scholarly journals Impacts of farmer field schools in the human, social, natural and financial domain: a qualitative review

Food Security ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1443-1459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henk van den Berg ◽  
Suzanne Phillips ◽  
Marcel Dicke ◽  
Marjon Fredrix
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Financial Capital ◽  
High Coverage ◽  
Savings And Loans ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Financial Domain ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe Farmer Field School (FFS) is a widely used method seeking to educate farmers to adapt agricultural decisions to diverse and variable field conditions. Out of 218 screened studies, 65 were selected to review the impact of the FFS. An analytical framework was developed with effects (outputs, outcomes and impacts) arranged according to the human, social, natural and financial domains. Impacts on non-participants of the FFS were addressed as peripheral effects. The FFS demonstrated its potential to enhance human, social, natural and financial capital of rural communities. Human capital was built in the form of critical thinking, innovation, confidence, and quality of life. Effects on social capital included mutual trust, bonding, collective action, networking, and emancipation. Natural capital was enhanced through improvements in field practices, food production, agricultural diversification, and food security. Financial capital was enhanced through increased income and profits, savings and loans schemes, with a potential to reduce poverty. The available body of evidence was unbalanced across the capital domains, providing high coverage of the natural domain but low coverage of the human, social and financial domains. In-depth case studies are needed to elucidate the interactions between livelihood assets, and the influences of the policy, institutional and external environment, in order to adjust FFS interventions aiming to optimize their impacts. Considering the positive effects the FFS can have on rural livelihoods, the FFS has potential to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. However, quality assurance of the FFS and a balanced evaluation across the capital domains require attention.

The Myth of the Positive Impact of Asymetric Economic Interdependence on National Security. The Case of the Sino-Japanese Conflict

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 142
Author(s):  
Thomas Poufinas ◽  
Victoria Pistikou
Keyword(s):  
National Security ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Economic Interdependence ◽  
Military Alliances ◽  
Territorial Conflict ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Interstate Conflicts ◽  
Power Balancing ◽  
The Impact

<p>In this paper, the aim is to show that the impact of asymmetric economic interdependence on national security is more a myth than a reality. In order to contribute to the discussion we focus on interstate conflicts with territorial disputes. So far, this debate has been highlighted by Liberals, whose argument was that trade promotes peace. However, ourargument is built on the theoretical basis of Realism. We argue that the positive impact of economic interdependence is actually a myth, since it does not raise the levels of national security of the threatened state, therefore it cannot be considered as a power-balancing factor. In order to support our argument wedeveloped an analytical framework, which consists of variables representing economic interdependence and national security.Trade, FDI, energy supply, economic agreements and membership in common economic or monetary organizations are variables that show the level of economic interdependence.Military expenditures, number of violations, possession of nuclear weapons and membership in military alliances are variables that show the level of national security respectively. First, we determine, through objective and subjective factors, which of the two rivals is the threatened state. Second, comparing indicators of economic power, we define the asymmetry in economic interdependence. Third, we analyze the indicators of economic interdependence between the rivals and we examine their impact on the national security of the threatened state. To support our opinion that asymmetric economic interdependence has no impact on national security in this paper we examine the territorial conflict in Senkaku/Diaoyu islands between Japan and the People's Republic of China. We conclude that asymmetric economic interdependence is not a power-balancing factor and it has no positive effects on the national security of the threatened state.  </p>

