Journal of the Austrian Society of Agricultural Economics (JASAE)

Abstract : This study was conducted to determine the physiological index and stress of washing chickens in the cement plant area of LAFARGE (Ewekoro) and Dangote (Ibese) in Ogun State. 100 adult eaten chickens consisting of 25 chickens from LAFARGE, Dangote and their respective neighboring communities (Imasaya and Wasimi) were used. Experimental birds were captured from roosts during the night and caged until the next morning. Data on rectal temperature, pulse and respiratory rate of the birds were collected. 5 ml of blood was also drawn via the chicken wing vein at each site using a sterilized needle and syringe and transported to the laboratory for analysis. Significantly (P<0.05) the highest heart rates (215.64 beats per minute) and respiratory rates (19.90 beats per minute) were recorded in LAFARGE (Ewekoro) range samples and the lowest (198.61 beats per minute and 16 .00 beats per minute).or 93 breaths/minute) in Imasaya. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the rectal temperatures of the birds in the study area. Significant differences (P<0.05) were also found in hematocrit (PCV), hemoglobin (Hb), white blood cell count (WBC), monocytes and glucose levels in zone Dangote chickens. Study with the highest (P<0.05) .05) Thehematocrit (28.06%) and hemoglobin (4.01 g/dL) were recorded in Ibese, and the minimum hematocrit (22.00%) and hemoglobin (288 g/dL) in Imasaya. The maximum (P<0.05) Monocytes (4.28%) and glucose (256.53 g/dl) were detected in scavengers in Dangote (Ibese), while the lowest number of monocytes (0.00%) and glucose (194.53 g/dl) was found in chickens in Wasimi. The maximum (P<0>0.05) Difference in the ratios of heterophils, lymphocytes, basophils and heterophils/lymphocytes in the chickens of the study area. The study showed that chickens reared in LAFARGE (Ewekoro) were stressed and had health and welfare status compared to Dangote Cement Area (Ibese) and other farming communities. An effective environmental mitigation program should be implemented to improve the welfare of feed chickens at the LAFARGE cement factory..
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Abstract : This study is aimed at analyzing and evaluating the current status of the quality of public transport in Vinh Long province – one of the emerging provinces in the Mekong River Delta (MRD) Vietnam. The research employed the data set of direct interviews with 140 respondents who have and have not to experience in using public transport for analysis and comparison purposes. The contribution of this research is comparing the opinions of current and potential users of public transport and employing the conventional CVM approach and inferred valuation (IV) to compare the fees people are willing to contribute to current public transport improvement projects. The research results revealed that the current state of the transport system has not met the needs of users. The research results also clearly indicate the role of the IV estimation method in adjusting the WTP value elicited closer to reality. The interesting point is that people who have never used public transport are willing to pay more for better quality. In addition, respondents' gender and income influence this willingness to pay for both groups of observations. Based on the analysis results, the study proposes a number of solutions to stakeholders such as the government, public transport companies, and people to promote the development of public transport in the near future..
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Abstract : This study was used to profile the coping strategies of poultry farmers in the Southwestern Nigeria during the outburst of the dreaded disease called COVID19.The entire world was put on halts and many businesses and farming were paralyzed. Ikole, Ijero, Ado, Oye, Ifaki LGAs all in Ekiti State Southwestern Nigeria was used for the study. A multistage sampling technique was used in the study. 100 respondents were interviewed. The data collected were analyzed using inferential statistics tools, descriptive statistics as means, frequency tables, etc., were used to describe the socio-economic characteristics and the coping strategies of poultry farmers during COVID-19. The mean age of the respondents is 40.59 years, male gender is (67%), while37% are the female farmers. It was also shown that 61.0% of the respondents were married, and only 9% had no formal education. Study showed that 88% of the poultry producer used early marketing strategy to prevent over feeding of the birds, reduction in cost of production, 84% sells to consumer in lieu of retail, 80% reduced stock of production because there was no way to market the bird, so as to avoid lost, a lot of people reduce the number of stock they rear to a little quantity they can sell within their environment since people movement has been restricted, The farmers used dry fish silage as protein, private feed milling and use of fruits and fruits co-product during the period under review..
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Abstract : This study estimated the effect of demographic factors on the US household consumption of some selected food using the Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System (QUAIDDS). Quarterly Food-at-Home Price Database from 2004-2010 from the USDA site was used, containing information on prices, total expenditure, household size, divisions, and regions, respectively. Average household size was used because the data have different numbers of households across all divisions and regions. Demand for the selected food groups was estimated using Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System (QUAIDS). The result of the QUAIDS model showed that all the expenditure elasticities were positive and statistically significant at the percent level, which implies that food items are normal goods. Furthermore, it was revealed that raw sugar (.96725022), ice cream/frozen desserts (.95327974), baked good mixes (.97466743), and bakery items ready to eat (.99237186) are necessities since their coefficients were less than one. Additionally, all own-price elasticities were negative, as expected in both compensated and uncompensated price elasticities estimated for food items. The result also revealed that baked good mixes were a substitute for raw sugar, bakery items ready to eat were substituted goods for non-carbonated calorie beverages, raw sugar and packaged sweets/baked goods was a substitute for good mixes, and non-carbonated calorie beverages was substitute for bakery items ready to eat which is an indication that foods were substitutes. In addition, Marshallian cross elasticities show that both baked goods mixes and packaged sweets/baked goods were substituted goods for raw sugar, and ice cream/frozen desserts were substituted goods for non-carbonated calorie beverages. Packaged sweets/baked goods and bakery ready to eat were substituted goods for ice cream/frozen desserts, and raw sugar and packaged sweets/baked goods were substituted goods for baked goods mixes. Also, raw sugar, ice cream, and frozen desserts, baked goods mixes were substituted for packaged sweets/baked goods. In contrast, non-carbonated calorie beverages and ice cream/frozen desserts were substitutes for bakery items ready to eat. Therefore it is recommended that economic policies be made to prevent fluctuations in food prices in the US..
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Abstract : Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays a significant role in soil fertility. Changes in SOC are associated with carbon input from organic materials. This study was conducted to assess the organic carbon dynamics of lowland soil from first to sixth cropping. A lowland area devoted to rice production under different production systems in six (6) successive croppings was evaluated. Results revealed that SOC changes with cropping. The second cropping generally showed higher SOC than the rest of the cropping period. In the sixth cropping, SOC in all production systems was comparable. The results suggest that organic amendments can be a good substitute for inorganic fertilizers in improving soil fertility aside from producing safe food to eat..
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