ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF SOIL EROSION AND FERTILITY MINING IN NORTHERN TANZANIA

This paper develops a soil conservation model that is relevant to smallholder farmers who apply little or no fertilizer. Empirical results drawn from northern Tanzania imply that, ignoring fertility mining problem in model specification leads to overestimation of profits for farms that apply little or no fertilizer. The model also shows that, the impact of output price on soil conservation efforts depends on the curvature of the soil erosion function.Soil erosion, Fertility mining, Soil conservation, Price policy, Soil erosion function, Sub-Saharan Africa, Tanzania., Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use,

Epigenetic regulation of axon and dendrite growth

Neuroregenerative therapies for central nervous system (CNS) injury, neurodegenerative disease, or stroke require axons of damaged neurons to grow and re-innervate their targets. However, mature mammalian CNS neurons do not regenerate their axons, limiting recovery in these diseases. Although neurons' intrinsic capacity for axon growth may depend in part on the panoply of expressed transcription factors, epigenetic factors such as the accessibility of DNA and organization of chromatin are required for downstream genes to be transcribed. Thus, a potential approach to overcoming regenerative failure focuses on the epigenetic mechanisms regulating regenerative gene expression in the CNS. Here we review molecular mechanisms regulating the epigenetic state of DNA through chromatin modifications, their implications for regulating axon and dendrite growth, and important new directions for this field of study

Ionization potentials and electron affinity of oganesson with relativistic coupled cluster method

We present high accuracy relativistic coupled cluster calculations of the first and second ionisation potentials and the electron affinity of the heaviest element in the Periodic Table, Og. The results were extrapolated to the basis set limit and augmented with the higher order excitations (up to perturbative quadruples), the Breit contribution, and the QED self energy and vacuum polarisation corrections. We have performed an extensive investigation of the effect of the various computational parameters on the calculated properties, which allowed us to assign realistic uncertainties on our predictions. Similar study on the lighter homologue of Og, Rn, yields excellent agreement with experiment for the first ionisation potential and a reliable prediction for the second ionisation potential

Farm Labour Problems of Small Scale Farmers: A Case Study of Some Farming Communities in Plateau State Nigeria

Farm labour is one of the major production constraints in small scale farming. Compared to land and capital. Tropical agriculture is mostly small scale, thus making farm labour its prime output constrain. Realizing the importance of labour in the attainment of high output or profitable farm production objectives, this paper examines the problems and solution for effective and profitable farm production for small scale farmers. As a way out of the problem, this paper advocates for the introduction of appropriate technology, such as use of herbicides for weed control, tractor and other simple farm equipment such a planter, and harvester. Results show that labour has a positive economic consequence in farm production of small scale farming communities

Assessment of National Special Programme for Food Security (NSPPS) Project on Productivity and Income of Beneficiary Farmers in Plateau State, Nigeria

The study was conducted to assess the impact of National Special Programme for Food Security (NSFS) project on Productivity and income of Beneficiary farmers in Plateau Sate. The specific objectives included: (i) identify, describe and evaluated the socio-economic characteristics of the NSPFS project beneficiary and non beneficiary farmers (ii) determine the factors that influenced farmers participation in NSPFS projects in the study area (iii)determine the net farm income of beneficiary and non non-beneficiary farmers before and after the project intervention; (iv) determine the impact of NSPFS on beneficiary farmers income in the study area (v) determine the impact of NSPFS on beneficiary and non-beneficiary farmers before and after the project intervention (vii) identify the problems faced by the beneficiary farmers in participating in NSPFS project in the study area. Primary and Secondary data were obtained from the respondents of 412 (206 beneficiary and 206 non beneficiary farmers) and NSPFS coordinating offices for baseline survey data. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics; probit model; farm budgeting techniques of net farm income, production function; multiple regression and double difference method. The result showed that the socio-economic characteristics have a lot of influence on income and productivity of the respondents in the study area. Results showed male dominance in both beneficiary and non-beneficiary farmers. Majority of the respondents (beneficiary and non-beneficiary farmers) had farm size of between 0.5 "“ 1.oha before and after NSPFS project respectively. Based on statistical analysis, there was significant difference between the socio-economic characteristics of NSPFS project beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. Therefore, the null hypothesis that there is no significant difference between socio-economic characteristics of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries have been rejected and alternatives accepted. On the decision to participate in NSPFS project, 4 factors significantly influenced decision to participate in NSPFS project by the respondents. Participation in other agricultural projects was significant at 1% of t-value = 2.66. The net farm income realized by the responder is indicates an increase in the net farm income of both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. On impact of NSPFS on beneficiaries income, a positive mean difference of about N243,299.61 in income was realize and the difference in income was significant at 1% level with t-value = 3.86. This implies that there was an impact of the project on beneficiary's income. The regression result showed that NSPFS project has positive impact on crop productivity of beneficiary farmers in the study area. The f-chow calculated value was 104.45, while that of tabulated f-value was 2.6) at 5% for the three degree of freedom and the population sample N = 412. This implies that NSPFS had impact on crop productivity of beneficiaries. Resource use efficiency indicates that beneficiaries over utilized chemical and underutilized other resources like seed, fertilizer and labour but there was an improvement on the use of productive assets like hoes, cutlass and bicycle. Capital and fertilizer were major problems encountered by beneficiaries in participation in NSPFS project. Findings also revealed that the respondents claimed that their lack of participation in the project was based on their perceived idea that there are no meaningful results from government projects. Other reasons by the non-beneficiaries for not participating include lack of capital, not being a member of any farmer's cooperative society and also bad experience from other agricultural projects. The study recommends among others expansion of the NSPFS project to include at least three quarters of the small "“scale farmers, adequate and timely supply of farm inputs be intensified and there should be a strong reawakening of the farmers' cooperative movement or societies as well as the encouragement of farmers to joint other local groups and association for easy accessibility to inputs, agro services and technological innovations in farm practices