The free distribution of seeds and tools is the standard approach to agricultural recovery. The predominance of this approach is partly attributable to the: (1) perception that farmer seed quality is poor, (2) insistence on seed certification, (3) promotion of researcher varieties, (4) misdiagnosis of unavailability, (5) difficulty accessing farmer seed, and (6) support for the commercial seed ...

Common belief and some empirical evidence indicates that productivity of a farmer may increase with age, reach some maximum level, and then decrease with further age (Tauer 1984; Tauer 1995). If productivity exhibits a life-cycle pattern, then productivity of agriculture may decrease as the U.S. farm population continues to age. Lifecycle changes are also critical in planning for succession of ...

Body height and mass were determined in girls aged 10.5-18.5 years in three periods: 1977 (n = 1028), 1987 (n = 1255) and in 1997 (n = 1992). The families of those girls were classified into three categories: farmers, farmer-workers and non-farmers. The economical crisis affected predominantly the rural non-farmer population while farmers were most independent from food rationing. After the cha...

The US regulations for production of organic milk include a strict prohibition against the use of antimicrobials and other synthetic substances. The effect of these regulations on dairy animal health has not been previously reported. The objective of this study was to characterize disease detection and identify risk factors for selected diseases on organic (ORG) and similarly sized conventional...

Banana is a key staple and cash crop in east and central Africa. However, the recent outbreak of Banana Xanthomonas wilt (BXW) has threatened farmers whose livelihoods depend on the crop. Since 2002, stakeholders embarked on campaigns to sensitize farmers on the disease and its management. This study evaluated the effectiveness of these efforts by examining farmers’ awareness of the disease, co...