Assessment of the Impact of Gum Arabic Research Results Applied on Improving and Developing Gum Arabic Belt in Sheikan and UmRuwaba Localities, North Kordofan State, Sudan

Abstract

This study was conducted in Sheikan and Um Ruwaba localities, North Kordofan State, Sudan from 2017 to 2021. It aimed to assess impact of some results of applied gum Arabic research on improving and developing of gum Arabic belt in Sheikan and Um Ruwaba localities. The focus is on production, marketing, quality aspects, adoption of innovated tools and agro-forestry. It also aimed to investigate to what extent the research centers performed their roles in passing results of these researches to the beneficiaries in the study area. Moreover, to know how these researches helped the beneficiaries in improving and developing their gum produced and quality. It also investigated gaps in gum Arabic research results and to design a conceptual model for how beneficiaries maximize their benefit from results of implemented research. Data were collected using a stratified random sampling where 265 gum Arabic producers were interviewed. Secondary data were obtained from relevant sources. With the aid of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), descriptive statistics, frequency, chi square and Likert Scale test were adopted. Statistical analysis revealed that percentages of respondents who applied what they have gained regarding agro-forestry, tapping with sunki, tapping direction, packing, pickings duration were 61.5%, 54.0%, 63.0%, 64.2% and 61.9% respectively. Chi- square test explained that there is significant relationship between gum Arabic production techniques applied and increasing production and quality of gum produced, in terms of tapping with sunki (0.005),tapping direction east and west (0.094), time of first picking after tapping (0.029) and time between the picking and second one (0.017). Likert scale test (2.00) showed weak and insufficient respondents attitude opinions towards gum Arabic production techniques that produced by FNC in term of agro-forestry (2.7), tapping practice (2.7), picking (2.7), packing (2.7) and marketing (2.5). Likert scale test (3.00) showed that respondent's attitude opinions effectiveness of gum production techniques results between weak and not enough in developing and improving of gum belt, in terms of tapping directions (3.0), packing containers (3.0), gum storing (2.8) and picking interval (3.0). The study recommended that sufficient training for gum producers is highly required to enable them to acquire skills and to build-up their capacity for more benefits from research output.