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The study was done on 120 newly hatched brown Japanese quail obtained from local Egyptian hatcheries, randomly divided into two groups. The 1st group was reared on cage system (CS), and 2nd group was reared on floor system (FS) (60 chicks per group/ 3 replicates, 20 chick/replicate), to investigate the effect of housing on the hygiene, performance, survivability, and economic efficiency of quails. The results showed that the total aerobic bacteria (TAB) of cloacal swabs had non-significant differences between CS, and FS. The higher TAB, E. coli, and total fungal count (TFC) were recorded in FS in feed, water, litter, and floor swabs samples, CS was more hygienic rearing system for quails. Moreover, the higher TAB, E. coli, and lactobacillus were recorded in intestinal samples collected from quails on FS (Log10 CFU/g 5.34, 4.47, and 3.96, respectively). There were no significant difference in immunoglobulin G, interleukin 2 & 6, Malondialdehyde, Superoxide Dismutase, and catalase activity between both rearing systems. Regarding performance parameters, the higher body weight, and feed consumption were achieved in Japanese quails reared on FS. Moreover, the rearing system had no significant influence on the performance, and carcass traits. From the economic point of view, FS had higher feed cost, total variable cost, total cost, and cost of each kg body weight gain from feed than those reared on CS. While, the net profit, gross margin, benefit cost ratio, return on investment, and net profit for each kg body weight gain were non-significantly higher in CS than FS.

Context Soybean cultivation is advancing over areas traditionally used for livestock production in southern Brazil, which has led producers to decide whether to diversify their production system or keep it specialised. Aims To evaluate the economic returns and risk for beef cattle production, as a specialised activity or an integrated system with soybean, in a high-risk region for soybean crop failures in southern Brazil. Methods Using a stochastic model, we evaluated the gross margin per hectare, the risk of negative gross margin per hectare, and the contribution of input variables to the gross margin per hectare variance. Therefore, the following three production systems were simulated: beef cattle production (BP), beef cattle production associated with leasing land for soybean cultivation (BSL), and beef cattle production with soybean cultivation (BSC). Key results All systems had a positive average gross margin per hectare, with BSL (US$125.69) having the highest average, followed by BSC (US$77.82) and BP (US$69.54). The highest difference between maximum and minimum values of gross margin per hectare was observed in the BSC, which was the only system to present a negative gross margin per hectare. This is owing to the high variation in the gross margin per hectare generated by soybean production activity, which made BSC the system with the greatest risk. Beef cattle average productivity from the integrated systems was 50% higher than the average observed in BP, with the minimum values in BSL and BSC being only 5.84% lower than the BP average. The risk components linked to soybean productivity (69.54%) and sale prices (17.32%) explained 86.86% of the variation in gross margin per hectare in the BSC. In BP and BSL, stocking rates (40.06% and 42.85% respectively) were the components with the greatest effect, followed by male and female selling prices, which explained 78.13% and 76.71% respectively, of the variation in the gross margin per hectare. Conclusions The system with the most significant balance between risk and economic return was BSL, with a higher gross margin per hectare than in BP and lower risk than in BSC. Implications Understanding the risk for negative economic results and the factors that affect the gross margin per hectare will help farmers decide whether to integrate soybean cultivation with beef production. These results will help inform the structure of the integration, and implementation of risk mitigation and loss minimisation strategies.

The study investigated the value addition of locust beans in Akoko Northwest LGA of Ondo State. Primary data were collected for the study and a multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select the respondents using a well-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and gross margin analysis were employed to analyse the data. The result revealed that majority (60.00%) and (66.70%) of the producers and processors respectively were above 50 years of age, whereas about 90.00% of the marketers were below 50 years of age. Similarly, majority (91.10%) of the respondents were married female with about 75.60% having one form of education or the other. The producers made an average net income of ?21,843.97 at a selling price of ?635.24 while the processor made a net income of ?16,648.02 at a selling price of ?946.90 per kg and the marketer made a net income of ?22,950.00 at a selling price of ?1,200.00 per kg. This implies that while a producer made a gain of 52 kobo on every ?1 invested in the business, the processor and marketer made 21 and 24 kobo respectively on every ?1 invested in the business in the area. Result further revealed that while lack of modern technology was the first and most severe problem of the producers, lack of capital was attested to be the most militating problem of the processors and lack of organised market was the most militating challenge of the marketers. Keywords: Value Addition, Locust Beans, Costs, Returns, Gross Margin, Nigeria.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance and economic indicators of baby goats region submitted to different feeding systems in the Semiarid. A total of 30 baby goats of breed Parda Alpina × without defined racial pattern (SPRD) with initial weight of 3.35 kg ± 0.65 kg and final weight of 12.3 kg ± 0.5 kg were used, distributed in a completely randomized design in three breastfeeding systems with ten replicates each: traditional system (with natural breastfeeding), intensive breastfeeding system without concentrated supplementation, and intensive breastfeeding with concentrated supplementation. Goats submitted to the intensive artificial feeding system without concentrated supplementation showed a similar weight gain (121 g/day) when compared to the goats submitted to the system of suckling with concentrated supplementation (126 g/day). The highest income was provided by the animals submitted to the intensive system of suckling with concentrate. The gross margin for the two centenarians was positive, that is, revenues are higher than the effective operating cost, allowing us to conclude that the activity is paying off and will survive, at least in the short term. The diet of kids using concentrate provided better dry matter intake, greater weight gain and consequently presented better economic indicators.

Costs of production and organic price premiums are defining factors influencing the economic viability of organic crop production systems. Different agronomic practices, such as crop rotation and tillage intensity, are known to affect the economic performance of the production systems. The aim of this study was to compare the impact of two crop rotation sequences (simplified and diversified) and two levels of tillage intensity (high and low) on the cost of production, gross return and gross margin of crops when grown under organic management in the semi-arid Brown soil zone of the Canadian Prairies. The 2-year simplified rotation sequence consisted of forage pea (Pisum sativum L.) grown as a green manure followed by hard red spring wheat (HRSW) (Triticum aestivum L.), while the 4-year diversified rotation sequence was forage pea green manure followed by flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) or yellow mustard (Sinapis alba L.), field pea or lentil (Lens culinaris L.) and HRSW. Our hypothesis that a more diversified crop rotation would increase profitability over a traditional simplified crop rotation was supported by the findings. However, the findings did not support our hypothesis that reducing tillage intensity, and the combination of tillage reduction and diversified crop rotation through a synergetic response, would further enhance profitability. Analysis of the breakeven prices and breakeven yields for crops indicated the importance of adopting diversified crop rotations and choosing crops with high organic price premiums as means to maximize the long-term profitability of organic cropping systems.

En zone cotonnière du Mali, la situation d’affouragement des animaux est largement déficitaire. Pour améliorer la disponibilité des ressources fourragères, la recherche en partenariat avec les producteurs a introduit en milieu paysan la culture de Mucuna pruriens. Cette étude vise à évaluer les performances de M. pruriens dans la production du fourrage pour les animaux. Les essais ont été conduits par 25 producteurs répartis dans 5 sites durant les campagnes agricoles 2015-2016, 2016-2017 et 2017-2018. Les essais étaient divisés en deux parcelles tests : culture pure de M. pruriens et association M. pruriens/maïs. La production moyenne en biomasse de M. pruriens pur sur les 3 campagnes agricoles a été de 4 363±1 491kg MS/ha. Cette production couvre les besoins en matière sèche de 7,76±2,65 UBT durant 90 jours. Pour l’association, la production de biomasse a été de 5 449±1 766 kg MS/ha, elle couvre les besoins en matière sèche de 9,69±3,14 UBT pendant 90 jours. La marge brute de la culture pure de M. pruriens est de 786 060±298 140 FCFA/ha. Pour l’association, elle est de 850 917±36 1887 FCFA/ha. La culture de M. pruriens favorise l’intégration agriculture-élevage tout en améliorant l’alimentation des animaux et les revenus des producteurs. Mots clés: Exploitation agricole, date de semis, Cultures fourragères, M. pruriens, zone cotonnière. English Title: Production of Mucuna pruriens fodder for animal feed and its gross margin in the cotton-growing zone of Mali In Mali's cotton-growing zone, there is a large deficit in animal feed. To improve the availability of fodder resources, research in partnership with producers has introduced the cultivation of Mucuna pruriens into the farming environment. This study aims ed at evaluat’hg the performance of M. pruriens in the production of fodder for animals. The trials were conducted by 25 producers in 5 sites during the 2015-2016, 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 crop years. The trials were divided into two test plots: pure culture of M. pruriens and M. pruriens/corn combination. The average biomass production of pure M. pruriens over the 3 cropping seasons was 4363±1,491kg MS/ha. This production covers the dry matter requirement of 7.76±2.65 Btu for 90 days. For the association, the biomass production was 5449±1,766 kg DM/ha, covering the dry matter requirement of 9.69±3.14 Btu for 90 days. The gross margin of the pure culture of M. pruriens is 786 060±298 140 FCFA/ha. For the association, it is 850 917±36 1887 FCFA/ha. The cultivation of M. pruriens promotes the integration of agriculture and livestock while improving animal nutrition and the income of producers. Keywords: Farm, sowing date, fodder crops, M. pruriens, cotton are

