Poor Farmers Research Articles

Intergenerational Income and Religiosity: A Longitudinal Study of Agricultural Household in Indonesia

This study aimed to analyze the influence of religiosity and socio-economic determinant factors to income relationship between inter-generationsof farmers and their children. Data related to farmers (parents) were collected from (Indonesia Family Live Survey) IFLS-93, while data related to farmers' children was obtained by tracing in IFLS-2014. The 21-year interval is supposed to be sufficient time to grasp developments between generations. The results revealed that farmer children's households have better economic potential than that of their parents. Comparing to the poor farming households, the percentage of the poor generation is higher than non-poor farmer households. The income of parents (farmers) and the education of farmers' children are factors that play an important role in increasing the income of farmers' children, having strong (robust) and significant positive effect. Another variable that has positive significant effect is agricultural land ownership, while age, household burden, working in agriculture, and religiosity-religion have negative significant effects. Implementation of religiosity activities should be encouraging productivity and prosperity of life in accordance with the guidelines and rules in Islam.

Food Security of Poor Farmer Households in Urban and Rural Areas in Banjar Regency, Indonesia

Food Security of Poor Farmer Households in Urban and Rural Areas in Banjar Regency, Indonesia

Drum Rhythms and Golden Scriptures: Reasons for Mormon Conversion Within Haiti's Culture of Vodou

Drum Rhythms and Golden Scriptures: Reasons for Mormon Conversion Within Haiti's Culture of Vodou

Eminent Roles of Micro-nutrients in Quality Seed Production

There are seventeen vital nutrients required for plant growth and development. Out of these essential nutrients the elements needed in trace amounts are known as micro-nutrients. Seed priming and treatment with micronutrients has the potential to meet crop micronutrient demand and improve seedling emergence and stand establishment, grain micronutrient enrichment and yield. Micronutrients may be applied to the soil, foliar sprayed or added as seed treatments or seed priming. While the essential amounts of micronutrients can be provided by any of these methods, foliar sprays have been more successful in yield improvement and seed quality enrichment. Due to high cost has limited its wider adjustment, particularly by wealth poor farmers. Micronutrients may be applied either by coating with micronutrients or by soaking in nutrient solution of a specific concentration for a specific duration (seed priming). The potential micronutrients for seed treatments are Zinc (Zn), Boron (B), Molybdenum (Mo), Manganese (Mn), Copper (Cu) and Cobalt (Co) for improving growth, development, yield and seed quality enrichment. Treated or primed seeds generally have better, faster and more integrated germination. Micronutrient application in seed can also be done through seed coating and pelleting. Seed priming or seed coating seems reasonable, inexpensive and an easy method of micronutrient delivery mostly by small land holders in developing countries.

Comparing Soil Erosion Rates on Terraced and Sloping Cultivated Land in Palestine Using FRN 137Cs Trace.

Soil erosion is a serious problem in Palestine. It is enhanced mainly by poor farming practices used in upland agricultural areas occupying the Central Highland of Palestine. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of terracing on soil erosion and deposition rates in the Al-Yamoun area (the Northern West Bank) using the fallout radionuclides cesium -137 (FRN 137Cs). The FRN 137Cs technique, which has proved its efficiency in estimating erosion rates over the last 50–60 years, was used for the first time in Palestine to measure rates of erosion and deposition. The activity of 137Cs was measured by gamma spectrometry using an HPGe detector. For the reference site, the 137Cs inventories ranged between 2499 and 4086 Bq/m2. The average value of the reference site is 3315 ± 410 Bq/m2, which corresponds to a coefficient of variance of 12%, suggesting that the reference site is well representative for estimating 137Cs fallout. This 137Cs amount is too high for bomb-derived fallout and indicates that a significant part of the deposition is from the Chernobyl accident. The 137Cs inventories at both studied sites (terrace site and foot slope site) are significantly lower than those of the reference site. For the terrace site, the inventories are found between 1707 and 2749 Bq/m2, while for the slope site they are between 1050 and 2617 Bq/m2. The lower 137Cs values at both studied sites than values at the reference site indicate that the entire areas of both study sites are eroded and no depositional activity occurs.

