Sources of Information as an Essential Correlate in Agricultural News Reportage in Nigerian Dailies

The impact of the print media in agricultural development has been the focal point in the recent times and has received considerable awareness from researchers, planners, politicians and media practitioners of developing countries especially Nigeria. The underlying factors responsible for ways the print media projects agricultural news and the sources responsible for the information are diverse.  Sources of information in news reporting are a pedestal on which print media stand. The individual and public perception and attitudes towards societal issues are a function of knowledge based on available information and it significant that, print media make use of experts who are well grounded in their various fields, to comment or serve as sources for the agricultural and agro-allied news.It is on this view that the study was carried out to investigate the importance attached to the sources used by journalists in reporting agricultural news. The selected Nigerian daily newspapers were the Nigeria Tribune, Punch, the Guardian and Vanguard. The time frames of the study were between January 1st 2000 to December 31st 2004 and this covered five years.  The reason for this is that, the Nigeria agricultural sector was just coming under a new republic and the study equally showed the level of coverage giving to development of agriculture. The content analysis performed on the 128 editions of newspapers revealed that, there is significant difference in the sources used by journalists in reporting agricultural and agro-allied news (The chi-square value is 33.23, P value is 0.0001 when P≤ 0.05). The study also revealed that, there is significant difference in the relevance of areas of specialization of the sources and the topics commented upon (Chi –square value is 29.50, P = 0.0189 when P≤ 0.05). Recommendations have been articulated to enable the newspaper play its expected facilitating role in furtherance of agricultural and rural development of Nigeria, in general. Keywords: Agricultural news; The Tribune newspaper; The Guardian, The Punch, The Vanguard: Reportage; The Expert

Participation in Farmers’ Group and House-Hold Food Security in Isokan Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria

The study assessed the importance of participation in farmers’ groups or associations by the rural farmers in reducing household food insecurity among the rural household in Isokan Local Government Area of Osun state of Nigeria. Issue of food security is an on-going research focal point in the recent times and has received considerable awareness from international agencies, research institutions, planners and various national governments. For so many institutions be it government based or non-governmental, the approach of reaching many rural dwellers, who are major susceptible victims of endemic food insecurity, is of major concern. An average farmer, especially in Nigeria belongs to one farmers’ group or the other with the aim of leveraging on the social derived from such group to exit poverty brought upon such due to poor food insecurity. The major operations and tenets practice within the farmers’ groups or associations can be considered as a fundamental in planning intervention programmes for rural farmers. The tenets or practices can be mainstreamed, when understood, into extension strategies, in helping farmers overcome challenges to household food security.The study was carried in Isokan Local government area of Osun state, in south-western Nigeria. A total number of ninety questionnaires were administered to the rural farmers, who belong to farmer’ groups within their localities. The unit of analysis was the household head, the period of research was the month of February, 2012. Seventy-eight per cent of the respondents were male while twenty-one per cent were female. The forty-nine per-cent of the respondents has family size between five and eight people. There was no significant relationship between sex, marital status and participation in farmers’ group,( the chi-square  P≤0.430 and P≤ 0.275 respectively). There was significant relationship with educational level of the respondents and their participation in farmers’ groups (the chi-square value is P≤ 0.0001 ). The same goes for age with chi-square value of 0.335. The study also revealed that, there is significant relationship between farm size cultivation and participation in farmer’s groups. The study revealed further that, there is significant relationship between respondents’ perception of membership of farmers’ group and the effect on the food security of the households, the chi-square value is 32.882.The study revealed that farmers’ groups can be enhanced by empowering them with requisite information and strategies on household food security, as the farmers can be reached using the groups they can repose their trust in. Keywods: Livelihood Activities. Food Security. Rural Farmers. Household

Translation Studies in German as a Foreign Language (GFL) in Africa (Nigeria). A Weapon Against “Waiting Room Dangers”

