Guidelines for feeding sweetpotato silage to pigs.

European UnionInternational Fund for Agricultural Developmen

Guidelines for feeding sweetpotato silage to pigs.

Playwright: N/A Director: N/A Academic Year: 1997-1998https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/production_images/2478/thumbnail.jp

Effect of feeding supplemented sweetpotato silage on pig performance in smallholder production systems in Uganda.

European UnionInternational Fund for Agricultural Developmen

Technical report: Characteristics of silage based on sweetpotato with combinations of local feed resources in Uganda.

A study to determine the characteristics and chemical composition of different silages based on sweetpotato vines in combination with several local feed resources was conducted in the Animal Science laboratory at the Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute, Kabanyolo (MUARIK). Sweetpotato vines from variety NASPOT 11 were used. Maize bran and cassava root were used as ferment starters (additives) during the ensiling process. The silages were analyzed for pH, moisture content, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, ether extracts and ash, calcium and phosphorus. The results showed that sweetpotato vines can produce silage of acceptable quality even when no external ferment starter is added. However, addition of a solid ferment starter like maize bran served to absorb the moisture that would accumulate as effluent at the bottom of the silo and eventually lead to spoilage. The dry matter content of the silage was low (> 24%) and would not meet the requirements of young growing pigs. The resultant silage had crude protein content higher than 19 percent and would meet the requirements for growing pigs except for the balance of essential amino acids and low dry matter of the material. For efficient utilization, feeding sweetpotato silage diets would require supplementation to satisfy requirements for dry matter and essential amino acids

Physical Learning Environment and Inmates Participation in Post Literacy Project in Government Prisons in Kenya

Adult illiteracy remains a worldwide phenomenon in spite of numerous efforts being made by the government, church, community-based and non-governmental organizations. The phenomena surrounding adult illiteracy is fundamentally an abuse of human rights since, it deprives the adult their psychological, social and physical provisions. It is against this background that research was conducted in the Nairobi government prisons (GK prisons) to establish the extent to which physical learning environment influences the participation of inmates in the post-literacy adult classes. Survey and naturalistic designs were employed. Probability sampling procedures were employed to select three adult education officers, six prison welfare officers, 32 teachers and 96 learners (prisoners) and one adult education teacher. To obtain the information from the respondent, questionnaires, interview guide, observation schedule and document analysis were used. Data was collected and summarized into frequencies, percentages, graphs, cross tabulations, charts and narrative reports. The null hypotheses were tested using independent samples t-test and One-way ANOVA. The findings of the study revealed that effective participation in post-literacy project in prisons has been hindered by lack of qualified adult education teachers, lack of facilities and teaching and learning materials

Caught between Energy Demands and Food Needs: Dilemmas of Smallholder Farmers in Njoro, Kenya

Smallholders in rural Kenya, like their counterparts in tropical Africa currently face acute shortage of fuel wood for domestic use. There has been rapid population increase in the last few decades resulting in increased demand for food crops. This has led to the expansion of area under subsistence agriculture eating into indigenous forests, the traditional source of wood fuel. This situation has been compounded by the limited access to alternative sources of domestic energy in rural parts of Kenya. The recent upsurge in the cost of fossil-derived fuels as well as in hydro-generated electricity has left the smallholder farmer with wood as the sole source of fuel. This paper therefore examines the conflicting demands of domestic fuel needs and foods. Key research questions were: What are the household domestic energy demand and constraints? What is the household food demand and constraint among smallholders? How do the smallholders reconcile these competing basic needs? The paper reflects on the constraints of smallholders in their quest to fulfill their food and energy needs. The discussed model is a result based on discussions between the researchers and focus group discussions drawn from smallholder farmers. The primary data gathered from the discussions is augmented by secondary data to draw imperative implications on domestic energy use and food needs. The results indicate an average annual per capita wood fuel demand of 1.99 m3 and a deficit of 8.816 m3 per household. The deficit is usually catered for through purchase of wood fuel from the market, which has an implication on the pressure exerted on the forestry resources. This paper shows that households in Njoro have turned to desperate coping mechanisms and strategies such as use of maize straw, pruning and fallen twigs. The results of this study provide insights on how the dilemma may be resolved in a smallholder setup and suggest local policy options