We conducted this study in the Agogo Traditional Area of the Ashanti region of Ghana where there are numerous cases of conflicts between crop and animal farmers as a result of insufficient pasture for livestock, especially during the dry seasons. This has drawn the attention of various stakeholders in agriculture to the need for supplement feed through pasture establishment. The study examines farmers’ perception and the financial viability of pasture establishment for small ruminant production. The specific objectives of the study are as follow: to identify the cost and returns for the establishment of an acre of pasture, to assess the financial viability of pasture establishment on ‘cut and sell’ basis, to investigate farmers’ perception of pasture establishment for cattle production, to conduct a SWOT analysis of the establishment of pasture in Agogo. The study purports to analyze in detail, farmers' perceptions about the nature of the proposed 'Fodder Bank' policy and its likely effect on crop and livestock production, and whether the proposed policy could generate adequate monetary returns to induce its adoption at the farm level. The study seeks to provide evidence in support of SDG goals 2 (Zero hunger) and 12 (Responsible consumption and production) of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. To the authors' best of knowledge, this is envisage to provide valuable information to support policy initiatives intended to tackle the root cause of farmer-herder conflicts. The Asante Akim North Municipal is one of the 27 administrative Districts in the Ashanti Region. Its capital is Konongo- Odumasi. The population for this study comprises livestock and crop farmers in Agogo. Asante Akim North Municipal was purposively selected for the study because it is noted for its agrarian abilities and massive production of food in the Ashanti region. The multi stage sampling was employed in this study. At the first stage, Asante Agogo traditional area was selected purposively due to the fact that majority of the inhabitants engage in agricultural activities (GSS 2010). At the second stage, three communities in Agogo namely, Hwidiem, Ananekrom and Bebuso were selected purposively. At the third stage, quota sampling was used to obtain a specific number of farmers from each of the three communities to sum up to 150 respondents as shown in table. Simple random sampling technique was then used to engage the selected farmers in these communities. A sample size of 150 respondents were obtained using the Slovin’s formulae which is a scientific method of obtaining the sample size for a given population. Structured questionnaires consisting of open and close ended questions were used to gather primary data from respondents through face-to-face interviews. Interviews were conducted using the local dialect mostly to enhance communication and to clear all language barriers but English was used where the respondents could give accurate answers in English Language. Data per the questionnaires from respondents were concerning their perception of pasture establishment and the assessment of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of pasture establishment. Secondary data was sought from books, journals, dissertations and the internet. Useful and relevant information on the appropriate materials and their costs for establishing pasture was also obtained from the Agogo MoFA office, and the KNUST Department of Animal Science. Descriptive statistics such as percentages, tables and means were used to analyze the socio-economic characteristics of respondents. It was revealed in the study that majority of crop farmers have had their crops destroyed by ruminants especially cattle at least once. Additionally, the study showed that pasture establishment is one way through which crop farms destruction by livestock can be prevented as about 99% of farmers responded in the affirmative. The results for the financial viability of the venture under the assumptions used gave relevant results with BCR of 1.18 and NPV of GHC 3,160. The Internal Rate Return of the venture is estimated at 40.1% and a Pay Back period of 2.61 years. Therefore, it will be economically prudent for investors to commit resources towards establishing pasture. The perception index for commercial, economic and financial concerns of pasture establishment was 3.7 which is skewed toward agree. The statement that had the highest positive perception index was about the fact that pasture establishment will increase the quality of meat. This implies that respondents perceive that the commercial, economic and financial results of pasture establishment will be positive. The perception index for the social category was 3.66. The statement with the highest positive assertion by respondents is the fact that pasture establishment will help control the movement of animals. The perception index of 3.66 which is skewed towards agree means that pasture establishment will attract the support from the community and also bring more benefits to the society. In the category of technical concerns of pasture establishment, the overall perception index for this category is 3.15, which means that the respondents perceive they have a fair technical know- how concerning pasture establishment even though the venture requires technical know-how. In the category of institutional concerns, support and involvement in pasture establishment, the statement with the highest perception index is that MoFA will support farmers with the necessary resources in its capacity. With reference to the chi-square test, the study can conclude that there is a significant relationship between the type of farmer and the perception that support can be drawn from farmer-based associations, and the perception that pasture establishment will increase livestock production as well as the general sales of farmers. Lastly, the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between the educational background of the farmer and the perception that it is not difficult to select planting materials for pasture establishment. Farmers in Asante Akim Agogo should adopt the establishment of pasture since it is financially viable. The establishment of pasture in Asante Akim Agogo should be encouraged since it has the potency to reduce the farmer - herder conflicts and ensure food security. For successful pasture establishment, technical know-how is essential.

