scholarly journals Tobacco farming and current debt status among smallholder farmers in Manicaland province in Zimbabwe

2020 ◽  
pp. tobaccocontrol-2020-055825
Author(s):  
Rutendo Chingosho ◽  
Chengetai Dare ◽  
Corné van Walbeek
Keyword(s):  
Government Intervention ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Tobacco Leaf ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Strong Case ◽  
Current State

IntroductionZimbabwe is the largest producer of tobacco leaf in Africa and the sixth largest globally. Tobacco leaf is a mainstay of the economy, accounting for about 10% of the country’s GDP in 2018.MethodsWe use descriptive and regression analyses from a face-to-face survey of 381 smallholder farmers in three major tobacco-farming areas in Manicaland province to determine the prevalence of tobacco-related debt and some of its covariates. The survey was conducted in June and July 2019.Results74% of respondents are contract farmers and 26% are independent farmers. 57% of respondents indicated that they were in tobacco-related debt. The likelihood of being in tobacco-related debt is significantly more than average for farmers with the following characteristics (holding other characteristics constant): being a contract farmer, having a larger farm, employing only family labour and not recording expenses (as a proxy for financial sophistication). 91% of contract farmers would prefer to be independent farmers, while 63% of independent farmers would prefer to be contract farmers.ConclusionThere is no evidence to suggest that tobacco growing, in its current state, has benefited the tobacco farmers in Manicaland province. Tobacco farmers are largely victims, rather than beneficiaries, of the sector. There is a strong case for government intervention to improve the conditions of tobacco farmers, either through direct intervention in the tobacco-growing sector, or by encouraging and promoting crop substitution.

scholarly journals Analysis of Educational Data in the Current State of University Learning for the Transition to a Hybrid Education Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 2068
Author(s):  
William Villegas-Ch. ◽  
Xavier Palacios-Pacheco ◽  
Milton Roman-Cañizares ◽  
Sergio Luján-Mora
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Educational Model ◽  
Hybrid Education ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Current State ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
Education Model

Currently, the 2019 Coronavirus Disease pandemic has caused serious damage to health throughout the world. Its contagious capacity has forced the governments of the world to decree isolation and quarantine to try to control the pandemic. The consequences that it leaves in all sectors of society have been disastrous. However, technological advances have allowed people to continue their different activities to some extent while maintaining isolation. Universities have great penetration in the use of technology, but they have also been severely affected. To give continuity to education, universities have been forced to move to an educational model based on synchronous encounters, but they have maintained the methodology of a face-to-face educational model, what has caused several problems in the learning of students. This work proposes the transition to a hybrid educational model, provided that this transition is supported by data analysis to identify the new needs of students. The knowledge obtained is contrasted with the performance presented by the students in the face-to-face modality and the necessary parameters for the transition to this modality are clearly established. In addition, the guidelines and methodology of online education are considered in order to take advantage of the best of both modalities and guarantee learning.

scholarly journals Forensic Archaeometry Applied to Antiquities Trafficking: The Beginnings of an Investigation at the Frontiers of Knowledge

Arts ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ignacio Rodríguez Temiño ◽  
Ana Yáñez ◽  
Susana Jorge Villar ◽  
Álvaro Reyes Mateo ◽  
Javier Rufino Rus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Government Intervention ◽  
Primary Response ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Current State ◽  
Antiquities Trafficking ◽  
Shed Light

For most of its history, archaeology has too often taken an indulgent attitude toward looting and antiquities trafficking. The primary response to these dangers has been to publish the main findings made outside of academia. As a result of this approach and the prominent role played by police techniques in investigating such crimes, investigations are primarily based on documentary research. This approach makes it harder to determine such essential factors in this field as an object’s collecting history or discovery date. This paper proposes new ways of studying collecting history, drawing on research projects on the use of archaeometry to shed light on cases of looting or trafficking involving police, court, or government intervention; hence, its qualification as “forensic”. Although the current state of knowledge does not enable the presentation of novel research, we believe that researchers and interested institutions should be made aware of the advisability of using archaeometry more directly in the fight against these scourges.

scholarly journals A Review of Practice and Implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT) for Smallholder Agriculture

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anish Paul Antony ◽  
Kendra Leith ◽  
Craig Jolley ◽  
Jennifer Lu ◽  
Daniel J. Sweeney
Keyword(s):  
Internet Of Things ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Smallholder Farming ◽  
Smallholder Farms ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Current State ◽  
To Come ◽  
Low And Middle Income

In order to feed a growing global population projected to increase to 9 billion by 2050, food production will need to increase from its current level. The bulk of this growth will need to come from smallholder farmers who rely on generational knowledge in their farming practices and who live in locations where weather patterns and seasons are becoming less predictable due to climate change. The expansion of internet-connected devices is increasing opportunities to apply digital tools and services on smallholder farms, including monitoring soil and plants in horticulture, water quality in aquaculture, and ambient environments in greenhouses. In combination with other food security efforts, internet of things (IoT)-enabled precision smallholder farming has the potential to improve livelihoods and accelerate low- and middle-income countries’ journey to self-reliance. Using a combination of interviews, surveys and site visits to gather information, this research presents a review of the current state of the IoT for on-farm measurement, cases of successful IoT implementation in low- and middle-income countries, challenges associated with implementing the IoT on smallholder farms, and recommendations for practitioners.

