Dry Marginal Agricultural Land or DryMAL can be used as an alternative land resource for crop production. This study aims to use Sentinel-2A imagery to map the spatial extent, to compare the result of the classification with existing maps and to identify the change in DryMAL occupation. Sentinel-2A imagery for the 2019 dry season used for this study. Then, supervised image classification using a maximum likelihood algorithm used for image treatment and processing.\nFurthermore, 771 ground control points for training areas collected during the field surveys. Five Sentinel-2A bands used in the classification process. The classification results evaluated using a confusion matrix (overall and kappa accuracy). Furthermore, the thematic map produced from the classification is compared to existing digital (RBI) maps. The change in DryMAL occupation from 2000 to 2019 calculated by comparing the classified and existing thematic maps. Supervised classification yielded an overall accuracy of 97.6% and a kappa accuracy of 94.8%. The classification produced six (6) classes of land use: (1) forest, (2) pavement or built-up area, (3) irrigated paddy field, (4) non-irrigated rural area, (5) dry marginal land (DryMAL) and (6) water body. Globally, during the last two decades, regional development led by local government has altered land use by reducing the extent of DryMAL area, increasing plantation and converting the amount of non-irrigated or the irrigated area to pavement areas.

Research on mercury exposure in the scalp hair of Malahing Village residents has been done. They consume fish in their daily lives so they are potentially exposed to mercury. The total mercury content in their scalp hair was measured by Thermal Decomposition Gold Amalgamation Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy Method. The analysis result showed that the mercury content in their scalp hair was between 0.34-2.73 ppm. Mercury levels in the scalp hair of female and male samples are not significantly different. There is a tendency for mercury levels to increase with age.

The aim of this paper is to examine the mental models of actors in Saudi firms with respect to the notion of Green Business Trends and Sustainable Development . We use a cognitive map to analyse managers’ perception to Ggreen Business Trends and Sustainable Development and to understand this concept through the presentation and analysis of the cognitive maps of Saudi firm’s actors. Thus, we visualize concepts (variables) that structure the cognitive universe of the actors, which is projected in terms of influences and dependencies plan. This research provides some lines of thought about Green Business Trends and Sustainable Development that should be explored further. Our research can only help the launch of a debate on Green Business Trends and Sustainable Development.

The study evaluated marketing efficiency and profitability of Jatropha production in south west Nigeria. Data from 90 Jatropha marketing chain actors from 3 towns in the region were used. The concentration ratio, market margin and gross margin were estimated. The results showed that the market structure is not concentrated and non-competitive with concentration ratio indices of Jatropha farmers and processors as 34% and 20% respectively. Results of the profitability analysis revealed that a much higher margin (4,010,000 Naira) was obtained by processors than the farmers (47,743 Naira). Average market margin was lower for the farmers (46 Naira/Kg) than the processors (100 Naira/Kg). It was concluded that the Jatropha marketing system is inefficient in the study area. The paper recommended that interventions to encourage Jatropha production and productivity in the country be put in place and pricing behaviours and market information systems be strengthened.

Agricultural investment is vital for increasing agricultural output, therefore increasing food production and rural incomes is highly correlated with investment. Increased food production lessens food insecurity issues, with welfare and equity concerns being addressed by growth in rural incomes. The aim of the study was to assess the contribution of domestic agricultural investment to domestic agricultural output and employment creation in agriculture in South Africa. Alfred Marshall’s AD – AS model was applied to establish the chain of causality between investment, output and employment in the short-run to the medium term. The results indicate that domestic agricultural investment does not follow a regular patter, whereas output growth and real wage exhibit an upward trend. However, the trend in employment of rural people was alarming. Further, there existed a positive relationship between agricultural investment and agricultural output with agricultural output growth leading to growth in real wage. Also, increase in real wage led to fewer people being employed in the agricultural sector. Given the findings, the study recommends increased financial support programs to farming enterprises, in the form of tax-cuts, an incentive to employ more rural people to complement growth in agricultural output, without being compromised by growth in real wage. This will supplement the efforts of achieving inclusive and sustainable growth of the agricultural sector in South Africa.

Two faba bean cultivars; “Sakha 3” and “Misr 1”, their F1 and F2 populations were evaluated for foliar disease resistance (Choclate spot and rust). Analysis of variance of the 11 morphological traits showed highly significant differences among genotypes in all recorded traits. Genetic parameters of the studied traits showed little difference between GCV and PCV for some traits indicating a negligible environmental effect but PCV was higher than GCV for other traits suggesting a significant environmental effect on the expression of these characters. For disease reaction of rust showed moderate heritability coupled with low genetic advance suggested the involvement of epistatic interactions. While, chocolate spot disease reaction showed that the moderate heritability coupled with high genetic advance. Heterotic effects for seed yield/plant were associated with other yield components and significant positive inbreeding depression values were detected for number of seed/plants, seed yield/plant and 100- seed weight. SSR cluster analysis showed that cross F1 “Sakha3 X Misr1” was separated lonely apart of all other genotype. Moreover, some F2 plants were clustered along with P1 and some others were clustered along with P2 parent indicating distribution of genetic material among F2 plants. The results of molecular markers were in discontiguous with morphological results which may be attributed to the low number of morphological traits used and the habit of the morphological traits that affected by the environmental conditions. The results of both morphological and molecular markers proposed that selection in these particular populations should be effective and satisfactory in the successful breeding purposes.