scholarly journals The Resilience of Smallholder Livestock Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Risks Imbedded in Rural Livestock Systems

Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 270
Author(s):  
Leon Gwaka ◽  
Job Dubihlela
Keyword(s):  
Rural Development ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Emerging Technologies ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Livestock Farmers

Smallholder livestock farmers (SLF) are important in research and policy development agenda because of the everlasting issue of food insecurity and the livelihoods in sub-Sahara Africa. Lack of access to technologies and information, poor infrastructure and lack of access to markets and environmental factors play a key role in deterring sustainable smallholder livestock farming. In recent years, studies have provided evidence that livestock species can play a role towards solving household food insecurity and enhancing Africa’s resilient livelihoods, particularly in rural settings. However, no studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of emerging technologies (available information technologies) as risk mitigation tools for smallholder livestock farmers. The study used survey data from 278 interviewer-administered questionnaires and 13 in-depth interviews village herds from Dumba, Mapayi, Old Nuli and Shabwe to explore whether rural SLF would use the emerging technologies to enhance their operations, and mitigate supply chain risk, exposures to stock theft and loss. Empirical results show the overwhelming need for the use of emerging technologies by the SLF, and that emerging technologies have significant and positive effects on the risk management activities. SLF indicated that, using digital technologies, they could enhance their risk mitigation and value chains. The results of the study have several policy implications. For instance, the agricultural comparative advantage should be improved through various emerging agricultural technologies. Moreover, the immediate rural development service networks for SLF could be strengthened through the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to reduce livestock risk exposures, disasters and market reactions. Although rural livestock farming in Beitbridge has survived over the years at a subsistence level, the paper provides some interesting and pertinent findings, and projects some possible future research pathways.

Conclusion

2020 ◽  
pp. 698-719
Author(s):  
Ronald E. Rice ◽  
Simeon J. Yates ◽  
Jordana Blejmar
Keyword(s):  
Digital Technology ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Digital Culture ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Technology And Society ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Research Areas

We conclude the Handbook of Digital Technology and Society by identifying topics that appear in multiple chapters, are more unique to some chapters, and that represent general themes across the material. Each of these is considered separately for the ESRC theme chapters and the non-ESRC chapters. In the ESRC theme chapters, cross-cutting research topics include digital divides and inequalities; data and digital literacy; governance, regulation, and legislation; and the roles and impacts of major platforms. Cross-cutting challenges include methods; theory development, testing, and evaluation; ethics; big data; and multi-platform/holistic studies. Gaps include policy implications, and digital culture. In the non-ESRC chapters, more cross-cutting themes include future research and methods; technology venues; relationships; content and creation; culture and everyday life; theory; and societal effects. More unique, these were digitization of self; managing digital experience; names for the digital/social era; ethics; user groups; civic issues; health, and positive effects. The chapter also shows how the non-ESRC chapters may be clustered together based on their shared themes and subthemes, identifying two general themes of more micro and more macro topics. The identification of both more and less common topics and themes can provide the basis for understanding the landscape of prior research, what areas need to be included in ongoing research, and what research areas might benefit from more attention. The chapter ends with some recommendations for such ongoing and future research in the rich, important, and challenging area of digital technology and society.

Dynamic interactions among knowledge management, strategic foresight and emerging technologies

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leandro da Silva Nascimento ◽  
Fernanda Maciel Reichert ◽  
Raquel Janissek-Muniz ◽  
Paulo Antônio Zawislak
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Emerging Technologies ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Dynamic Interactions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
Strategic Foresight ◽  
Relationship Of

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the dynamic interactions among knowledge management, strategic foresight and emerging technologies, resulting in a framework that can help companies to shape these interactions for achieving positive outcomes. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual paper is based on prior literature streams, which were interrelated through an abductive research process. This iterative conceptualization approach led to the formation of testable propositions that advance the understanding on the interactions among knowledge management, strategic foresight and emerging technologies. Findings The framework demonstrates the existence of an actions cycle between strategic foresight and knowledge management through a constructivist perspective, where one can improve the other. These interactions can be useful both for the development of emerging technologies and for identifying these innovations in market that can be applied in companies. Hence, all these dynamic interactions do not point to a hegemonic relationship of one construct over the others, but for the value equality among them. Originality/value Although current literature points to the existence of relationships among knowledge management, strategic foresight and emerging technologies, the dynamism inherent in these interactions as well as their positive effects for companies’ results are not properly discussed. This paper fills such a gap and proposes directions for future research.

scholarly journals Does the Multiple-Participant Innovation Improve Regional Innovation Efficiency? A Study of China’s Regional Innovation Systems

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 4658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liping Fu ◽  
Xiaodi Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Triple Helix ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Regional Innovation ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Cooperation Model ◽  
Research Orientations ◽  
Dynamic Cooperation

The triple helix (university-industry-government) is a dynamic cooperation model in the area of regional innovation. With the application of this model, the authors aim to address the mechanism of how multiple participants affect innovation efficiency against the research background of China Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fs-QCA) is applied to conduct a multiple-case analysis. With the evaluation of 31 provinces in China, which have various innovation performances and degrees of regional cooperation, the authors find strong evidence to support the positive effects of multiple participants on regional radical innovation. Moreover, this article also finds two typical configurations of factors that contribute to high innovation efficiency. Based on the results, the authors propose policy implications to improve China’s regional innovation in different areas. Finally, this paper concludes with the discussion of future research orientations, which could focus on the differences in the triple helix among different industries in China.