scholarly journals The Effect Of The Knowledge Of Menstrual Management On The Reactions To Its Onset: A Study On Urban Areas Of Pakistan

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-112
Author(s):  
Khalida Rauf ◽  
Sheeba Farhan
Keyword(s):  
Educational Level ◽  
Random Sampling ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Current State ◽  
First Onset ◽  
Interpretation Of Results

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of first menstrual onset on females with reference to Pakistani culture. Two hundred and thirty five female students from Karachi University were selected on the basis of simple random sampling. Structured instructions and questionnaire was used in face to face interview for evaluating the average age, educational level, place of occurrence and degree of awareness of first and later born females at the time of first periods. Survey also compares the type of information and perception of occurrence of first period. Furthermore, emotional feelings of aware and unaware females at the time of first onset and current state of menstruation cycle have been evaluated. Comparison between the education of mother and degree of awareness is also assessed. Chi square was applied for interpretation of results.

scholarly journals Recent Trends and Future Directions on Value Addition of Irish potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) among Smallholder Farmers

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Jacinta Mlaviwa ◽  
Edward Missanjo
Keyword(s):  
Solanum Tuberosum ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Solanum Tuberosum L ◽  
Group Formation ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Education Level ◽  
Irish Potato ◽  
Value Addition ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Face To Face

Irish potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) value addition has the potential to enhance food security, household income and nutrition. This cross-sectional study was, therefore, conducted to examine value addition of Irish potato among smallholder farmers in Ntcheu, central Malawi. Data was collected using a standard structured questionnaire administered through face-to-face interviews. The results revealed that there were significant differences (X2=103.3; p<0.001) on value addition techniques practiced by farmers. The following value addition techniques were identified: chips (65%), packaging (27.5%), crisps (25%), grading (12.5%), salad (5%), baking (5%), soup (2.5%) and grounding into flour (2.5%). It was noted that factors influencing Irish potato value addition among farmers significantly (X2=8.020; p=0.046) differed. The majority (70%) of the farmers were influenced by knowledge of value addition, followed by ready markets for products (57.5%), while a few were influenced by capital (45.5%) and availability of value addition equipment (40.0%). The study further revealed that education level and group participation significantly (P<0.05) influenced Irish potato value addition technique practices. Farmers with secondary education level or above and those in Irish potato group production are involved in diverse value addition techniques. Encouraging farmer group formation, access to loans to buy value addition equipment, linking farmers with supermarkets, and farmer’s exposure to field days and workshops are the strategies identified to promote effective Irish potato value addition among smallholder farmers.

The Organization Culture Affecting Job Performance of Newly Hired Employees

2021 ◽  
pp. 129-155
Author(s):  
Kannapat Kankaew ◽  
Pongsapak Treruttanaset
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Job Performance ◽  
Organization Culture ◽  
Continuous Learning ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Technology Adaptation ◽  
Culture Model ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Newly Hired

The newly hired staff who can adapt well with an organization's culture could perform effectively and maintain better socialization in the workplace. This would result in happy working life and leads to organizational success. The aims of this study were to (1) investigate the organizational culture of newly-hired customs officers hold with them at work and (2) examine the job performance of newly-hired customs officers and the interrelationship between customs' organizational culture and performance. A mixed method was administered in this study. The correlation and multiple regression analyses were applied. The results showed that the majority of newly-hired customs officers hold four main cultures ranked from the highest including social safety, facilitation, technology adaptation, and investigation suppression. The recommendation is to cultivate the importance of continuous learning into newly hired officers. Leaders should socialize them by face-to-face communication particularly two-way communication. The organization's culture model was proposed to the Customs Bureau.

Managing Construction Noise in Hong Kong - Facing a New Decade with Confidence

2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (1) ◽  
pp. 5541-5551
Author(s):  
Wilson Ho ◽  
Kin-Che Lam ◽  
Morgan CHENG ◽  
Max Yiu ◽  
Hannah Chin-wing Lo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
3 Dimensional ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Noise Disturbance ◽  
High Rise ◽  
Current State ◽  
Public Survey ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

Hong Kong is a mature and busy metropolis with 7.5 million residents. Being constrained by limited land area for development, the cityscape of Hong Kong is primarily 3-dimensional in nature. The vast majority of the growing population is accommodated in closely packed high-rise residential towers. Similar to other major urban centres worldwide, Hong Kong citizens are affected by the virtually continuous construction activities expanding and renewing the city. The numerous construction sites are also bringing noise disturbance to some neighbourhoods. In 2020, the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department completed a feasibility study on managing construction noise, including those associated with renovation of domestic premises. Part of the study was the conducting of face-to-face interviews of more than 5,000 households via a large scale public survey to gauge their views on construction noise disturbance, among others. This paper describes the current state and conditions of construction noise in Hong Kong, the issues and constraints, as well as challenges and opportunities. Highlights from the scientifically conducted public survey will be included to provide a robust and more comprehensive description of the prevailing situation.

