ABSTRACT
Abstract: This study examines cassava disease detection using four convolutional neural network (CNN) models: ResNet50, InceptionV3, AlexNet, and VGG16. Cassava, a staple crop in Africa, is threatened by Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) and Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD). A dataset from the Lacuna Project, collected in Ugandan farmer fields, was used to train and evaluate these models, yielding accuracies of 90 percent, 88 percent, 85 percent, and 87 percent, respectively. A Flask web application was developed for practical deployment. This work builds on prior SVM and CNN approaches, offering a detailed comparison to enhance agricultural diagnostics for smallholder farmers.

ABSTRACT
Domestic animals are very often subject to associated hepatic parasitic infestations, the consequences of which are little known on farms. The present study, which aimed to determine the prevalence and impact of hepatic co-infestation with Fasciola gigantica and Dicrocelium dendriticum in domestic ruminants in butcheries in the Diamaré department, was conducted from January to July 2023. The livers were necropsied by incising the ventral part of the parenchyma along the hepatic and bile ducts in order to find and collect the flukes with the naked eye. Of the 800 cattle, 175 sheep and 1008 goats inspected, only cattle showed co-infestation with an overall prevalence of 4.25% which is significantly lower than that due to singular F. gigantica infestation (15.62%) and higher than that due to D. dendriticum (1.37%) (χ2=27.7; ddl=2; p < 0.000). These co-infections were higher in females (3.37%) (p<0.05), and in 6–7-year-old cattle (5.75%) (p>0.05). Their parasite densities were significantly lower than in cases of fasciolosis (24.75±18.21 flukes) but higher than in cases of dicroceliosis (8.11±6.89 flukes) (F=191.91; ddl=79; P < 0.000). The level of animal infestation was low for all types of infestation. The economic losses due to this F. gigantica/D. dendriticum co-infestation, evaluated at 7,650,000FCFA/year (12,584.25 us$), are lower than those due to single F. gigantica infestations (28,116,000FCFA/ 46,250.82 us$/year), and higher than those due to D. dendriticum (2,466,000FCFA//4,056.57 us$/year). These results show that parasitic hepatic co-infestation with F. gigantica/D. dendriticum exists and remains a serious health and economic problem.

ABSTRACT
Abstract: The study assessed adoption of improved food barley technologies and factors determining the adoption decision of smallholder barley producers. The study employed cross-sectional data collected from major barley growing regions of Ethiopia. Tobit, Double hurdle and Multivariate probit models along with descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. According to the findings, average seed rate used was found within the rage of the national recommendation whereas inorganic fertilizers applied was lower than the recommendation. Crop rotation, inorganic fertilizers, soil and water conservation practices, herbicides, manure, improved varieties and row planting were used by 87%, 65%, 48%, 48%, 39%, 8% and 6%, of the producers respectively. The result indicated that encouraging membership of cooperatives and participation in food barley marketing, training the producers and improving access to input market helps to increase the adoption of inorganic fertilizer in food barley production. The extension system that focuses on demonstration and experience sharing helps to scale the adoption of improved food barley varieties. Improving accessibility of improved seed and fertilizer helps to increase adoption of food barley technologies. The result exhibited complementarity among adoption decision of the technologies; that suggested focusing on technology package is a favourable extension approach to enhance adoption of food barley technologies.

ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of agricultural production on security sector reforms (SSR), economic development, and stability in South Sudan. Since gaining independence on July 9, 2011, SSR has remained a central goal, yet significant challenges persist. While the importance of SSR in establishing lasting peace post-conflict is widely acknowledged, there exists a notable gap in literature concerning the integration of economic development and security in South Sudan. This study is grounded in several theoretical frameworks, including Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Peacebuilding, Conflict Theory, Human Security, and the Copenhagen School of Security Studies. Adopting a pragmatic research paradigm, the study utilized a mixed-methods approach, drawing data from a target population of 27,570 respondents, including ex-combatants, security personnel involved in SSR initiatives, and key stakeholders. A sample of 450 was derived using Yamane's formula, ensuring comprehensive representation. Data collection involved structured questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and document analysis, with subsequent analysis conducted using SPSS version 26. The findings reveal that agricultural production significantly influences SSR, economic development, and overall stability in South Sudan. Strong positive correlations between agricultural output and SSR outcomes highlight the critical importance of economic stability in reform efforts. The study underscores that enhancing the agricultural sector is not purely an economic initiative but is fundamentally linked to the broader objectives of SSR, conflict resolution, and sustainable peace. The significance of this study lies in its exploration of agriculture as a vital component of SSR processes. Its originality is marked by the integration of agricultural production into the discourse on security reform, a largely overlooked area in South Sudanese scholarship. Recommendations include strengthening ...

