The world demand for cashew and its by-products leads to increase expansion of the cultivation across West-African countries especially in Nigeria. It has generated wealth for many smallholders and contributed to cashew economy success. This study aimed at mapping existing cashew plantations for better management of rural farmland and assessing the soil suitability to future cashew expansion in the study area. GIS and multi-criteria analysis were used to analyze the natural vegetation and soil suitability for future cashew expansion in Nasarawa state. Data collection was done through structured questionnaire administered to cashew farmers in the study area, GPS coordinates and soil samples were collected for suitability test. Results showed that despite a very suitable soil for plantation cashew, its expansion is slow with implication in conservation and carbon emissions. This implies that there is need for a sustainable management of cashew agriculture practices to ensure optimum production for farmers and stakeholders in cashew value chain should address relevant factors affecting low yield via a holistic government intervention program.
Maize products are very significant for domestic consumption as well as industrial uses both locally and globally. For there to truly appreciate the spread of maize production in Africa, the geospatial mapping and subsequent comparison of the value chain for Nigeria and Rwanda were necessitated hence the purpose of this study. Farm mapping geospatial techniques and remotely sensed data were used for both Nigeria and Rwanda in this study. GIMMS Global Agricultural Monitoring data from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) were adopted for Nigeria and Rwanda. The crop calendars of both countries were examined which thereafter reviewed a marked distinction among them. The results of the agroecological zones for the two countries showed a significant variation in their distribution and types, which in turn affect both the planting and harvesting of maize; storage, marketing, processing, and policy framework for maize products value chain in Nigeria and Rwanda. Mapping of the two countries was carried out and the normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) and the policy associated with maize value chains were checked and reported.
The geographical occurrence and spread of the current novel COVID-19 pandemic are partly a function of the awareness, socio-economics, mobility, and health management practices in place. Ossiomo watershed in Edo State, Nigeria, is mainly a rural region with limited healthcare access and abundant water from River Ossiomo. One of the recommendations for preventing COVID-19 is washing hands with soap using running water. Thus, the novel COVID-19, a highly transmittable and pathogenic viral disease, requires effective management of available water resources for sustainable health development. The first confirmed case relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria was announced on February 27, 2020, when an Italian citizen in Lagos tested positive for the virus. In most rural Africa, including Ossiomo, no pipe-borne water except rain harvesting for survival. Using GIS Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation technique, the rainfall map produced (derived from a 31-year collated geo-located hydro-meteorological data - rainfall and discharge, covering the Ossiomo watershed) shows that rainfall decreases northward with minimum monthly precipitation of 18.8mm in January and to the south with a mean maximum rainfall of 339.0mm in July. NCDC records on Covid-19 were used to create Choropleth maps that revealed very low confirmed cases and relatively high deaths, though considered relatively low compared with global statistics. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMCC) further indicates a strong correlation between rainfall and catchment discharge with r=0.717. With adequate socio-economic activities and water provisions, coupled with effective COVID-19 management practices, the pandemic may not linger in the study area.
This study, aimed at evaluating the link between maize farmer lands and infrastructures. The main objective of the study was to find out the existing links between farmlands and infrastructures within the maize supply chain in the North Central States of Nigeria. The investigation was carried out using questioners to assess the constraints of farmers in supply chains, multi-stage sampling procedure was adopted to sample the respondents in Kuje Area Council and Mararaba. A total of 130 respondents were interviewed using a structured interview guide. Results indicated that the majority of the farmers have no access to adequate infrastructural facilities such as roads, processing facilities, storage facilities and markets. Proximity analysis was also carried out analyzing GRID3 data for farmlands, roads and market points using ArcGIS 10.8. The result also shows that the majority of the maize farmlands are not close to the markets and there are no major roads connecting the farms to the transportation of farm produce. Farmers are infrastructural constraints at the production, transportation and marketing stage. The study, therefore, suggests a more viable infrastructural facility for farmers to interconnect farmland, to enable farmers to have access to good roads, storage and processing facilities which will enhance the maize value chain.
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