Disparate but not antagonistic: Classes of labour in cotton production in Burkina Faso

AbstractThis paper examines the variety of agrarian classes of labour and the challenges they face in organizing and pursuing their interests. By taking the cotton sector in Burkina Faso as a case study, it analyses how various ‘classes of labour’ organize and mobilize for collective action to raise their claims: poor cotton farmers and workers in the cotton factories. Poor and middle farmers recently came to the fore when they boycotted cotton production in large numbers. The study focusses on the boycott campaign, and more broadly on class struggle and collective action by farmers and workers, on interclass alliances, and on capital's attempts to play the classes of labour against one another. The boycott campaign provides an outstanding case to analyse the interests of the various classes of labour and of opportunities for rural–urban mobilization and alliances across classes of labour. I argue that poor farmers and factory workers along the chain of cotton production can be considered as various classes of labour that are not necessarily antagonistic to one another but, first and foremost, to capital. In order to achieve radical transformation in the agrarian context, what is needed are networks and organizations to establish interclass solidarity and alliances.

Does the application of mineral and organic fertilizer affect cassava tuber quality? An evidence from Zambia

Cassava is cheap enough to be grown by both the poor and rich farmers in Africa and elsewhere. It is the second most important food security crop in Zambia, next to maize. However, the productivity is very low compared to the yield potential of the crop. To increase yield, extension workers advise farmers to apply fertilizer, but the effect of fertilizer application on cassava tuber quality, mainly to Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) is not known. This research aimed at understanding the effect of application of both organic and inorganic fertilizer on cassava tuber quality. Four levels of organic fertilizer (0, 1.4, 2.8, and 4.2 t/ha) of chicken manure and four levels of mineral fertilizer (0, 50-11-41.5, 100-22-83, and 150-33-124.5 kg/ha) N–P–K were factorially combined in RCBD and set in two agroecologies of Zambia. The result showed that moisture and sugar content of cassava tubers declined following an increased application of mineral fertilizer, with an average content of 9.21% and 4.22%, respectively. However, the decline in sugar and moisture was not statistically significant between the treatments. Conversely, no clear trend in HCN content was observed following the application of mineral fertilizer. Similarly, no clear trend was observed with the application of organic fertilizer for all the assessed cassava qualities. The application of mineral and organic fertilizer also showed an additive effect – no interaction between the two fertilizer types. Therefore, we conclude that neither organic nor mineral fertilizer application affects cassava tuber quality, especially the sugar and HCN content. Based on the present results, it is advisable to repeat the experiment and see the effect on other varieties to fully understand the effect of cassava fertilization on tuber quality in the Zambian conditions. • Low cassava yields necessitated fertilizer application in Zambia. • However, farmers question quality of fertilized cassava mainly for its cyanide content. • We evaluated the effect of organic and mineral fertilizer application on cassava quality. • Neither organic nor mineral fertilizer application affected cassava tuber quality.

"A Most Astonishing Genius for Calculations": Arithmetical Prodigies, the Science of the Mind, and Human Difference in the Early Republic

In the early republic, two socially marginal, illiterate, and innumerate prodigies capable of astounding feats of mental arithmetic captivated audiences on both sides of the Atlantic: Thomas Fuller, an enslaved Virginian, and Zerah Colburn, the eight-year-old son of a poor Vermont farm family. To account for the remarkable performances of such humbly situated prodigies, learned observers like Benjamin Rush and Dugald Stewart mobilized the contemporary science of the ostensibly universal human mind to construct and legitimize hierarchies of human difference, most explicitly race, less obviously class. The prodigies' unfamiliarity with letters and numerals raised a fundamental question: how did they do it, or in the context of the reigning model of the mind, which faculty enabled them to do it? In reply, men of learning passed over the exalted faculties of reasoning and imagination to the appropriately humble faculty of memory. That choice made sense in light of how most people learned and applied arithmetic. Given that computational skill in this era functioned alongside literary, artistic, and scientific achievement as the mark of a group's potential for genius, it also averted the attribution of genius to Fuller and Colburn by establishing a congruence between a rank-ordered ladder of faculties and a hierarchy of human groups. In the riddle of the calculating prodigies, Enlightenment thinkers thus established an intellectual grounding for an explicitly racial science of the human body by covertly ranking the "universal" human mind.

