scholarly journals Piloting a Weather-Index-Based Crop Insurance System in Bangladesh: Understanding the Challenges of Financial Instruments for Tackling Climate Risks

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8616
Author(s):  
Abdullah Al-Maruf ◽  
Sumyia Akter Mira ◽  
Tasnim Nazira Rida ◽  
Md Saifur Rahman ◽  
Pradip Kumar Sarker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Crop Insurance ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Financial Instruments ◽  
Weather Index ◽  
Insurance System ◽  
Climate Risks ◽  
Insurance Mechanism

Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to extreme climate events. With over 60% of its population living in rural areas, over a third of which lives under the poverty line and depends on agriculture, these climate stresses constitute a major challenge. The traditional financial instruments, e.g., microcredit and relief programs, continue today. However, how climate risk can be tackled through innovative financial instruments focusing on agriculture farms and farmers is crucial. Considering this issue, the Sadharan Bima Corporation and the Bangladesh Meteorological Department joined forces in 2014 to launch a $2.5 million three-year pilot project on weather-index-based crop insurance (WIBCI) executed by the Financial Institutions Division of the Bangladesh government’s Ministry of Finance. This study examined the basic strategy of this pilot project, the major challenges confronted, and possible solutions for creating a successful weather-index-based crop insurance scheme in Bangladesh. We relied on key informant interviews, informal discussions, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews with the major stakeholders of the WIBCI pilot. These showed the WIBCI pilot to be a promising initiative that still faces problems from limited weather data, a costly business operations system, farmer insurance illiteracy, and fatalism, as well as problems with designing insurance products and recruiting qualified personnel. We compared this WIBCI pilot against the challenges of other projects, recommending best practices for a viable weather-index-based crop insurance system. The insurance mechanism of this study may apply to other vegetation sectors of Bangladesh, e.g., forest plantation or agroforestry for protecting natural resources from natural disasters.

Biotelemetry and Computer Analysis of Electrocardiograms

1969 ◽  
Vol 08 (03) ◽  
pp. 120-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Amlinger
Keyword(s):  
Computer Analysis ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Modern Medicine ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Regional Medical ◽  
Medical Program

Routine transmission of electrocardiograms and their computer interpretation via long-distance telephone lines has been proven feasible in the Automated Electrocardiogram Project of the Missouri Regional Medical Program. Though this Pilot Project — the first on a state-wide basis — is still viewed as an applied research effort rather than a service, such biotelemetry is rapidly gaining acceptance as a medium to bring modern medicine, through modern technology, to urban and remote rural areas as well, where it is most needed.The computer executes all the wave measuraments and calculations with incredible speed. It takes over a most boring, repetitive part of the physician’s work. However, it can only follow the instructions of the diagnostic program, compiled by expert cardiologists. Thus, it is an ever-ready, never-tiring servant for the physician and his patients.

Empowerment of Rural Women through SHGs: A Study in Telangana

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (36) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shankar Chatterjee
Keyword(s):  
Rural Women ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
Rural India ◽  
Group Approach ◽  
Research Article ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Rural Livelihood ◽  
The Family ◽  
Self Help Group

The self-help group (SHG) is a powerful instrument to empower economically backward women of rural India as the women members under the SHG not only can earn income but they feel empowered also. With the launching of Swarnajaynti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India from April 1999, subsequently rechristened as Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) self-help group approach (SHG) has been given utmost importance in India for the development of rural women mainly focusing on below poverty line households. SHG concept is popular in many rural areas of India as through economic development and subsequently empowering, rural women have got a solid platform. This research article has discussed the how rural women after forming SHGs in Ranga Reddy district (R.R. District) of Telangana were not only earning and contributing to the family but felt empowered also. The study was carried out at Gandipet village of Gandipet Mandal, Ranga Reddy (R.R.) district in September 2017. The some women members of 10 different SHGs were contacted and few individual cases are presented here.

scholarly journals Health Insurance in Myanmar: The Views and Perception of Healthcare Consumers and Health System Informants on the Establishment of a Nationwide Health Insurance System

