Analysis of Technical Efficiency of Catfish Farming in Edo State, Nigeria

This study examined the technical efficiency (TE) of fish farming in Edo State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 180 respondents from whom data was collected using well-structured questionnaire and interview schedules. These were analyzed using both descriptive statistics and stochastic frontier production function. The result showed that the TE of the farmers ranged from 0.46 to 0.99, with a mean of 0.95 at which 77% of them were operating. The efficiency was significantly (p<influenced positively by stocking rate and negatively by the farmers’ age, educational level as well as poor access to extension services. Serious constraints that affected optimum production include high cost of feed, limited capital, poor power supply, high cost of pond construction, disposal of effluents, increased fish price created by middlemen and inadequate water supply. Determination of efficiency of resource use revealed that pond size, fingerlings, feeds and  fixed cost of items were underutilized while labour and operating cost were over utilized.  Farmers’ access to suitable extension services and the implementation of policies aimed at tackling the detected constraints would help to increase the efficiency of fish farming in the state. Keywords: Technical efficiency, Fish farming, Pond, Resource use, Edo Stat

Impact of Climate Change and Mitigation Measures: The Case of Gully Erosion in South Eastern Nigeria

The issue of gully erosion is of major concern in the South-eastern part of Nigeria. The vegetation in the area is steadily being degraded thereby exposing the soil to erosion, especially the gully type. This feature is not only increasing in occurrence but also in magnitude. Large areas of agricultural lands are lost or have become unsuitable for cultivation due to gully erosion. There have been numerous attempts to curb gully erosion in the region; especially through large-scale engineering projects, however, little has been discussed about ways to prevent their onset or the use of community-based low-technology approaches to mitigate their development. The possibility of climate change playing a role in this has not been given the deserved attention. This paper therefore examined the extent the climate of Southeastern Nigeria is changing and its implication in soil erosion occurrence and magnitude. The method adopted was observation of some gully erosion sites in the area, interview with key stakeholders and review of relevant literature. Findings showed that there has been an upward trend in annual mean temperature and rainfall in the area. It also revealed that many eroding gullies in the region are human induced and therefore can be prevented. The gullies can be traced to poor land management practices and to a lack of innovation and awareness measures. It was concluded that community-based, low technology land management practices and public awareness programs through workshops as well as concerted efforts by governments at all levels could halt the development of many gullies in the South Eastern region of Nigeria

Assessment of Beneficiaries Satisfaction with FADAMA III/SEEFOR Funded Rural Infrastructures and Productive Assets

The study sought to ascertain productive assets provided by FADAMA III/SEEFOR project to beneficiaries and the proportion of beneficiaries that are satisfied with operation, maintenance and utilization of the productive assets. It also identified the rural infrastructural subprojects provided by FADAMA III/SEEFOR project and the impact of these subprojects on beneficiaries' income. A sample of 170 respondents, comprising of 120 direct project beneficiaries and 50 non beneficiaries were drawn from the five local government areas under study. Data were generated with the use of structured questionnaire and analyzed through the use on descriptive statistics and the Difference in Difference method. Results indicate that 119 respondents representing 70% of the respondents were males while 38.82% were aged between 30 and 39 years; and 84.71% are married. Three enterprises including snailry, pepper and cassava processing enterprises were not satisfied with operation, maintenance and utilization of the productive assets provided to them. Average annual income of beneficiary households before the project implementation in the local government areas was N174,785.00 while that of non beneficiaries was N177,015.00 prior to the establishment of rural infrastructural subprojects. With the implementation of the project, the average income of all type of respondents' enterprises rose to N186,306.17 while that of non participants averaged to N178,662.17 implying an increase in income by 6.59% and 0.09% for participants and non-participants in the project respectively. It is recommended that the project should entrench proper measures towards ensuring that service providers execute projects to specification as this will improve the interest of the project to beneficiaries

Alleviating Rural Farmers Poverty through Effective Micro credit: Evaluation of UNDP Intervention in Delta State

