American International Journal of Agricultural Studies https://acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijas <h3>Aims and Scope</h3> <p>American International Journal of Agricultural Studies is a <em>Double-Blind Peer-Reviewed Refereed International Journal </em>that focuses on the diverse and interdisciplinary aspects of agriculture. It publishes peer-reviewed research papers, review articles, communications, and short notes without any restrictions on their length. The journal's primary objective is to disseminate scientific knowledge related to crop and animal production, biosecurity, postharvest handling of produce, agricultural technology, sustainable management of natural resources (land, soil, and water), rural management and development, and agriculture in dynamic environments.</p> <h3>Key Topics:</h3> <ul> <li>Agricultural Economics &amp; Resource Management</li> <li>Agricultural technology</li> <li>Agricultural product health and safety</li> <li>Agriculture &amp; Ecology</li> <li>Animal Agriculture &amp; Science</li> <li>Animal production: livestock and poultry</li> <li>Aquacultural Science</li> <li>Biorenewable Resources</li> <li>Crop production: grains; legumes; fruits; vegetables; flowers; cotton</li> <li>Ecology</li> <li>Forestry</li> <li>General &amp; Introductory Agriculture</li> <li>Horticulture</li> <li>Pests</li> <li>Diseases &amp; Weeds</li> <li>Soil and water</li> <li>Tropical Agriculture etc.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p><em>Subject Area</em> – Agricultural and Biological Sciences. <em>Subject Category</em> – Plant Science.</p> <p><em>Subject Area</em> – Agricultural and Biological Sciences. <em>Subject Category</em> – Agronomy and Crop Science.</p> <p><em>Subject Area</em> – Agricultural and Biological Sciences. <em>Subject Category</em> – Food Science.</p> <p><em>Subject Area</em> – Environmental Science. <em>Subject Category-</em> Ecology.</p> en-US aijas@acseusa.org (Professor Dr. Arjantin, Executive Manager ) office@acseusa.org (Help desk ) Sat, 04 May 2024 17:04:17 +0000 OJS 3.3.0.8 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 CAN CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECT INCOME-GENERATING ACTIVITIES?: EVIDENCE FROM FARMERS IN ENUGU STATE NIGERIA https://acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijas/article/view/312 <p style="text-align: justify;"><em>The need to analyze the changes that the effect of climate change brings on the income-generating activities of farmers in Enugu state necessitated this study. The study examined farmers' socio-economic characteristics, described the perceived climate change effects, analyzed changes in income-generating activities, and evaluated the link between socio-economic factors and income-generating activities. Primary data were collected from 120 respondents using well-structured questionnaires. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson product-moment correlation. The results showed that the majority (73.3%) of the respondents were male farmers. Results of the study also showed that reduction in productivity (89.2%), change in farming pattern (77.5%), and soil degradation (65.0%) were the most perceived effects of climatic change among the respondents. The result also revealed strong negative change in income-generating activities in the areas of goat/sheep rearing (-33.4), fishing (-32.5), rabbit rearing (-15.0), and basket weaving (15.0), while petty trading (+23.4), hair barbing (+18.3) and food vending (+15.8) had strong positive change in the study area. The study revealed that socio-economic characteristics such as marital status, household size, and years of farming experience are correlated with positive income-generating activities. The study recommends that farmers should prioritize positive income-generating activities that correlate with their socio-economic characteristics. The study also recommends the implementation of crop rotation and organic manure as one of the ecological practices for climate change mitigation.</em></p> <p><strong>JEL Classification Codes: </strong>Q00, O13.</p> Kelvin Nnaemeka Nwangwu , Chukwuma Ume , Ogochukwu Gabriella Onah , Chinedum Jachima Chiemela, Emmanuel Ejiofor Omeje Copyright (c) 2024 Kelvin Nnaemeka Nwangwu , Chukwuma Ume , Ogochukwu Gabriella Onah , Chinedum Jachima Chiemela, Emmanuel Ejiofor Omeje https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijas/article/view/312 Sat, 04 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND LIPID PROFILE OF ARCHACHATINA MARGINATA (GIANT AFRICAN LAND SNAIL) FED VARYING LEVELS OF RIPE EGGPLANT FRUITS BASED DIETS https://acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijas/article/view/313 <p style="text-align: justify;"><em>The performance of African giant land snails (Archachatina marginata) fed ripe eggplant fruits was studied using eighty-four (84) juvenile (four months old) Archachatina marginata for eight (8) weeks. The study evaluated the snails' growth performance and lipid profile (total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein and triglycerides). The snails were divided into four treatment groups, with twenty-one (21) snails per group in a completely randomized design (CRD). Treatments 1, 2, 3 and 4 had varying levels of ripe eggplant fruits at 0%, 5%, 10% and 15% inclusion levels respectively. Isocaloric and isonitrogenous feeds and water were provided ad libitum, while other management practices were strictly adhered to. The results showed no significant differences (P&gt;0.05) in growth performance across treatments. The results also revealed that total cholesterol decreased (P&lt;0.05) significantly as the levels of ripe eggplant fruits increased across treatments. There were no significant differences (P&gt;0.05) in low-density lipoprotein and triglycerides, while high-density lipoprotein differed (P&lt;0.05) significantly across treatments. The result also showed a linear increase in high-density lipoprotein ("good" cholesterol) as the levels of ripe eggplant fruits increased across treatments. Therefore, a 15% inclusion level of ripe eggplant fruits in the diet of Archachatina marginata reduces total cholesterol levels and increases high-density lipoprotein without any adverse effect on growth. The study recommends using ripe eggplant fruits to formulate diets for animals with high cholesterol content and high levels of low-density lipoprotein in their meat.