Identification Of Skills Needed By Women Of Agriculture In The Production Of Amarantus Cruentus For Economic Security
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PROJECT MATERIAL
Identification Of Skills Needed By Women Of Agriculture In The Production Of Amarantus Cruentus For Economic Security
Abstract
This study looked at the abilities that agricultural women need in order to produce amaranthus cruentus for economic stability. During the 2015 rainy season, two field experiments were conducted at the teaching and research farm of Bayero University Kano’s new campus (Latitude 120 58’N and Longitude 80 25’E) and the National Horticultural Research Institute Bagauda, Kano (110 33’N and 80 23’E), both located in Nigeria’s Sudan savanna ecological zone, to assess the response of vegetable Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.) to Gibberellic acid concentrations.
The treatment consists of four levels of Gibberellic acid (GA3) (0, 200, 400, and 600ppm) that were laid out in a Randomised complete block design with four replications; the net plot was 2m X 1.5m (3m2), with 0.5m between replicates and 1m between them.
The administration of GA3 at 400ppm and 600ppm considerably increased plant height, number of leaves, leaf area, fresh weight, and dry weight at both locations.
Additionally, the application of Gibberellic acid at 400ppm and 600ppm significantly raised the fresh and dry weight of amaranth in Bagauda. As a result, these treatments are recommended for amaranth farmers in the study area to help them improve their financial situation.
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Vegetable amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.) belongs to the Amaranthacea family of plants. It is also known as Alayyahu in Nigeria (Vorster et al., 2002). Amaranth is typically green in colour, however purple varieties are also grown in some parts of the country.
The plant can reach a height of 2 metres, its seeds are black in the wild and white in the domesticated farm, and it is consumed as a cereal grain. In Nigeria, amaranths (Amaranthus sp.) are cultivated primarily on rotten dung, dilapidated areas, irrigated fields, and fallow lands with no deliberate or minimal cultivation. Seeds are typically dispersed on beds or flat ground.
To prevent overcrowding, the plant is thinned at a specific stage of growth and thus removed from the first harvest. They are milled into flour, popped like popcorn, cooked into porridge, and used in confectionary products. The leaves can be cooked much like spinach (Gruben and Denton, 2004).
Plant height is mostly a genetically determined trait, however various studies have shown that plant height can be boosted by the use of plant growth regulators.
The administration of several agrochemicals, fertilisers, and micronutrients resulted in a significant improvement in growth and development, with the effect being more obvious with foliar GA3 application (Ganapathi, 2006).
Vegetable (Amaranthus Cruentus), also known as spinach, is a herbaceous leafy vegetable grown in Sub-Saharan African countries. It is unique among all vegetables in terms of short maturity time, profitability, and ease of cultivation on small areas (Oluijide and Oladele, 2007).
In Nigeria, for example, this vegetable is commonly produced for subsistence, and it provides a substantial potential for poor households to make revenue through commercial production of the vegetable, which employs a higher proportion of young people in various farm operations (Emokoroet al, 2007).
As a result, vegetables can provide subsistence and income to rural, peri-urban, and urban populations without requiring large investments (Department for International Development and Research for Development, 2010). This is particularly essential for the resources of poor (youth) farmers with little capital investments.
The vegetable (Amaranthus Cruentus) is one of the most significant green leafy vegetables in the tropics; it contains minerals and vitamins (particularly vitamin A), which are extremely essential for maintaining good health and preventing sickness (Onyangoet al, 2008).
Over the last two decades, Africa has made mixed progress in addressing food poverty and child malnutrition (Garcia 2012). Approximately one-third of African children under the age of five are stunted, with more than a quarter being underweight.
Micronutrient deficiencies mostly affect women and children, and they contribute significantly to the global disease burden of children by limiting healthy cognitive development, impeding physical development, and increasing vulnerability to infectious diseases (Asare-Marfo et al. 2013). Most African countries are still battling to address issues of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies (Lopriore and Muehlhoff 2003).
African leafy greens are increasingly recognised as potential sources of vitamins and bioactive compounds in African inhabitants’ diets (Smith and Eyzaguirre 2007). The continent is abundant in vegetable species, including amaranths, which are among the most popular leafy vegetables on the continent (Maundu et al. 2009).
Amaranths are composed of 60-70 species (Xu and Sun 2001), with at least 17 species having edible leaves and three grain amaranths farmed for their seeds (Grubben and Denton 2004).
Although some species are considered weeds, people all around the world cherish amaranths as leafy vegetables, grains, and ornamentals (Trucco and Tranel, 2011).
According to Habweet al (2008), a person requires 200g of vegetables per day, although Nigeria’s national average is lower than this figure. This insufficient intake of fresh vegetables is exacerbated during the dry season, when moisture shortage limits the area under cultivation and the amount of vegetable that can be produced to fulfil demand.
The vegetable can be grown all year, depending on the availability of water. In Nigeria, it is grown near a low-lying location (Fadama) with access to irrigation water.
However, water resources are limited, and irrigation is labour intensive because many rural areas rely on reservoirs or rivers to reach fields (VanLeeuwen, 2001).
The use of small-scale, low-cost irrigation technologies by African smallholder farmers has enormous potential and could be one of the solutions to enhancing food production, farmer income, and food security (VanLeeuwen, 2001).
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic