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This study examined the various forms of agroforestry technologies adopted by the farmers as well as assessed the factors influencing the adoption of agroforestry technologies among farmers in the study area. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the respondents from the study area. Both descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages as well as inferential statistics such as Logistic Regression model were used in the study. From the study, it was discovered that adopters of agroforestry technology accounts for 42.47%, while non-adopters accounted for 57.53% of the sampled respondents. The result further shows the different forms of agroforestry practices adopted by the farmers in the study area which includes boundary planting, multipurpose trees/shrubs, wind breaks and live fencing. The result of the analysis of the factors that influence the adoption of agroforestry technologies among farmers from the logistic regression analysis revealed that access to extension services, age, education, farming experience, farm size and gender were positive and significant factors in determining the adoption of agroforestry technologies among the farmers.

This study was carried out to assess effects of wood harvesting on the livelihood of forest communities in Ibarapa region, southwest, Nigeria. The study was conducted to identify the various livelihood activities engaged in by forest communities in the region; to assess how wood harvesting in the forests has affected the livelihood of the people in the region as well as to determine the factors influencing wood harvesting in the region. Three hundred copies of structured questionnaire were used to elicit information from the respondents. Focused Group Discussion and Key Informant Interview were also used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Results show that various livelihood activities were engaged in by the respondents, prominent among which were food crop production, cash crop production, charcoal production, among others. Among the factors that were responsible for wood harvesting in the region, only age, occupation, household size and the distance of respondent’s house to the forest were significant at 5%. It was observed that excessive wood harvesting has negatively affected the forests in the study area as most of the forests have been greatly degraded. This study recommends that the activities of forest communities should be regulated by local authorities and governments, at different levels, in order to sustain the forests in the region. Key words: timber, charcoal, lumbering, regression, fuelwood

The study assessed carbonated and healthy drinks consumption pattern of the undergraduate students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), IIe – Ife, Nigeria. Random sampling technique was employed in this study. The study relied on primary data which was collected through questionnaires. Data collected were analyzed using mean and percentages. The total number of respondents was 260 undergraduate students, which comprised 102 males and 158 females. Majority (47.3%) of the respondents were between 17 – 20 years old and were single. It was indicated that majority (49.6%) of the respondents has less than N10,000 as income level from their monthly stipend. The result indicated that the carbonated drinks that the students consume the most were Fanta and Coke. Majority (38.5%) of the respondents consume fruit smoothies while they sometimes (38.8%) consume zobo drink. The result also reveals that zobo drink has the highest percentage (76.2%) of consumption than other healthy drinks. The major factors influencing healthy drinks consumption based on individual perceptions were taste (40.4%), price (38.9%), preferences (36.2%), and nutritional benefit (35.0%) while price (36.5%), taste (35.8%), preferences (33.5%) and availability on campus (31.5%) were the major factors influencing carbonated drinks consumption based on individual perceptions. It is therefore recommended that the Federal and State Government should ensure proper health education of undergraduates regarding the nutritional benefits of healthy drinks as well as the adverse effects of carbonated drinks. Keywords: carbonated drinks, healthy drinks, consumption pattern, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU)

This study investigated the assessment of smallholder farmers’ vulnerability to climate change in Ogun State, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 150 farmers in the agricultural zones of Abeokuta, Ijebu and Ilaro. Data were collected with the aid of well structured questionnaire from the farmers. Descriptive statistics and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were used for the data analyzed. The average age of the respondents was 45.5 years. The majority were married with an average household size of 5 persons while a larger percentage of the respondents are involved in crop farming. The result shows that most of the farmers are aware of variations in the prevailing weather conditions of their area and floods were mostly experienced in the year 2018 and 2019. The vulnerability indices in Ilaro, Abeokuta and ijebu ode agricultural zones were -0.652, 0.250, and 0.303 respectively. This means that Ijebu ode was the least vulnerable to climate change followed by Abeokuta while Ilaro is the most vulnerable. Therefore, the study recommends that an integrated rural development scheme aimed at increasing access to social amenities should be established by the government to strengthen the resilience of rural farmers to climate change.