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) introduced a micro credit scheme of N9milllion as one of the projects in the Integrated Community Development Programme (ICDP) in Delta state in 2000. UNDP appointed Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO) a Micro Finance Institution (MFI) in Nigeria which has developed a successful model of reaching credit to resource poor households that are generally bypassed by government financial institutions as consultants to implement the scheme in the state. This work sought to determine the return to the different economic activities funded with the loan by the beneficiaries, and ascertain the repayment/default rate of the credit programme. Analysis of data collected from 103 beneficiaries of the scheme spread across the three agricultural zones of the state suggests that the productivity of labour was higher than the estimated wage rate and the rate of return was higher than the interest charged on the loan. It is recommended that since the micro credit has been effective in improving the livelihood of the low income house-holds, the government should mobilize adequate donor support on behalf of the micro credit institutions

A Review of Digital Innovations and their Associated Risks: Implications for Agribusiness Development in Nigeria

Financial technology (Fintech) is changing the world of finance for consumers in a variety of ways. Leveraging on digital tools like mobile phones, internet, smart cards, POS devices, etc., business models have experienced remarkable transformations. These transformations have practical impacts on different sectors of the economy; agriculture inclusive. This paper is a review of recent literature on digital innovations and their associated risks relative to the agro-entrepreneur. It noted that Digital Financial Services (DFS), also known as Mobile Financial Services (MFS) have positive implications for financial inclusion, agricultural value chain financing, and women empowerment among other things. However, in Nigeria these positive implications have not been felt by the majority of the masses. It is still on record that about 40 percent of the adult population in this country is financially excluded despite the many efforts of the apex bank to achieve financial inclusion. There is no gain saying the fact that majority of this financially excluded population are rural dwellers and as such are majorly engaged with farming and other agricultural activities. Again, findings indicate that there is no context sensitive package that can deliver finance to agro-entrepreneurs in a disruptive way as seen in Kenya, Uganda and Ghana. This paper will serve as a policy instrument to the government, private investors, Development Finance Institutions, DFIs, MNOs, fintech companies, researchers, and policy makers. It is a call for a collaborative consideration on how to capture the many potential benefits of DFS in agriculture, not forgetting its associated risks, in a bid to create a trade competitive agribusiness ecosystem

Effect of plant spacing and intercropping with two vigna species on growth and yield of forage maize

An experiment was conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of Abia State University, Umuahia Campus, Nigeria, from the month of May to October, 2012 to determine the effect of plant spacing on the growth and yield of forage plant, maize (Zea mays), intercropped with cowpea (Vigna unguiculata sub spp. Dekintiana) and Bambara nut (Vigna subterenea). The treatments included two plant spacings (50x50 cm and 100x100 cm) either in sole or intercropped system viz: maize-cowpea 50x50 (MC50), maize-cowpea 100x100 cm (MC100), maize-Bambara nut 50x50 (MB50), maize-Bambara nut 100x100 (MB100), sole maize 50x50 (SM50) and sole maize 100x100 (SM100). The cowpea and Bambara were planted at two seeds per hole while the maize was planted three seeds per hole. NPK 15:15:15 fertilizer was applied 4 weeks after planting (WAP) at 200 kg/ha. The results obtained showed that maize growth and yield were significantly (P<0.05) affected by plant spacing and intercropping. Data at week 5 showed that MC100 and MB100 both had the highest values of 382.06 cm and 368.58 cm , respectively for leaf area, while SM100 recorded the lowest value of 190.66 cm . The same treatments recorded the highest (P<0.05) values for stem girth at weeks 5 and 7. Lowest leaf/stem ratio was 0.28 for SM100 while the highest value of 0.68 was recorded for MC50. The intercrops at closer spacing (SM50 and MC50) had similar values (P>0.05) for herbage yield and their values were significantly higher (P<0.05) than those recorded for the other treatments. Based on the findings, MC100 and MB100 had higher growth indices than the other treatments whereas the intercrops at closer spacing had higher herbage yield

Safety and efficacy of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce ileus after colorectal surgery