Decluttering the problem list in electronic health records

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin R Brown ◽  
Allison B McCoy ◽  
Adam Wright ◽  
Scott D Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Medical Center ◽  
Academic Medical Center ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Problem List ◽  
Snomed Ct ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Current State ◽  
Academic Medical ◽  
Support Tools ◽  
Electronic Health

Abstract Disclaimer In an effort to expedite the publication of articles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, AJHP is posting these manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current state of problem list maintenance at an academic medical center. Summary We included problem list data for patients who had at least 2 face-to-face encounters at Vanderbilt University Medical Center or its clinics between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2019. We used the frequency of problem list additions, resolutions, deletions, duplicate problems (exact and SNOMED CT duplicates), inconsistencies (contradicting stages of disease state), and items that could be documented elsewhere in the electronic health record as surrogate markers of problem list maintenance. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the results. A total of 546,510 patients met inclusion criteria. There were 3,762 (0.7%) patients who had the exact same active problem listed more than once. SNOMED CT code duplications occurred in the records for 56,399 (10.5%) patients. Of the patients with asthma, 2.5% (223/8,779) had contradicting asthma stages active on their problem list, and 6.4% (950/14,950) of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) had contradicting CKD stages. In addition, 17,205 (3.1%) patients had 20,365 active family history problems and 39,464 (7.2%) patients had an allergy documented on their problem list. On average, there were 43.7 (95% confidence interval [CI], 14-73.4) additions, 8.7 (95% CI, 0.1-17.4) resolutions, and 2.1 (95% CI, 0-4.6) deletions of problems per 100 face-to-face encounters, inpatient or outpatient. Conclusion Our study suggests areas for improvement for problem list maintenance. Further studies into semantic duplication and clinical decision support tools to encourage problem list maintenance and deduplication are needed.

scholarly journals Costs, contracts and the narrative of prosperity: an economic analysis of smallholder tobacco farming livelihoods in Kenya

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 268-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Magati ◽  
Raphael Lencucha ◽  
Qing Li ◽  
Jeffrey Drope ◽  
Ronald Labonte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Tobacco Leaf ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Low Middle Income Countries ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Negative Impacts

BackgroundThe tobacco industry has used the alleged negative impacts on economic livelihoods for tobacco farmers as a narrative to oppose tobacco control measures in low/middle-income countries. However, rigorous empirical evidence to support or refute this claim remains scarce. Accordingly, we assess how much money households earn from selling tobacco, and the costs they incur to produce the crop, including labour inputs. We also evaluate farmers’ decision to operate under contract directly with tobacco manufacturers and tobacco leaf-buying companies or to operate as independent farmers.MethodsA stratified random sampling method was used to implement a nationally representative household-level economic survey of 585 farmers across the three main tobacco growing regions in Kenya. The survey was augmented with focus group discussions in all three regions to refine and enrich the context of the findings.ResultsBoth contract and independent farmers experience small profit margins per acre, with contract farmers operating at a loss. Even when family labour is excluded from the calculation, income levels remain low, particularly considering the typically large households. Generally, tobacco farmers enter into contracts with tobacco companies because they have a ‘guaranteed’ buyer for their tobacco leaf and receive the necessary agricultural inputs (fertiliser, seeds, herbicides and so on) without paying cash up-front.ConclusionsTobacco farming households enter into contract with tobacco companies to realise perceived economic benefits. The narrative that tobacco farming is a lucrative economic undertaking for smallholder farmers, however, is inaccurate in the context of Kenya.

scholarly journals 15 Priorities for Wind-Waves Research: An Australian Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (4) ◽  
pp. E446-E461
Author(s):  
Diana Greenslade ◽  
Mark Hemer ◽  
Alex Babanin ◽  
Ryan Lowe ◽  
Ian Turner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Wind Waves ◽  
Data Access ◽  
Marine Research ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Current State ◽  
Modeling And Forecasting ◽  
Research Questions

Abstract The Australian marine research, industry, and stakeholder community has recently undertaken an extensive collaborative process to identify the highest national priorities for wind-waves research. This was undertaken under the auspices of the Forum for Operational Oceanography Surface Waves Working Group. The main steps in the process were first, soliciting possible research questions from the community via an online survey; second, reviewing the questions at a face-to-face workshop; and third, online ranking of the research questions by individuals. This process resulted in 15 identified priorities, covering research activities and the development of infrastructure. The top five priorities are 1) enhanced and updated nearshore and coastal bathymetry; 2) improved understanding of extreme sea states; 3) maintain and enhance the in situ buoy network; 4) improved data access and sharing; and 5) ensemble and probabilistic wave modeling and forecasting. In this paper, each of the 15 priorities is discussed in detail, providing insight into why each priority is important, and the current state of the art, both nationally and internationally, where relevant. While this process has been driven by Australian needs, it is likely that the results will be relevant to other marine-focused nations.

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