The use of mobile phones by women microenterprises in Malawi: a sustainable livelihoods perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Flywell Malanga ◽  
Memory John Banda
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Mobile Phones ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Sociocultural Factors ◽  
Sustainable Livelihood ◽  
Ict Literacy ◽  
Transport Costs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to assess the impact of mobile phones on the livelihoods of women microenterprises in two selected districts of Malawi. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted an interpretive qualitative approach. The authors conducted six focus group discussions with 33 women microenterprise owners in two selected districts of Malawi. This study was guided by the sustainable livelihood approach as an analytical framework. Findings The findings confirmed that to some extent use of mobile phones by women microenterprises helped them realise their livelihood outcomes. These included improved access to information, improved communication, improved marketing, reduced transport costs and improved efficiency and productivity. However, optimum benefits were highly curtailed by a number of factors such as poor information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure, security issues, high cost of talk time and data bundle, lack of ICT literacy, low education and sociocultural factors. Originality/value The findings provide evidence on the role of mobile phone technology play in promoting the value for women participating in business activities in disadvantaged communities. Policymakers and other stakeholders can use the findings as a basis for prioritising the improvement of mobile technology infrastructure in rural communities tailor-made to women microenterprises.

scholarly journals Utilizing Non-Timber Extraction of Swamp Forests over Time for Rural Livelihoods

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Wildayana ◽  
M. Edi Armanto
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Land Resources ◽  
Swamp Forest ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Timber Extraction

The research aimed to analyze utilizing non-timber extraction of swamp forests over time for rural livelihoods. This research was carried out in swamp forests of Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI) District, South Sumatra, Indonesia. The data were collected by direct field observation, intensive study of archive report documents as well as in-depth interviews with the respondents. Before 2000, rural communities could be mentioned to be relatively concerned about the status of forest and land resources because they have utilized forest and land resources following customary regulations. Various types of products extracted by their priority are fuel material, food sources, medicine and pharmacy, raw materials for handicrafts, structures and other uses. After 2000, there have been significant changes in forest and land resources being used for other purposes, e.g. agroforestry, plantation, agriculture, fodder, thatching grass, woven mats (from purun), rope webbing, leaves, resins, dyes, manure and others. These activities have caused degradation of swamp forest. To minimize the impact of swamp forest degradation, the active participation involvement of the rural community and all other stakeholder components is essential to optimize swamp forest management.

scholarly journals Climate Variability and Rural Livelihoods: How Households Perceive and Adapt to Climatic Shocks in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluwatoyin Dare Kolawole ◽  
Moseki Ronald Motsholapheko ◽  
Barbara Ntombi Ngwenya ◽  
Olekae Thakadu ◽  
Gagoitseope Mmopelwa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Weather Forecasting ◽  
Rural Households ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Okavango Delta ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Climate variability and change have adverse effects on agricultural production and other livelihood strategies of the rural households. The paper hypothesizes that rural households naturally devise means of overcoming the challenges currently posed by climate variability. The research article addresses the question of how rural households apply local knowledge of weather forecasting in adapting to climate variability in the Okavango Delta. It specifically probes, among others, the extent to which climate variability has affected agricultural production over the last 10 years in the area. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select a total of 592 households from eight rural communities. Key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and a stakeholder workshop were used to obtain demographic, socioeconomic, psychosocial, and climatic information. Households used both natural animate and inanimate indicators to predict the weather. To enhance household adaptation to climatic events, indigenous knowledge weather forecasters (ethnometeorologists) engaged in discussions with community members on their observation and interpretation of local weather conditions. Households devised adaptation strategies including the selection and preservation of drought-resistant, early maturing seeds, and shift in farming calendars to overcome the vagaries of weather patterns. Local and farming communities had a favorable perception about the accuracy of indigenous knowledge in weather forecasting (ethnometeorology) and therefore continue to utilize this knowledge system in weather forecasting. Most households perceived that change in weather patterns had a direct relationship with the decline in agricultural outputs over the last 10 years. Households’ experiential knowledge and ability to quantify their losses in farm yields as a result of climate-related problems provide an important insight for policy makers on how to address the impact of climate variability in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, and in similar social ecological contexts.

scholarly journals Impact of Small-to-Medium Size Forest Enterprises on Rural Livelihood: Evidence from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Zada ◽  
Syed Jamal Shah ◽  
Cao Yukun ◽  
Tariq Rauf ◽  
Naveed Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Sustainable Livelihood ◽  
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Forest Enterprises ◽  
The Impact

