The objective of this study was to compare the growth performance of two Nguni ecotypes and its crosses (Nguni x Landim) raised under the same feedlot conditions at the Posto Fomento do Impaputo, in southern Mozambique. Live weight feedlot data, from entry to marketing, were collected every fortnight between 1999 and 2009 from 453 oxen of the Nguni and Landim male ecotypes, as well as the crosses. Year-season of birth had significant effects on live weight at entry in the feedlot and at marketing age. Overall means for average age at entry in the feedlot was 31.8 ± 4 months, with the Landim being younger than the Cross (p=0.07). The average live weight at entry in the feedlot was 390 ± 42.5 kg, with no differences between ecotypes (p>0.05). Males born in dry year-seasons were heavier than males born in wet years-seasons (p<0.0001 to p<0.05).The average age at marketing of the Nguni ecotypes was 34.4 ± 5.08 months, with the Landim being younger (p<0.05) than the Cross. The average live weight at marketing was 446 ± 42.2 kg. The average live weights at entry and at marketing were higher in dry years-seasons than in wet years-seasons. There were no differences between ecotypes for average daily gain (0.89 ± 0.79 kg) in this study. Growth rates for the feedlot in the Nguni cattle obtained in this study were substantially lower than that obtained for the Ngunis in South Africa albeit they entered the feedlot at a much older age. This study demonstrates that in Mozambique feedlot industry is still underdeveloped with main constraints on feed resources, especially concentrates.

he survey was carried out in Horro district of Horro Guduru zone, west part of Ethiopia. The objectives of the survey were: to describe cattle production system, trait preferences, breeding practices, and constraints in utilization of the breed and to use the information generated as baseline data to design breeding strategy of the breed. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, group discussions and secondary data collections from different sources. Statistical Package for Social Science was employed to analyze data. Horro cattle are kept in a mixed crop-livestock production system and are the dominant livestock species in the area. Cattle have multi-functional roles in the production systems. Among reason of keeping cattle, draught power was ranked first followed by milk production. Farmers prefer composite traits from their male and female cattle. Draught power performance, body size, hump size, adaptability and coat color were among the higher ranked preferred traits for male cattle in that order. Preferred traits for female cattle include milk yield, fat yield, calving interval, adaptability and coat color.

In order to describe the ways of handling, processing and marketing of milk in urban and peri-urban production systems of the North western Ethiopian highlands, 256 and 54 dairy farms were selected for survey and monitoring data collection, respectively. Due to poor market access and high transaction costs and the perishable nature of raw milk, the amount of sold milk (products) and prices were significantly lower for peri-urban producers. Prices were also low during fasting periods and during the wet season; when milk production was reactively high. Traditional ways of milk processing at household level include practices which may contain risks for product quality affecting consumers’ health. Providing basic handling and health education for producers therefore is likely to result in improved milk (product) quality on the markets. Direct delivery to the nearby consumers was the largest primary milk outlet for producers of both systems, while retailers and milk cooperatives were the second most common outlets for the urban and the peri-urban system, respectively. Therefore, to enhance dairy production and marketing, milk co-operatives that could be able to market larger volumes and sufficiently reduce transaction costs should be supported by governmental and non-governmental organisations through providing technical and infrastructural support.

Nigerian indigenous chicken (NIC) from three agro-ecological zones (Rain Forest, RF; Derived Savanna, DS; and Guinea Savanna, GS) were evaluated for age at first egg, egg production and egg weight, percent hen-day egg production and percent laying mortality. Data for this work were collected over a period of 72 weeks. A total of 579 eggs from DS and RF zones and 505 growers from DS, GS and RF were evaluated. Data were compiled by Dbase IV and analysed using the General Linear Model (GLM) procedure of Statistical Analysis System (SAS). Agro-ecological zones, age and sex were the fixed effects in the model. Means for each variable effect were compared using the Least-Square Analysis of Variance and Duncan option of SAS. For all the traits evaluated, there was no significant difference between the chickens from the three ecological zones. Hence, the Nigerian indigenous chickens from these zones cannot be said to belong to different genetic groups.