The study assessed some selected small scale horticultural nursery enterprises in Ibadan metropolis. Data was collected through the use of well-structured questionnaires from 32 respondents and analysed using descriptive statistics and cost and return analysis. The result revealed that 93.7% of the respondents were male, 31.3% were between the ages of 31-40years with mean age of 43years,84.4% were married, 75% had between 1-5 household size with a mean house size of 5 persons. About fifty three percent (53.1%) of them were involved in horticultural practices as their primary occupation, 46.8% had tertiary education, however, majority 93.7% of them had one form of formal education with 14.5% mean years of experience, 75% of them belong to horticultural associations,81.2% source their credit through personal savings, majority (68.8%) rented their land through government, 50% source the seeds through other farmers while only 34.4% source their seeds through research institutions, categories of seedlings raised by the respondent are ornamental seedling (100%), forestry seedling (78.1%), medicinal seedling (65.6%) and agricultural seedling (81.3%) while Ixora (Ixora coccinea) (40.6%) was the most common species of seedling found in the nursery. On the average, the profit realized was ₦578, 925.00k per annum with Benefit cost ratio (BCR) of 4.8. Major problems confronting the enterprise were pest and insects, weeds, credit facilities, weather, transportation, low marketing patronage, cost of agrochemicals as well as availability of quality seeds. Keywords: Assessment, Horticultural, Enterprise, Gross Margin, Oyo, Nigeria

Production of orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) in Tanzania is constrained by the underutilization of virus-free improved certified planting materials. The sustainable use of these planting materials leads to the constant demand of the planting materials by farmers which can be triggered from viable processing. We determine the viability of processing in the OFSP value chain and its contribution to the uptake of high-quality improved planting materials. Data for this study were collected by field survey method from 15 processors and 150 farmers. Purposive and three-stage random sampling methods were used in sampling. We adopted a mixed method of analysis using descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis, and econometric estimation of the multivariate probit model by means of a Simulated Maximum Likelihood (SML). We found no direct effect of processing to trigger the use of improved OFSP planting materials unless formalization of the supply arrangements between processors and farmers is institutionalized. However, it was economically viable to engage in the processing of OFSP. Processors were found to be generating a benefit of US$ 76/ton of OFSP processed with a margin to a total cost ratio of 19% implying a relatively low margin with significant processing costs. Seed renewal was low as 63.1% of the farmers used retained planting materials. Nevertheless, contractual arrangements with the processors increased the desire to use high-quality improved planting materials and the likelihood to source them from research institutes (p

Major loss of hot pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacquin) in the humid tropics is due to disease and spoilage during postharvest storage following harvest occurring when conditions are cool and damp. Th...

This study was undertaken to compare growth performance and economics of production of two Nigerian indigenous chicken strains andtheircrossbred.The parent lines of theNigerian indigenous chicken population used consisted of two strains, the normal feather (NF)and the naked neck(NN),obtained from pure bred strains of Nigerian indigenous chickens maintained at the Directorate of University farm, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria. Three genetic groups comprising a combination of NF male X NN female (GG1), NN male X NN female (GG2) and NN male X NF female (GG3) were used for the study. The results revealed that though chicks from GG2 were heavier (P0.05) among the three groups. Birds from GG3 were however, able to utilize feed consumed by 11.21 and 12.93% more efficiently than GG1 and GG2 respectively. Feed cost per kg weight gain was least for GG3 ( 520) with gross margin of 132.35 and 133.43 above GG1 and GG2 respectively. GG3 had the best profitability index and return on investment. Crossbreeding naked neck and normal feather showed superiority in growth and economic returns and is therefore recommended in breeding/production programmes targeted at expanding Nigerian indigenous chicken production.

This study aimed to determine the growth and yield performance of five rice varieties under the different crop establishments and assess rice profitability as influenced by crop establishment under irrigated lowland conditions. The study was laid out in a split-plot arranged in an RCBD with three replications. Crop establishment was designated as the main plot while rice varieties as a subplot. Results revealed that the direct row seeding method significantly showed a significant advantage in agronomic and yield and yield component parameters over the transplanting method among rice varieties tested. Heirloom red rice significantly headed earlier (63.17 days) when planted in both crop establishments and obtained the tallest plant height, greater leaf area index, the heavier weight of 1,000 grains, and grain yield. There was a significant interaction effect on crop establishment and rice variety recorded from sowing to heading and maturity. Cost and return analysis revealed that the direct row seeding method achieved higher gross income (USD 2,012.00) and gross margin (USD 1,086.60) than the transplanting method. Heirloom red rice significantly achieved the highest grain yield (5.85 t ha-1), resulting in a higher gross income and gross margin of USD 2,340.00 and USD 1,352.45, respectively. Direct row seeding is applicable as an effective cost-reducing method of crop establishment for lowland rice production. Besides, it can shorten the time of crop establishment. Heirloom red rice with dual characteristics as an irrigated lowland and upland rice cultivar is feasible for direct row seeding and transplanting methods during the dry season.

In this study the economic performance of different sowing times of alfalfa cultivars were examined. Plots were established in 2015-2017 period, in the area of Siirt University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Field Crops,in Turkey. The randomized split block experimental design with three replications was applied in the study. Main plots were consisted from the genotypes and the subplots were consisted from the sowing times. The experimental material comprised of four alfalfa genotypes, three different planting times. The gross margin analysis were used to analyse the data for the study. Gross margin, indicator per unit area was used to evaluate of production success level and compare economic efficiency of different dates of planting for alfalfa genotypes. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test used for data normality test and analysis of variance used to analyze the differences between group means. As a result, maximum gross margin was obtanied at Magnum V planted on 5th April (D2) in 2017, while Nimet planted on 30th April (D3) in 2015 have the minimum gross margin (-13.61).

White yam (Dioscorea rotundata) is an important tuber crop in a number of countries, but especially in West Africa where it serves as a food staple as well as a cash crop as excess production is sold in local markets. But the availability of quality planting material, most notably seed yams, for yam production remains an important constraint for farmers. Techniques have been developed to help address this limitation by cutting yam tubers into pieces (minisetts), treating them with the pesticide either via a seed dressing dust or pesticide ‘dips’ and planting to grow seed yams of the required size and quality. But while there have been many studies on the agronomy and adoption by farmers of these techniques, there have been fewer studies on their economic performance. Indeed, to date there have been no studies that compare the economic performance of treating setts compared to leaving them untreated, and neither has there been any analysis of the environmental impact of treating setts. This paper reports the results of a study designed to address these two gaps in knowledge and is based upon results from a series of farmer-managed seed yam plots established in the middle belt of Nigeria over 4 years (2013–2016). Results suggest that revenue and gross margin were higher for treated versus untreated setts although the latter still performed relatively well. Using the Field Use Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ), the commonly recommended pesticide sett treatments were estimated to have a low-to-moderate environmental impact, and further research is needed to see how far pesticide use can be reduced to still be effective and minimise any environmental impact.

Weed management is an important and expensive step in groundnut production. Field experiments were conducted in the early and late wet seasons of 2017 to evaluate the effectiveness and profitability of weed management using hoe weeding, herbicides or their combination in groundnut production. Butachlor and propaben at 2.0 kg a.i (active ingredient) ha-1 each followed by (fb) supplementary hoe-weeding (shw) at 6 weeks after sowing (WAS) significantly reduced weed cover and biomass with subsequent increase in groundnut pod yield similar to hoe-weeding treatments and better than either herbicide applied alone. The highest groundnut pod yield (1485.7 kg ha-1) and revenue ($1639.2) in the early season was obtained with three hoe weeding passes. However, in the late season, the highest groundnut pod yield (1146.3 kg ha-1) was obtained with propaben plus hoe-weeding and the highest revenue ($1264.8) obtained with butachlor plus hoe-weeding. Although three hoe-weedings gave the highest revenue in the early season, the gross margin and cost-benefit ratio obtained with hoe weeding treatments was lower than those of herbicides fb shw. This study showed that integrated weed management with butachlor or propaben and fb shw will improve weed control, productivity and profitability of groundnut production. Multiple hoe weeding, however, did not guarantee the highest profit but rather increased the cost of production.