Livelihood vulnerability of smallholder farmers to climate change: A comparative analysis based on irrigation access in South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Bulukumba Regency is one of the major rice-producing areas in South Sulawesi, Indonesia and has experienced frequent climate disasters over the past decade. Several downstream villages within the Bettu River irrigation area have been affected by the drought, culminating in reduced lowland rice production and increasing the vulnerability of farmers’ livelihoods. This study aims to evaluate the vulnerability of the livelihood system among rice farmers in the Bettu River irrigation area by classifying the area into two zones based on the distance from the main irrigation canal, namely the upstream area and downstream area. The livelihood vulnerability index (LVI) framework and livelihood vulnerability index-Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (LVI-IPCC) approach were applied by selecting geographic and socio-demographic indicators that affected the farmer households, including 8 major components and 26 sup-components. The data for LVI-IPCC estimation were collected by randomly selecting 132 households from villages in the two areas. The empirical results showed that farmers in the downstream area were more vulnerable to climate change than farmers in the upstream area. The major components causing the livelihood vulnerability of the downstream farmers were livelihood strategy, food, water, land, health, as well as natural disasters and climate variability. In particular, the sub-components of agricultural livelihood diversification, consistent water supply for farming, and drought events were important in the downstream area. Farmers in the upstream area were vulnerable to socio-demographic profile and social network components. The LVI-IPCC findings suggested that the government should prioritize farmers in the downstream area to develop resilience strategies, particularly by increasing irrigation infrastructure and the number of reservoirs and drilling holes. Furthermore, to increase their adaptive capacity in terms of diversification of agricultural livelihood systems, the government and donor agencies need to provide trainings on the development of home food industries for poor farmers and vulnerable households that were affected by disasters.

Impacts of ecological programs on land use and ecosystem services since the 1980s: A case‐study of a typical catchment on the Loess Plateau, China

AbstractChina' Loess Plateau, which was once dominated by sloping fields with poor farming conditions and serious soil erosion, has experienced a series of ecological programs. This article sought to explore the impacts of ecological programs on land use and ecosystem services in a typical catchment of China's Loess Plateau from 1984 to 2017, and thus understand what needs to be improved for future ecological programs. The findings showed that: (a) Due to the implementation of various ecological programs, the land use structure was optimized, and vegetation coverage was significantly increased, especially with the implement of the Grain for Green (GFG) Program. (b) The change of the total ecosystem service value (ESV) presented a U‐shaped curve. The total ESV decreased under the Comprehensive Management of Small Catchments Program, and increased significantly since the implementation of the GFG. The rapid increase stage can be traced to the effects of the Gully Land Consolidation Program, reflecting the time lag effect of ecological programs on the improvement of ecosystem services. (c) The various ecosystem services were improved significantly, except for the food provisioning value (FPV). The abandonment of croplands without consolidation determined the decline of the FPV, implying the necessity for a land‐use efficiency boost. Our research proposed to build up an actor network to integrate local governments, rural cadres, villagers, enterprises, and natural resources, especially land resources, into ecological programs to ensure ecological restoration and activate the factors of production, thus securing the sustainable development of China' Loess Plateau.

18세기 전반 廢錢論의 전개와 鑄錢 재개

The Choson Dynasty stopped issuing coins for a while after issuing large-scale coins during the great famine from 1695 to 1697. The suspension of coin issuance caused various problems, including a shortage of coins, over time. The biggest problem was the loan shark using coins. Farmers paid taxes by buying coins at high prices. Poor farmers borrowed coins and suffered heavy losses from excessive interest. The solution was largely divided into two. One was to eliminate all coins and not use them, and the other was to reduce the value of coins by supplying them in large quantities on the market. King Yeongjo was consistent in his position to get rid of coins. Coins were goods that should be lost that only caused great damage to the people. However, as the national finances became difficult due to poor harvests and infectious diseases, and the cost of relieving farmers was insufficient, the issuance of coins resumed. He changed his position for the sake of the people. From this period, King Yeongjo used coins for each major national policy and financial crisis. This became an important turning point for the use of coins to spread throughout the country after the late 18th century and to firmly establish itself as Choson's currency.

