Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, the scientific journal of the Mendel University in Brno, Czech Republic

Yams as a stable food crops do not only serve as integral vehicle for food security, but also as a source of income, and employer of labour in the producing areas in Nigeria. Lack of finance, inadequate farm inputs, storage facilities and high cost of labour are identified as the primary constraints to yam production in the country. This article deals with most of the determinants of yam production, constraints and the importance yam products in Nigeria. The findings of the study suggest that farm size, producer price, fertilizer use, yield (Hg/Ha), and economic growth have a positive influence on yam production in Nigeria. On the contrary, the result shows an inverse relationship between commercial loans and yam production in the country. There is an urgent need for the Nigerian government to provide a conducive environment and investment climate by subsidising farm inputs and providing affordable loans to the smallholder yam farmers for a sustainable production.

This article focuses on the therapeutic potential ascribed to ayahuasca by users in the Czech Republic. Following an online survey, the fieldwork among users of ayahuasca was carried out from November 2015 to December 2016. The research sample consisted of 46 persons (23 women and 23 men), who took part at least once in some type of ayahuasca ritual and/or were the facilitators of the ayahuasca sessions. We held semi-structured interviews with participants in order to discover the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca. Transcribed recordings were analyzed using the Grounded Theory Method. The results suggest that the intensity of effects produced by ayahuasca is not directly proportional to its therapeutic effect. According to the informants, ayahuasca is applicable in the treatment of drug addiction. They consider it to have a broad spectrum of therapeutic potential. This therapeutic potential could be based on memory recall.

This paper examines some determinants of international migration in Nigeria using annual time series data spanning the period 1991–2011. Using ordinary least square regression method, the results indicate that the level of unemployment, migrants’ remittances and population growth are the key determinants of emigration from Nigeria to other countries, statistically significant at 0.01 level. In a country where unemployment rate is very high, this movement is likely to help in reducing pressures on the labour market. Migrants’ remittances might also help in alleviating poverty within households. Migrants’ remittance to Nigeria has surpassed both Foreign Direct Investment and Net Official Development Assistance inflows, making it one amongst the major sources of foreign earnings to Nigeria. Nigerians will continue to migrate to other parts of the world so long as the reasons or causes for their movement are not fully addressed i.e. if political and socioeconomic issues in the country do not improve. The Nigerian government should as a matter of urgency, create better jobs and conducive environment in order to stop people from migrating while at the same time encouraging its skilled labour abroad to return home to help in national development.

The paper investigates selected macroeconomic variables where are seemingly influencing household spending in the Czech Republic in the present era of evolving cross-cultural interactions from 1993–2012. Based on the estimated regression model, it is plausible to state that net disposable income, cross-cultural dynamics, inflation rate, and saving rate as a proportion of disposable household income impact significantly on household spending. Moreover, the Granger causality analysis provides evidence of a feedback relationship between household spending and social globalization index. The results equally indicate bidirectional causality between saving rate and household spending as well as between the inflation rate and household spending

Even though global trade has fluctuated over the years, it has also rapidly increased. However, the structure and pattern of trade vary significantly by-products and regions. Undoubtedly, trade has come with both benefits and daunting challenges to countries involved, especially in African nations, where primary and intermediate merchandise formed a substantial share of exports. Because advanced and newly industrialized economies have better technology and know-how, manufacturing industries, access to finance, and market than Africa, they have a greater market proportion in the world trade. Arguably, African countries have been left in the cold as they struggle to compete with advanced economies. As presented in this chapter, Africa has been struggling to be relevant in the world market. However, its global share of merchandise trade has reduced over the decades. This is partly because the continent has concentrated on the exportation of few primary commodities (i.e., mineral fuels, iron ores, gold, cocoa beans) with volatile prices and demand in the global markets. The frequent global oil crunch other raw products are a wake-up call for a rapid industrialization and diversification for competitiveness in Africa. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has to ensure that defensive trade remedies should not be the next frontier of protectionism. Finally, for trade, growth, and development to be stimulated, African countries should urgently open their markets to expand intra-African trade.