As in many other countries, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, together with subsequent government containment measures, posed significant challenges to small-scale broiler production systems in Egypt. Based on a survey of 205 specialist small-scale commercial broiler farms (SCBFs) consisting of both farm-based and household-based production systems, this study identifies the primary pathways through which COVID-19 has affected SCBFs and investigates the determinants of farm perception of these effects. A polychoric principal component analysis sorted the effects of the pandemic on the SCBFs surveyed into five categories, namely, input availability, production and operational costs, labor and human resources, consumer demand and sales, and farm finances. Next, five ordered logit models were constructed to examine the determinants of the SCBFs’ perception of each category of these effects. Generally, the empirical results revealed that COVID-19 affected SCBFs heterogeneously based on their management and production systems and resource endowment. Female-led and household-based SCBFs perceived significantly greater COVID-19 effects. In contrast, individually owned farms and those with membership of poultry producer organizations and larger total asset values perceived fewer effects. In addition, SCBFs operating in both local and provincial markets were less likely to perceive negative effects from the pandemic on their broiler farming activities. Although the adoption of strict and immediate containment measures was essential for controlling the virus and protecting public health, our results indicate that policy responses to COVID-19 must consider the likely effects on small businesses such as SCBFs since disruptions to such socioeconomically important supply chains will intensify human suffering from the pandemic. Overall, our findings provide important implications for the formulation of effective strategies for mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on small-scale broiler production systems in Egypt and enhancing their preparedness and resilience to future pandemics, natural hazard risks, and market shocks.
The increasing usage of slow release fertilizers has become an essential demand to save fertilizer consumption and reduce the environmental pollution. In this study, two different techniques were used to prepared slow release urea fertilizers (SRUFX and SRUFY) composed of urea, sawdust and gelatin as a binding material. The two prepared fertilizers were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD). Urea static release was studied and indicated a prolongation of the release pattern of urea with approximately three times by incorporating saw dust and gelatin. The kinetics of the static release showed that SRUFX and SRUFY follow non-fickian release. The effect mechanical stress (1, 1.5 and 2 MPa) on the release time of urea was studied and indicated an increase in time of release as the stress increases.
Fertilization using slow-release fertilizers to prolong the availability of nutrients for plants and eliminate the diverse effects accompanied by conventional fertilization has become trendy. In this study, slow-release urea fertilizers were prepared through the recrystallization of urea with the addition of raw bentonite and using gelatin as a binder, to make use of the porous and layered structure of bentonite, these materials are inexpensive, biodegradable, and locally available. various slow-release urea fertilizers were prepared with different portions of gelatin and bentonite to study their effect on the release of urea. furthermore, the prepared fertilizers were ground for different periods to study the effect of mechanochemical activation on the pattern of urea release. These raw materials and the prepared fertilizers were characterized by FTIR, SEM, EDX, and XRD which all confirmed the incorporation of urea into the prepared fertilizers. Then they were tested for urea release, which showed that incorporating both bentonite and gelatin expands urea release time. The experiment results were then analyzed for kinetics. The results of this study indicated that the prepared fertilizers are biodegradable, eco-friendly, cost-effective, and can be used as slow-release fertilizers in sustainable agriculture.
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