A Study on Affordable Homestead Implements for Stress Reduction on Body Parts amongst Farm Workers of Khammam District, India

The rural populations consisting of marginal and poor farmers are dependent on labourers for all farm related activities like sowing / planting of paddy, harvesting of agricultural and horticultural produce and application of pesticides which can be very costly. These labourers also face a lot of problems in sowing / planting of paddy as it has to be done by bending down continuously or during application of pesticides to cotton fields drift can be major health concern and harvesting different produce like bhendi due to its thorny spikes and capsaicin content of chilies. In view of this, KVK, Wyra, Khammam has assessed cost effective homestead implements and is relentlessly trying to popularize them. These included use of protective clothing during application of pesticides, rolling stem applicator for controlling sucking pest in cotton, knitted gloves for bhendi plucking and chilli finger guard for its plucking. These simple and cost-effective farm implements helped farm women in drudgery reduction, ergonomic stress on various body parts, improved work efficiency, decreased labour cost and body allergies. Protective clothing reduced itching, irritation, skin allergies, burning, vomiting, headache and faintness over a month’s time, rolling stem applicator was ecofriendly and decreased the amount of chemicals, knitted gloves for bhendi plucking reduced the bruising and repeated damage to fingers during harvesting and chilli finger guard. The reduction in stress on body parts automatically improved the work efficiency among farm workers.

Bio-rationale Management of Tomato Leaf Miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) Using Extracts of Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium L) and Periwinkle (Vinca rosea L.)

Recently, tomato leaf miner (TLM) Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is the most notorious pest of tomato worldwide causing severe reduction of yields in both protected and open fields. In Sudan, the pest was recorded to attack all tomato cultivation areas causing considerable damage affecting income of poor farmers. Various pesticides of different active ingredients are applied excessively and routinely to control T. absoluta in tomato. As known, reliance on insecticide cause adverse impacts in human health, create insect resistance as well as affect environment and natural enemies. This study is initiated to evaluate the efficacy of extracts of 3 botanicals as alternative to synthetic insecticides against T. absoluta. A randomized Complete Block Design field experiment was conducted at Takroof experimental farm of Kassala and Gash Research Station, Sudan during season (2019/2020). The experiment consisted of Neem seed oil, water extracts of Datura, Water extract of Vinca, Dancid®; synthetic insecticide as standard, and non-treated treatment as control. Each treatment was replicated thrice Data included number of infested plants/plot, number of mines/plot, percentage of infested fruits and yield (Ton/ha) were compiled, variance among treatments (ANOVA) was statistically analyzed and means were separated using Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) applying SAS 9 a computer based program. The results of this study, revealed high significant difference between treatments in the number of infested plants/plot, number of active mines/plots for the three assessment times of the post spray counts. Water extract of Datura and Neem seed oil were better than Dancid® and Vinca in reducing the number of infested plants/plots and number of active mines/plots. All test products were significantly same in reduction the percentage of infestation of fruits and they were less than the control. Also high significant difference was observed between treatments on yield. Plots treated with Neem seed oil obtained the highest yield followed by WE of Datura, Dancid®, WE of Vinca with 11.2, 9.9, 9.7, 8.8 (Tons/ha) while the un-treated plots obtained the lowest yield (3.8 Tons/ ha). For their potency, cheapness, easy processing and environmental friendly characters, Neem seed oil, WE of Datura, and WE of Vinca are recommended to be used to control T. absoluta in tomato crop. Keywords: Tuta absoluta neem seed oil, Datura, periwinkle, aqueous extracts

The discursive construction of corporate identity in the corporate social responsibility reports: A case study of Starbucks.

Both corporate identity and corporate social responsibilities are of strategic importance to companies’ reputation and competitiveness. From a social constructivist view, identity is constructed in discourse. Therefore, this study sets out to investigate how corporate identity is discursively constructed in corporate CSR communication. Taking Starbucks as an example, this corpus-assisted study explores how Starbucks deploys nomination, predication, and intensification strategies and the corresponding linguistic resources to discursively construct itself and its main stakeholder groups in the CSR reports from the perspective of Discourse-Historical Approach to Critical Discourse Analysis. Also, how Starbucks addresses or presents issues in which scandals or problems reside is investigated. The findings show that Starbucks explicitly constructs itself as the supportive care-taker of the partners, faithful deliverer of good customer experience, powerful helper of poor farmers, and CSR-conscious selector of suppliers, who takes a strongly committed and proactive CSR stance through the discourse. However, behind such discursive construction are the hidden ideologies and corporate agenda of a capitalistic nature, with Starbucks veiling the power dominance and unequal power relations. This study not only contributes to the understanding of the discursive construction of corporate identity, but also helps raise peoples’ awareness of the power game at play behind the corporate discourse.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Knowledge Attitude and Practices on African Animal Trypanocide Resistance.