Risks ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Marjolein van Rooijen ◽  
Chaw-Yin Myint ◽  
Milena Pavlova ◽  
Wim Groot
Keyword(s):  
Health Insurance ◽  
Health System ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Health Insurance System ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Insurance System ◽  
Supplementary Health Insurance ◽  
Insurance Model

(1) Background: Health insurance and social protection in Myanmar are negligible, which leaves many citizens at risk of financial hardship in case of a serious illness. The aim of this study is to explore the views of healthcare consumers and compare them to the views of key informants on the design and implementation of a nationwide health insurance system in Myanmar. (2) Method: Data were collected through nine focus group discussions with healthcare consumers and six semi-structured interviews with key health system informants. (3) Results: The consumers supported a mandatory basic health insurance and voluntary supplementary health insurance. Tax-based funding was suggested as an option that can help to enhance healthcare utilization among the poor and vulnerable groups. However, a fully tax-based funding was perceived to have limited chances of success given the low level of government resources available. Community-based insurance, where community members pool money in a healthcare fund, was seen as more appropriate for the rural areas. (4) Conclusion: This study suggests a healthcare financing mechanism based on a mixed insurance model for the creation of nationwide health insurance. Further inquiry into the feasibility of the vital aspects of the nationwide health insurance is needed.

scholarly journals Screening for type 2 diabetes in the Iranian national programme: a preliminary report

2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 1122-1127 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Azizi ◽  
M. M. Guoya ◽  
P. Vazirian ◽  
P. Dolatshati ◽  
S. Habbibian
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
National Programme ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Islamic Republic Of Iran ◽  
Heavy Burden ◽  
And Control

Diabetes mellitus is a significant threat to public health. It is estimated that more than 1.5 million people with diabetes live in the Islamic Republic of Iran. We report on the preliminary results of the national programme for the prevention & control of type 2 diabetes which began in 1996. The pilot project has so far been instituted in 17 provinces. Of 595 717 people aged 30 years and over, 247 518 were classed as at risk and 3.6% had diabetes, 4.3% of women and 2.6% of men. Diabetes prevalence varied from 1.3% in rural areas to 14.5% in large cities. Early detection and control strategies are aimed at diminishing the heavy burden of diabetes

scholarly journals Poverty Measure Based on Hesitant Fuzzy Decision Algorithm under Social Network Media

Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suwei Gao ◽  
Kaiyang Sun
Keyword(s):  
Fuzzy Set ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
Poverty Level ◽  
Nutrition Survey ◽  
Decision Algorithm ◽  
Poverty Measure ◽  
Line Method ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Fuzzy Function

This study aims to solve the problem that the traditional method of measuring the poverty level in rural and urban areas of China from a purely monetary perspective can’t comprehensively analyze and reflect the poverty. In this study, a multidimensional poverty measurement model with non-monetary indicators is proposed, the data of families and their members provided by the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) of a certain year’s health and nutrition survey in China are used for analysis, and a fuzzy set method is adopted to analyze the poverty situation in various regions of China. First, the fuzzy function set method is used to calculate the one-dimensional poverty index. On the basis of income, the multi-dimensional poverty fuzzy index is calculated from five dimensions, including education, health, assets, and living standard. The calculation results of the single-dimensional poverty and the multi-dimensional poverty are compared to further analyze the reasons of the family poverty of rural residents. Second, the poverty rate of each dimension in each region is calculated by referring to the appropriate measurement indexes of each dimension of the message passing interface (MPI) team. The results show that the concept of measuring poverty by the fuzzy set method is more sensitive to the overall distribution of population in the poverty dimension than the poverty line method. Compared with the poverty line method, the fuzzy set method can better consider the overall distribution of population in poverty dimension. Accordingly, China should strengthen the infrastructure construction in rural areas, increase the investment in education in rural areas, and improve the overall quality of the poor population.

scholarly journals Near Real-Time Biophysical Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Yield Estimation to Support Crop Insurance Implementation in India