Small-to-medium-sized forest enterprises (SMFEs) offer numerous benefits to rural communities and society as a whole. Less attention has been paid to the sustainability of SMFEs in terms of improving the livelihood of rural communities. This study aims to assess the impact of SMFEs in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan, and evaluate their potential role in reducing poverty and promoting rural livelihoods. Primary data were collected from 350 household heads and analyzed using econometric methodologies: The ordinary least squares (OLS) and ordered logit model. Household income, a wealth index, and five capitals of sustainable livelihood have been considered to gauge the impact of SMFEs. The results of the study reveal that there is a strong positive association between SMFEs and improvement in a rural community’s livelihood. The results further showed that households engaged in SMFE-related activities earn 3% more income and possess about 24% more assets. These findings are robust for various dimensions of sustainable livelihood and show positive effects of SMFEs on livelihood assets. This study continues the discussion on several practical implications along with recommendations for future research.

scholarly journals The Impact of Savings and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) on Sustainable Livelihoods in Rural Communities

2022 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. p11
Author(s):  
Moyo, W. ◽  
Gasva, D.
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Sustainable Livelihoods ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Managerial Skills ◽  
Rural Livelihood ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Credit Cooperatives ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

This study sought to assess the impact of savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs) on rural sustainable livelihoods using the case of Nekatambe Ward 13 in Hwange district of Matabeleland North province in Zimbabwe. The study adopted a qualitative approach and a descriptive research design which were consistent with the research problem. Using convenience and purposive sampling, local leaders, non-governmental organisation (NGO) officials and members of the existing SACCOs were selected as respondents. The major findings were that SACCOs played a significant role in sustaining rural livelihoods particularly through enabling members to fend for themselves and their families. In addition, NGOs helped cooperatives through capacitating members with knowledge and technical skills and that SACCOs impacted positively on sustaining rural livelihoods. However, quite a number of challenges are associated with SACCOs in their bit to sustain rural livelihoods; with the major ones being failure to recover loans, competition from more established cooperatives, lack of start-up capital, poor financial and managerial skills and the general national economic meltdown. From the study findings, the researchers concluded that, despite the challenges associated with SACCOs, their existence under members’ resilience, has generally improved the lives of people in rural communities to generate employment, boost food production, send their children to school and empower the marginalized among other positive developments. Accordingly, the researchers recommend that SACCOs should diversify their operations and invest in fixed assets in order to curtail challenges and make lucrative benefits that can sustain their families and communities. On the other hand, the government and other concerned stakeholders should support SACCOs in order to alleviate the possible challenges that cripple them in their bid to promote rural livelihood sustainability.

“Land fever” and “Bankruptcy”: Social Problems in Hanoi’s Urbanizing Peri-urban Communities

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 550-562
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Urban Communities ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Social Problems ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Credit Market ◽  
Urbanization Process ◽  
Impact Of Urbanization ◽  
The Impact

Drawn upon field research in two peri-urban villages of Hanoi in 2014 and short re-visits recently, the research examines the widespread of gambling and other social issues in Hanoi’s urbanizing peri-urban communities which happened concurrently with the phenomenon of “land fever,” and at the time local villagers received compensation from land appropriation. The article aims to understand the impact of urbanization on these communities and the interface between urbanization and the increase of social problems. It argues that gambling, drug use, and other social problems have been existing in Vietnamese rural communities long before; however, when urbanization came, some people have higher chances to engage in these activities. Those are villagers who want to transform quickly into entrepreneurs or bosses by joining the “black credit” market and gambling. Together with middle-aged and old farmers who greatly relied on agricultural production and face difficulties in transforming their occupation, they formed the group of losers in the urbanization process. Received 6th January 2019; Revised 26th April 2019; Accepted 15th May 2019