What effects does international mobility have on scientists’ careers? A systematic review

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolai Netz ◽  
Svenja Hampel ◽  
Valeria Aman
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Scientific Productivity ◽  
Symbolic Capital ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Future Research ◽  
International Mobility ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Scientific Impact ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Advance Research

Abstract The internationalization and specialization of science confront scientists with opportunities and sometimes even a need to become internationally mobile during their careers. Against this background, we systematically reviewed empirical studies on the effects that mobility across national borders has on the careers of scientists. Using several search channels, we identified 96 studies – published between 1994 and 2019 – that examine how international mobility influences eight dimensions of scientists’ careers. Listed in descending order of the number of identified studies, these dimensions comprise scientists’ (1) international networks, (2) scientific productivity, (3) occupational situation, (4) scientific impact, (5) competences and personality, (6) scientific knowledge, (7) access to research infrastructures and funds, and (8) symbolic capital. Existing research provides robust evidence of positive effects of international mobility on the broadening of scientists’ networks. Moreover, several solid studies examine the effect of international mobility on scientists’ productivity, impact, and occupational situation. Most of them find positive effects, but some also find no or negative effects. Studies on the other career dimensions are not only less frequent, but mostly also less robust. Our review reveals potential to advance research in the field by using less selective samples and more rigorous methodological approaches. Intending to spur further theory-driven empirical research, we develop a model integrating research on the identified career dimensions and derive various questions for future research. We conclude by highlighting policy implications of existing research.

scholarly journals Impact of Agricultural Drought Resilience on the Welfare of Smallholder Livestock Farming Households in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 562
Author(s):  
Ringetani Matlou ◽  
Yonas T. Bahta ◽  
Enoch Owusu-Sekyere ◽  
Henry Jordaan
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Agricultural Drought ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Drought Resilience ◽  
Resilience Index ◽  
Northern Cape ◽  
Livestock Farmers ◽  
Farming Households

Recurring agricultural droughts are of concern to smallholder livestock farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study determined the impact of agricultural drought resilience on smallholder livestock farming households’ welfare in the Frances Baard District Municipality (FBDM), in Northern Cape Province of South Africa. Interviews, more specifically survey interviews, were conducted with 207 smallholder livestock farmers. We used compensation variation, resilience index and linear regression models to analyse the data. The findings indicate that smallholder farmers who received drought relief support saw an improvement in their welfare. However, the welfare improvements varied across respondents and different gender categories, with males having higher welfare improvements relative to females. The study also found that economic capital, social capital, human capital and natural capital substantially affected the welfare of smallholder farmers. Furthermore, the study revealed that the smallholder farmers had a moderate agricultural drought resilience index, but low natural resilience capital. The study recommends that governments and non-governmental policymakers aiming to improve the welfare of smallholder farmers should focus on building their economic, social, human and capital resource bases. In this way, the smallholder farmers will be resilient in a time of climatic shock.

scholarly journals The importance of establishment and development of touristic cooperatives in the economy of rural areas of Serbia

2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 713-728
Author(s):  
Milena Laban ◽  
Milena Janković ◽  
Đorđe Stojanović
Keyword(s):  
Rural Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Rural Tourism ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Cooperative Association

Rural tourism in Serbia and its development has positive effects on all aspects of rural development, both economic and social. The aim of this paperwork is to investigate the importance that touristic cooperatives in rural areas of Serbia, although relatively new in this area, have and can have on the overall development of rural areas. For the purpose of the research, an interview was conducted with the directors of the existing tourist cooperatives in Serbia. Based on the obtained data, it was determined that this form of cooperative association is necessary, not only because of the development of tourism in the countryside, but above all because of the survival of the Serbian village. The obtained data on the problems and limiting factors that cooperative members face in business can be a further basis for future research on the topic of rural development through the establishment and strengthening of tourist cooperatives.

scholarly journals Psychedelic drug use in healthy individuals: A review of benefits, costs, and implications for drug policy

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 205032451772323 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W.B. Elsey
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Subjective Effects ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Drug Laws ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Psychedelic Drugs

The potential of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of mental health problems is increasingly being recognized. However, relatively little thrust has been given to the suggestion that individuals without any mental health problems may benefit from using psychedelic drugs, and that they may have a right to do so. This review considers contemporary research into the use of psychedelic drugs in healthy individuals, including neurobiological and subjective effects. In line with findings suggesting positive effects in the treatment of mental health problems, such research highlights the potential of psychedelic drugs for the enhancement of wellbeing even in healthy individuals. The relatively low risk associated with usage does not appear to align with stringent drug laws that impose heavy penalties for their use. Some policy implications, and suggestions for future research, are considered.

