Theses & Dissertations Open Access Determining quantity of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) leaf yield under different manure application regimes and cropping systems in Western Kenya D.A. Olal The low production of cereals and legumes among small-scale farmers in Kenya attributed to declining soil fertility and poor agronomic practices has led to renewed interest to review existing crop improvement technologies. Such technologie… RUF-35909 2015 CC BY 4.0 29 Feb 2016
Journal articles Open Access Climate change and agriculture nexus in Sub-Saharan Africa: the agonizing reality for smallholder farmers Ekwamu Adipala · A. Egeru · George Kanyama Phiiri Climate change is one of the potent challenges facing smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa in the recent past owing to the pattern and magnitude with which it presents the extreme events such as floods and drought. This review finds a… RUF-35907 2016 CC BY 4.0 26 Feb 2016
Theses & Dissertations Open Access Effect of organic and inorganic fertilizers on natural food composition and performance of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) fry produced under artificial propagation Sebastian S. Mosha Demand for fish in both rural and urban areas is very high in Tanzania. In recent times, the African catfish, Clarias gariepinus, has gained popularity in the aquaculture sector of Tanzania. However, many aquaculture farmers face the chall… RUF-35875 2015 CC BY 4.0 3 Feb 2016
Theses & Dissertations Open Access Economic evaluation of soybean genotypes under soil fertility variability in northern and eastern Uganda Edward Tanyima Soybean (Glycine Max (L.) Merrill) is an important crop in Uganda as it is the cheapest source of plant protein and income to farmers. Despite breeding for high yielding and disease tolerant soybean genotypes, there has not been a signific… RUF-35862 2015 CC BY 4.0 29 Jan 2016
Theses & Dissertations Open Access Effect of organic and inorganic nitrogen sources on growth, yield and oil content of sunflower grown in highly weathered soils of Morogoro Mwahija Almasi Irika Sunflower contributes about 40% of total national cooking oil requirement in Tanzania, ranking as one of the most important cooking oil with very high nutritional value. However, its production per unit area ranges between 800 and 1100 kg/… RUF-35636 2015 CC BY 4.0 8 Oct 2015
Theses & Dissertations Open Access Farmer perceptions of selected soil fertility indicator plants in central Uganda S. Kiconco Assessing soil fertility status is one way of evaluating sustainability of land use and management activities. There are basically two methods of assessing soil fertility: the laboratory method and use of indigenous knowledge. One way of u… RUF-35526 2014 CC BY 4.0 29 Sep 2015
Theses & Dissertations Open Access An analysis of use of good agricultural practices in rice production: a case study of Bagamoyo and Dakawa areas, Tanzania. Joseph Mphatso Mkanthama One major outcome of the challenges in rice production in Tanzania is low yield. One intervention to help improve rice yield is adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). However, little information exists about farmers’ awareness of G… RUF-35372 2013 CC BY 4.0 21 Sep 2015
Theses & Dissertations Open Access Influence of trees on soil characteristics and maize productivity in small holder farms of western Kenya Noella Andenyi Ekhuya Maize production in Kenya has been decreasing with time, especially in Western Kenya which is one of the main belts of maize production. This is due to low purchasing power for inorganic fertilizers by resource poor farmers. Use of local i… RUF-35344 2013 CC BY 4.0 21 Sep 2015
Theses & Dissertations Open Access Adoption of Kilimo Kwanza Policy by Smallholder Citrus Farmers in Muheza District, Tanga Region Mzamiru Saidi Smallholder farmers in the citrus sub-sector of Tanzania particularly in Tanga Region are adversely faced by many challenges compared to other groups of farmers. Poor farming practices, poor post harvest management skills, low quality of p… RUF-35341 2013 CC BY 4.0 21 Sep 2015
Theses & Dissertations Open Access Critical shoot Nitrogen curve for potato varieties Asante and Tigoni in Kenya Mugo James Njeru Potato is a major crop in Kenya with its production area increasing as a result of people opting for potatoes than other crops. The production is however lower than what is expected due to several challenges, among them being low fertility… RUF-35338 2013 CC BY 4.0 21 Sep 2015
Newsletters Open Access The RUFORUM monthly Newsletter October, 2011 RUF-35285 2011 CC BY 4.0 18 Sep 2015
Working Document Series Open Access Innovative breeding for drought tolerance and fertilizer use efficiency in maize S.C. Muchena This paper highlights outcome of research that was initiated as part of a graduate PhD research thesis, but has today led to development of commercial maize varieties in Southern Africa. It clearly demonstrates that university-based resear… RUF-35218 2010 CC BY 4.0 17 Sep 2015
Working Document Series Open Access Soil micronutrient supply and grain quality for human nutrition in selected parts of Morogoro, Tanzania M.L.E. Imakumbili · J.M.R. Semoka · E Semu Soils worldwide have become depleted of micronutrients. This has resulted in an increase in micronutrient deficiency diseases for people consuming micronutrient poor foods as a sole source of nutrition. This study was carried out to determ… RUF-35135 2010 CC BY 4.0 16 Sep 2015
