmental stress, and limited livelihood opportunities. This study examines the factors driving household poverty in two villages, Meli Khel and Tarakhel, in the Sayed Abad district of Maidan Wardak province. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire based on the Likert scale, which was administered to 105 household heads. These were selected using the Cochran formula and a cluster sampling approach to enhance representativeness. A total of 113 questionnaires were distributed to household heads, who were chosen because of their role as breadwinners and their involvement in agriculture. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 27. The findings show that prolonged warfare was the factor that exacerbated poverty the most (mean score 4.79), followed closely by climate change and drought (4.65), declining agricultural productivity (4.59), unemployment (4.57), the depletion of groundwater resources (4.51) and widespread illiteracy (4.50). These results highlight how conflict and environmental pressures, combined with limited economic diversification and low educational attainment, perpetuate rural poverty. Policy interventions should prioritise climate-resilient agricultural development, job creation, improved water management and stronger education systems in order to mitigate these interconnected challenges and support the development of sustainable rural livelihoods in Afghanistan

Reflecting on livestock-related interventions in the 2020-2023 drought in Ethiopia and identifying areas for improvement: A qualitative study of expert opinions

Between 2020 and 2023 Ethiopia faced its worst drought for four decades, losing over four million livestock and placing over twelve million people into food insecurity. The overall aim of this study was to gain detailed, real reflections on the livestock-related humanitarian interventions used during the 2020-2023 drought to improve future efforts. More specifically this study aimed to evaluate the livestock-related drought interventions in Ethiopia; identify key areas requiring improvement for future responses; and explore potential solutions which could improve relevant interventions for future droughts in Ethiopia, given the trends of climate change. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted of in-depth key informant interviews of experts in Addis Ababa and the Borana district, using open/inductive and axial coding techniques (n=7). This yielded four major themes and thirteen sub-themes, The main findings of this study include that during the 2020-2023 drought in Ethiopia, the interviewed experts felt that timing of funding release/response was too late; responses such as vaccination, de-stocking and Index Based Livestock Insurance (IBLI) were not used optimally; and that rangeland and water management need prioritisation to improve sustainability and resilience. This study argues that further research is needed to understand why resources were not mobilised in a timely manner, why organisations continue to provide responses against guidelines and what resources and partnerships are needed to improve existing efforts. It recommends a focus shift towards core, natural resource inputs and that a streamlined resource mobilisation procedure be designed and implemented.

Black seeds, hidden diversity: Phenotypic structure in an urban landrace of amaranth (Amaranthus spp.) in Niger

Neglected crops often harbour cryptic diversity maintained through informal seed systems, particularly in urban gardens of the Sahel. This study investigates phenotypic variation within a black-seeded Amaranthus spp. population cultivated in Niamey, Niger, where seed colour guides local selection practices despite limited scientific documentation. A total of 180 plants were evaluated at the vegetative stage for plant height and number of leaves under a randomised complete block design, with three replicates of 60 plants each. Descriptive statistics revealed considerable intra-population variability (CV = 39.4% for height; 27.2% for leaf number). Robust Principal Component Analysis (rPCA) captured 93.5% of total variance along a single axis reflecting strong trait correlation. Unsupervised clustering identified a dominant phenotypic core with peripheral structuring but no extreme outliers. This exploratory study documents the extent and internal organisation of phenotypic variation in a black-seeded landrace cultivated in Niger’s urban gardens, highlighting the contribution of farmer-maintained populations to the conservation of agrobiodiversity in underutilised crops. Conducted over a single growing season, this work provides a quantitative description of morphological variation within a Nigerien black-seeded amaranth landrace and establishes a baseline for future multi-environment or molecular studies

Exploring the impact of socioeconomic factors on the use of digital communication tools for poultry farming in South‑West Nigeria

The study examined how socioeconomic factors shape the use of Digital Communication Tools (DCTs) among poultry farmers in South-West Nigeria. The research aimed to describe the farmers’ socioeconomic profiles, gauge their awareness of DCTs and assess the extent to which these tools are used in poultry production. A multistage sampling technique was adopted to select 322 poultry farmers. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics and Ordinary Least Squares regression (OLS). Findings showed that the majority of respondents were male (76.2%) with an average age of 45±8.42 years, indicating a relatively mature and active farming population. While there was near-universal awareness of platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Google and YouTube, fewer respondents (55.8%) were familiar with more specialised tools such as poultry management software. Notably, only 47.3% reported frequent use of DCTs, pointing to gaps between awareness and actual adoption. The OLS regression results identified age (β = -0.438), marital status (β = 0.190), income (β = 0.313) and stock size (β = 0.128) as significant factors influencing DCTs usage. Younger farmers with higher incomes and larger flock sizes were more inclined to adopt these tools. The study concludes that socioeconomic characteristics play a crucial role in DCTs adoption. Bridging the awareness-utilisation gap through targeted interventions may help drive wider adoption and enhance productivity in poultry farming

Evaluating the impact of home gardening and nutrition education on haemoglobin levels, dietary diversity, and mid-upper arm circumference in Mbororo women: Case of Northwest region, Cameroon

The nutritional status of the Mbororo, a Fulbe minority group in Cameroon’s Northwest Region, is often inadequate. This cross-sectional study assessed the impact of a home garden project combined with nutrition education on the nutritional status of Mbororo women, using dietary diversity score (DDS), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), and haemoglobin levels as indicators. Data were collected from 70 healthy, non-pregnant Mbororo women aged 65 years or younger. These women were randomly selected from communities with and without home gardens. Women in home garden communities had significantly higher mean DDS (5.4 ± 0.9) than those in non-garden communities (4.2 ± 0.7; p = 0.001), indicating improved dietary quality. However, no significant differences were found in MUAC or haemoglobin levels between groups. Anaemia prevalence across all communities was 52.9%, a severe public health concern, with 27.1% of women underweight and 15.8% overweight, highlighting the double burden of malnutrition. While home gardens improved dietary diversity, they did not resolve broader nutritional challenges. The study concludes that addressing malnutrition in minority communities requires integrated, nutrition-sensitive interventions. These should include nutrition education, home gardening alongside small-scale livestock rearing and fish farming to enhance access to iron-rich foods and diversify nutrient sources. Such approaches are vital for improving long-term nutrition and health outcomes in underserved populations like the Mbororo

Why do farmers decide to continue? A literature review of the determinants of continuance intention in the agricultural domain

Despite numerous innovations introduced to the agricultural domain to achieve food sufficiency and promote smallholder social-economic growth, limited research has been conducted on the post-adoption stage. This study aims to identify the determining factors of continuance intention in agricultural innovation. A systematic literature review was performed using the PRISMA protocol, with peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2006 and 2024 sourced from Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. Following a rigorous selection process, 21 relevant studies were synthesized. This study classified agricultural innovation into program, technological, and administrative scope, each with unique variables affecting continuance intention. The research identified two primary categories influencing farmers' intention to continue: internal and external variables. Internal aspects comprised personal and cognitive elements. Methodologically, regression analysis was predominantly used to examine personal elements, while both regression and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) were employed for external factors and cognitive elements. This review demonstrates that the determinants of continuance intention in specific agricultural innovation characteristics is valuable in understanding farmers' decisions. By gaining insights into factors influencing continuance intention, stakeholders can more effectively modifying the actionable factors and contribute to the long-term engagement of agricultural innovation despite the inherent complexities in agriculture