An investigation into the mechanical biological pretreatment of garden waste using forced aeration and it impact on carbon emissions reduction potential

Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.Disposal of garden waste is a major concern globally and particularly in a developin

Assessment of Gender Participation in Rice Production in Abakaliki, Nigeria

The study investigated the participation of male and female in rice production. Abakaliki Local Government Area was purposively selected because of its dominance and popularity in rice production.  A total of hundred and sixty (160) male and female respondents were randomly selected from registered rice producers. Primary and secondary sources of instruments were employed and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics as frequency counts, percentages mean and standard deviation. T-Test and Product Moment Correlation was used to test the hypotheses. The result of the study showed that female farmers participated more in rice production chain than males in the study area. Activities like weeding, threshing, winnowing, cleaning, parboiling, dehusking etc. were dominated by the female farmers. Educational qualification (r=-0.323**, p˂0.139) had a negative correlation which implies that the less educated participated more in rice production activities. It is therefore recommended that whenever there is the need to build the capacity of rice farmers, female farmers should be trained in simple/local languages that they can easily comprehend in the study area since they are not as educated as their male counterpart. Keywords: participation, gender, rice production, Abakaliki. DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/9-12-04 Publication date:June 30th 201

Factors Influencing User’s Attitude to Secondary Information Sharing and Usage

The increasing availability of enormous data about users online, along with availability of sophisticated tools and technology to store, aggregate, and analyze data for secondary use has raised concerns about how to balance the opportunity for secondary use of data with the need to protect the user privacy that may result from harmful use. To develop a privacy protection mechanism that is useful and meets the expectations and needs of the user, it is important to understand user’s attitude to privacy and secondary information sharing and usage of his/her data. While several studies have investigated factors influencing user’s attitude to privacy in primary data collection context, none of the existing studies have provided an understanding of user perception and attitude to privacy in secondary context. To fill this gap, this work has identified five factors that are important in a secondary usage context and carried out a study on their influence on user’s perception with respect to how their data is shared for secondary use. The main contribution of this paper is an understanding of factors influencing user decisions about privacy in secondary context, which can assist both technology designers and policy makers in the development of appropriate privacy protection that meets the needs and expectations of the user.</p

Small Scale Farmers' Perception and Adaptation to Climate Change in Nasarawa State of Nigeria

Climate change and severe weather events such as temperature shocks and declining rainfall often strongly impede sustainable farming development, especially where agriculture is rain fed and when other external shocks such as poverty, poor access to inputs and credit are common. This is the context in which small scale farmers carry out their farming and other livelihoods activities. This study compares small scale farmers' perception of temperature and rainfall with the result of 30 years (1980-2009) meteorological records of temperature and rainfall, examines the farmers adaptation practices in response to climate change and the constraints to their adaptation. The study found an increasing trend in minimum and maximum temperature and a decline in rainfall trend. This validates the farmers' perception of temperature and rainfall. Tree cutting (50.7%) and sin (45.7%) are the perceived leading causes of climate change. Farmers mostly engage in change in planting date (97.8%), tree planting (77.5%) and crop diversification (70.3) in response to climate change. Inadequate money (70.3%) is the leading constraint to adaptation. There is need for extension services and the mass media to create awareness on the causes of climate change. Efforts that address poverty and provide access to agricultural support services like farm inputs and weather forecasting service will help enhance farmers' adaptive capacity to climate change.Keywords: Adaptation; Climate Change; Perception; Small Scale Farmers

Preservation Potentials of Extracts from Lentinula edodes and Pleurotus Sajor Caju Mushrooms and Anas Platyrhyncha Egg Shell Membrane on Bacteria-Infected Fresh Meat