Working Document Series Open Access Assessing farmers’ knowledge in the evaluation of soil quality M. Karuhanga · K. Senkosi · J.S. Tenywa Farmers across Uganda have developed their own indicators of soil quality but their mechanisms, reliability and sensitivity have not yet been examined. Therefore, this research is intended to address these gaps. Specific objectives include… RUF-35117 2010 CC BY 4.0 16 Sep 2015
Working Document Series Open Access Evaluating the effects of conservation agriculture and related technologies on soil biodiversity, crop and labour productivity in semi-arid Zimbabwe L. Mhaka · E. N. Mutsamba · I. Nyagumbo This on-going study is examining the linkage between termite prevalence and residue amount under conservation agriculture in Zimbabwe. Preliminary results show that convectional ploughing had lowest termite abundance while tied ridging inc… RUF-35098 2010 CC BY 4.0 16 Sep 2015
Working Document Series Open Access Upscaling the use of efficient and affordable soil fertility replenishment practices for small holder farmers of western Kenya B. Amar · M. A. Bekunda · A. K. Koech · M. N. Koech +4 more The study assessed the agronomic effectiveness of fertilizer use recommendations in western Kenya on maize yields. The treatments included: FURP – 75kg N/ha CAN and 26kgP/ha DAP; 2) FURP – 75kg N/ha CAN and 26kgP/ha DAP plus lime (2t/ha); … RUF-35093 2010 CC BY 4.0 16 Sep 2015
Working Document Series Open Access Effects of integrated water and nutrient management technologies on crop and labour productivity in Zimbabwe L. Mhaka · I. Nyagumbo Poor soils, erratic rainfall, frequent dry spells have been cited as the major threats to the development agricultural in Southern Africa. This experiment was designed to evaluate the benefits derived from post planting tied ridging, conse… RUF-35088 2010 CC BY 4.0 16 Sep 2015
Working Document Series Open Access Effects of agricultural commercial products (microbial and non microbial) in relation to maize and soybean yields in western Kenya M. Mburu · J.R. Okalebo · C.O. Othieno This study was undertaken to assess the effect of different inoculants on nodule formation and legume yield. On farm experiments were carried out in Bungoma district of western Kenya with treatments arranged in RCBD design with single repl… RUF-35080 2010 CC BY 4.0 16 Sep 2015
Working Document Series Open Access Evaluating the benefits of action learning processes in driving integrated soil fertility management benefits among smallholder farming communities in Zimbabwe R. Chikowo · P. Mapfumo · T.C. Mashavave · F. Mtambanengwe +1 more The widespread fragmented adoption of improved soil fertility management options among smallholder farmers can partly be attributed to poor diffusion of acquired knowledge. Using participatory action research approaches, a study was conduc… RUF-35077 2010 CC BY 4.0 16 Sep 2015
Working Document Series Open Access Influence of soil fertility management on Striga seed bank dynamics and grain yield of sorghum in semi arid areas G. Chemining’wa · A. Kudra · R.N. Onwonga · K.P. Sibuga The parasitic weed Striga poses a serious threat to cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa. Infestation usually results in significant yield losses, quite often over 70%. Many control options have been reported but, the effect of soil fer… RUF-35067 2010 CC BY 4.0 16 Sep 2015
Working Document Series Open Access Farmer perceptions and knowledge on soil quality indicators and their use in soil fertility monitoring M. Karuhanga · S. Kiconco · J. K. Tumuhairwe Assessing soil quality is important so as to learn about the effects of management practices on soil function, create awareness and education, and provides a basis for evaluation of alternative practices. Soil quality often cannot be direc… RUF-35054 2010 CC BY 4.0 15 Sep 2015
Working Document Series Open Access Effect of pond plastic sheeting on water temperature and improved growth of fish in Dowa, Malawi L. Banda · E. Kaunda · P. Longwe · M. Matsimbe +2 more Temperature is one of the limiting constraints to increasing fish production in areas where temperatures are below 25oC. In most areas in Malawi temperatures are between 14 - 24oC (www.atlapedia.com/online/countries/malawi.htm), with the e… RUF-35052 2010 CC BY 4.0 15 Sep 2015
Working Document Series Open Access Translating integrated soil fertility management knowledge into livelihood benefits through farmer learning and participatory action in Zimbabwe R. Chikowo · T. Gwandu · P. Mapfumo · F. Mtambanengwe Smallholder agriculture production is constrained by poor technology adoption often linked to lack information dissemination strategies, among other factors. This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of participatory information mana… RUF-35042 2015 CC BY 4.0 15 Sep 2015
Working Document Series Open Access Reproductive biology and cryopreservation of milt of Alestes baremoze (Joannis, 1835) of Lake Albert, Uganda M. Agaba · J.S. Balirwa · G.M. Kamugisa · D. Kassam +1 more This study is designed to generate knowledge relevant to the domestication, breeding, production and propagation of Alestes baremoze fish species in captivity through artificial spawning and in vitro fertilization. The study aims at broade… RUF-35007 2010 CC BY 4.0 15 Sep 2015
Working Document Series Open Access Technology adoption by smallholder farmers: Lessons from the soyabean research/promotion program in Zimbabwe S. Mpepereki Agricultural research programs in universities in sub-Saharan Africa generate technologies few of which are adopted by the smallholder farmers. A technology that demands significant additional inputs be they financial or physical is less l… RUF-34943 2010 CC BY 4.0 14 Sep 2015