The study focused on the analysis of marketing White skinned Sweet Potato in selected markets of Kano State. Multistage sampling techniques was used for the study and data was collected using a structured questionnaire supplemented with key informant interview. A total of one hundred and seventeen 117 white sweet potato marketers were sampled. The analytical tool employed included simple descriptive statistics, net marketing margin, Gini Coefficient, marketing efficiency and multiple regression of the respondents in the study area. The result of the socio economic characteristics showed that 33% of the white sweet potato marketers were adult belonging to the age group of 30-39 years, 60% of marketers had household size of 1-10 members, 41% had 1-10 years of marketing experience, 91% were married with 91% males, the result of educational background study area shows that 46.8% had informal education. The result of the profitability analysis revealed that white sweet potato marketing was profitable with ₦574.52 and the total revenue realized for the marketing were ₦3,829.06. The result further revealed Gross Margin (GR) of 0.85 traded in the study area while return per naira invested was found to be 1.18 accrued from every 1.00 invested. The result also revealed that marketing of white sweet potato was efficient with 225.27%. The study further revealed variables such as: marketing experience, labour costs, transportation costs, loading and off-loading were found to be statistically significant. Results also indicate that the major determinant of net marketing income in the study area included labour

The subsidies for legumes introduced in 2010 resulted in an increase in their cultivation area, including the area of sweet lupine and fodder pea. The cultivation of lupine is usually carried out on soils of the rye complex, similarly to winter rye, while the cultivation of peas – on soils of the wheat complex, like winter wheat. Due to similar soil requirements, legumes compete with cereals for the arable land. However, the cultivation of the former is not considered to be very profitable, even after including direct subsidies for cultivation. The purpose of the paper was to determine the production and economic results from the cultivation of the abovementioned legumes and cereals and to compare the profitability of cultivation of sweet lupine in relation to winter rye and fodder pea in relation to winter wheat on selected individual farms in Poland in the years 2015-2017. Profitability of cultivation of the plants was determined primarily using the profitability index of production, which is a percentage relation of the total value of production (excluding direct subsidies) to the total costs. The measure of profitability was also the income from activity without subsidies and income from activity after including subsidies. In the research, we used data from the AGROKOSZTY system, the Polish FADN system and the Central Statistical Office. Vertical and horizontal analysis of the results was used. It was shown that on average in the years 2015-2017, on farms participating in the study of considered plants, the profitability of lupine cultivation, expressed by profitability index, was lower than that of rye, and pea cultivation was slightly higher than that of wheat. In addition, the first income category, which is the gross margin (difference in total production value and direct costs), and one of the last – income from activity without subsidies (difference in total production value and total costs) proved to be in the case of lupine and peas cultivation relatively low compared to cereals competing with them for the same arable land. However, after taking into account the subsidies, cultivation of legumes was more profitable than cultivation of cereals. Therefore, the incentive for cultivation of legumes certainly provides a possibility for receiving subsidies for the area of their cultivation, and also a possibility for receiving subsidies for greening.

espanolAntecedentes: La determinacion de la suplementacion de aminoacidos en las dietas de pollos de engorde, basados solamente en el desempeno productivo no siempre refleja la maxima rentabilidad. Objetivo: Estimar los niveles optimos de treonina (Thr) y aminoacidos azufrados (SAA) en dietas para pollos de engorde basados en un analisis economico. Metodos: Se realizaron dos ensayos tipo dosis-respuesta divididos en tres fases cada uno: inicio (1-14 dias), crecimiento (15-28 dias) y finalizacion (29-42 dias). Quinientos sesenta pollos de engorde machos Cobb 500® se distribuyeron aleatoriamente en siete tratamientos con niveles crecientes de aminoacidos (SAA o Thr) y cuatro repeticiones de 20 aves cada uno. La ganancia de peso (BWG) y el consumo de alimento (FI) fueron utilizados para ajustar un modelo segmentado. El ingreso bruto (GI), costo total de la racion (TFC) y el margen bruto (GM) se calcularon tomando como referencia valores locales. Resultados: Los niveles crecientes de aminoacidos influyeron en la respuesta de BWG y FI en todas las fases evaluadas. Los estimados para maximizar la rentabilidad segun GI y TFC fueron 223, 504 y 975 mg SAA/ave/dia, y 236, 696 y 1,042 mg Thr/ave/dia para las fases de inicio, crecimiento y finalizacion, respectivamente. Conclusion: La variacion de los precios de los AA tuvo solo un ligero efecto sobre el consumo optimo de Thr y aminoacidos azufrados. A pesar de las fluctuaciones del mercado, el enfoque economico aqui expuesto demuestra ser una herramienta util para la eleccion del nivel ideal de inclusion de aminoacidos en la formulacion. EnglishBackground: The determination of amino acid supplements for broiler chicken requirements based on performance does not always reflect maximum profitability. Objective: To estimate the optimal levels of digestible threonine (Thr) and sulfur amino acids (SAA) in diets for broilers based on an economic analysis. Methods: Two dose-response assays were conducted, and each assay was divided into three phases: initial (1-14 days), grower (15-28 days), and finisher (29-42 days). Five hundred and sixty male Cobb 500® broilers were randomly distributed to seven treatments with increasing levels of the amino acid (SAA or Thr), with four replicates and 20 birds each. Bodyweight gain (BWG) and feed intake (FI) were used to fit a segmented model. Gross income (GI), total feed costs (TFC) and gross margin (GM) were calculated based on local values. Results:Increasing levels of amino acid elicited a response in BWG and FI for all evaluated phases. The estimates for maximum profit based on GI and TFC were 223, 504, and 975 mg SAA/bird/d, and 236, 696, and 1,042 mg Thr/bird/d in starter, grower and finisher phases, respectively. Conclusion: Varying the AA prices affected only slightly the economic optimal intake of Thr and sulfur amino acids. Despite market fluctuations, the economic approach presented in this study demonstrates to be a helpful tool to choose the ideal inclusion level of amino acids in the feed. portuguesAntecedentes: A determinacao da suplementacao de aminoacidos em frangos de corte baseados somente no desempenho produtivo nem sempre reflete a rentabilidade maxima. Objetivo: Estimar os niveis otimos de treonina (Thr) e aminoacidos sulfurados (SAA) em dietas para frangos de corte com base em uma analise economica. Metodos: Foram realizados dois ensaios dose-resposta, divididos em tres fases cada: inicial (1-14 dias), crescimento (15-28 dias) e final (29-42 dias). Quinhentos e sessenta frangos de corte machos Cobb 500® foram distribuidos aleatoriamente em sete tratamentos, representados por niveis crescentes de aminoacidos (SAA ou Thr), com quatro repeticoes de 20 aves cada. O ganho de peso (BWG) e o consumo de racao (FI) foram utilizados para ajustar um modelo segmentado. A receita bruta (GI), os custos totais de alimentacao (TFC) e a margem bruta (GM) foram calculados com base nos custos locais. Resultados: Os niveis dos aminoacidos influenciaram as respostas de BWG e FI para todas as fases avaliadas. A estimativa para maximo lucro com base em GI e TFC para os ensaios com SAA foram 223, 504 e 975 mg/ave/d; para Thr foram 236, 696 e 1,042 mg/ave/d para as fases inicial, crescimento e final, respectivamente. Conclusao: A variacao dos precos dos AA teve pouca influencia sobre a ingestao economica dos aminoacidos sulfurados e da Thr. Apesar do dinamismo de mercado, a abordagem economica apresentada neste estudo demonstra ser uma ferramenta util para a escolha do nivel de inclusao ideal do aminoacido na racao.

PurposeThe unavailability and inadequate use of cashew seedlings for propagation are part of the challenges facing the cashew sub-sector in Ghana. However, promoting investment into cashew seedling production should be based on the analysis of the profitability and viability of such a venture as well as the respective determinants of farmers' demand for the planting material.Design/methodology/approachThis study used gross margin/contribution, net margin and contribution ratios to analyse the profitability of cashew seedling production under four different business models. Also, the determinants of choice of planting material for cashew plantation among farmers was analysed via a multinomial probit regression.FindingsThe study revealed that cashew seedling production is profitable with a gross margin of $8,474, $2,242, $1,616 and $1,797 and contribution to sales of 31–53% for the various business models. The positive determinants of the use of cashew seedlings were off-farm job participation and extension contact, whereas farm size and age of plantation negatively influenced the use of seedlings. Land acquisition method also influenced the use of both seedlings and seeds negatively.Practical implicationsThe findings provide empirical evidence of the viability and profitability of cashew seedling production as a viable business venture and off-farm opportunity in rural areas. The information from the study will help major stakeholders in cashew production to understand the type of farmers who use seeds and seedlings as well as the reasons for using or otherwise.Originality/valueSignificant research in the cashew value chain had focussed on the profitability of cashew plantation with little literature on profitability and viability analysis of cashew seedling production. Similarly, this study provides a significant value chain job opportunity as well as literature on the choice of cashew seedlings among current and prospective end-users.