Arrested development: The effects of incarceration on the development of psychosocial maturity

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 1073-1090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Dmitrieva ◽  
Kathryn C. Monahan ◽  
Elizabeth Cauffman ◽  
Laurence Steinberg
Keyword(s):  
Residential Treatment ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Treatment Facility ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Psychosocial Maturity ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Residential Treatment Facility

AbstractImprovements in temperance, perspective, and responsibility are a part of typical development of psychosocial maturity during adolescence. The existing literature suggests that the developmental course of psychosocial maturity is influenced by normative variations in social context, but little is known about how atypical contexts, such as incarceration, influence its development. The study investigates how the development of psychosocial maturity is affected by incarceration, using data from a 7-year longitudinal study of 1,171 adolescent males. We compared the effects of confinement in juvenile facilities with varying degrees of focus on incarceration versus rehabilitation (i.e., secure vs. residential treatment facilities) and tested whether facility quality and age at incarceration moderate the effect of incarceration on psychosocial maturity. The results indicate that incarceration in a secure setting, but not a residential treatment facility, is associated with a short-term decline in temperance and responsibility. The total amount of time incarcerated in a residential treatment facility, but not a secure setting, had a negative effect on the developmental trajectory of psychosocial maturity. Age at incarceration, but not the facility quality, moderated the effect of recent incarceration: older youths were more susceptible to short-term negative effects of recent incarceration in a secure setting, but they also benefited more than younger participants from short-term positive effects of incarceration in a residential treatment setting. Furthermore, youths who perceived their incarceration setting as unsafe evinced a decline in temperance. Future research and policy implications are discussed.

scholarly journals A review of possibilities for using animal tracking devices to mitigate stock theft in smallholder livestock farming systems in rural South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 162-182
Author(s):  
S. Zantsi ◽  
T. Nkunjana
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Risk Behaviour ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Animal Tracking ◽  
Livestock Farmers ◽  
Tracking Devices ◽  
The Impact

Stock theft is among the major challenges faced by livestock farmers in South Africa. It has severe consequences especially for smallholder farmers, who collectively own a large share of the South African livestock herds but individually keep small herds. In recent years, technological improvements and innovations have made it possible to track livestock movements by using GPS animal tracking devices. Low-cost GPS has been developed and used elsewhere and in the local commercial sector. Given the well-known role of extension, i.e. information and technology dissemination, the possibility that smallholders adopt GPS animal tracking devices should be evaluated. However, very few studies have made a case for using this technology in curbing stock theft among smallholder farmers. This review therefore addresses the likelihood that smallholder livestock farmers in South Africa adopt GPS animal tracking devices to mitigate the impact of stock theft. Using a semi-systematic and a snowball literature review approach, we consulted and reviewed the relevant literature and official statistics relating to stock theft and smallholder livestock farming. Results from the reviewed literature suggest that the likelihood of GPS animal tracking device adoption by smallholders will depend on a) the awareness about the devices and how they work, b) the acuteness of stock theft for a farmer and how livestock contributes the farmer’s livelihood, and c) the income level, access to mobile phones and risk behaviour of farmers. Our literature findings identify areas for future research and may help agricultural extension personnel with future research topics.

scholarly journals A Scoping Review on Nutrition Challenges Among People Living With HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tafadzwa Dzinamarira ◽  
Gashema Pierre ◽  
Itai Chitungo ◽  
Michael Habtu ◽  
Rosemary Okova
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Severe Acute Malnutrition ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Acute Malnutrition ◽  
Future Research ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
Hiv Aids

The connection between under-nutrition and HIV is bidirectional. It affects the quality of life, as well as the survival of affected people. While this is the case, there are various nutritional challenges, which are faced by people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH), and which hamper the fight against the scourge. This study therefore sought to map literature on the nutritional challenges among PLWH in sub-Saharan Africa and guide future research in nutritional management to improve health outcomes for PLWH. A systematic search was done from the following sources: PubMed, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, EBSCOhost (CINAHL and Academic Search Complete), Web of Science, and Google Scholar. In addition, information was obtained both from unpublished studies, which included book chapters, reference lists, theses and conference papers. Eleven (11) studies met the inclusion criteria, and were used for data extraction. The studies were based in different countries, which form part of the Sub Saharan Africa. One of the studies was carried out in Senegal, two studies were carried out in various West African countries, one study was carried out in Burkina Faso; one study was carried out in Ethiopia and one of the studies was carried out in different countries forming part of the Sub Saharan Africa. Two of the studies were carried out in Zambia, one in Zimbabwe, one in Cameroon, and one in Ghana. Most of the studies established the main nutrition challenge facing PLWH to be food insecurity. Based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that some of the main nutrition challenges include food insecurity, lack of nutritional support among PLWH, late detection of HIV, huge cost of treating severe acute malnutrition, and lack of feeding supplementations.

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