Christopher Tafara Gadzirayi

• Phd - Animal Production Science
• Bindura University of Science Education

The experiment aimed at exploring the nutritional value of Piliostigma thonningii as a locally available energy source for sheep supplementation. This study also sought to determine acceptability of Piliostigma thonningii by Sabi weaner sheep, its effects on feed conversion ratio (FCR), daily weight gains and subsequently the economics behind its i...

Abstract This study on tailoring conservation farming to climate change attempted to design and proffer ways that enhance the application of climate information in managing climate-related production risks among smallholder farmers. The study characterized climate hazards related to crop and livestock production in marginal areas of Zimbabwe based...

Eastern Zimbabwe is a mountainous area, which mostly lies in Agro-ecological Regions I and II. These regions receive the most rainfall and have the best natural suitability for the production of specialist crops and trees. The regions provide the most diverse ecosystem services in the country as they are at the top of a five-tier agro-ecological ch...

Two provenances of Moringa oleifera Lam., Malawi and Mutoko, were evaluated to determine the effect of plant spacing and cutting interval on the leaf biomass yield for fodder production. A split-split plot experimental design was set up with provenance as the main plot factor, plant spacing as sub-plot factor and cutting interval as sub-sub plot fa...

This study sought to identify factors that influence learning during training among small holder farmers on the new moisture conservation innovations (conservation farming) by Agricultural Technical and Extension Services (AGRITEX) and the objectives of the study was to identify the training methods used by AGRITEX officers in training Conservation...

This study sought to establish the compatibility effects of biochar/vermin-compost application on growth and yield of maize and cabbages. Biochar application rate was at 3 to 4% of soil weight. Biochar was mixed in various proportions to come up with treatments which were 100% vermicompost, 50/50% biochar: vermicompost, 75/25% biochar: vermicompost...

In this paper, a feed ration problem is presented as a mixed integer programming problem. An attempt to find the optimal quantities of moringa oleifera inclusion into the poultry feed ration was done and the problem was solved using the Bat algorithm and the Cplex solver. The study used findings of previous research to investigate the effects of mo...

he purpose of this study was to make a qualitative investigation on the contribution of pre service agricultural education programmes to the teaching of high school agriculture. A participatory investigation approach was used to gather data, where among other relevant stakeholders, school authorities, agricultural teachers and training institutions...

This report looks at the current status of STEM Education, its challenges and opportunities. This was done in order to determine the context in which STEM Education is being conceptualised and applied. It also looks at access to quality STEM services for Zimbabwean children, capacity of service delivery systems in view of the STEM needs, the use of...

In this paper, a feed ration problem is presented as a mixed integer programming problem. An attempt to find the optimal quantities of Moringa oleifera inclusion into the poultry feed ration was done and the problem was solved using the Bat algorithm and the Cplex solver. The study used findings of previous research to investigate the effects of Mo...

This study made a comparative analysis of two extension approaches, Farmer Field Schools and Master Farmer Training with the objective of finding out the effectiveness of these approaches as regards farmer knowledge gains, skills empowerment, farmer adoption of recommended practices and cost effectiveness. Structured, semi structured questionnaires...

There has been a decline in chicken production in most developing countries, yet poultry constitute an important pillar in HIV/AIDS alleviation and act as an income source plus food security in rural communities. The limited availability and high cost of stock feeds that have not increased concomitantly with producer prices are partly responsible f...

The high cost of conventional feed ingredients in poultry diets has necessitated the investigation into unconventional readily available feedstuffs. The study was designed to investigate the effects of feeding different levels of Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) on feed intake and growth performance of indigenous chicks. Eighty four unsexed indige...

The study sought to establish the constraints to Moringa agronomic practices and marketing in the smallholder farming sector of Zimbabwe. Purposive sampling selected 96 respondents across four study districts in Zimbabwe who were interviewed using an open-ended questionnaire. Eight focus group discussions disaggregated by gender were carried out to...

Two provenances of Moringa oleifera grown in Zimbabwe, namely Malawi and Mutoko were evaluated to determine the effect of plant spacing and cutting interval on plant growth. A split-split plot experimental design was set up with provenance as main plot factor, plant spacing as sub-plot factor and cutting interval sub-sub plot factor at Bindura Univ...

Farmers’ adaptation to climate change over southern Africa may become an elusive concept if adequate attention is not rendered to the most important adaptive tool, the regional seasonal forecasting system. Uptake of the convectional seasonal rainfall forecasts issued through the southern African regional climate outlook forum process in Zimbabwe is...

The research sought to identify community supports that enhance widows’ livelihood strategies with the aim of incorporating them into extension programmes for their safe self-help activities. The research identified various sources of social network within the community that can be used by the widows to meet their different types of socio – economi...

The research was carried out at Chaminuka Training Centre in Mt Darwin district of Zimbabwe. Maize producers in the rural areas are challenged by storage pests particularly the Sitophilus zeamais. Affordable and readily available protectants are needed. A common weed, Tagetes minuta, was assessed for its potential to control Sitophilus zeamais. Thi...

The research centered on the groundwater quality parameters in five boreholes and three wells in residential urban areas of Zimbabwe. Ten runs of chemical analysis for water pH, EC (electrical conductivity), water hardness were carried out weekly and averages were calculated for each at Bindura University laboratory. Iron concentrations analysis wa...

An exploratory study investigating the effects of supplementing soyabeans with Moringa oleifera leaf meal, as a protein source in poultry production was done at Bindura University Farm. Five different graded levels of Moringa oleifera meal were used in formulating the diets. Ration formulation using soyabean, yellow maize and Moringa oleifera meal...