Improving agricultural productivity and production is a prerequisite to sustain rural livelihoods in developing countries of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This requires increased use of quality seed of improved and well-adapted crop varieties. Legumes are particularly critical in ensuring food and nutritional securities of the majority of farming households. However, their productivity has been constrained because of limited availability of quality seed, jeopardizing henceforth food security and rural livelihoods. The lack of interest in production of legume seeds by potential seed producers, especially the private sector, is attributable to limited information on the cost and profitability of producing these seeds. Using primary data collected from Tanzania and Uganda, we analyzed the cost structure of improved groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) seed production to assess viability. We adopted cost-benefit analysis framework to evaluate different seed production models. Results showed that groundnut seed price varied between 1 and 2 US$ kg−1 for certified and quality declared seed and between 2 and 3.5 US$ kg−1 for early generation seed. Overall, up to 50% increase in total seed production costs resulted in reduced drop in the gross margin earned. However, when production costs increased by 75–100%, the gross margin dropped by about 18% and 50% in Tanzania and in Uganda, respectively. These findings indicated that groundnut seed could be provided to farmers in remote communities at an affordable price while still keeping seed producers profitably in business. Availing these seeds to smallholder producers is a major step in achieving food security and nutritional health in developing countries in SSA.

Aims: The study examines the profitability of rice production, its key factors, and the consumption shares at household level. Study Design: A cross-section study design was used in this research. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the two Districts of Mbarali and Kyela in the Mbeya Region of Tanzania from January to March 2018. Methodology: Structured questionnaires were used to collect primary data from 240 small scale rice producers. Data analysis was performed by descriptive statistics and Farm Budgetary Techniques was used to calculate farm economic viability variables including profitability index, return on investment, capital turn over and benefit cost ratio. The Kendall’s coefficient of concordance was used to pinpoint and examine the key factors affecting rice profitability by farmers in the study area. Results: Descriptive statistics revealed that majority farmers have 45 years and below, 95.8% of the farmers are married. Majority (83.3%) households have family size of 2-4 individuals indicating shortage of family labor. About 80.8% of the respondents allocated farm size of 1-3 hectares. The budgetary farm technique revealed that average total cost, gross margin, and net farm income was 846450 (~ US $ 368.08), 1484175 (~US $ 645.41) and 1357975 (~US $ 590.73) Tanzania Shillings respectively. The profitability index, return on investment, capital turn over and benefit cost ratio for producers were 9.5%, 160, 2.6 and 3.1 respectively. According to Kendall’s coefficient of accordance, the identified main constraints for economic viability of rice production were weather variability, lack of access to irrigation services, rice price instability, lack of access to agricultural information and technology, and poor access to the key production inputs. Conclusion: It indicates that rice production is a profitable business in the study area and still there is potential for improving from the current yield. It was demonstrated that most of rice outputs are for commercial purposes with regards to consumption shares. This shows that rice is highly growing as commercial food crop in the Tanzania.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the reduction of calcium (Ca), crude protein (CP), metabolizable energy (ME), and available phosphorus (aP) in the nutritional matrix of Brazilian commercial broiler diets supplemented with both phytase superdosing (1500 FTU/kg) or conventional doses (500 FTU/kg) on the feed cost and profitability, performance, bone mineralization, and carcass yield of broiler from 1 to 42 d. A total 1200 one-day-old chicks (Cobb 500) were randomly distributed in a commercial feeding program composed of a positive control diet and three diets with reduction of Ca, aP, CP, and ME in the nutritional matrix supplemented with 500, 1000, and 1500 FTU/kg of phytase. The broilers subjected to diets with phytase superdosing presented similar performance, bone ash, and carcass yield, among the treatments. There was a linear effect in the total nutrition cost, gross margin, and estimated net margin per bird with the increase of dietary inclusion of phytase in all purposed scenarios. Thus, for each 500 FTU/kg of dietary phytase included in the diet with reduction of Ca, P, ME, and CP in the nutritional matrix, the total nutrition cost decreased R$ 0.072/bird, R$ 0.079/bird, and R$ 0.081/bird in scenarios of high, medium, and low prices of corn and soybean meal, respectively, that allowed an increase in the estimated net margin of R$ 0.20/bird, R$ 0.22/bird, and R$ 0.22/bird in the same scenarios.

BackgroundSeed systems are considered as a vehicle through which the sustainable agricultural intensification can be achieved. However, most sub-Saharan African countries have been ineffective to provide sufficient incentives for stakeholders to consistently invest in the seed systems specifically for crops like sorghum. This study was therefore conducted to uncover investment opportunities for stakeholders in the sorghum seed systems to attain an impact-oriented seed production and delivery systems.ResultsThe study applied descriptive statistics, Logit regression model, and Gross margin to analyze possible areas for investments. Descriptive statistics analyzed the percentage of farmers using sorghum improved varieties and sources used to obtained improved variety seeds. Logit regression model was applied to analyze factors correlating with planting of improved seeds. Gross margin was applied to show profitability of growing improved sorghum seeds and grain. Findings revealed that 39.2% of the sampled farmers were growing improved sorghum variety seeds. Farmers obtained improved variety seeds from both informal (57.8%) and formal (42.2%) sources. Logit estimates indicate that variety preference, unavailability of seeds, resistance to diseases, and drought had significant correlation with planting of improved variety seeds. Seed companies and quality declared seed (QDS) producers earned high margin of 53,08,900 Tanzanian Shillings per hectare (TZS/ha, 1 USD = 2315 TZS during the period of data collection) and 33,94,709 TZS/ha, respectively. Farmers using improved variety seed earned higher margin (8,19,805 TZS/ha) than farmers who did not use improved variety seeds (3,17,373 TZS/ha)ConclusionsThe identified investment opportunities were increasing number of farmers using improved variety seeds that would drive increased production, distribution, and marketing of quality seed. The large number of farmers still sourcing seed from the informal channel provides avenue to reach out to these farmers through demand creation and wide variety popularization meeting farmer preferences. The huge margin seed producers make provides good incentive to drive private seed companies and individual seed entrepreneurs to make sustainable business out of sorghum seed. The policy implications for reviving sorghum production and productivity are further discussed.

Orange fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP) are desirable for high productivity and profitability and their distribution to improve the nutrition of river bank inhabitants of Gaibandha and Rangpur districts of Bangladesh. In this context, a field trial was conducted in two riverbank-based farmers’ fields such as Saghata, Gaibandha, and Pirganj, Rangpur, particularly in the Active Tista Floodplain Agro-ecological Zone of Bangladesh. Four OFSP varieties were evaluated, i.e., G1: BARI SP-8; G2: BARI SP-12; G3: BARI SP-14; G4: BARI SP-15, along with one local cultivar as a control (Red skin with white flesh). Significant variations among the sweet potato genotypes were noted for a number of tuberous roots plant−1, length of root diameter of roots, tuberous root weight plant−1, root yield (fresh), root yield (dry), beta-carotene yield, as well as energy output. Over the locations, BARI SP-12 produced about 73% higher root yield (32.00 t ha−1) and it was like the BARI SP-8 (31.07 t ha−1), which produced about 68% higher yield in comparison with local cultivar (18.51 t ha−1). Across the location, BARI SP-8 performed better in root yield (31.89 t ha−1) in Gaibandha, 69% superior to local cultivar, whereas BARI SP-12 performed better in Rangpur (33.66 t ha−1), which was 86% greater than the local sweet potato cultivar. Considering the root dry yield production, BARI SP-8 produced the highest in the Gaibandha location after that Rangpur location. Further, BARI SP-14 had wider adaptability and stability over the year and location depended on the AMMI model. The beta carotene yield (Vitamin-A precursor) ranged 336–2957 kg ha−1 among the OFSP varieties, whereas the highest (2957 kg ha−1) carotene was recorded in BARI SP-14, similar to BARI SP-15 (2952 kg ha−1) but was much lower in BARI SP-8 and BARI SP-12. Moreover, BARI SP-8 and BARI SP-12 were also economically profitable in terms of gross margin (3233 and 3364 US$ ha−1, respectively), net return (3039 and 3170 US$ ha−1, respectively) and BCR (3.21 and 3.31, respectively, vs. 1.91) due to higher returns with a similar production cost of the local cultivar. The results suggested that BARI SP-8 is economically profitable in the riverbank areas of Gaibandha, and BARI SP-12 is suitable for the riverbank areas of Rangpur.