Keeping food longer and safe in its natural state for human consumption is important to avoid disease, waste and scarcity. The preservation potentials of methanolic extracts of the mushrooms Shiitake (Lentinula edodes), Pleurotus sajor-caju and aqueous extract of duck (Anas platyrhyncha) egg shell membranes was examined for meat inoculated with three species of bacteria; Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Salmonella typhi (ATCC 20971), and Salmonella enterica (ATCC 14028). Buffered saline wash from the meat inoculated with the bacteria species and treated with the extracts were evaluated for microbial load (Log) reduction. All three extracts significantly (p&lt; 0.05) reduced the counts of the three-bacteria species used to inoculate the meat. When compared with the mean log count (5.6) obtained for the control, a mean log reduction difference of 2.6, 3.2 and 3.3 for the bacteria Salmonella typhi, was recorded from the wash of all three extracts; Anas platyrhyncha egg shell membrane, Pleurotus sajor-caju and Lentinula edodes (Shiitake) respectively after 24 hours of treatment. A similar trend followed in the results from the meats inoculated with Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli and treated with the three extracts. Our findings show that these organic products, have promising potentials for preserving meat from bacterial contamination. Keywords: Preservation, Meat, Mushroom, Egg shell membrane, Bacteri

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analyses of Energy and Exergy in Thin Layer Drying of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) Slices using Centre Shaft Rotary Tray Cabinet (CSRTC) Dryer

This paper presents a simulation of the drying process of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) in a Center Shaft (CS) Rotary Tray Cabinet Dryer using three drying temperatures (50, 60 and 70 °C). ANSYS 14.5 Workbench was used to simulate the dryer model in 2D (2 Dimensional). The detail of the CFD simulation was utilized to investigate the energy and exergy of the dryer. The ANSYS Design Modeler was used to model the 2D representation of the dryer and the meshing was done using ANSYS ICEM. ANSYS Fluent CFD solver was then used to calculate the alternative using the normal turbulence-realizable k-epsilon model in a steady-state system with improved wall temperature treatment. The simulation outcome was used in calculating the dryer's exergy and energy analysis based on the thermal efficiency. It was noted that the simulated temperature from the experiment is greater than that of the experiment. The results indicated that the experimental energy utilization (EU), energy utilization ratio (EUR) and energy efficiency increased from 14.1 to 57.93 J/s, 0.15 to 0.20 and 18.89 to 33.98 percent, while the simulated energy utilization ratio increased from 23.91 to 57.68 J/s, 0.19 to 0.20 and 26.21 to 33.40 percent, respectively, and as the drying air temperature increased from 50 °C to 70 °C. Experimental exergy inflow, outflow, exergy loss and exergy efficiency increased from 4.01 J/s to 6.98 J/s, 1.83 J/s to 1.9 J/s, 3.18 J/s to 5.07 J/s and 21 to 27%, while simulated air temperatures increased from 5.01 J/s to 7.49 J/s, 1.33 J/s to 2.20 J/s, 3.66 J/s to 5.29 J/s and 27 to 29% respectively with respect to the drying air temperature range (50–70 °C). Model equations were derived from the plotted graphs to express the energy and exergy parameters as a function of drying temperature

Factors Influencing Adoption of Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation Practices among Smallholder Farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria.

Abstract The study examined the factors influencing the adoption of soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs) among smallholder farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 210 farmers for the study. Farmers were surveyed for their adoption of eleven (11) SWCPs, and 19 other characteristics including demographics, socio-economic factors, risk factors and costs of production. Poisson regression model was employed to estimate soil and water conservation practices adoption. The results showed that gender, access to credit services, land acquisition, technical support, owned livestock, distance to input/market, marital status and formal trainings have a significant relationship with the number of soil and water conservation practices adopted by smallholder farmers at 1% significance level. The study concluded that some personal and demographic factors, institutional factors, as well as socio-economic factors have a significant relationship with soils and water conservation practices adopted by farmers in the study area. It was recommended that agricultural policies should be geared towards helping smallholder farmers have access to extension service contact for frequent dissemination of agricultural technology information as this will increase the rate of adoption of soil and water conservation practices. Keywords: Adoption, Soil and water conservation techniques; Smallholder farmers, Kwara State, Poisson Mode

Factors Influencing Adoption of Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation Practices among Smallholder Farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria.