The non-spore forming gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes is a food pathogen bacterium and the causative agent of listeriosis. The aim of study was to determine the survival limits of L. monocytogenes inoculated in manufactured cold smoked sausages depending on water activity (aw) and pH values. Enumeration of L. monocytogenes colony forming units per gram (cfu gE-1) was done according to ISO standards. The decreasing water activity conditioned by moisture (weight) loss during ripening and pH decrease ensured negative exponential growth rate of inoculated L. monocytogenes lg cfu gE-1 - 0.44 each day. A significant Pearson's correlation (p is less than 0.01) was established between decreased values of L. monocytogenes count, aw (0.99), pH (0.92), moisture % (0.96), and weight loss (0.93) in sausages during ripening. The experiments were done at the Faculty of Veterinary medicine of the Latvia University of Agriculture and in a sausage manufacturer's laboratory.

Innovation capacity has to be viewed as a consequence of properly operating innovation system. Well established and functioning innovation system is a result of enhanced by government innovation policy. In comparison with other European Union (EU 27) countries, innovation capacity indicators in Latvia remain low and considerably underperform, reflected in the 'European Innovation Scoreboard 2008', where Latvia took the 30th place among 32 countries. Problems and solutions are illustrated to represent innovation capacity in Latvia. This article consists of the following parts: first - theoretical aspects are selected to describe the essential definition of the analyzed subject. In the second part, experience from abroad is described, at the end – Latvian innovation policy and situation is analyzed and suggestions for further needs are formulated. The main results of analysis show that only a few elements of innovation capacity building are functioning at Latvian enterprises, whose aim is to build a base for the innovation capacity of the country.

Regional development should not be a unified process even for a small country such as Latvia. There is a stereotype that people living in big cities and rural areas differ in their values and behaviour. This study compares the human values of Riga, the Riga district urban area and different rural regions in Latvia. During the last three years - 2007, 2008 and 2009 the survey of 1450 inhabitants showed no substantial difference in peoples' social values; comparing rural and urban locations. Rather, a noticeable difference in human values between people living in different regions of Latvia was observed. It was also observed that the set of values expands in different directions over time, forcing a future increase in fragmentation and segmentation of the population in the country.

Despite Latvia being a small country, it bears marked territorial or regional differences both between smaller administrative territorial units (local municipalities, republican cities and districts) and between larger territories – regions. From 2004 till 2008 Riga received 50% of all European Union (EU) funding. Latgale received the smallest part of financing (10%); the rest of the funding was split almost equally among Zemgale (12%), Vidzeme (12%) and Kurzeme (13%). As specific tasks for the development of specific territories or a balanced distribution of financing were not put forward for the strategy of acquiring funds, the fund investment has been attracted only to those territories where the yield could be the biggest or where the absorption capacity was the highest.

The study was accomplished in 2010. The applied research methods are based on the analysis of the studies by other authors, industry experts, statistic data and the (unpublished) information provided by the Latvian district heating merchant “xxx”. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used for evaluating data regularity. In 2020 the energy produced from renewable sources (Directive 2009/28/EC) in total energy consumption in Latvia has to reach 40%. Such an objective can be achieved by promoting the use of biomass at cogeneration (CHP) plants, the potential of which is the district heat supply system. Wood as an energy resource in its structure accounts for only 25-30%; therefore, the primary condition is the introduction of modern technology which would provide the possibility to diversify energy resources. The calculations confirm that the realised amount of thermal energy indirectly affects profit; directly it is affected by the rate of thermal energy, so the structure of use of energy in heat supply enterprises is associated with lowering the cost of (restrictive) factors - the energy cost, specific production technologies, energy efficiency. Currently, the primary condition of heating companies is to find such energy resource(s) to ensure the approved schedule of temperature and thermal load. The next determining factor is the energy price. In assessing the factors that will affect energy usage in the future, the main strategic principle of energy consumption will be linked to limiting the growth or even reducing heat tariff, by realising optimal efficiency and minimal environmental pollution during energy transmission.

Implementing the land reform, territories of farms were quite often formed of several - up to 20 - land plots, frequently with disadvantageous borders. With reorganization of production of the farms, rural development and activities of land market, importance and tasks of rational territory organization will grow. Besides, it can be forecasted that, as a result of land rent and further buy-sell and other transactions, many new farmland properties and land uses are going to appear which might not correspond to the requirements of rational territory organization. It indicates that importance of land consolidation, e.i., enterprises for elimination of land fragmentation and other deficiencies of territorial arrangement, is going to increase further.