This study examined the contribution of snail production to the income status of snail farmers in Edo South Senatorial District, Edo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study were to describe the socio-economic characteristics of snail producers, estimate the costs and returns of snail production in the study area, examine the effect of snail production on income of snail farmers and identify the constraints to the production of snail in the study area. A two-stage sampling procedure comprising purposive and snowballing sampling techniques was employed to select 108 respondents for the study. However, 100 respondents provided useful information that was used for the analysis. Data were collected using structured questionnaire. Analysis of data was done using descriptive statistics and budgetary techniques and t-test. The results indicated that the majority of the respondents were females (61%) with average age of 38 years. Most of them were married (81%) with average household size of five persons. They had average of eight years experience in snail rearing and most of them (88%) were literate. The results further showed that the business of snail production in the study area was profitable with gross margin, net profit and return on investment of ₦359,455.00, ₦ 339,533.00 and 2.04 per annum, respectively. Without income from this business, the snail farmers had average annual income of ₦1,377,519.00 from other sources of livelihood. With the addition of income from snail production, their average annual income increased to ₦1,717,052.00, representing 20% increase. This increase was significant at p < 0.05 (t-ratio = 5.02). Thus, snail production had made significant contribution to improving the income of the snail producers. It was recommended that the unemployed youths should go into the business of snail production in order to improve their income status.

Certification in agriculture ensures compliance with tangible standards andshould generate economic opportunities for farmers. Thisstudy quantifies thevariable profit and efficiency impacts of organic certification in dairy farmingacross Europe, using farm-levelFADN data from 25 countries while accountingfor heterogeneity through a class splitting model. Four distinct classes withdairyfarm enterprises operating under similar production conditions were identifiedin order toassessgrossmarginandefficiencydifferences among certifiedand non-certified farms. Depending on the nature of the selection bias, treatmenteffects were estimated either through an endogenous treatment modelor through entropy balancing. The results suggest that organic certificationincreases gross margins for dairy farm enterprises in Europe, while slightlyincreasing technical efficiency in two out of four classes. These significant effectsof certification on efficiencywere estimated at 2% and 7%, respectively. As regardsvariable profit, effects range from to 66 Euros per cow to 234 euros per cow. Inrelative terms, this implies gains between 38% and 50% for farms classified intomore cool or temperate zones and a gain of up to 182% for the farms assigned tothe class that designates warmer climatic conditions.

Effective fertilizer management is critical for sustainable maize production. Field trials were conducted in six locations in northern Ghana during the 2016 and 2017 farming seasons to evaluate the agronomic effectiveness and economic viability of urea deep placement technology (UDP), which involves deep placement of urea supergranules (USG), for maize production. This fertilization strategy was compared with four other maize fertilization strategies: (1) microdosing (MD); (2) farmer practice (FP), which involves surface broadcasting of granular fertilizer; (3) modified farmer practice (MFP), where granular fertilizer was incorporated into the soil; and (4) NPK-only, where no supplemental N was added. Averaged across all six locations and both years, UDP produced 18% more grain yield than MFP, 38% more than MD, 155% more than FP, and 270% more than NPK-only. The greatest apparent N recovery efficiency of 73% occurred in MD, followed by UDP (68%), NPK-only (63%), MFP (61%) and FP (35%), in that order. However, agronomic efficiency followed the order: UDP > MFP = MD > NPK-only = FP. The greatest gross profit margin of 49% was obtained with UDP, followed by MFP (41%) and MD (33%). Farmer practice resulted in a break-even level (3%) whereas NPK-only resulted in a loss (

Tomato cultivars (Heinz 1370, MT 56, and Nuru F1), fungicide application (±), staking (±), and mulching (±) were tested for their effect on yield, disease severity, and gross margin in tomato production in the Kamuli District of Uganda. Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with a factorial and split-plot arrangement in field plots in two growing seasons during 2013. Total and marketable fruit number, marketable fruit weight, gross margin, and disease severity, assessed using the area under disease progress curve, were measured. Disease-resistant and open-pollinated ‘MT 56’ in combination with fungicide application and soil mulch provided the highest marketable fruit number and marketable fruit weight and had a positive gross margin in the first growing season. A combination of ‘MT 56’ and treatments without applying fungicide and soil mulch resulted in the only positive gross margin in season two. Application of fungicides reduced disease severity (early blight, Alternaria solani Sorauer) for all cultivars in season one and for ‘Heinz 1370’ and ‘Nuru F1’ in season two, but did not affect disease severity for ‘MT 56’ in the second season. Using soil mulch reduced the severity of early blight disease, but decreased the gross margin when purchased. Staking did not affect yield, disease severity of plants, and decreased the gross margin. Cultivar MT 56 had the highest gross margin and marketable fruit and least disease severity, and seeds should be made available to small-landholder tomato farmers in Uganda to enhance their sustainable livelihoods.

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of a strategic feeding supplementation protocol on reproductive and economic results of exclusively fixed timed artificial inseminated (FTAI) beef cows from a southern Brazilian herd. The experiment was carried out over 2 consecutive breeding seasons (2016 and 2017, from October to January). Two-hundred, 3 and 4 years old, non-suckled, Angus cows (n=100/year), were divided into two homogeneous groups (by weight and body condition score) 25 days before the first FTAI of the breeding season (First FTAI=Day 0). As a representation of traditional management of herds grazing on natural pastures from Rio Grande do Sul Province, Brazil, cows from control group (CG; n=100; 50 cows in each year) received basic mineral supplementation (without protein an energy) ad libitum during the entire experimental period. As an alternative feeding protocol, supplemented group (SG; n=100; 50 in each year) received a mineral supplementation enriched with protein (23%), energy (44% NDT) and sodium monensin (0.25%) ad libitum from days: –25 to 80 of breeding season. Cows were maintained in 2 separated paddocks of native pasture with similar forage composition and availability. All cows were submitted to a progesterone/estradiol-based estrus synchronization protocol on day -10, and cows not pregnant at diagnosis were resynchronized on days 28 and 76 using the same hormonal treatment. There was no year effect (P>0.1) on weight gain and reproductive results, data from both breeding seasons were polled together for further analyzes. Cows from SG presented higher average daily weight gain and gained more weight than cows from CG (p0.1). Cows from SG became pregnant earlier (p

Agriculture is the mainstay of Nepalese economy. Rice is a major staple crop of the country. Mechanization in rice cultivation is the best solution to get rid of labor scarcity and increase production of rice. AMTRC has been carrying out different research works on use of different machineries and cultivation practices in rice farming. During 2017–18/2018–19, it conducted research on uses of different machineries in three replications with five treatments. The mean grain yield due to treatments in pooled analysis of two years data was found significant at 1% level. The highest mean grain yield from two years data was found 3558.33 kg ha−1 in the treatment of rice transplanted by mechanical transplanter, the lowest production of 2576.33 kg ha−1 by directly seeded with power tiller drill machine and the average yield in farmer's practiceswas recorded as 2977.50 kg ha−1. The average of two years data revealed 12.13% more yield in the treatment-3 than the treatment-5. The variable costs became high in farmer's practices due to more labor requirement, it was 19.36% more in treatment-5 than Treatment-3 and it ultimately affected the gross margin under farmer's practices of rice cultivation which became low. The total gross margin was 136.19% more in treatment-3 than farmers’ practices. Thus, among the five treatments, the rice produced from the use of mechanical rice transplanter was found most profitable than other machines used in the trial including farmer's practices in this experiment. Comparatively low gross margin was observed in other treatments.

A study on the economic analysis of fish production using different feed types practiced in Dhanusha district was conducted in 2018. Out of 600 fish farmers, sixty fish farmers(10%) from the Fish Superzone region i.e. Janakpur sub-metropolitan city, Bideh municipality, Sahidnagar municipality, Kamala municipality, Hanspur municipality, Janaknandani rural municipality and Aaurahi rural municipality, selected using simple random sampling, were surveyed using semi-structured questionnaire. The study revealed that locally formulated mash feed was commonly used feed type in which rice bran and mustard oil cake (RB+MOC) was the principle feed ingredient. 55% of the farmers used rice bran and mustard oil cake (RB+MOC), 20% used rice bran, mustard oil cake and soybean (RB+MOC+SOB), 10% used rice bran, mustard oil cake and fish meal (RB+MOC+FM) and 15% farmers mineral and vitamin (RB+MOC+MIN/VIT) in their feed formulation. The productivity of the fish production in feed type RB+MOC+SOB (3.41±1.02) was significantly higher than other feed type. The total variable cost per ha (5.23±2.11) was found significantly(p

Cattle genotypes and adoption of new feeding technology are necessary for improving beef cattle production and managing efficiently beef production costs. A study was conducted to determine the effects of cattle genotypes and levels of concentrate supplements on cost effectiveness of feedlot beef production in a Complete Randomized Block Design in 3×4 factorial arrangements with 4 replications. Feeds were urea-treated rice straw (UTRS: 4%, w/w) and concentrates made from decorticated cottonseed cake (66%) and maize bran (34%). The experimental animals were Ankole (A×A: n=16), Ankole × Friesian (A×F: n=16) and Ankole × Sahiwal (A×S: n=16) steers. Proxy indicators used to determine profitability and likelihood of economic viability were Initial and Final values of carcass existing abattoir price (RwF 1800/kg beef); Break-even scenarios using What-if Analysis in Excel, 2010; and Gross Margin (GM). Results suggested that cost effectiveness of feedlot beef did not differ (p>0.05) by genotype; but they differed (p