Abstract The study examined the factors influencing the adoption of soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs) among smallholder farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 210 farmers for the study. Farmers were surveyed for their adoption of eleven (11) SWCPs, and 19 other characteristics including demographics, socio-economic factors, risk factors and costs of production. Poisson regression model was employed to estimate soil and water conservation practices adoption. The results showed that gender, access to credit services, land acquisition, technical support, owned livestock, distance to input/market, marital status and formal trainings have a significant relationship with the number of soil and water conservation practices adopted by smallholder farmers at 1% significance level. The study concluded that some personal and demographic factors, institutional factors, as well as socio-economic factors have a significant relationship with soils and water conservation practices adopted by farmers in the study area. It was recommended that agricultural policies should be geared towards helping smallholder farmers have access to extension service contact for frequent dissemination of agricultural technology information as this will increase the rate of adoption of soil and water conservation practices. Keywords: Adoption, Soil and water conservation techniques; Smallholder farmers, Kwara State, Poisson Mode

Factors Influencing Adoption of Sustainable Soil and Water Conservation Practices among Smallholder Farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria.

Abstract The study examined the factors influencing the adoption of soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs) among smallholder farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 210 farmers for the study. Farmers were surveyed for their adoption of eleven (11) SWCPs, and 19 other characteristics including demographics, socio-economic factors, risk factors and costs of production. Poisson regression model was employed to estimate soil and water conservation practices adoption. The results showed that gender, access to credit services, land acquisition, technical support, owned livestock, distance to input/market, marital status and formal trainings have a significant relationship with the number of soil and water conservation practices adopted by smallholder farmers at 1% significance level. The study concluded that some personal and demographic factors, institutional factors, as well as socio-economic factors have a significant relationship with soils and water conservation practices adopted by farmers in the study area. It was recommended that agricultural policies should be geared towards helping smallholder farmers have access to extension service contact for frequent dissemination of agricultural technology information as this will increase the rate of adoption of soil and water conservation practices. Keywords: Adoption, Soil and water conservation techniques; Smallholder farmers, Kwara State, Poisson Mode

Adoption of Bio-security Measures against Avian-Influenza Outbreaks among Poultry Farmers in Jigawa State, Nigeria

Abstract The study examined the adoption of selected bio-security measures against avian-influenza (HPAI-A/H5N1) outbreaks among poultry farmers in Jigawa State, Nigeria. A total of 120 respondents selected through a multistage sampling procedure were used for the study. The study revealed that the majority (92.5%) of the respondents were males, with a mean age of 24 years and an average household size of 5 persons. More than half (58.3%) of the poultry farmers have been exposed to one form of formal education or the other, had average farming experience of 13 years while their mean monthly income was N26, 075.00. Also, the majority (91.7%) of the respondents had an average flock size of about 411 birds, were members of a social group (84.2%) and had no extension contact (84.2%). The most prominent sources of awareness on Avian Influenza were; Co-farmers/farmers group (=3.711), followed by Radio programme and marketers of poultry products (M=3.523). Furthermore, the study revealed that there was high level of adoption on biosecurity measures of segregation and traffic control (M=2.820), medium level of adoption for cleaning (M=2.440) and low level of adoption for disinfection of the standard bio-security components (M=1.290). There was a significant relationship between some socio-economic characteristics (age, average monthly income, farming experience and membership of social group) and adoption of bio-security measures of poultry farmers. The highly severe constraints of the poultry farmers were poor extension/veterinary contact, lack of Buffer Areas around the farm site and inadequate access to fund.  Provision of accessible credit facilities, pro-active extension services with continuous training and constant veterinary services for poultry farmers in the study area towards increased capability to prevent and eradicate the negative effect of this acute and highly contagious viral disease on their means of livelihood thus ensuring an improved and sustainable poultry production. Keywords: Adoption of bio-security, avian-influenza, outbreak, poultry farmers