The importance of translation in Additional Language Learning (ALL) cannot be overemphasized as there exists of late various studies in support of this fact. Extant studies on this issue have dealt with various aspects of translation about language learning in Europe, Canada, Australia and also in the US, although studies in this regard are not limited to these geographical boundaries. Moreover, these studies do not only focus on the impact of translation on ALL but also on various other issues like plurilingualism as it relates to translation in ALL.  However, research in this regard are relatively scarce in the African context. As such, many studies done in Africa, particularly in Nigeria are limited in scope when it comes to the relevance of translation in learning German as a Foreign Language (GFL). This study therefore seeks to shed more light on how translation studies in GFL lessons in Nigeria could be useful as a weapon against “waiting room dangers”

Mechanical Properties of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) Seeds in relation to an Oil Expeller Design

Mechanical properties are very important in the design of machines and the analysis of the behaviour of products during agricultural processing. In this research work, the mechanical properties of Moringa were determined as design parameters for the development of an oil expeller for the crop. The properties were the applied force, deformation, stress, energy and Young Modulus. They were determined at peak, break and yield.The average force at peak, deformation at peak, stress at peak and energy to peak were found to be 58.535 N, 5.0990 mm, 49.26 N/mm2 and 0.1344 N.m respectively. The average force at break, deformation at break, stress at break and energy to break were found to be 58.420 N, 5.1241 mm, 49.12 N/mm2 and 0.1357 N.m respectively. The force at yield, stress at yield and energy to yield were found to be 39.000 N, 33.66 N/mm2 and 0.0224 N.m respectively. The Young's modulus was found to be 195.32 N/mm2. These parameters would provide important and essential data for the efficient design of the oil expeller.Keywords: Moringa, Mechanical Properties, Oil, Oil Expeller

Awareness and effects of climate change on cocoa production in Ondo State, Nigeria

According to estimates, the contribution of cocoa, which is the Nigeria’s highest foreign exchange earner among all agricultural commodities, has dropped from 308,000 tonnes in the 70’s to an average of 215,000 tonnes in recent years. This, according to reports, resulted from climate failure, among other factors. In the light of this, this study examined awareness and effects of climate change on cocoa production in Ondo State, the Nigeria’s leading cocoa producing state. Specifically, the study decribed socio-­‐economic characteristics of cocoa farmers in the study area, investigated the awareness and perceived effects of climate change on cocoa production by the farmers and identified the adaptation strategies practised by the farmers. Primary data obtained through a combination of purposive and random sampling techniques of 120 farming households from the six Local Government Areas noted for cocoa production in the state were used for the study. Descriptive statistics involving frequency distribution tables, mean, mode and percentages were used for the analysis. The results revealed that 80.8% of the respondents were aware of climate change. The general effects of climate change experienced by the farmers were excessive rainfall (23.3%), less rainfall (12.5%), irregular rainfall pattern (59.2%), delayed onset of rainfall (5.0%), high temperature (37.5%), drought (5.0%) and variation in sunshine hours (28.3%). The visible effects of climate failure on the farmer cocoa production were pest attack (35.8%), disease attack (44.2%), late ripening of cocoa pod (20.8%), reduced weight of cocoa bean (53.3%) and contaminated cocoa bean (45.0%). This is unfavourable to farmers and the Nigerian economy in general. Therefore, this study calls for dissemination of timely information on sound adaptation strategies to effects of climate change by agricultural development agencies and provision of training by relevant stakeholders to improve the technical knowledge and skills of the farmers on measures to mitigate effects of climate change on cocoa production

Using bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) as a field drainage material in Nigeria

Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris), one of the most widespread member of its genus, was used as field drainage material in Akure, Nigeria. Pre-determined sizes of bamboo with uniform lengths and diameters were installed as sub-drains in agricultural field for drainage purposes, especially in developing countries like Nigeria. Soil properties such as the moisture content, bulk density, specific gravity and classification were determined. Though, with low efficiency, R-value ~0.2, the use of bamboo for agricultural land drainage looks promising. Further work on variations in drain holes diameter, slope, envelope materials and treatment of bamboo to increase its efficiency and also prolong its lifespan would be considered. Finally, it was concluded that the use of bamboo has enormous potential for alleviating many environmental problems facing the world today.Keywords: Bamboo, drain outflow, drainage, outflow rate

Curtailing Fertilizer Scarcity and Climate Change; An Appraisal of Factors Affecting Organic Materials Use Option in Nigeria’s Agriculture