ABSTRACT
In Ethiopia, common bean is grown predominantly under smallholder farmers for household consumption, cash crops and to improve soil fertility status. The crop has health benefits being rich in protein and a good source of iron and zinc. In the Amhara region, the crop had many constraints which are limited improved seed supply, poor extension service resulting in quality deterioration, price volatility, the prevalence of white common bean diseases, and rainfall scarcity. Also, the consumption and production of common beans in the West Belesa district weren’t well known. To improve production constraints and consumption problems Gondar Agricultural Research Center (GARC) conducted a demonstration trial in West Belesa district. The main objective was to provide the best adaptive and high-yielder common bean variety; to assess farmers’ and extension workers' reactions to the technology, and to enhance demand-driven technology dissemination. During the experiment, 3 common bean varieties (SER-119, Awash-1, and local) were demonstrated on a 300 m2 plot of land. To evaluate the technology Farmer Research and Extension Group (FREG) was established. The FREG members got training about common bean production, consumption, and crop management as well as the FREG concept and participatory research approaches. The FREG members evaluated the demonstrated technology based on their selection criteria. The selected varieties were SER-119 and Awash-1 varieties were given a mean grain yield of 2200 kg ha-1 and 2783 kg ha-1 respectively. The technology is also visited by farmers and stakeholders. Because of food taste farmers were motivated to produce SER-119 variety in the coming season. So SER-119 variety with a full production package should be promoted to improve income and consumption habits in the district and similar agroecology.

ABSTRACT
A field experiment was made to evaluate the effects of organic and inorganic fertilizers on the growth and yield of wheat and soil chemical properties. The study was conducted for two consecutive cropping seasons (2023-2024) on farmers’ fields in the Sinana district of Oromia National Regional State. Therefore, this study has attempted to evaluate the effect of the integrated use of vermicompost and inorganic fertilizer on bread wheat production and soil fertility improvement in the study area. Fertilizer source organic Sources of nutrients both included (vermicompost) and inorganic fertilizer (urea and NPS) were used in the integrated form. These treatments consist of: T1 = Control (no input) T2 = Recommend NP, T3 =25% RVC + 75% N + Rec P, T4 =100% RVC + rec P, T5 =50% RVC + 50% N + rec P and T6 =75% RVC + 25% N + Rec P. The experiment was a randomized complete block design with three replications. Soil sampling and agronomic data on wheat grain yield and yield components were collected. Accordingly, the highest mean grain yield (5403.67kgha-1) was recorded from the plot of T2 (Recommended rate from inorganic) flowed by (5186.00 kgha-1) was recorded from T3 (25% RVC + 75% N + Rec P) while the lowest grain yield (2637.67 kgha-1) was recorded from control plot. The partial budget analysis was performed for alternative uses of integrated organic and inorganic fertilizer applications for bread wheat production. The results showed that the application of integrated vermicompost with recommended rates of inorganic NP significantly increased the yield and yield components. It can be concluded that the application of integrated vermicompost and recommended rate of inorganic NP fertilizers (25 % Equivalent N from + 75 % N + Rec P is desirable) based on environmental sustainability for future productivity. This experiment has to be repeated over seasons and locations to make conclusive recommendations for the study area.

ABSTRACT
One of the fundamental goals of plant breeding is to evaluate genetic diversity in crop species, which aids in the development of breeding approaches. Therefore, this field experiment was conducted to assess mean performance, the genetic variability in garlic genotypes on bulb yield and related traits. The field evaluation of thirteen garlic genotypes and one released variety Holetta local (HL) was conducted at Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center using a randomized complete block design with three replications during the main growing seasons of 2020 and 2021. The analysis of variance indicated there were significant differences among the genotypes for all traits except days to physiological maturity in 2020 season, while only some growth and yield traits are significant in 2021 production season. Some of the genotypes GOG-065/18, GOG-057/18, GOG-047/18, GOG-064/18, GOG-068/18, GOG-045/18, and GOG-018/18 had mean performances higher than the standard check variety Holetta local (HL). Highest phenotypic (PCV) and genotypic (GCV) coefficients of variation recorded for total bulb yield tons per hectare and number of cloves per bulb, while the days to physiological maturity had the lowest heritability (h2b) in broad sense and genetic advance as a percent of mean (GAM), 67% and 33.89% (total bulb yield per hectare) and 1.13% to 0.08% (day to physiological maturity) respectively. High phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation coupled with high heritability and genetic advance as percent of mean were observed for total bulb yield tons per hectare number of cloves per bulb and clove weight. Therefore, selection for these characters would be effective for selecting genotypes for future garlic breeding programs.