highlighted the role of well-functioning financial systems in investing in different sectors of the economy. The financial systems facilitate the economic growth by aggregating the limited resources for enormous investments. Considering the important role of banks in financial systems and the significant impact of the Profitability of Banks on their activities, this paper empirically analyses the factors determining the Profitability of 15 banks for the period of 1384 – 1393. It should be noted that the higher levels of Profitability in banks not only enables them to grant further credit, but also facilitates the investment process in risky environments. According to the literature, we divided the factors into two groups: bank specific factors and macroeconomic factors. The results of examining hypothesis using panel analyses and Eviews software and the return on equity (ROE) as the Profitability measure, indicate that there is a positive relationship between the Profitability factors and the asset structure, revenue diversification, economic growth and inflation. In addition, capitalization, capital structure, size, industry concentration and interest rate have a negative effect on bank Profitability.

Profit, as one of the most important indicators for measuring the performance of an economic unit, is one of the important accounting topics, which has gained a high position due to the fierce competition environment and the importance of quick and appropriate decision-making by managers. Therefore, it is very important to analyze the mentioned index, its influencing factors and predict Profitability. Banks, as economic enterprises, seek to earn profit, and at the same time, they can play an important role in the growth and development of the country. The Profitability of banks is influenced by internal and environmental variables. Internal factors are under the control of the bank's management and reflect differences in the bank's management policies, resource allocation, asset portfolio management, and capital adequacy. In this regard, in the present research, the number of 30 banks for the period from 2012 to 2014 based on the basic information of the banks' financial statements; The effect of 22 variables (taken from Kamels model (1979)) in predicting the Profitability of banks was examined. C5 decision tree technique was used to determine significant variables in predicting Profitability due to the high ease of understanding the model. Finally, after determining the effective variables and identifying 9 variables, the accuracy of predictions was also measured using this technique. The results of the research indicated that the bank Profitability prediction model, considering significant variables, and using the C5 decision tree algorithm, has an accuracy of 93.54%. Considering the acute conditions of inflation in Iran's economy and the high inflation expectations, the management of the banks take the initiative in increasing their expected profit and adjust their interest rate according to the expected inflation, and this leads to a positive effect on the banks' Profitability.

By the end of the year 2010, 148 million ha of the agricultural lands were devoted for the cultivation of biotechnology or Genetically Modified (GM) crops. More than 17 million ha of these crops were devoted for insect resistant Bt cotton only. India with more than 10 million ha of Bt cotton has the largest area under the cultivation of GM cotton. Pakistan has also officially declared the cultivation of more than 2.4 Million ha of Bt cotton in the year 2010. For the first time in Iran and perhaps in the Middle East transgenic cotton with stacked traits (insect resistance and fungal disease tolerance has been developed. Comprehensive molecular characterization of the transgenic plants, intensive insect bioassays at both laboratory and greenhouse, inheritance analysis, comprehensive risk assessment including the environmental risk assessment were doing. It is expected that commercialization of biotechnology cotton in Iran will result in the reduced cost of production, reduced need for application of chemical insecticide and hence improved environmental conservation and human health. This may also result in the expansion of area under the cultivation of cotton plantation that has been reduced dramatically, partly due to the heavy manifestation of insect pests in Iran's cotton growing areas.Experience in other developing countries estimate the net economic gain from growing Bt cotton to be USD 600/ha. Relatively higher net economic return is expected from the cultivation of Bt cotton in Iran since the seed will not be distributed among farmers at higher price.