Performance evaluation of sprinkler irrigation system at Mambilla beverage limited, Kakara-Gembu, Taraba state-Nigeria

Irrigation systems are designed to achieve a desired efficiency which in turns improve food productivity. This paper evaluated the Kakara Tea Irrigation System (KTIS) based on its coefficient of uniformity CU, delivery performance ratio (DPR), irrigation p roductivity (IP), labour requirements and water quality. Standard procedure was used for the evaluation. Christiansen’s equation was used to compute CU. EDTA and flame photometer methods were used to analyse water quality. The result indicated that KTIS h as a CU of 90.9%, DPR of 0.79 which indicated an efficiency of 79%. Sprinkler discharge rate was 1.2l/s and application rate was 7.5mm/hr. It is capable of irrigating 41.1ha/day with an average irrigation cycle of 9days and irrigation productivity of 2613. 7kg/ha. Total irrigation production contributes 68.6% to the annual production; case study of 2016 production record. The exchangeable cations analysis of Kakara irrigation System water indicates thus; Na (0.75mgL-1), Ca (1.01mgL-1) and Mg (0.20mgL-1) and Sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) value of (9.64mmoleL1 ), while the pH was 5.6. The result also indicated variation in discharge. Comparing the irrigation productivity (IP) with previous production records from 2011 - 2016 showed good irrigation performance tre nd of Mambilla Beverage Company irrigation scheme. However, the system is labour intensive since the laterals have to be moved after some period of time. The implementation or adoption of permanent laterals and risers will reduce manual labour demand. Variation in discharge can also be adjusted via use of uniform laterals, risers, and nozzles. This study further recommends an incorporation of a soil and water laboratory for the company to aid in monitoring the soil and water quality of the irrigation area. Keywords: Tea, irrigation System, Performance Evaluatio

All grown up? The fate after 15 years of a quarter of a million UK firms born in 1998

The theory of firm growth is in a rather unsatisfactory state. However, the analysis of large firm-level datasets which have become available in recent years allows us to begin building an evidence base which can, in turn, be used to underpin the development of more satisfactory theory. Here we study the 239 thousand UK private sector firms born in 1998 over their first 15 years of life. A first, and quite striking, finding is the extraordinary force of mortality. By age 15, 90% of the UK firms born in 1998 are dead, and, for those surviving to age 15, the hazard of death is still about 10% a year. The chance of death is related to the size and growth of firms in an interesting way. Whilst the hazard rate after 15 years is largely independent of size at birth, it is strongly affected by the current (age 14) size. In particular, firms with more than five employees are half as likely to die in the next year as firms with less than five employees. A second important finding is that most firms, even those which survive to age 15, do not grow very much. By age 15 more than half the 26,000 survivors still have less than five jobs. In other words, the growth paths – what we call the ‘growth trajectories’ – of most of the 26,000 survivors are pretty flat. However, of the firms that do grow, firms born smaller grow faster than those born larger. Another striking finding is that growth is heavily concentrated in the first five years. Whilst growth does continue, even up to age 15, each year after age five it involves only a relatively small proportion of firms. Finally, there are two groups of survivors which contribute importantly to job creation. Some are those born relatively large (with more than 20 jobs) although their growth rate is quite modest. More striking though, is a very small group of firms born very small with less than five jobs (about 5% of all survivors) which contribute a substantial proportion (more than one third) of the jobs added to the cohort total by age 15

A study of patent thickets

Report analysing whether entry of UK enterprises into patenting in a technology area is affected by patent thickets in the technology area

Predicting new venture survival and growth: does the fog lift?

