Sustainable Agricultural Development and Grassroots` Information Provision: An Appraisal of Information Needs of Adani Rice Farmers In Enugu State of Nigeria

The study investigates sustainable agricultural development and grassroots information provision: an appraisal of information needs of Adani rice farmers in Enugu State of Nigeria. It catalyzes to achieve the sustainable development goals 1 and 2 as projected in 2030. The study adopted a descriptive survey design with a population of 500 rice farmers from the three villages in Adani. Sixty (60) rice farmers were randomly selected from each of the three villages summing up a sample size of 180 respondents. Questionnaire and interview were used for data collection. Data collected were analyzed using frequency count and percentage. The findings of the study revealed that 46.7% of the respondents have no formal education. The study shows that Adani rice farmers need information on the use of fertilizers, and on the control of pests, diseases and weeds; but due to the absence of library/information centres, lack of extension officers, and high rate of illiteracy, these information needs are far from being met. However, the study recommends the need for improved level of education among the rice farmers, establishment of public library in the study area and a dire need for the state government and policymakers to give support in the provision of farm implements such as mechanized farm machines, storage facilities, and electricity for improved farming. Adhering to the recommendations will create an agreeable atmosphere for sustainable agricultural development in Adani and Enugu State at large as it will improve the socio-economic well-being and the standard of living of the people of Enugu State

Assessing anthropogenic contribution to PM2.5 from an urban residential area of Lagos, Nigeria using aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds as indicators

Aliphatic hydrocarbons in PM2.5 samples from a residential area of Lagos, Nigeria, were quantified using a Curie-point pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (CPPGC/MS). The total concentrations of ∑n-alkanes (C20-C34), hopanes (∑4Hopanes), and steranes (∑3Steranes) ranged from 1.8 to 146.6 ng m-3 (avg. 43.6 ± 35.1 ng m-3), 0.0 to 89.9 ng m-3 (avg. 18.7 ± 25.9 ng m-3), and 0.0 to 26.0 ng m-3 (avg. 3.3 ± 6.7 ng m-3), accounting for 0.2%, 0.1%, and 0.01% of the total PM2.5 mass concentrations, respectively. They also accounted for, 1%, 0.4% and 0.1% of the organic matter content, respectively, making them non-negligible component of the organic matter in this region. An evaluation of the n-alkanes source diagnostic indices revealed that engines powered by gasoline and diesel were the main sources of particulate matter aliphatic hydrocarbons in this area of Lagos, consistent with the results obtained from steranes and hopanes profiles. Based on the air mass trajectories, both local and regional air mass transports showed a significant influence on the amounts of carbonaceous materials and aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds arriving at the study site. The results from this study established the occurrence of anthropogenic air pollution in Lagos residential area with a major contribution from petrogenic sources

Contamination and Source Identification of the Elemental Contents of Soil Samples from Municipal and Medical Waste Dumpsites in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Contamination in soil samples collected from municipal and medical waste sites was assessed by employing four indices: contamination factor (Cf ), degree of contamination (Cdeg), pollution load index (PLI), and index of geoaccumulation (Igeo).  The sources of soil contaminants were identified by using Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF). Iron had the highest average concentrations of 46.47 ± 14.03 and 39.42 ± 2.54 µg/g in the municipal and medical waste dumpsites. Cf values were above 6 for both dumpsites, classifying the dumpsite soil as very high contamination with respect to Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb. The overall Cdeg and PLI values are 176.9 and 170.4 and > 5 for both dumpsite implying very high degrees of contamination and progressive deterioration, respectively. The average Igeo values for Zn, Cd, and Pb of the two dumpsites were >3, indicating that the soil samples at both study areas were classified as highly to moderately polluted. The three identified sources resolved by PMF and their respective percentage contributions were crustal (32 %), scrap metals wastes (40 %), and electronic wastes (28 %)