Income Diversification and Bank Efficiency in Vietnam

2017 ◽  
pp. 52-67
Author(s):  
Sang Nguyen Minh
Keyword(s):  
Regression Model ◽  
Commercial Banks ◽  
Banking System ◽  
Operational Efficiency ◽  
Commercial Banking ◽  
Tobit Regression ◽  
Income Diversification ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Study Results ◽  
The Impact

This study uses the DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) method to estimate the technical efficiency index of 34 Vietnamese commercial banks in the period 2007-2015, and then it analyzes the impact of income diversification on the operational efficiency of Vietnamese commercial banks through a censored regression model - the Tobit regression model. Research results indicate that income diversification has positive effects on the operational efficiency of Vietnamese commercial banks in the research period. Based on study results, in this research some recommendations forpolicy are given to enhance the operational efficiency of Vietnam’s commercial banking system.

Impact of Digitalization on Service Work in Knowledge-Intensive Business Services: An Empirical Study in Tax Consultancies

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 209-222
Author(s):  
Philipp K. Görs ◽  
Henning Hummert ◽  
Anne Traum ◽  
Friedemann W. Nerdinger
Keyword(s):  
Work Engagement ◽  
Service Work ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Business Services ◽  
Knowledge Intensive Business Services ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Special Case

Digitalization is a megatrend, but there is relatively little knowledge about its consequences for service work in general and specifically in knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS). We studied the impact of digitalization on psychological consequences for employees in tax consultancies as a special case of KIBS. We compare two tax consulting jobs with very different job demands, those of tax consultants (TCs) and assistant tax consultants (ATCs). The results show that the extent of digitalization at the workplace level for ATCs correlates significantly positively with their job satisfaction. For TCs, the same variable correlates positively with their work engagement. These positive effects of digitalization are mediated in the case of ATCs by the impact on important job characteristics. In the case of TCs, which already have very good working conditions, the impact is mediated by the positive effect on self-efficacy. Theoretical and practical consequences of these results are discussed.

HOW CLIMATE CHANGE CAN INFLUENCE THE AGRICULTURE IN UKRAINE: A REVIEW

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Maidanovych ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Resource Saving ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Average Annual Temperature ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this work is to review and analyze the main results of modern research on the impact of climate change on the agro-sphere of Ukraine. Results. Analysis of research has shown that the effects of climate change on the agro-sphere are already being felt today and will continue in the future. The observed climate changes in recent decades have already significantly affected the shift in the northern direction of all agro-climatic zones of Europe, including Ukraine. From the point of view of productivity of the agro-sphere of Ukraine, climate change will have both positive and negative consequences. The positives include: improving the conditions of formation and reducing the harvesting time of crop yields; the possibility of effective introduction of late varieties (hybrids), which require more thermal resources; improving the conditions for overwintering crops; increase the efficiency of fertilizer application. Model estimates of the impact of climate change on wheat yields in Ukraine mainly indicate the positive effects of global warming on yields in the medium term, but with an increase in the average annual temperature by 2 ° C above normal, grain yields are expected to decrease. The negative consequences of the impact of climate change on the agrosphere include: increased drought during the growing season; acceleration of humus decomposition in soils; deterioration of soil moisture in the southern regions; deterioration of grain quality and failure to ensure full vernalization of grain; increase in the number of pests, the spread of pathogens of plants and weeds due to favorable conditions for their overwintering; increase in wind and water erosion of the soil caused by an increase in droughts and extreme rainfall; increasing risks of freezing of winter crops due to lack of stable snow cover. Conclusions. Resource-saving agricultural technologies are of particular importance in the context of climate change. They include technologies such as no-till, strip-till, ridge-till, which make it possible to partially store and accumulate mulch on the soil surface, reduce the speed of the surface layer of air and contribute to better preservation of moisture accumulated during the autumn-winter period. And in determining the most effective ways and mechanisms to reduce weather risks for Ukrainian farmers, it is necessary to take into account the world practice of climate-smart technologies.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document