This paper investigates whether new venture performance becomes easier to predict as the venture ages: does the fog lift? To address this question we primarily draw upon a theoretical framework, initially formulated in a managerial context by Levinthal (Adm Sci Q 36(3):397–420, 1991) that sees new venture sales as a random walk but survival being determined by the stock of available resources (proxied by size). We derive theoretical predictions that are tested with a 10-year cohort of 6579 UK new ventures in the UK. We observe that our ability to predict firm growth deteriorates in the years after entry—in terms of the selection environment, the ‘fog’ seems to thicken. However, our survival predictions improve with time—implying that the ‘fog’ does lift

Looking inside the spiky bits : a critical review and conceptualisation of entrepreneurial ecosystems

The authors wish to thank the Organisational for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for funding their original research on entrepreneurial ecosystems.The concept of entrepreneurial ecosystems has quickly established itself as one of the latest ‘fads’ in entrepreneurship research. At face value, this kind of systemic approach to entrepreneurship offers a new and distinctive path for scholars and policy makers to help understand and foster growth-oriented entrepreneurship. However, its lack of specification and conceptual limitations has undoubtedly hindered our understanding of these complex organisms. Indeed, the rapid adoption of the concept has tended to overlook the heterogeneous nature of ecosystems. This paper provides a critical review and conceptualisation of the ecosystems concept: it unpacks the dynamics of the concept; outlines its theoretical limitations; measurement approaches and use in policy-making. It sets out a preliminary taxonomy of different archetypal ecosystems. The paper concludes that entrepreneurial ecosystems are a highly variegated, multi-actor and multi-scalar phenomenon, requiring bespoke policy interventions.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Development of an automatic fish feeder

An automatic fish feeder was designed, fabricated and tested. It eliminates major problems associated with manual feeding in aquaculture. The machine was powered electrically by one horse power motor. The overall dimension of the machine is 62 × 45 × 45cm. The hopper carrying capacity is 5.5kg/volume of hopper with a variable discharging chute. The timer was designed with a 24hour time step at user's specified discharge duration. Test results at the discharge time of 60 minutes showed that 85.5kg of feeds were evenly distributed across the pond. Less than 3% feed loss was recorded due to breakage and fragile nature of feed. The machine has 86.9% efficiency and adequately manages and preserves feed under harsh conditions

The Effects of New Firm Formation on Regional Development Over Time: The Case of Great Britain

This paper re-examines the link between new firm formation and subsequent employment growth. It investigates whether it is possible to have the wrong type of entrepreneurship – defined as new firm formation which leads to zero or even negative subsequent employment growth. It uses a very similar approach to that of Fritsch and Mueller (2004), confirming their findings that the employment impact of new firm formation is in three discrete phases. Then, using data for Great Britain, the paper shows the employment impact of new firm formation is significantly positive in the high enterprise counties of Great Britain. However, for the low enterprise counties, it shows that new firm formation has a negative effect on employment. Of the 15 low enterprise regions, 8 are Scottish (out of 9 Scottish regions in our data base) and three are North East Counties (out of four). Our findings imply that having the “wrong type of entrepreneurship” is indeed possible

Exploring the Validity of a Modified Version of the SES-SFV with Students Attending Northern Irish Universities

Compared to US university students, far less is known about the scale of unwanted and non-consensual sexual experiences [USEs] faced by UK university students, particularly those in Northern Ireland [NI]. The Sexual Experiences Survey (Short Form [SEF-SFV]) is considered a popular tool for measuring USEs but has not been updated since 2007; there is some indication that additional perpetrator tactics may be more inclusive of students’ experiences and that certain scoring strategies may impact our understanding of data. This paper examines the USEs reported by 1033 students attending either of NI’s traditional universities. Participants completed a modified version of the SES-SFV that included two additional perpetration tactics: “ignorance of refusal” and “taken by surprise.” Sixty-three percent (n = 650) reported experiencing at least one USE, but this reduced to 53% (n = 546) without the new perpetrator tactics. Female and non-heterosexual students reported significantly more USEs than male and heterosexual students, respectively. “Taken by surprise” was highly endorsed (81%, n = 525) and the most commonly endorsed tactic. Whilst dichotomous scoring is the most straightforward, continuous scoring affords greater analytical opportunities whilst still retaining frequency of USEs. “Taken by surprise” may be a relevant addition but further mixed-methodological research is required to assess its validity among larger and more diverse samples. SES-SFV scoring options should be also validated using male and mixed-gender samples, particularly categorical scoring to ensure current construction is reflective of the wider student experience