A number of surveys to investigate the actual and potential adoption of agro forestry technologies have focused primarily on the influence of different household and farm characteristics on the adoption by farmers but the process of adoption is quite complicated, dynamic and the various factors are likely to influence each other – hence they should...

1 SUMMARY The effect of feeding graded levels of baobab seed cake on the growth performance of broiler chicks was evaluated. One hundred and eighty (180) day old broiler chicks of the Ross 46 Breed were used. The experimental layout was a completely randomized design with four treatments replicated three times. Each treatment allocated forty-five c...

The objectives of this study were to assess and compare the levels of adoption of agro-forestry technologies between trained and untrained farmers, and identify specific factors that affect adoption of technologies. Data from 300 smallholder farmers selected by snowballing from villages where change agents had been trained by the International Cent...

This research sought to assess the impact of occupational health safety (OHS) on productivity in the commercial food industry. The objective of the study was to explore OHS problems of different work areas and their impact on productivity. The research targeted production supervisors, shop floor employees and industrial clinic nurses. Questionnaire...

The research aimed at establishing the estrus response and conception rates of animals synchronized with Crestar and Prosolvin. A total of 106 cows of Mashona, Brahman and Tuli breeds in second and third parity were used in the study. All the cows were of body condition score three on a linkert scale of one to five. Equal numbers of animals were tr...

The study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of Tephrosia vogelii in controlling ticks on dairy cows among small-scale dairy farmers in Mashonaland Central Province of Zimbabwe. T. vogelii treatment concentrations and Triatix D acaricide dip were randomly administered to 40 dairy cows. The experiment was carried out for 5 months in summer when th...

This study evaluated the efficacy of A. Sativum in controlling nematode parasites in Blackhead Persian ewes in third parity in Zimbabwe. A completely randomized design was used in the experiment. There were four treatment groups with three animals in each treatment under four varying inclusion levels of A. Sativum. The fifth group constituted the c...

The broad objective of this study was to ascertain whether training in tobacco farming influences tobacco yields and returns among smallholder farmers in Guruve District of Zimbabwe. A total of 40 farmers, selected using quota sampling, were interviewed using structured questionnaires. A multiple regression model was developed to test the working h...

This study explored the factors influencing the adoption of tissue cultured sweet potato varieties and impact on productivity among smallholder farmers in Hwedza District of Zimbabwe. A multi stage sampling approach was used to select 133 households for inclusion in the survey. Structured and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data fro...

The broad objective of this study was to determine factors affecting job satisfaction among academic professionals in tertiary institutions of Zimbabwe against the backdrop of high brain drain in the sector. A total of eighty respondents were selected randomly from departmental lists and interviewed using structured questionnaires. Key informants s...

The objective of this study was to elicit community perceptions on the effectiveness of the CAMPFIRE programme, a community initiative, designed to benefit rural communities in Gonono ward in the Zambezi valley. Five villages and 76 respondents were selected from the ward using simple random sampling. Data collection included a structured questionn...

In Sub-Saharan Africa, at least 70% of the population lives in rural communal areas where they make a living out of subsistence farming. The sector continues to seek for donor support to improve their farming activities with little attention being paid to viability and sustainability of their production systems. There is also sketchy location-speci...

Lack of suitable storage facilities among smallholder farmers continues to expose farmers to intermittent food shocks. Farmers are thus making use of locally available preservation methods, derived from indigenous knowledge systems (IKS), to improve storability of sweet potatoes. However, not much is known about their efficacy in maintaining the qu...

In 2003, the Chikukwa people were alloocated Jantia Farm by the government as a grazing area for their cattle. This was done to solve grazing problems emanating from a shortage of grazing land. Six grazing committees were established for the Jantia grazing scheme. These are executive, veld management, animal health, finance, security and disciplina...

The changing requirements of the international cotton market have created the need for continual investment in new technological innovations in developing countries. The main objective of this research was to identify factors that affect the adoption of Long Staple (LS9219) variety among smallholder cotton farmers in Matepatepa communal area of Mas...

The study examined the economic effects of using mash and pelleted feed on Cobb 500 broilers. Two treatments, comprising 120 broilers were conducted under similar environmental conditions over a period of 4 months. Data on weight gain, feed quantities consumed, feed wastage as well variable costs such as feed and labour costs was collected using do...

The broad objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of maize cob powder in controlling maize weevils in stored maize grain. A completely randomized block design, in which twelve small bags of maize containing 0.5 kg of maize grain (SC5313 dent variety), were used. Three concentration levels of maize cob powder 5g, 45g and 75g per 0.5 k...

The objective of the study was to investigate the technical effectiveness of using A. Excelsa in controlling coccidiosis in broilers. Birds were housed in cages constructed out of wire mesh and metal poles. The cages were divided into four compartments with ten birds in each cage of 1 m 2 floor and feeding area. Litter of wood shavings and grass wa...

Ipomea batatas (sweet potato) yield vary widely among farmers due to improper ridging and planting orientation. This study was to establish the proper ridging and planting orientation, so as to enhance constant reliable yields among sweet potato producing farmers. The objectives of the study were to compare vine length and to determine root yield,...

The main idea behind this research work was to come up with a model of students’ supervision that emancipates the student teacher and simultaneously makes the student feel that he/she has a chance given to him to learn how to teach. The study was premised on making the students work collaboratively with the mentor, fellow students, college/universi...