Nigeria is endowed with natural resources which include timber which has contributed in a significant way to the economy. This study examined the dynamics of wood export from 1962 to 2017. Secondary time series data obtained from FAOSTAT (Food and Agriculture Organization Statistics) were used for the study. The data were analyzed using some econometric tools such as Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models and subjected to Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test. Results revealed that the future volume of sawn wood export is significantly determined by its previous two lagged values. In other words, the current quantity or value of export of sawn wood will be determined by the previous two quantities of export. It was also observed that there were series of upward and downward movements in export volumes of sawn wood over the period of study. The study shows that Nigeria will continue to witness decline in wood export over a period of time. Decline in wood export can only be halted if there is a drastic intervention by the government and other stakeholders to invest in plantation establishment and an effective forest management mechanism put in place for a sustainable management of this valuable renewable resource.

Caesarean section, the most commonly performed surgical operation in the world, is an operative technique by which a foetus is delivered through an incision in the uterus. It is now a safer procedure than in previous years. This chapter discusses the incidence, classification and indication for caesarean section. It describes the management of caesarean section in labour, surgical techniques of caesarean section and management of commonly associated complications in developing countries. This chapter highlights factors to justify the choice of anaesthesia for caesarean section and lists risk management issues in caesarean section. This chapter further discusses the growing prevalence of caesarean delivery and consequent challenges of peripartum (caesarean/postpartum) hysterectomy in the presence of life-threatening bleeding due to placental accreta/percreta that obstetricians now face. The indications for the perimortem caesarean section are also discussed. Obstetricians need to consider long-term reproductive outcomes when contemplating primary caesarean delivery without sound medical indications. This chapter seeks to encourage them to take adequate measures towards the birth of healthy babies and the well-being of mothers.

Meeting the energy demands and sustainable development goals in Nigeria requires investigation of potentials of alternative energy sources and possible challenges to their reliability. In this study, we investigated the impact of four (4) teleconnection patterns on the solar energy potential within different climatic zones of Nigeria. Our results indicate that there are weak and insignificant correlation between the studied teleconnection patterns and solar energy potential on the long run. However, monthly analysis suggests significant correlation values between all the teleconnection patterns studied and solar energy production within all the climatic regions of the country. Therefore, it is important to consider the role of teleconnection pattern in energy planning and forecasting within the region.

The natural radioactivity levels of soil samples collected from four local government areas in Kogi State, Nigeria were measured using a hyper-pure germanium detector, and the radiological hazard parameters associated with them were estimated. The measured concentration ranged from 7.82 ± 0.63 to 82.22 ± 1.99 Bq kg−1 for 238U, 11.05 ± 1.10 to 114.86 ± 4.72 Bq kg−1 for 232Th, and 3.38 ± 0.50 to 1272.20 ± 23.36 Bq kg−1 for 40K. Omala local government was found to have the highest concentrations of 238U (44.31 Bq kg−1) and 232Th (52.13 Bq kg−1), while Ajaokuta has the highest concentration of 40K (711.72 Bq kg−1). The lowest activity concentrations of 238U and 232Th were measured from soil samples collected from Ankpa local government area and 40K from Dekina local government area. It was noted that the activity concentrations of 40K were generally low for all the areas investigated except for Ajaokuta areas. The radium equivalents calculated for all the locations were observed to be lower than the r...

This study examined the effect of forest degradation on livelihood returns in Government forest reserves of Ogun State. Primary data used in the study were obtained in a multi-stage random sampling procedure across non-degraded and degraded forests. Both qualitative and quantitative analytical methods were employed for data analysis. Different forest based livelihood and returns were investigated in this study and the Levene’s test results showed that there is disparity in the livelihood returns across the non-degraded and degraded forests. Logistic regression results revealed that gender, number of household members working and earning income, number of children in the household, earning income from tree crops and earning income from hunting were statistically significant factors influencing forest degradation within the study area. Therefore, the study recommends that strong and participatory forest management practices should be encouraged to ensure that tree crop farming and hunting are monitored and done without hurting the forest. Keywords: Forest degradation, Livelihood returns, Government Forest Reserve, Ogun State

This study examined the marketing of Irvingia kernels in selected markets in Akure. Data were collected through primary and secondary sources. One hundred and twenty (120) questionnaires were administered to Irvingia kernel sellers in six selected markets in the area. Thirty-one(31) of the questionnaires were administered to traders in Oja-Oba while 24, 20, 20, 14 and 11 were administered in NEPA, Isikan, Maronu, Isolo and Oluwatuyi markets respectively. The results showed that 70% of the traders were female while male accounted for 30%. The results also revealed that cost price of Ir- vingia kernels and the transport cost were the main determinants of the selling of the product. The level of involvement of the sellers, though had a positive relationship with the selling price, was not significant in determining the selling price because its coefficient, unlike those of cost price and transport cost, was not significant at 5% level. Also the average gross margin per marketer was put at N7, 802.34K, implying that the marketing of the product in the study area was profitable.