</em></p> <p><strong>JEL Classification Codes: </strong>O13.</p> Kenechi Celestina Umezinwa , Chioma Jane Aniekwe , Foleng Harriet Ndofor Copyright (c) 2024 Kenechi Celestina Umezinwa , Chioma Jane Aniekwe , Foleng Harriet Ndofor https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijas/article/view/313 Sun, 05 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 ASSESSMENT OF THE OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF FARMERS' COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN SOUTH EAST NIGERIA https://acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijas/article/view/314 <p style="text-align: justify;"><em>To uncover the constraints and entry points for improving the operational performance of farmers' cooperative societies in southeast Nigeria forms the motivation for this study. Farmers' cooperatives have enormous potential to support economic growth at the rural and regional levels, building on the spirit of teamwork that is already common among the rural people. A decent number of qualities differentiate cooperative associations from other different entities. These comprise open and voluntary enrollment. Cooperative social orders are available to all citizenry with common interests. This study analyzed responses from two hundred and forty respondents selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure. Frequency, mean, Likert scale and ordered logit regression model were used for the analysis. The perception of members of farmers' cooperative societies on their operational performance showed that the cooperatives in the area performed well in terms of members' access to training, participation during decision-making, voting during elections, and leaders' emergence through the democratic process. The ordered logit regression result of the socioeconomic factors to the operational performance of the farmers' cooperatives showed that membership strength, Age of the cooperatives, access to free input, access to training, and access to infrastructural facilities were statistically significant and positively related to farmers' cooperatives level of operational performance. Thus, the study recommends that Cooperative societies supply their members' goods and services for improved income and savings investment, improved productivity, and bargaining power through maximum utilization of economies of scale and cost and risk sharing.</em></p> <p><strong>JEL Classification Codes: </strong>O13.</p> Ogochukwu Gabriella Onah , Chukwuma Otum Ume , Kelvin Nnaemeka Nwangwu , Emmanuel Ejiofor Omeje, Chizoba Obianuju Oranu Copyright (c) 2024 Ogochukwu Gabriella Onah , Chukwuma Otum Ume , Kelvin Nnaemeka Nwangwu , Emmanuel Ejiofor Omeje, Chizoba Obianuju Oranu https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijas/article/view/314 Sat, 11 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000 INFLUENCE OF HUMIC ACID ON YIELD AND YIELD ATTRIBUTING CHARACTERS OF RIDGE GOURD https://acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijas/article/view/315 <p style="text-align: justify;"><em>Humic acids are organic compounds that enhance agronomic parameters, plant growth, and soil characteristics. Humic acid-based products have recently been utilized in crop production to maintain the sustainability of agricultural output. Humic acid can enhance a variety of physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil, including texture, structure, water-holding capacity, cation exchange capacity, pH, soil carbon, enzymes, nitrogen cycling, and nutrient availability. This study emphasizes the significance of humic acid for crop growth, plant hormone production, nutrient uptake and assimilation, Yield, and protein synthesis. The study deals with the Effect of humic acid on growth, fruit weight, fruit volume, quality of fruit, and Yield per hectare of ridge gourd. The research was studied at the In-check Farm, BCKV, Mohanpur, Nadia, W.B., India, in the pre-kharif season of 2023, following RBD with three replications, seven treatments, and control.&nbsp; Among the treatments, T<sub>6</sub> had the highest fruit yield (127.908 q ha<sup>-1</sup>), followed by T<sub>5</sub> in second place (109.842 q ha<sup>-1</sup>) and T<sub>1</sub> in last place (70.480 q ha<sup>-1</sup>), with a significant difference between them. The average fruit yield and parameters associated with Yield were significantly higher for ridge gourds when 112 kg ha<sup>-1</sup> of humic acid was applied in conjunction with the recommended dosage of fertilizers (T<sub>6</sub>). In all cases except days to flower initiation, T<sub>6 </sub>was highest among the other treatments. Hence, the humic acid (112 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>) along with FYM @ 20 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>, neem cake @ 600 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>, N @ 50 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>, P<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5 </sub>@ 25 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>, and K<sub>2</sub>O @ 25 kg ha<sup>-1</sup> fertilizers were recommended for getting the maximum Yield, and quality of ridge guard. </em></p> <p><strong>JEL Classification Codes: </strong>Q22, Q120.</p> Sanjoy Kumar Bordolui , Gouranga Sundar Mandal Copyright (c) 2024 Sanjoy Kumar Bordolui , Gouranga Sundar Mandal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 https://acseusa.org/journal/index.php/aijas/article/view/315 Thu, 29 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000