Medium-Scale Farming as a Policy Tool for Agricultural Commercialisation and Small-Scale Farms Transformation in Nigeria

Recent evidence suggests that the changing structure of land ownership in sub-Saharan Africa is one of the major new trends affecting African agri-food systems. Research in several African countries shows a rapid rise of medium-scale farms (MSFs) of 5–50ha. MSFs have become an important force for increasing agricultural production, particularly in countries with significant unutilised arable land and potential for area expansion, such as Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia. Most African countries’ national agricultural investment plans and policy strategies officially regard the smallholder farming sector as the main vehicle for achieving agricultural growth, food security, and poverty reduction objectives. However, many governments have adopted land and financial policies that implicitly encourage the rise of emergent MSFs. Given the documented rise in MSFs in many African countries, the APRA Nigeria Work Stream 1 team developed a research agenda focused on understanding the potentially complex ways in which these farms affect the productivity and commercialisation potential of small-scale farms (SSFs). We investigated the characteristics of MSFs, the processes that produces them, their relative importance in the agricultural commercialisation process, the relationship between farm scale and productivity, and whether MSFs influence the behaviour and welfare of the millions of SSF households around them. Our findings are based on two years of survey data on MSFs and nearby SSFs in 2019 and 2021 in Ogun and Kaduna states. This policy brief summarises our main findings, drawing upon several APRA-supported reports

Fish Oil and Fenofibrate for the Treatment of Hypertriglyceridemia in HIV-Infected Subjects on Antiretroviral Therapy: Results of ACTG A5186

Fish oil has been shown to reduce serum triglyceride (TG) concentrations. In HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy, high TG concentrations likely contribute to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. AIDS Clinical Trials Group A5186 examined the safety and efficacy of fish oil plus fenofibrate in subjects not achieving serum TG levels ≤200 mg/dL with either agent alone

APRA Working Paper 46

In recent times, the Nigerian Government has devised strategies aimed at intensifying smallholder transformation for enhanced food security, employment creation and poverty reduction. However, despite these efforts, the process of agricultural commercialisation in Nigeria has not progressed as fast as expected. Consequently, this study examines agricultural commercialisation in Nigeria with the aim of establishing factors that are constraining commercialisation and identifying potential policy levers that can be used to fast-track the process

Determinants of farmer’s decision to transit to medium/larger farm through expansion of land area under commercial tree crop plantation in Nigeria

Decision-making is central to farm management. This study assesses key factors influencing land allocation decisions of households with respects to tree crop cultivation in Nigeria. The study uses primary data collected electronically from a sample of 569 small and 495 medium-scale farmers in Ogun State.Tobit and Heckman regression models were estimated. The study finds that, farm households who have access to land markets and land tenure security, all-weather roads, agro-dealer services and better transportation services are more likely to cultivate tree crop fields and allocate a higher share of total farm holdings to tree crop enterprises. Farm households with more educated heads put larger area of land under commercial tree crop cultivation and those with larger off-farm income tend to cultivate less hectarage to tree crops. The share of farmland allocated to tree crops by male headed households is higher than the share by the female headed households. In addition, female and youth-headed households were found to be less likely to invest in commercial tree crop farming. Policies and intervention programs that would enhance access to land, agro-dealer services, all-weather roads, transportation services and security of land tenure could facilitate the redistribution of land in favour of commercial tree crops.</p

Incidence and Predictors of Abnormal Anal Cytology Findings Among HIV-Infected Adults Receiving Contemporary Antiretroviral Therapy.

BackgroundAnal cancer rates are higher for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults than for uninfected adults. Limited published data exist characterizing the incidence of precursor lesions detected by anal cytology.MethodsThe Study to Understand the Natural History of HIV/AIDS in the Era of Effective Therapy was a prospective cohort of 700 HIV-infected participants in 4 US cities. At baseline and annually thereafter, each participant completed a behavioral questionnaire, and healthcare professionals collected anorectal swabs for cytologic examination and human papillomavirus (HPV) detection and genotyping.ResultsAmong 243 participants with negative baseline results of anal cytology, 37% developed abnormal cytology findings (incidence rate, 13.9 cases/100 person-years of follow-up; 95% confidence interval [CI], 11.3-16.9) over a median follow-up duration of 2.1 years. Rates among men having sex with men, among women, and among men having sex with women were 17.9 cases/person-years of follow-up (95% CI, 13.9-22.7), 9.4 cases/person-years of follow-up (95% CI, 5.6-14.9), and 8.9 cases/person-years of follow-up (95% CI, 4.8-15.6), respectively. In multivariable analysis, the number of persistent high-risk HPV types (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.17; 95% CI, 1.01-1.36), persistent high-risk HPV types except 16 or 18 (aHR, 2.46; 95% CI, 1.31-4.60), and persistent types 16 or 18 (aHR, 3.90; 95% CI, 1.78-8.54) remained associated with incident abnormalities.ConclusionsThe incidence of abnormal anal cytology findings was high and more likely to develop among persons with persistent high-risk HPV

Incidence and Predictors of Abnormal Anal Cytology Findings Among HIV-Infected Adults Receiving Contemporary Antiretroviral Therapy.

BackgroundAnal cancer rates are higher for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults than for uninfected adults. Limited published data exist characterizing the incidence of precursor lesions detected by anal cytology.MethodsThe Study to Understand the Natural History of HIV/AIDS in the Era of Effective Therapy was a prospective cohort of 700 HIV-infected participants in 4 US cities. At baseline and annually thereafter, each participant completed a behavioral questionnaire, and healthcare professionals collected anorectal swabs for cytologic examination and human papillomavirus (HPV) detection and genotyping.ResultsAmong 243 participants with negative baseline results of anal cytology, 37% developed abnormal cytology findings (incidence rate, 13.9 cases/100 person-years of follow-up; 95% confidence interval [CI], 11.3-16.9) over a median follow-up duration of 2.1 years. Rates among men having sex with men, among women, and among men having sex with women were 17.9 cases/person-years of follow-up (95% CI, 13.9-22.7), 9.4 cases/person-years of follow-up (95% CI, 5.6-14.9), and 8.9 cases/person-years of follow-up (95% CI, 4.8-15.6), respectively. In multivariable analysis, the number of persistent high-risk HPV types (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.17; 95% CI, 1.01-1.36), persistent high-risk HPV types except 16 or 18 (aHR, 2.46; 95% CI, 1.31-4.60), and persistent types 16 or 18 (aHR, 3.90; 95% CI, 1.78-8.54) remained associated with incident abnormalities.ConclusionsThe incidence of abnormal anal cytology findings was high and more likely to develop among persons with persistent high-risk HPV