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COVID-19 outbreak lockdown and its impacts on marketing of horticultural produces in Zimbabwe
38-45.Views:779Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-2019) outbreak resulted to a global health problem. Lockdown was one of the common options suggested to curb the pandemic. Horticultural produces are perishable so delayed post-harvest marketing cause losses. This study aimed at evaluating the marketing of horticultural produces and farmers’ level of preparedness during the COVID-19 lockdown. A self-administered questionnaire was posted online from April 7 to May 7, 2020 the first month of COVID-19 lockdown in Zimbabwe (began on March 30, 2020). The study targeted horticultural farmers around Harare peri-urban and had 300 respondents. Data on sociodemographic, farmers’ behavior, awareness and attitude toward marketing and desire to minimize post-harvest losses was obtained. Frequency counts and percentages were determined. Chi-square tests on independent variables were done to test associations with demographics using SPSS version 8. There were significant (P<0.05) relations between awareness and attitude toward marketing, age and level of education. Demographic variable influenced the famers’ marketing behavior and attitude during COVID-19 lockdown. Most farmers reported highest (>35%) produce sale leftovers at the markets and spoilage during than prior the COVID-19 lockdown. The lockdown resulted to low sales and most farmers were unprepared for any crisis during the marketing stage of their production. The research contributed to an understanding of how a crisis situation influence marketing of horticultural produce and raises awareness regarding post-harvest losses. A qualitative study is recommended as a follow-up of this work.
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Effects of wastewater irrigation on soil physico-chemical properties and vegetables quality: A review
7-16.Views:487This study analyses the use of raw urban wastewater for irrigation and its effects on soil characteristics and heavy metal pollution within crops. There is rampant use of urban waste water by small scale urban vegetable farmers in Zimbabwe. This is posing health hazards to the consumers of urban vegetables and decrease in soil functioning. The significance of this study was to appraise the research study related to the use of urban waste water to answer the research question: What is the impact of waste water on selected soil physico-chemical properties and quantities of heavy metals in vegetables irrigated with waste water? A systematic review of 3100 articles from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar (2010–2024) was performed within PRISMA guidelines. After excluding irrelevant studies, 49 from Nigeria, Bangladesh, Iran, Egypt, India, Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia, and DRC were selected for analysis. These countries were found to have a lot of literature on urban waste water irrigation. This literature review identified an overview of existing literature on urban waste water irrigation and synthesise findings to provide a comprehensive overview of the topic The results showed (P<0.05) soil properties changed significantly: pH (6.0–7.0 to 4.5–5.5), electrical conductivity (0.2–0.4 to 1.5–2.0 dS/m), organic matter (2–3% to 4–6%), cation exchange capacity (10–15 to 20–25 meq/100g) all aligning with the intended outcomes. The level of nutrients (N, P, K) shifted alongside the source of wastewater. Soil also accumulated heavy metals (Zn, Cd, Pb, Fe, Mn, Cu) while the crops accumulated unsafe levels of Pb (2.5 mg/kg), Cd (1.2 mg/kg), and Cr (3.1 mg/kg) which surpassed WHO/FAO limits. The results highlighted the concern for health and environmental hazards. Treatment of the wastewater, monitoring of the soil, and stricter guidelines are needed for safe agricultural practice.
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Effect of three organic fertilizers treatments on sensory evaluations of baby spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)
59-63.Views:484Sources of fertilizer are one of the major factors influencing baby spinach leaf texture, sweetness, bitterness and after-taste. However, the effects of fertilizer sources on baby spinach growth performance and consumer preferences are not known. A survey was carried out at the Seke Teachers’ College (SKC) community, Zimbabwe to determine the consumer preferences on the baby spinach grown on the organic fertilizer (cattle, poultry and goat manures) as well as on control inorganic fertilizers (7% N, 14% P, 7% K). The study used 32 females and 30 males as panellists for sensory evaluations. Organoleptic tests were performed for the baby spinach leaves using a panel of 62 testers. An interval line scale (16 cm long) was used to measure the liking for sweetness, colour, bitterness and after-taste. A 9-point hedonic scale was used to decide the overall preferences. Organoleptic tests showed significant differences (P<0.05) in appearance and taste between the inorganic and organic fertilizers used. The baby spinach leaves grown on organic fertilizers was preferred more compared to that grown on inorganic fertilizer (control). Therefore, it is recommended to use organic fertilizers in baby spinach production in order to satisfy consumer preferences.