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1674
Author(s):  
Ponraj Arumugam ◽  
Abel Chemura ◽  
Bernhard Schauberger ◽  
Christoph Gornott
Keyword(s):  
Oryza Sativa ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Yield Loss ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Oryza Sativa L ◽  
Crop Insurance ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Insurance Scheme ◽  
Agricultural Income

Immediate yield loss information is required to trigger crop insurance payouts, which are important to secure agricultural income stability for millions of smallholder farmers. Techniques for monitoring crop growth in real-time and at 5 km spatial resolution may also aid in designing price interventions or storage strategies for domestic production. In India, the current government-backed PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana) insurance scheme is seeking such technologies to enable cost-efficient insurance premiums for Indian farmers. In this study, we used the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) to estimate yield and yield anomalies at 5 km spatial resolution for Kharif rice (Oryza sativa L.) over India between 2001 and 2017. We calibrated the model using publicly available data: namely, gridded weather data, nutrient applications, sowing dates, crop mask, irrigation information, and genetic coefficients of staple varieties. The model performance over the model calibration years (2001–2015) was exceptionally good, with 13 of 15 years achieving more than 0.7 correlation coefficient (r), and more than half of the years with above 0.75 correlation with observed yields. Around 52% (67%) of the districts obtained a relative Root Mean Square Error (rRMSE) of less than 20% (25%) after calibration in the major rice-growing districts (>25% area under cultivation). An out-of-sample validation of the calibrated model in Kharif seasons 2016 and 2017 resulted in differences between state-wise observed and simulated yield anomalies from –16% to 20%. Overall, the good ability of the model in the simulations of rice yield indicates that the model is applicable in selected states of India, and its outputs are useful as a yield loss assessment index for the crop insurance scheme PMFBY.

Spatial Disparity in Sanitation Facility: An Empirical Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 80-95
Author(s):  
Rashmi Shukla
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
Northeast India ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Sanitation Facility ◽  
Human Need ◽  
Socio Economic Variables ◽  
The Government ◽  
Female Literacy

Sanitation is a basic human need. Inadequate sanitation and poor hygienic practices lead to huge public health costs and diseases. This study highlights the interregional and interstate disparity in the coverage of sanitation facility in India based on census data. The best sanitation facilities are available in all states of Northeast India while the central region, followed by the eastern region, reports the lowest access to toilet facility. A disparity index has been worked out to measure the level of disparity in access to sanitation facilities over time. The regression analysis confirms that socio-economic variables such as female literacy rate (FLR) and population below poverty line (BPL) rate are significant determinants of improved sanitation facility. The study reveals the unsatisfactory condition of sanitation facility, especially in rural areas. Though the government is conscious about the construction of the toilets in rural areas, it is found not usable in many cases. Thus, there is a need to make constant efforts to improve the performance of the programmes by making them more responsive to the local needs and aspirations. The programmes should concentrate on changing behaviour and promoting latrine use.

Poverty Line in China Rural Areas: A Critical Reappraisal

2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Lixiong ◽  
Ernest Chui W. T.
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Poverty Line

A rural approach to quality improvement for small rural hospitals: Lessons from rural Texas

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-79
Author(s):  
Robert S. Steele ◽  
Elizabeth F. Wenghofer ◽  
Tammy Wagner ◽  
Peter Yu ◽  
Nancy W. Dickey
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Professional Isolation ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Rural Physician

This article describes the Rural Physician Peer Review Program (RPPR©) developed by the Texas A&M Rural and Community Health Institute and presents it as an example of a program that could be implemented in rural Canada as an effective means of continuing professional development (CPD) for rural Canadian physicians. RPPR© post review survey responses from 574 physician participants across rural Texas indicate that they are highly satisfied with RPPR© and that their competency in medical knowledge and patient care improves as a result of participation. A pilot project with two to four northern Ontario hospitals would enable RPPR© to be modified to ensure applicability and feasibility in the northern Ontario context to create an RPPR© “North.” New and innovative approaches to CPD for rural northern physicians need to be continually explored to decrease professional isolation, improve recruitment and retention, and ultimately improve the quality and safety of healthcare in rural areas.

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