Background: African trypanocide resistance is an emerging public health emergency whose control requires a revisit on farmer’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices in developing countries. African animal trypanocide resistance (AATr) is rife in an environment where drug use and policy decisions are disjointed. The objective of the study was to identify community factors responsible for the development of AATr. This was important since diminazene aceturate (DA), isometamidium chloride (ISM), and homidium bromide (HB) have existed for over 30 years and no new drugs have been provided to farmers. Methods: An electronic keyword search across 12 databases was conducted using a search criterion from 1806 to June 2022. This generated a total of 24 publications, but after removing duplicates, review articles, and nonrelated articles, a total of eight papers were included in the analysis by following the PRISMA checklist. A meta-analysis was conducted on the data extracted and the risk ratio and inverse variance at 95% confidence interval were calculated using RevMan®. Results: All the eight articles in the study showed that DA was the most preferred trypanocide in both West and Eastern Africa. Poor farmer knowledge of AATr and limited drug options were major drivers for trypanocide resistance. In addition, farmer treatments, use of untrained personnel, poor administration, poor dosing, and preparation of trypanocides were major drivers for the development of AATr and similarities were identified in DA and ISM practices (P = 0.13). Conclusions: AATr is spread in developing countries due to a lack of community knowledge, attitudes, and drug-use practices. This situation could be reversed through interdisciplinary collaborations in endemic communities by promoting effective treatments and responsible drug handling.

Effect of Indigenous Tree Species Component in Homegarden Agroforestry System on Selected Soil Physicochemical Properties in Habro District, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Homegardens are one of the most important niche in which farmers feel confident to plant and maintain tree and shrub species. Indigenous tree species that are used for soil fertility improvement in Homegardens in western Harerghe in general and Habro district have not been given much research attention. The study assessed the effect of indigenous tree species components of homegarden agroforestry system on selected soil physicochemical properties. The study was carried out in Habro district at three sites (Melka Belo, Haro Chercher and Lega Bera). Soil samples were collected from under Cordia africana and Faidherbia albida canopy and outside canopy at three distances (at half of the canopy radius under the tree, at canopy edge and at three times canopy radius away from the tree trunk outside the canopy) within the 0-20cm and 20 to 40cm soil depths. Mean total nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium and organic carbon were significantly higher under the tree canopy than outside the canopy area (P<0.05). Bulk density was significantly higher at subsurface than surface soil while organic carbon was significantly higher at surface soil than subsurface soil. The analysis of variance revealed that moisture content, soil texture and soil pH were not significantly affected by tree species, distance from the tree trunk and by soil depth. The present study demonstrates that Cordia africana and Faidherbia albida tree that were planted or maintained in homegarden agroforestry system of Habro district improved soil properties and they can be used as an economically feasible, environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to maintain soil fertility of the resource poor farmers in similar agro-ecological conditions. Hence, the research encourages indigenous tree species that are found to have positive effects on soil physical and chemical properties.

Are climate finance subsidies equitably distributed among farmers? Assessing socio-demographics of solar irrigation in Nepal

Solar-powered irrigation pumps are a vital tool for both climate change adaptation and mitigation. Since most developing countries cannot fully utilize large-scale global funds for climate finance due to limited institutional capacities, small-scale solar irrigation pumps (SIPs) can provide a climate-resilient technological solution. We study the case of a subsidized SIP program in Nepal to understand who likely benefits from a small-scale climate finance program in a developing country setting. We analyze government data on profiles of farmers applying for SIPs and in-depth interviews with different actors along the SIP service chain. We find that vulnerable farmers (women, ethnic minorities, and poor farmers) were less likely than wealthier and non-minority farmers to have access to climate finance subsidies. Even though the government agency gave preference to women and ethnic minority farmers during beneficiary selection, an unrepresentative pool of applicants resulting from social and institutional barriers that prevented them from applying to the program led to an inequitable distribution of subsidized SIPs. The lack of a clear policy framework for allocating climate finance subsidies was a significant constraint. Lack of periodic updating of SIP prices and poor provision of after-sale services were also responsible for the inequitable distribution of subsidized SIPs. We recommend the involvement of local governments in soliciting applications from a wider pool of farmers, periodic revision of SIP prices to reflect market price, replacement of the current fixed subsidy scheme with a variable subsidy scheme, and mandatory provisions of after-sales services.