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of manipulating hours of light and water temperature in some important reproductive parameters for Astyanax altiparanae fish farming during winter. The experiment was conducted from July 3 rd to August 28 th 2013 (57 days), and two groups of 32 couples of fish (G1 and G2) were used. On G1, hours of light and water temperature were not controlled; on G2, otherwise, these variables were manipulated in order to achieve similar conditions to those observed in spring. Every 14 days, eight couples of each group were hormonally induced with carp pituitary gland extract, and eggs were collected after semi-natural spawning. The percentage of females from G2 that spawned was higher than G1 (81.25 vs . 9.38%), the same trend was observed for a number of eggs produced per female (G1: 2,976.57 ± 1,085.71; G2: 8,471.14 ± 860.08). The G2 ovaries presented a higher incidence of primary growth oocytes and post-ovulatory follicles whereas G1 ovaries had more atretic follicles. Economic analysis showed that operational profit from eggs and larvae production on G2 was higher than on G1, as well as the gross margin. In conclusion, the results showed that environmental manipulation might improve reproduction management practices extending eggs and larvae production during the natural non-breeding season. Further studies are necessary to determine more appropriate facilities to be used by farmers in large scale, as well as management protocols to ensure the survival of post-larvae.

The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) recently developed and disseminated an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy to suppress the invasive oriental fruit fly species Bactrocera dorsalis in mango-growing communities in Africa. While the economic benefits of the strategy in mango production have been established, the cross-commodity benefits have not been assessed, despite evidence of the target fruit fly species’ effect on a wide range of cultivated host crops. Using propensity score matching, we analysed data on 371 households obtained from a survey of an icipe project in Kenya and sought to determine whether applying an IPM strategy for fruit fly had a spillover effect on gross margins. We focused on four alternative cultivated hosts of B. dorsalis, namely avocado, pawpaw, citrus and banana. We found positive and significant cross-commodity spillover effects in respect of employing the IPM strategy for fruit fly targeting pawpaw and citrus, suggesting a wide scope for IPM investment in Kenya and other fruit-producing regions in sub-Saharan Africa.

An experiment was conducted at the farmers’ field of Phulpur MLT site of On- Farm Research Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Mymensingh during 2015-16 and 2016-17 to find out a suitable intercrop combination of garden pea with maize for higher productivity and profitability. Five treatments, viz. T1= Maize (100%) + one row garden pea (33%) in between maize lines, T2= Maize (100%) + two row garden pea (66%) in between maize lines, T3= Maize (100%) + garden pea broadcast (100%) in between maize lines, T4= Sole maize and T5= Sole garden pea were tested following RCB design with six dispersed replications. Maize var. BARI Hybrid Maize-9 and garden pea var. BARI Motorshuti-3 were used in monoculture as well as in intercropping situations. Intercropping of garden pea improved the yield components of maize and offered some additional yield. The highest maize grain yield (8.62 t ha-1) and maize equivalent yield (20.22 t ha-1 yr-1) were recorded with maize (100 %) + two rows of garden pea (66 %) in between maize lines (T2). The values of all the competition functions were greater than unity and maize (100 %)+ two rows of garden pea (66 %) in between maize lines (T2) showed higher values of land equivalent ratio (1.56), gross return (Tk. 311920 ha-1), gross margin (Tk. 175697 ha-1) and BCR (2.29) as compared to other treatments.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 43(4): 691-702, December 2018

Cultivation of species of high growth rates is a key achievement of sustainable aquaculture development, with the aim of increasing animal protein per capita, maintaining food security and preserving freshwater usage. The present study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of monoculture and polyculture of striped catfish, Pangasianodon hypophthalmus, and Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, in different proportions and their effect on growth performance, survival, productivity, feed utilization, body composition, and financial revenue. Five experimental treatments were designed as follows: monoculture of striped catfish (100%), Nile tilapia (100%) and polyculture in different proportions of striped catfish and Nile tilapia (25%:75%, 50%:50%, 75%:25%, respectively), each in three replicates. The fish feeding regime consisted of isonitrogenous (307.80 g kg−1) and isocaloric (19.27-kJ g−1) diets for 14 weeks. The results revealed that the highest growth performance, feed utilization, survival of striped catfish were obtained in monoculture, followed by polyculture of striped catfish and Nile tilapia (in low proportions) (75%:25%). The total production per m3 reached 5.41 kg m−3 in the monoculture of striped catfish, this production decreased in polyculture by 52%, 46% and 23% with 25%, 50%, 75% of striped catfish. The gross margin significantly increased, in case of striped catfish farmed in monoculture, compared to other polyculture proportions. While the gross margin per m−3 of water was 6, 0.5, 1 and 3 $ in monoculture and different polyculture proportions, respectively. Moreover, the feed cost per kilogram of protein gain significantly decreased in the monoculture of striped catfish compared to other polyculture treatments. The growth performance and survival of tilapia showed no significant difference among different treatments. In addition, the proximate chemical composition did not differ in respect to species in different studied treatments. Monoculture of striped catfish is recommended to achieve high production and improve financial revenue per water unit (m−3), for better sustainable development of aquaculture.

The success of soybean-maize double summer crop is very dependent on the sowing date and relative maturity group of cultivars. This study aimed to evaluate the economic feasibility of the adoption of soybean-maize double cropping under different sowing periods and soybean maturity groups. The production data used were obtained from two summer growing seasons (2016/17 and 2017/18) in an experiment carried out at Dois Vizinhos-PR, Brazil. The economic feasibility of each treatment was evaluated through the indicators of gross revenue, gross margin, operating profit, and profitability index. Soybean-maize succession is viable and presents positive profitability. Soybean establishment on October 15th makes it economically unfeasible to sow maize (outside the zoning) as a 2nd summer crop. Soybean maturity groups from 5.1 to 5.3, when sown on October 1st allow profitability and better financial balance, being this combination the most suitable for a double summer crop. Soybean genotypes with maturity group 6.0 are an option for sowing in the middle of September, being the most lucrative and efficient arrangement, providing maize sowing in the middle of February, within the agroclimatic zoning of the region. Resumo: O sucesso da sucessão soja-milho safrinha é muito dependente da data de semeadura e do grupo de maturação das cultivares. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a viabilidade econômica da adoção da sucessão soja-milho safrinha sob diferentes épocas de semeadura e grupos de maturação de soja. Os dados de produção foram coletados nas safras de 2016/2017 e 2017/2018, em um experimento conduzido em Dois Vizinhos (PR), Brasil. A viabilidade econômica de cada tratamento foi avaliada por meio dos indicadores receita bruta, margem bruta, lucro operacional e índice de lucratividade. O sistema de sucessão soja-milho safrinha é viável e apresenta rentabilidade positiva. A semeadura da soja, em 15 de outubro, inviabiliza economicamente a semeadura da cultura do milho (fora do zoneamento) como segunda safra de verão. Grupos de maturação de soja de 5,1 a 5,3, quando semeados em início de outubro, permitem, além da lucratividade, melhor equilíbrio financeiro e menos risco produtivo, sendo essa combinação a mais indicada para a sucessão soja-milho safrinha. Genótipos de soja com grupo de maturação 6,0 é uma opção para semeaduras de abertura de zoneamento, sendo o arranjo mais lucrativo e eficiente, proporcionando a semeadura do milho em meados de fevereiro, dentro do zoneamento agroclimático da região.

Background: The endemic vector-borne diseases transmitted by tsetse and ticks impose heavy burdens on the livestock keepers in Africa. Applying deltamethrin to the belly, legs, and ears of cattle offers a possibility of mitigating these losses at a cost affordable to livestock keepers. Although studies have quantified the impacts of individual diseases on livestock productivity, little is known about the dual economic benefits of controlling both tsetse and ticks, nor about the number of cattle that need to be treated to confer these benefits. Alongside an epidemiological study in south-east Uganda, a farm level assessment was done to investigate the benefits and costs of spraying different proportions of the village cattle population using this restricted application protocol.Methods: A study comprising 1,902 semi-structured interviews was undertaken over a period of 18 months. Financial data on household income and expenditure on cattle was collected, and cost-benefit analysis was done pre- and post-intervention and for different spraying regimes. The total cost of the intervention was obtained from the implementation costs of the epidemiological study and from expenses incurred by participating farmers enabling examination of benefit-cost ratios and incremental benefit-cost ratios for each treatment regime.Results: The benefit-cost analysis of spraying 25%, 50%, and 75% of the cattle population yielded average benefit-cost ratios of 3.85, 4.51, and 4.46. The incremental benefit-cost ratios from spraying each additional 25% of the cattle population were 11.38, 3.89, and 0.79, showing a very high return on investment for spraying 50% of the population, with returns reducing thereafter.Conclusion: Comparing the gross margins per bovine, the study found that increasing the proportion of cattle sprayed yielded increasing benefits to the farmers, but that these benefits were subject to diminishing returns. From a practical viewpoint, this study recommends spraying only draft cattle to control trypanosomiasis and tick-borne diseases in this area as they make 38.62% of the cattle population, approaching the 50% threshold. In areas with a lower proportion of draft males, farmers could be advised to also include cows.

