Journal Article

This study aimed to characterize the morpho-structural traits of indigenous goats reared at the Chobela Research Station located in Chobela neighbourhood, Magude District, southern Mozambique. A total of 137 goats were selected, comprising 77 Landim and 60 Pafúri animals. Qualitative (morphological) traits were assessed through visual inspection and summarized using frequencies and percentages, while quantitative (morphometric) traits were measured using a zoometric tape and analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) at a 5% significance level. Due to low expected frequencies in some qualitative trait categories, inferential analysis (Chi-square test) was not performed, and these results are presented descriptively. In terms of morphological traits, all Pafúri goats exhibited a convex head profile, whereas Landim goats showed both convex (57.9%) and concave (42.1%) profiles. Approximately 75% of the goats presented a uniform coat colour pattern. Morphometric comparisons based on inferential analysis of female goats (n = 131) due to the limited number of males (n = 6), showed that Landim goats tended to have higher mean values for horn length (19.21 ± 0.83 cm), withers height (58.67 ± 1.20 cm), and body length (67.31 ± 1.73 cm), whereas Pafúri goats exhibited slightly larger head dimensions and thoracic perimeter. However, none of these differences were statistically significant (p > 0.05). Regarding zoometric indices, Landim goats tended to exhibit higher cephalic and thoracic indices, whereas Pafúri goats showed similar or slightly higher body, particularly among females. In contrast, Pafúri goats exhibited marginally higher proportionality indices, reflecting more elongated body proportions. Similarly, the small variations observed in zoometric indices did not reach statistical significance (p > 0.05). We hypothesized that, despite being reared under similar environmental conditions, Landim and Pafúri goat ecotypes would exhibit distinct morpho-structural characteristics due to differences in genetic background and adaptive history. These findings indicate that the morpho-structural differences between the two breeds are mainly descriptive rather than statistically supported. These results provide site-specific and preliminary baseline information for future genetic and phenotypic studies, thus may support conservation and sustainable utilization strategies for indigenous goat populations, particularly those reared under similar management and environmental conditions in southern Mozambique.

Rice plays an important role in the food and nutrition security of the Mozambican population and has been importing rice to meet growing consumption needs. There are several studies regarding demand of imported rice worldwide. However, it is noted that despite the importance of imported rice in national consumption, the empirical and quantitative studies on the demand for imported rice in Mozambique are scarce. This study results from the need to contribute to filling the information gap by providing the quantification of the impact of income and price on the consumption of imported rice. Based on monthly rice import data from 2011 to 2020, obtained from INE, the Source Differentiated Almost Ideal Demand System (SDAIDS) model and the Seemingly Unrelated Rules (SUR) approach are applied to estimate demand systems for imported rice. The period was chosen due to availability of data. The results of this study show that the national production of rice still does not cover internal needs, so the country resorts to imports to fill the deficit. The elasticities of demand for rice imported into Mozambique show that all income elasticities of demand are statistically significant, except for “other countries” or Rest of the World. The results also show that when income increases by 1%, the demand for rice increases by 1.2% when coming from “Pakistan”, and by 1.1% when coming from “Singapore”, by 1.03% for “Vietnam”; and in for those from “Myanmar” (1.1%), which suggests that rice from these countries can be classified in the luxury goods category. The results also illustrate that when the price increases by 1%, the quantities demanded decrease, on average, by 1.06% for rice coming from “Pakistan”; by 1.06% for those from “Singapore”; 1.22% for those from “Myanmar”; 0.96% for those from “Vietnam”; by 0.89% for “India”; by 0.79% for “China”; in 0.974% for “Thailand” and in 0.56% for those coming from “other countries”. The low levels of production and productivity show that it is still a challenge to guarantee rice self-sufficiency in Mozambique, and efforts to improve supply must continue, since the country's dependence on imported rice can potentially create conditions of vulnerability and insecurity and adverse market effects have competitive advantages.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivos caracterizar a composição e estrutura da floresta, dos ecossistemas de mopane, estimar os índices de crescimento e avaliar a sua distribuição diamétrica. Foram usados dados de parcelas permanentes estabelecidas em 2002 na região de Mabalane, Província de Gaza. Foi analisada a composição das espécies, sendo determinada a estrutura horizontal da floresta (abundância, dominância, frequência e índice de valor de importância) e e o incremento periódico anual em diâmetro. Os resultados mostraram a ocorrência de 15 espécies arbóreas pertencentes a onze famílias botânicas. A floresta é dominada pela espécie Colophospermum mopane (Benth.) J. Léonard (mopane), com uma abundância de 258,80 árvores por hectare, que corresponde a 85,8% do total dos indivíduos. O incremento periódico anual em diâmetro observado no período de 2003 a 2010 foi de 1,19 mm ano-1, e verificou-se a distribuição diamétrica de J – Invertido. A floresta de mopane apresenta um crescimento lento e pouca diversidade de espécies, sendo importante a aplicação de intervenções silviculturais e estabelecer o plano de manejo de acordo com o ritmo de crescimento da espécie e estrutura horizontal e vertical dos remanescentes a serem manejados.

Nos países africanos, em geral, e em Moçambique, em particular, o acesso aos serviços de extensão agrária pelos produtores, tem sido o único meio para a maioria deles acederem a informação e conhecimento agrário. Em Moçambique são poucos os estudos que analisam os fatores que influenciam o acesso aos serviços de extensão. Portanto, este estudo conduzido com base nos dados do Inquérito Agrário Integrado (IAI2020) e usando a regressão logística binária, visa contribuir para melhor entendimento dos fatores que determinam o acesso aos serviços de extensão agrária pelos produtores. Os resultados da pesquisa indicam que o sexo, a idade, a formação em agropecuária, fazer trabalho assalariado, ser membros de uma associação, ter acesso ao crédito e o tamanho da área de produção têm uma relação positiva com o acesso aos serviços de extensão rural.

This is a document about the Development and Validation of an SNP Marker for Identifying Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae Thai Isolates That Break xa5-Mediated Bacterial Blight Resistance in Rice

Considering the fact that Africa have large reserves of AnGR, the stark poverty among livestock keeper’s points to the fact that these resources have not been extensively developed and utilized.

Greater diversity of species and breeds enable rural households to ensure their food security by continuing to produce in uncertain environments, thus enabling them to manage risks more efficiently. Development of animal genetic resources (AnGR) is a priority for most of the countries in Africa where livestock production constitutes a very important component of the agricultural economy and contributes up to 30% to agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Upton, 2004).