Global trends nowadays towards long term sustainable crop production is hinged on either supplementing the use of chemical fertilizers with organic materials or a complete use of organic materials. This is more so since substituting chemical fertilizers with organic materials reduces the risks of exposure to ailments that arise on account of synthetic compounds and increases farmers’ gains via reduced soil erosion and carbon emissions and increased bio-diversity. The current study investigated organic materials use in Nigeria’s agriculture. Specifically, the study examined availability and use of chemical fertilizers and organic materials substitutes and investigated factors affecting the use of organic materials in the Nigerian food sector. The study data were drawn from a survey of sixty-one farm households that used organic materials as major nutrients inputs or as supplement with chemical fertilizers for their cropping activities. The study area is Shira in Nigeria. Farmers in this area usually incorporate the use of organic materials in their agriculture. The descriptive statistics and regression analyses were used to analyse the study data. Results indicate that farmers in the study area source their chemical fertilizer inputs from the open market at an exorbitant price of N2000 (US dollar $13.8) per bag on average thereby using very low rates of chemical fertilizers. Organic materials used by farmers were sourced from cattle, goats, sheep and poultry droppings. The quantity of organic material used was 12,513.0 kg per hectare at a cost of N15,015.6 (US dollar$103.5). Major constraints in the use of organic materials by farmers include poor transport facilities and cutworm infestations of the organic materials. Factors revealed to influence the quantity of organic materials used by farmers were the cost of organic materials and the quantity of chemical fertilizers used by the farmers. The study therefore calls for stake-holders involvement in the establishment of blending plants for the production of organic materials, burning of organic materials before usage, and the need to enhance researches aimed at establishing optimal material mixtures and application rates for organic materials used in the Nigerian farming systems.Keywords: farming systems, bio-diversity, carbon emissions, cut-worm infestation, sheep, goat, poultr

PATENT MEDICINE VENDORS’ PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE FOR THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF COVID-19 INFECTION IN A NORTH-CENTRAL STATE IN NIGERIA

Objective: This report aimed to determine the immediate effect of the IPC training on the knowledge and role of patent medicine vendors (PMV) in the COVID-19 outbreak response in Nigeria. Methods: We conducted a quasi-experimental study before and after the IPC training among 1076 PMV in Ilorin, Kwara state, Nigeria. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 23. Eight questions were asked, for which each was assigned a score of “1”. Participants who had scored<50% were categorized as “Fail”, while those with scores ≥50% were categorized as “Pass” in both the pre and post-tests. The Chi-square test was used to test for the association between sociodemographic characteristics and performance of respondents in the pre-and post-IPC knowledge results, and paired t-test to test for significant differences between the pre and post-tests mean scores. The level of significance was set at p<0.05 for all statistical tests. Results: The mean age of the 1076 respondents was 37.06±10.96, 463(43%) passed the pre-test, while 617 (57.3%) passed the post-test. The mean pre-test IPC training score was 3.1310±1.5631, while the mean post-test IPC training score was 3.7351±1.6028 (t=-11.337, p=<0.001). In all, 617(57.3%) scored higher in posttest. Overall, 560 (92.41%) identified community sensitization and health education on COVID-19 preventive measures as roles of PMV. Conclusion: Regular trainings on COVID-19 preventive practices among PMV should be conducted. PMV should be empowered to sensitize and educate their clients on the prevention of COVID-19

Paediatrics pain management

Pain is one of the most common symptoms experienced the world over. It has always received the needed attention and care in the adult but not until recently among children. Several erroneous beliefs contributed to the inadequate attention among children such as assumption that children did not experience pain to the extent that adults do, because of the immaturenervous system, or that children would not remember the pain. A paediatrician is expected to be knowledgeable about pediatric painmanagement principles, provide a calm environment for painful procedures, use appropriate assessment tools and techniques, anticipatepainful experiences, use a multimodal approach (pharmacologic, cognitive,behavioral, and physical) to pain management, use a multidisciplinaryapproach when possible and involve families in creating solutions for their child’s pain. Studies have shown that the most common reason for unrelieved pain is failure to routinely assess pain and provide pain relief. The theories, pathways, transmission, regulations, classifications, assessment scales and the treatment of paediatric pain and practical issues that arise from the use of pharmacologic analgesic in the children were also reviewed and highlighted