High purity germanium detector (HPGe) was employed to assess radionuclide contents of 238U, 40K and 232Th in soils obtained from Omala, Kogi State, Nigeria. The activities measured vary from 9.0 to 82.2, 12.3 to 114.86 and below detector limit (BDL) and 349.0 Bq Kg−1 in 238U, 232Th and 40K respectively. Highest activities for the three radionuclides were consistently obtained from soil samples got from Igaliwu. The measured activities were engaged to estimate the absorbed dose, annual outdoor effective dose and gamma index. It was observed from the absorbed dose, annual equivalent dose and the gamma index estimated that soils from Igaliwu, Ijeke-ogene and Bagana were found to be higher than the recommended safe limit for normal background. This suggests that those living or using the soil for construction purposes are exposed to high radiation burden from natural radionuclides.

This paper examined resource-use efficiency as well as cost and returns to maize farmers in Okun District of Kogi State, Nigeria. One hundred (100) copies of questionnaire were administered on one hundred randomly selected respondents from ten villages chosen from two Local Government Areas out of the five LGAs that make up the district. Gross Margin and Multiple Linear Regression analyses were used in analyzing the data. The results showed that an average profit of N48, 387.41 per hectare was realized by the farmers. The results further revealed that the farmers were allocatively inefficient in the use of resource inputs. It is therefore recommended that adequate policies should be put in place by governments at all levels to ensure the availability of farm inputs to the farmers. Farmers should also be sensitized and enlightened on how to make best use of their resources.

This study examined the marketing and ethno-utilization of Irvingia wombulu and Irvingia gabonensis in Aniocha North and Aniocha South Local Government Areas of Delta State. The data used were collected through the use of structured questionnaire administered to the Irvingia traders in selected markets in the study area. One hundred and fifty (150) questionnaires were administered, but only one hundred and thirty-five (135) were found useable. The rest were discarded due to incomplete and mismatched information. Communities from which the markets were selected are Issele-Uku (30), Idumuje-Ugboko (20), Idumu-Ogo (15), Ogwashi-Uku (30), Ubulu-Okiti (15), and Otulu (25).Data collected included demographic characteristics of Irvingia sellers, selling price, cost price and transportation cost. The results reveal that 90.3% of the respondents could read and write. It was also discovered that 83% of the traders were Igbos while Non-Igbos accounted for 17%. The result also shows that 53.3% were married while 31.9% of the respondents were single. The major determinants of selling price of Irvingia kernels in the study area included cost price, and transportation cost because there was significant difference (P

Non timber forest products (NTFPs) are all those products of biological origin got from forests or associated ecosystems which contribute significantly to human wellbeing. NTFPs contribute enormously to household food security and income generation in Nigeria. Therefore, they play a prominent role in rural poverty reduction. This paper examines the important roles played by NTFPs in rural livelihood sustenance in Nigeria with specific focus on their contributions to rural livelihoods with respect to food security, poverty reduction as well as income and employment creation. Keywords: Sustainable rural livelihood, household, non-timber forest products, poverty reduction

This study examines the relationships between socioeconomic characteristics of rural households and theirperception about the consumption of grasscutter meat in some selected Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kogi State. In all, one hundred and fifty questionnaires were randomly administered but only one hundred and forty two were found useable. Findings from the study show that a larger proportion of the respondents fall between 30-49 years of age. Seventy nine percent (79%) of the respondents had at least primary education and 67% earned N10, 000 and above. It was also discovered that most respondents like grasscutter meat because of its taste and the main source of the meat is through hunting. It was found that there were no significant relationships between selected socioeconomic characteristics of respondents and their perception of grass cutter meat consumption. Keywords: Grasscutter, Socioeconomic characteristics, rural house hold, Kogi State, Perception