Background: Ileus is common after elective colorectal surgery, and is associated with increased adverse events and prolonged hospital stay. The aim was to assess the role of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for reducing ileus after surgery. Methods: A prospective multicentre cohort study was delivered by an international, student- and trainee-led collaborative group. Adult patients undergoing elective colorectal resection between January and April 2018 were included. The primary outcome was time to gastrointestinal recovery, measured using a composite measure of bowel function and tolerance to oral intake. The impact of NSAIDs was explored using Cox regression analyses, including the results of a centre-specific survey of compliance to enhanced recovery principles. Secondary safety outcomes included anastomotic leak rate and acute kidney injury. Results: A total of 4164 patients were included, with a median age of 68 (i.q.r. 57\u201375) years (54\ub79 per cent men). Some 1153 (27\ub77 per cent) received NSAIDs on postoperative days 1\u20133, of whom 1061 (92\ub70 per cent) received non-selective cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors. After adjustment for baseline differences, the mean time to gastrointestinal recovery did not differ significantly between patients who received NSAIDs and those who did not (4\ub76 versus 4\ub78 days; hazard ratio 1\ub704, 95 per cent c.i. 0\ub796 to 1\ub712; P = 0\ub7360). There were no significant differences in anastomotic leak rate (5\ub74 versus 4\ub76 per cent; P = 0\ub7349) or acute kidney injury (14\ub73 versus 13\ub78 per cent; P = 0\ub7666) between the groups. Significantly fewer patients receiving NSAIDs required strong opioid analgesia (35\ub73 versus 56\ub77 per cent; P < 0\ub7001). Conclusion: NSAIDs did not reduce the time for gastrointestinal recovery after colorectal surgery, but they were safe and associated with reduced postoperative opioid requirement

Safety of hospital discharge before return of bowel function after elective colorectal surgery

Background: Ileus is common after colorectal surgery and is associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications. Identifying features of normal bowel recovery and the appropriateness for hospital discharge is challenging. This study explored the safety of hospital discharge before the return of bowel function. Methods: A prospective, multicentre cohort study was undertaken across an international collaborative network. Adult patients undergoing elective colorectal resection between January and April 2018 were included. The main outcome of interest was readmission to hospital within 30 days of surgery. The impact of discharge timing according to the return of bowel function was explored using multivariable regression analysis. Other outcomes were postoperative complications within 30 days of surgery, measured using the Clavien\u2013Dindo classification system. Results: A total of 3288 patients were included in the analysis, of whom 301 (9\ub72 per cent) were discharged before the return of bowel function. The median duration of hospital stay for patients discharged before and after return of bowel function was 5 (i.q.r. 4\u20137) and 7 (6\u20138) days respectively (P < 0\ub7001). There were no significant differences in rates of readmission between these groups (6\ub76 versus 8\ub70 per cent; P = 0\ub7499), and this remained the case after multivariable adjustment for baseline differences (odds ratio 0\ub790, 95 per cent c.i. 0\ub755 to 1\ub746; P = 0\ub7659). Rates of postoperative complications were also similar in those discharged before versus after return of bowel function (minor: 34\ub77 versus 39\ub75 per cent; major 3\ub73 versus 3\ub74 per cent; P = 0\ub7110). Conclusion: Discharge before return of bowel function after elective colorectal surgery appears to be safe in appropriately selected patients

Safety of hospital discharge before return of bowel function after elective colorectal surgery

© 2020 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons LtdBackground: Ileus is common after colorectal surgery and is associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications. Identifying features of normal bowel recovery and the appropriateness for hospital discharge is challenging. This study explored the safety of hospital discharge before the return of bowel function. Methods: A prospective, multicentre cohort study was undertaken across an international collaborative network. Adult patients undergoing elective colorectal resection between January and April 2018 were included. The main outcome of interest was readmission to hospital within 30 days of surgery. The impact of discharge timing according to the return of bowel function was explored using multivariable regression analysis. Other outcomes were postoperative complications within 30 days of surgery, measured using the Clavien–Dindo classification system. Results: A total of 3288 patients were included in the analysis, of whom 301 (9·2 per cent) were discharged before the return of bowel function. The median duration of hospital stay for patients discharged before and after return of bowel function was 5 (i.q.r. 4–7) and 7 (6–8) days respectively (P < 0·001). There were no significant differences in rates of readmission between these groups (6·6 versus 8·0 per cent; P = 0·499), and this remained the case after multivariable adjustment for baseline differences (odds ratio 0·90, 95 per cent c.i. 0·55 to 1·46; P = 0·659). Rates of postoperative complications were also similar in those discharged before versus after return of bowel function (minor: 34·7 versus 39·5 per cent; major 3·3 versus 3·4 per cent; P = 0·110). Conclusion: Discharge before return of bowel function after elective colorectal surgery appears to be safe in appropriately selected patients