The Determinants of U.S. coffee import volumes from Uganda under the African growth and opportunity act, 2000 (AGOA): a disaggregated product level approach

A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for Degree of Master of Science in Development Finance at Strathmore Business SchoolResearch on AGOA’s impact is largely scanty and findings are mixed. Most prior studies on AGOA have been carried out at a high degree of aggregation, estimating its effects on overall bilateral export flows, relying on variation by country and year that masks important differences across products. Born of a recommendation by the AGOA Response Office of Uganda, this study took a disaggregated product level approach to investigate the determinants of U.S. coffee import volumes from Uganda under the African Growth And Opportunity Act, 2000 (AGOA). Using an augmented gravity model, a random effects regression was performed on a disaggregated data panel of U.S. Coffee import volumes from Uganda that spanned the years 1994–2018 to establish; the main factors influencing the volume of U.S. coffee imports from Uganda and the effect of AGOA on U.S. coffee imports from Uganda. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) analysis was used to predict the future U.S. coffee imports from Uganda for the foreseeable future of AGOA, that is, till 2025. The main determinants of U.S. coffee imports from Uganda were found to be; air traffic, AGOA membership, U.S. openness to trade plus climatic factors like global CO2 emissions and the mean surface temperature in Uganda. AGOA had a negative effect on total U.S. coffee imports from Uganda, however, the variety of coffee products imported by the U.S. from Uganda seem to have increased post-AGOA. U.S. coffee imports from Uganda were predicted be somewhat erratic between 2019-2025 but trend upwards. This study recommends that; firms should enter into more sophisticated and specialty coffee products with AGOA-status and take special care of climatic factors; policy makers should accelerate market positioning, branding, productivity and value-chain enhancement policies for coffee; researchers should investigate the effect of climatic factors further towards developing climate resilient varieties of coffee plus explore the effects of AGOA on other commodities so as to better exploit the provisions of AGO

Testing for Cointegration and Granger Causality: Evidence from Selected Indigenous Egg Markets in Kenya

Despite the increasing consumer demand for indigenous eggs, particularly among the urban rich in Kenya, empirical analysis of spatial market integration has received limited attention. This study is an attempt to analyze the existence of market integration and price transmission among four selected indigenous egg markets. The study uses secondary data obtained on prices of eggs on a weekly basis during the year 2014. Analysis of Cointegration and Granger causality was attained using Johansen cointegration approach. Interestingly, results indicate integration in the indigenous eggs markets in Kenya. While prices of eggs in Kisumu and Eldoret towns Granger-caused each other, there was no evidence to account for price interactions among the rest of the markets. These findings strongly indicate asymmetric price transmission within the markets. Taking advantage of the promising niche provided by indigenous eggs requires policies aimed at unlocking information asymmetry as well as promoting market access among farmers. Key words: Market integration, Granger causality, indigenous eggs, Keny

Farmers’ Preferences for the Design of Fruit Fly Pest-Free Area (FF-PFA) in Kerio-Valley: A Latent-Class Approach

Fruit flies are a very important group of pests for many countries due to their potential to cause damage in fruits thus restricting access to international markets for plant products that can host fruit flies. The high probability of introduction of fruit flies associated with a wide range of hosts’ results in restrictions imposed by many importing countries to accept fruits from areas in which these pests are established. For these reasons, establishment and maintenance of pest free areas for fruit flies (FF-PFAs) is receiving considerable attention in the current policy debates. Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) has taken the lead to establish and help maintain FF-PFAs in the main mango production zones of Elgeyo-Marakwet County of Kenya. However, as the ultimate success of the programme depends on farmers’ judgment and acceptance, acquiring information about potential demand is of paramount importance for policy advice. In this paper, we assess the demand in terms of consumer preferences and willingness to pay for FF-PFAs using a stated choice experiment method (SCE). A novel feature of this paper is that it focuses on how the FF-PFA should be designed and presented. Results from the latent class model (LCM) reveal that farmers prefer FF-PFAs featuring training, market information with sales contract, large benefits to other mango value-chain actors and when they are recommended by officials. Keywords: FF-PFA, SCE, LCM, Farmers’ preference, Mang

Parents’ Level of Engagement in the Modular Distance Learning of Elementary School Students

The primary purpose of the study was to determine the level of parents’ engagement in the modular learning of elementary school students. The researchers used survey questionnaires as an instrument, utilized the descriptive type of research and total population sampling in the selection of the respondents, the entire parents of Grades 4-6 was studied. The respondents of this study are the 30 parents which are categorized based on their educational attainment and family monthly income. The researchers used the adapted research questionnaire from the study of Gumapac, et al., (2022) which based on the three indicators: sustaining motivation, coaching and tutoring and monitoring student’s compliance. The result of the study showed that there is no significance difference in the parents’ level of engagement in modular learning when categorized according to educational attainment and family monthly income. Parents are encouraged to continue to support and motivate their children in various aspects and encourage their children to continue in schooling despite on the family income or educational attainment of their parents. Furthermore, the future researchers should conduct the same study in different schools, particularly in Island Garden City of Samal

Phosphorus in agricultural constructed wetland sediment is sparingly plant-available

Peer reviewe

Emerging Anthelmintic Resistance in Poultry: Can ethnopharmacological approaches offer a solution?

Limited pharmacological studies have been conducted on plant species used against poultry helminths. The objective of this study was to provide a basis for plant based anthelmintics as possible alternatives against poultry anthelmintic resistance. The study justified the need for alternative anthelmintics. The study places emphasis on the increasing anthelmintic resistance, mechanism of resistance, and preparational protocols for plant anthelmintics and their associated mechanism of action. Pharmaceutical studies on plants as alternative therapies for the control of helminth parasites have not been fully explored especially in several developing countries. Plants from a broad range of species produce a wide variety of compounds that are potential anthelmintics candidates. Important phenolic acids have been found in Brassica rapa L. and Terminalia avicenniodes Guill. and Perri that affect the cell signaling pathways and gene expression. Benzo (c) phenanthridine and isoquinoline alkaloids are neurotoxic to helminths. Steroidal saponins (polyphyllin D and dioscin) interact with helminthic mitochondrial activity, alter cell membrane permeability, vacuolation and membrane damage. Benzyl isothiocyanate glucosinolates interfere with DNA replication and protein expression, while isoflavones from Acacia oxyphylla cause helminth flaccid paralysis, inhibit energy generation, and affect calcium utilization. Condensed tannins have been shown to cause the death of nematodes and paralysis leading to expulsion from the gastro-intestinal tract. Flavonoids from Chenopodium album L and Mangifera indica L act through the action of phosphodiesterase and Ca(2+)-ATPase, and flavonoids and tannins have been shown to act synergistically and are complementary to praziquantel. Artemisinins from Artemisia cina O. Berg are known to disrupt mitochondrial ATP production. Terpenoids from Cucurbita moschata L disrupt neurotransmission leading to paralysis as well as disruption of egg hatching. Yeast particle encapsulated terpenes are effective for the control of albendazole-resistant helminths