Poverty Reduction Policy of Small Farmers and Culturers Towards Explpoitative Middlery Intermediation

The poverty process creates specific rural poverty groups in a complex and multidimensional phenomenon, so that no valid anti-poverty program can apply equally to every time and every region, one of the specific rural poverty community groups created by the poverty process is Small Farmers and Cultivators, the source of their poverty is due to low access to land and capital, the alternatives available to them in the labor market are very small with low wages, precarious work, high unemployment rates, and limited land, so they experience exploitation by middlemen. intensive. The type of research used is descriptive research, the approach used is a case study using the PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) method. In this case, the case study is the search for problems (problem structuring) of the sources and processes behind the poverty of the farming community in Jonggon Kampung Village and the policies that need to be implemented in response to these problems. The research location was conducted in Kutai Kertanegara Regency, East Kalimantan Province, the unit of analysis of this study was at the village level, the determination of the unit of analysis was carried out intentionally according to the research objectives (purposive), namely villages according to the classification of poor villages with a functional group approach of people who are vulnerable to the poverty process. rural areas, namely groups of small farmers and sharecroppers. The results of the study confirm the policies that need to be implemented in an effort to increase the productivity of poor farmers in Jonggon Kampung Village, namely; controlling the shrinkage of functional land, increasing the application of appropriate technology, capital assistance and increasing access to marketing as alternative selected policies to be recommended.

Poverty Reduction Policy of Small Farmers and Culturers Towards Explpoitative Middlery Intermediation

The poverty process creates specific rural poverty groups in a complex and multidimensional phenomenon, so that no valid anti-poverty program can apply equally to every time and every region, one of the specific rural poverty community groups created by the poverty process is Small Farmers and Cultivators, the source of their poverty is due to low access to land and capital, the alternatives available to them in the labor market are very small with low wages, precarious work, high unemployment rates, and limited land, so they experience exploitation by middlemen. intensive. The type of research used is descriptive research, the approach used is a case study using the PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) method. In this case, the case study is the search for problems (problem structuring) of the sources and processes behind the poverty of the farming community in Jonggon Kampung Village and the policies that need to be implemented in response to these problems. The research location was conducted in Kutai Kertanegara Regency, East Kalimantan Province, the unit of analysis of this study was at the village level, the determination of the unit of analysis was carried out intentionally according to the research objectives (purposive), namely villages according to the classification of poor villages with a functional group approach of people who are vulnerable to the poverty process. rural areas, namely groups of small farmers and sharecroppers. The results of the study confirm the policies that need to be implemented in an effort to increase the productivity of poor farmers in Jonggon Kampung Village, namely; controlling the shrinkage of functional land, increasing the application of appropriate technology, capital assistance and increasing access to marketing as alternative selected policies to be recommended.

Nutritional quality of Calobota sericea fodders harvested at different phenological stages – opportunities for inclusion in fodder flow programs for extensive livestock farmers

Calobota sericea (Thunb.) Boatwr. & B.-E.van Wyk (Fabaceae) is a native legume from the semi-arid rangelands of South Africa. The species has been prioritised as a forage for water-limited agro-ecological areas. No information regarding the nutritional quality of C. sericea forage harvested at different phenological stages is currently available, limiting our knowledge as to the best time to harvest the forage. The aim of this study was to determine the nutritional quality of C. sericea forage harvested at five phenological stages. Results from the study show that crude protein, fibre, energy and digestibility of the forage decreased with plant maturity, but not all mineral nutrients showed the same trend. In general, C. sericea forage harvested at non-reproductive, early flower bud and full flower stages could provide sufficient energy and protein to maintain livestock condition. At these stages, the neutral detergent fibre and digestibility of the harvested materials are also good, indicating that intake and processing of these forage would not be a problem for the livestock. At these phenological stages most of the mineral nutrients were also sufficiently high to meet the minimum requirements of small stock. Thus, C. sericea forage harvested at the appropriate phenological stages could provide a useful source of forage for resource poor farmers.