Factors such as increases in population, urbanization, growth in per capita income and changes in consumer taste and preferences are causing gradual increases in livestock product consumption and demand. South Africa is addressing this predicted increase in livestock products demand by commercializing smallholder livestock producers. The Limpopo Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) Nguni Cattle Development Project is an example of such effort. The economic performance of these efforts needs to be evaluated. We use gross margin analysis to evaluate the performance of the Limpopo IDC Nguni Cattle Development Project. Additionally, we use regression analysis to identify factors influencing gross margins. Our results indicate that although smallholders show potential to commercialize, they lack commercial farming experience and require that a strong extension support system be used as one of the strategies to improve profitability. We also noted that individual farmers were more profitable than group farmers. Multiple regression analysis shows that three variables could be used to stimulate gross margin among the Limpopo IDC Nguni Cattle Development Project farmers. These are herd size, distance to market and farm size. Since farm size is a given, policy should focus on assisting farmers to build their herds and to have better access to markets.

The aims of the present study were to provide a portrait of the techno-economic status of dairy herds in Minas Gerais, Brazil, particularly with respect to bulk-tank somatic cell count (BTSCC) data, and to examine the herd-level associations of BTSCC with various economic performance indicators (EPI). Data from 543 herds, 1,052 herd-year records in total, spread over 3 years (2015-2017), from the South and Southwest mesoregions of Minas Gerais State were provided by the Brazilian Support Agency to Micro and Small Companies Division Minas Gerais (SEBRAE). Herds had an average of 82 lactating cows per herd, milk yield of 17 L/cow per day, and availability of financial information via routine monthly economic surveys. The EPI data (revenue, gross margin, GM; net margin, NM; profit; break-even point; and operational profitability) of each herd was measured monthly by SEBRAE personnel, and herd-year averages of all variables were computed. Bulk-tank data (SCC, total bacterial count, content of crude protein and fat) taken by producers or dairy processors were recorded by SEBRAE personal; and corresponding herd-year averages were calculated and included in the SEBRAE database. There were 209 selected herds, which passed all edit checks, and which had data for all 3 years. The EPI (all expressed on a per-cow basis, $/cow per year) were analyzed, including the effects of region, year, log (ln) BTSCC, production level, and herd size, together with the random effect of herd nested within region. A high proportion of herds (94.6%) presented data records (herd-years) with an average BTSCC > 200 × 103 cells/mL: 37.8% of herd-year records had BTSCC between >200 and ≤400, 14.5% with BTSCC between >400 and ≤500, 25% with BTSCC between >500 and ≤750, and 17.3% with BTSCC >750. For each unit increase in ln BTSCC, revenue declined by $228.5/cow per year, GM by $155.6/cow per year, and profit by $138.6/cow per year. Herds with cows of lower production (

International audience; A major path helping agriculture achieve the dual challenges of production and environmental preservation, consists of transitioning from the current, external input-based, conventional farming systems to a biodiversity-based agricultural system that rely more on ecosystem services. One lever of this transition consists of diversifying agri-food systems using practices such as rotation extension, intercropping (IC), multiple cropping or multi-services cover crops (MSCC) implementation. Here, we investigated to what extent the combination of diversification practices could contribute to the enhancement of the sustainability of current conventional cropping systems through an ex ante evaluation.We compared the sustainability performances of five diversified (DIV) cropping systems from five major arable crop production regions of France to their local less diversified reference (REF) systems by calculating various criteria and implementing a multi-criteria decision aid model. 76 criteria assessing the three dimensions of sustainability were calculated (10, 17 and 49 criteria for the economic, social and environmental dimensions respectively).Our analysis showed that the combination of diversification practices could improve the environmental performances while maintaining a priori economic and social performances at satisfactory levels according to the local expert working group. The DIV systems always had lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to their REF systems and often improved air and water quality and above- and belowground biodiversity. However, diversification may also cause drawbacks for some indicators, as negative impacts were observed from, gross margin, NO3 lixiviation, NH3 volatilization or pesticide use, in some cases. Our analysis also suggested that the effect of a combination of diversification practices on an indicator can be either positive or negative according to the pedo-climatic context, the level of performance of the reference and compromises in the management of diversification practices in response to local objectives of performance.

Farmers continue losing substantial quantities of grain during storage due to damages from pests including insects. Hermetic bags, being promoted in Ethiopia, could be viable alternatives to traditional methods and insecticides that are commonly used by farmers to store grain. However, the economics and determinants behind farmers' decisions to use different storage methods are poorly understood. This study sought to ascertain the economics of hermetic grain storage technology among 450 representative small-scale maize farmers in northwestern Ethiopia. Gross margin (GM), and the marginal rate of return (MRR) were employed to estimate the economic costs and benefits of storage methods, while a multivariate probit regression model was employed to analyze the determinants of farmers' decision to store maize with a given storage method. The results show that farmers used a combination of different storage techniques: 19.6% did not store grain, 87.8% used traditional methods with pesticide, and 66.7% used Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) hermetic bags. Farmers who used hermetic bags also used other mentioned storage techniques. PICS had the highest GM (US$21.77 100 kg−1) and MRR (3.196), indicating that they were the most profitable. Moreover, a household could obtain an additional net cash flow of US$5.02 100 kg−1 PICS bag per season after 9.6 months of storage. Farmers’ decisions to use PICS bags were influenced by several factors including access to information, the initial cost, and storage capacity of the technology. Thus, increasing awareness and improving supply chain efficiency to reduce the cost of the PICS bags would improve adoption rates., Highlights • The PICS bag has been widely promoted to reduce storage loss in Ethiopia, but its economic viability are poorly studied. • The cost and benefit of using PICS bags for maize storage in northwestern Ethiopia were analyzed in this study. • PICS bags had the highest gross margin (US$21.77 100 kg−1) among storage options. • Households' decision to adopt PICS bags were influenced by the initial cost of the technology, storage capacity, and access to information. • Increasing awareness and improving the supply chain efficiency to reduce cost would improve adoption rates.

Several studies have stated the various effects of an increased dairy cow longevity on economic herd performance, but empirical studies are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the association between longevity of dairy cows and the economic performance of dairy herds based on longitudinal Dutch accounting data. Herd and farm accounting data (n = 855 herds) over the years 2007–2016 were analyzed. Herd data contained yearly averages on longevity features, herd size and several production variables. Longevity was defined as the age of cows at culling and by lifetime milk production of culled cows. Farm accounting data contained yearly averages on revenues, fixed and variable costs of the herds, by which gross margins were defined. Data was analyzed using generalized linear mixed modeling, with gross margin as dependent variable. The independent variables consisted of average age of culled cows, average lifetime production of culled cows, year, herd size, herd intensity (milk production per ha), herd expansion rate, soil type, milking system, successor availability, total full-time equivalent, heifer ratio (% of heifers per cow) and use of outsourced heifer rearing. Herd was included as a random effect to account for the heterogeneity among herds. Descriptive statistics showed that the average age of culled cows was 5.87 (STD = 0.78) years and the average lifetime milk production of culled cows was 31.87 (STD = 7.56) tons per cow with an average herd size of 89 cows (STD = 38.85). The average age of culled cows was stable over the 10 years (variation between 5.79 AND 5.90 years). The gross margin was on average €24.80/100 kg milk (STD = 4.67), with the lowest value in year 2009 and the highest value in year 2013. Gross margin was not significantly associated with age of culled cows and lifetime milk production of culled cows. Variance in longevity between herds was large (STD = 0.78 years) but herds with a higher longevity did not perform economically better nor worse than herds resulting in lower longevity. This indicates that, within current practice, there is potential for improving longevity in order to meet society's concerns on animal welfare and environmental pollution, without affecting the economic performance of the herd.

