Browsing by Author "Kamanda, Isata"

Filter results by typing the first few letters
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Analysis of Farmers Perception, Preference and Adoption Likelihood for Provitamin-A Cassava Roots in Sierra Leone
    (2025-09-30) Kamanda, Isata
    The main achievement of any scientific research is to ensure its technology produced is adopted by the intended clientele. The study aimed was to access Farmers’ Perception, Preferences and Likelihood Adoption for Provitamin-A Cassava storage roots in Sierra Leone. The study sampled three districts (Bombali, Kailahun and Moyamba) to examined socio-economic characteristics, analyze farmer’s perceptions, varietal preferences, determine the maximum likelihood of adoption and rank the most outstanding drivers and barriers of adoption. A multistage sampling technique was employed. Data were collected using pre-tested structured questionnaires for 150 household interviews and semi-structured questionnaires for focus group discussions (FGDs). Data collected were analysed for descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that Youths (male) predominated cassava production across the surveyed districts. 43% of the respondents didn’t have access to any formal education while 62% of the respondents did not belong to any organization. Farmers however desired provitamin-A cassava that are high yielding, early maturing, appreciable marketable root size that are Poundable. Interviewees had no prior knowledge about provitamin-A cassava, but were willing to adopt it once it’s made available. 90% of the respondents were willing to cultivate provitamin-A cassava varieties once it made available due to its nutritional value. The adoption likelihood analysis from two scenarios confirmed that total maximum likelihood adoption rate was 75.4% for scenario one followed by 78.1%forv scenario two. To increase maximum adoption rates for provitamin-A cassava varieties once release, flexible recommendations that combines both farmer’s categories and production goals of technologies should be considered given the barriers identified from this pre-ante study in the cassava breeding program.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Genetic diversity of provitamin-A cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) in Sierra Leone
    (Springer Science+Business Media, 2020-03-04) Kamanda, Isata
    Understanding the genetic diversity among accessions and germplasm is an important requirement for crop development as it allows for the selection of diverse parental combinations for enhancing genetic gain in varietal selection, advancement and release. The study aimed to characterize 183 provitamin A cassava (Manihot esculentaCrantz) accessions and five Sierra Leonean varieties using morphological traits, total carotenoid content and SNP markers to develop a collection for conservation and further use in the cassava breeding program. Both morphological parameters and 5634 SNP markers were used to assess the diversity among the provitamin-A cassava accessions and varieties. Significant differences were observed among the accessions for most of the traits measured. The first five PCs together accounted for 70.44% of the total phenotypic variation based on yield and yield components among the 183 provitamin-A cassava accessions and five Sierra Leonean varieties. The present study showed that provitamin-A cassava accessions in Sierra Leone have moderate to high diversity based on morphological and molecular assessment studies. The similarity index among the 187 and 185 cassava accessions grouped them into 6 and 9 distinct clusters based on morphological and molecular analyses, respectively. A significant positive, but low correlation (r = 0.104;p < 0.034), was observed between the two dendrograms. The results obtained will serve as a guide and basis of germplasm management and improvement for total carotenoid content, yield and African cassava mosaic disease resistance in Sierra Leone.