The current population dynamics is projected to increase yearly, and expected to challenge the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in relation to food and nutrition security. While the demand for agricultural food products is increasing, the availability of cultivable land is either stable or decreasing due to various environmental factors such as drought, floods and climate change effects. Considering that sustainability can only be achieved when a system is resource conserving, socio-culturally supportive, commercially competitive, and environmentally friendly, urban and peri-urban snail (Achatina fulica or Archachatina marginata) farming systems could represent viable sources of essential dietary nutrients and income for many families in Africa. Snail farming is profitable, with minimal capital and land demands, and limited risks. Snails are handpicked in the forest and easily farmed in gardens, backyards, basins, or cages. They are omnivores and environmentally friendly without odorous wastes (unlike pigs and poultry). Snails have high protein content, low in fat and cholesterol, and they are cheaper than other meat products. In addition, their by-products are inputs for other industries such as cosmetics and medicines. However, the current rate of snail farming in Cameroon barely satisfies 25% of the national demand. Hence, this study aims to encourage snail farming by evaluating the profitability of snail business as a valuable urban and peri-urban livestock alternative for sustainable development in Cameroon. Data were collected between March–May 2018 with the use of questionnaires administered to 60 urban and peri-urban snail farming households in the Buea Municipality, South West Region of Cameroon. Farm budgeting analysis enabled investigations of performance from farmers while semi-log functions enabled the evaluation of factors affecting the level of snail production in the study area. The descriptive statistics and gross margin results from farm budgeting and profit revealed a total production costs of only US$0.4 per kg, which produced fivefold return on investment and a profit of US$2 per kg of snail sold. Considering the environmental friendliness, profitability of snail business, and health value of snails in relation to food and nutrition security, urban and peri-urban snail farming is highly recommended within the scope of sustainable development in Cameroon.

One of the biggest challenges in intercropping of two or more crops is to maintain their productivity as that of their sole counterparts. In order to obtain sustainable intercropping systems in a semi-arid environment, this study evaluated the agro-economic advantage and sustainability of intercropped systems of carrot and cowpea, optimizing the green manuring and spatial arrangements. Experiments were conducted in the period from July to October 2017 and 2018, using a randomized complete block design with the treatments arranged in a 4 x 3 factorial scheme, with four replications. Treatments included four amounts of M. aegyptia incorporated into the soil (20, 35, 50, and 65 t ha-1 on dry basis) with three spatial arrangements (2:2, 3:3, and 4:4) between the components cultures formed from cowpea rows alternated with carrot rows. The agro-economic advantage indices evaluated in the intercropping systems were: land equivalent ratio (LER), area-time equivalent ratio (ATER), score of the canonical variable (Z), actual yield loss (AYL), intercropping advantage (IA), gross income (GI), net income (NI), rate of return (RR), and profit margin (PM). The highest agro-economic advantages of the carrot and cowpea intercropping were obtained for LER, ATER, NI, and RR of 2.60, 4.16, US$ 8,720.99 ha-1, and US$ 2.21, respectively, for M. aegyptia biomass amounts of 46.42, 47.82, 32.60 and 31.51t ha-1 added to the soil. The 2: 2 spatial arrangement was the one with the best productive performance, with higher net income and rate of return in the intercropping of carrot-cowpea.

Evaluation and demonstration study was conducted at Kemo-Gerbi kebele of Adami Tulu Jidokombolcha district on Borana bulls with the objectives of evaluation and demonstration of bulls fattening technologies at on-farm level. One farmer’s research extension group (FREG) was formed for fattening the bulls. Twenty bulls were purchased from Borana zone by farmers for the fattening trials. Two feeding treatments ( T 1 = Grazing + 20% crushed maize grain + 45% wheat bran + 35% Noug cake and T 2 = Grazing + 65% wheat bran + 35% cotton seed cakes) were evaluated. The animals were randomly assigned for dietary rations and data on live weight change of the animals were taken using weight chart tape (developed by JICA project). Final body weights, total weight gain and average daily weight gain of the bulls were not significant (P>0.05) among the treatments. Bulls fed on treatment one attained an average daily weight gain of 0.83 kg per bull ; while bulls fed on treatment two gained 0.76 kg per bull per day. Total gross margin of treatment one (53,154.5 ETB) was higher than treatment two (49,467.75 ETB). Cost-benefit analysis indicated that feeding option number one (T 1 ) is more economical as compared to bulls fed on T 2 . However, fatteners can use any of the feeding options depending on availability of the ingredients in their area .

The bioeconomic efficiency of cow-calf systems was compared by a deterministic dynamic simulation. The simulation model considered stable cow-calf systems differentiated by the maximum age for culling cows, lifetime, culled at 4–13 years old. The necessary supply of metabolizable energy for the herd was established as natural grasslands, cultivated pasture in the winter/spring, and pre-dried pasture produced by the system. The biological efficiency of the systems was considered the ratio between the production of total live weight and the metabolizable energy consumed over one production cycle. Economic efficiency was determined by the ratio between gross margin and production area and the ratio between gross margin and number of cows. Bioeconomic efficiency was determined by a simple linear regression between biological efficiency, economic efficiency per area, and economic efficiency per cow. The efficiency of the animal unit, considering biological efficiency and economic efficiency per area were better in the system that culled cows at 4 years old, while economic efficiency per cow was better in the system that culled cows at 13 years old. In determining the bioeconomic efficiency of the systems, the best results were found in the system that culled cows at 6 years old, which suggests that the best efficiency of a cow-calf herd is reached when the adult age and mature weight of the cow are reached, and there is no more energy used for growing. The results indicate that stable cow-calf herds express their best biological efficiency and economic efficiency per area when the cow culling age is lower. However, economic efficiency per cow depends on cows that remain in the herd as long as possible. The culling age of cow that balances these biological and economic indicators is reached around 5 and half years.

The implementation of conservation agriculture (CA) remains crucial for facing interannual variability in climatic conditions that impact durum wheat production and food security. The current work was conducted to assess the effects of the tillage practice, previous crop, and nitrogen (N) fertilization rate on the agronomic and economic performances of rainfed durum wheat in a semi-arid environment in Tunisia. Tillage practices included no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT). Preceding crops were either a common vetch or a bread wheat. The N rates applied were: 0, 75, 100, 120, and 140 kg N ha&minus, 1. Our results show that, based on a 2-year experiment, tillage practices are not affecting grain yield, grain N, and gross margins. However, the N-use efficiency of durum wheat was significantly higher when wheat was grown using NT. Grain yield and N content in grain were 340 kg ha&minus, 1 and 0.34%, much higher after vetch than after bread wheat. For both tillage practices, the merit of 75 kg N ha&minus, 1 is paramount to maximize yield through a more efficient use of available N. Our results highlight the importance of no-tillage-based CA combined with rotation, including vetch, on enhanced yields, N-use efficiency, and gross margins. These findings provide the evidence of the positive impact of CA for rainfed durum wheat under semi-arid Mediterranean conditions.

Miscanthus is a promising bioeconomy crop with several biomass utilisation pathways. However, its current cultivation area in Europe is relatively low. This is most likely due to a lack of knowledge about the imple- mentation of miscanthus into farming systems. This study reviews current best practices and suitable land areas for miscanthus cultivation. Biomass production costs and labour requirements were evaluated over the whole 20- year cultivation cycle of four utilisation pathways: combustion, animal bedding, and both conventional and organic biogas production. The assessment was performed for two field sizes (1 and 10 ha), two average annual yield levels (15 and 25 t dry matter ha􏰀1), and both green and brown harvest regimes. The maximum attainable annual gross margins are 1657€ha􏰀1for combustion, 13,920€ha􏰀1for animal bedding, 2066€ha􏰀1for conventional and 2088€ha􏰀1for organic biogas production. The combustion pathway has the lowest labour demand (141.5 h ha􏰀1), and animal bedding the highest (317.6 h ha􏰀1) due to additional baling during harvest. Suitable cultivation areas include depleted soils, erosion-prone slopes, heavy clay soils and ecological focus areas such as riparian buffer zones and groundwater protection areas. On such sites, miscanthus would (i) improve soil and water quality, and (ii) enable viable agricultural land utilisation even on scattered patches and strips. Due to its low demands and perennial nature, miscanthus is suitable for sustainable intensification of indus- trial crop cultivation in a growing bioeconomy, benefiting soil and water quality, while providing large amounts of biomass for several utilisation pathways.

This study aims to analyze the cost-benefit of catfish marketing in Obio- Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. A random sampling technique was adopted in sampling 60 catfish marketers in 5 catfish markets for the study. Data were collected with a structured questionnaire and were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression models. Results showed that all respondents were female within the active working-age of 31-50 years. Married catfish marketers were 33.3%, and 80% had formal education. The profitability of catfish marketing indicated a total mean total variable cost (TVC), ₦68,119.17, the total mean total fixed cost (TFC), ₦2,131.75, the total mean total cost of production (TCP), ₦70,250.92, mean total revenue (TR) recorded ₦181,000.00, and mean net income (NI), ₦137,572.08. mean gross margin value (GM) recorded ₦139,635.83, while the profitability index (PI) 1.31. The variables which influenced the profitability of catfish marketing were age, educational level, number of the sales point, and capital. The high cost of transportation, unstable price, and poor access road were the major constraints to catfish marketing. The source of startup capital was personal savings It is recommended that catfish marketers form a cooperative society to enhance their access to finance and regulate pricing with relevant variables that significantly influenced net income and should be considered in policy issues.