scholarly journals Seaweed Aquaculture in Indonesia Contributes to Social and Economic Aspects of Livelihoods and Community Wellbeing

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 10946
Author(s):  
Michael A. Rimmer ◽  
Silva Larson ◽  
Imran Lapong ◽  
Agus Heri Purnomo ◽  
Petrus Rani Pong-Masak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
Seaweed Farming ◽  
Red Seaweeds ◽  
Global Commodity Chains ◽  
Financial Benefits ◽  
Production Cycles ◽  
Major Producer ◽  
Human And Social Capital

Seaweed farming in Indonesia is carried out throughout much of the archipelago and is mainly undertaken by smallholder farmers. Indonesia is the largest global producer of the red seaweeds Kappaphycus and Eucheuma, which are used to produce carrageenan, and is a major producer of Gracilaria, which is used to produce agar. Seaweed farming is attractive to farmers in rural coastal communities because capital and operating costs are low, farming techniques are not technically demanding, labour requirements are relatively low (allowing farmers to engage in other livelihoods), and production cycles are short (30–45 days), providing regular income. Using reported values for seaweed-farming income, we conclude that seaweed farming can, but does not always, lift rural households above the Indonesian poverty line. In addition to direct financial benefits, seaweed farming also contributes to human and social capital within seaweed farming households and communities. Achieving continued economic and social benefits from seaweed farming will require additional policy development, as well as research and development to support improved and more consistent seaweed productivity and improved product quality at the farm level, provision of effective extension and technical support services, and diversification of the existing value chains in order to reduce the impacts of price fluctuations that are associated with limited global commodity chains.

scholarly journals Small-scale Farming, Agricultural Productivity and Poverty Reduction in Nigeria: The Enabling Role of Agricultural Technology Adoption

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Ojo Olusayo ◽  
Ogunniyi Adebayo ◽  
Salman K. Kayode ◽  
Kehinde Olagunju ◽  
Iwinlade Ayodeji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Agricultural Productivity ◽  
Household Head ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
Average Treatment Effect ◽  
Agricultural Technology ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
International Institute

Existing literature affirms the importance of agricultural technology adoption on productivity, income and livelihood outcomes. Evidences subsist on the adoption of improved cassava varieties (ICVs) in Nigeria but little is known about its impact among the farmers. We used data from a survey conducted by International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to explore this research gap.  Propensity Score Matching and Heckman’s two-stage model were the analytical tools.  Given an estimated poverty line of (₦21717.53); 52.0% of the farmers were poor.  We found that 75.6% of the respondents are adopters of ICVs. Primary occupation of household head and total non-production asset of farmers were key determinants for adoption.  Adoption of improved cassava variety has positive effect on farmers’ productivity and poverty reduction. The Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (ATT) for productivity increased by 70 percent among ICVs farmers. Income was also higher among the adopters than the non- adopters by ₦43463.77. In the same vein, the income of the adopters increased by 17%. Furthermore, adopters of ICVs have the probability of reducing poverty headcount by 20%. The empirical results suggest that improved agricultural innovation adoption can play a key role in strengthening and impacting agricultural productivity of smallholder farmers for increased income generation and food security.

scholarly journals Poverty eradication and food security through agriculture in Africa: Rethinking objectives and entry points

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 309-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Gassner ◽  
D Harris ◽  
K Mausch ◽  
A Terheggen ◽  
C Lopes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
Investment Incentives ◽  
Farm Productivity ◽  
Entry Points ◽  
African Agriculture ◽  
Food And Nutritional Security ◽  
Dual Objectives

Agriculture in Africa is expected to meet the dual objectives of providing food and helping people to escape poverty. African agriculture is dominated by smallholdings and donors generally target their agricultural support at the smallholder sector. The expectation is that if the gap between actual and potential yields can be closed, smallholders will grow sufficient crops to feed their families, with a surplus to sell, thus meeting food security needs and bringing in an income to move them out of poverty. In practice, this is often not possible. While technologies already exist that can raise smallholder farmers’ yields 3 or 4 times, even under rainfed conditions, the small size of land available to them limits how much can be grown and the per capita income from agriculture is insufficient to allow people to move above the current World Bank-defined poverty line of US$1.90 per day. We link this finding with farmer typologies to further explain that there are large differences between individual farming households themselves in terms of their investment incentives and capability to benefit from field-level technologies that are aimed at increasing farm productivity. We argue for more differentiated policies for agricultural development in Africa and suggest that policymakers should be much more aware of the heterogeneity of farms and target interventions accordingly. It is important to understand where and for whom agriculture will have the main purpose of ensuring food and nutritional security and where and for whom there is the potential for significant increases in incomes and a contribution to wider economic growth. Let us recognize the distinctiveness of these targets and underlying target groups and work towards solutions that address the underlying needs.

scholarly journals The Supply of Inorganic Fertilizers to Smallholder Farmers in Uganda: Evidence for Fertilizer Policy Development

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd Benson ◽  
Patrick Lubega ◽  
Stephen Bayite-Kasule ◽  
Tewodaj Mogues ◽  
Julian Nyachwo
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Inorganic Fertilizers

Seaweed resources of Tanzania: status, potential species, challenges and development potentials

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 371-380
Author(s):  
Flower E. Msuya
Keyword(s):  
Western Indian Ocean ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Red Seaweed ◽  
Seaweed Farming ◽  
Seaweed Species ◽  
Red Seaweeds ◽  
Commercial Farming ◽  
Commercial Species ◽  
Good Quality Seed ◽  
Seaweed Industry

AbstractTanzania is endowed with a rich biodiversity of seaweed species that grow naturally in its oligotrophic waters of the Western Indian Ocean. Most of these species are unexploited. Only two red seaweeds Eucheuma and Kappaphycus have been studied for commercial farming and the industrial production is based on these species. Another genus of red seaweed, Gracilaria, has been studied and experimented upon for potential farming while others such as the green Ulva, the red Hypnea and the brown Sargassum have been mentioned as potential species for farming. Farming technology used to cultivate the two commercial species is the shallow water off-bottom technology which is badly affected by the increase in surface seawater temperatures (climate change), causing massive die-backs and decreased seaweed production. Some deeper-water farming technologies have been developed but only tubular nets show promise and have been piloted. A number of opportunities exist in seaweed farming, which can be used to advance the industry. The future of the seaweed industry in Tanzania will depend on using the existing opportunities, including utilising the seaweed species already studied, exploring the potential of other seaweed species for farming, development of deeper-water farming technologies, added-value, and ensuring availability of good quality seed material.

scholarly journals Factors Influencing Sustainable Agricultural Practices among Smallholder Farmers in Ogun State of Nigeria

2020 ◽  
pp. 17-24
Author(s):  
Samuel Olusola Oyewole ◽  
Samson Olayemi Sennuga
Keyword(s):  
Policy Development ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Ogun State ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Sustainable Agricultural Practices

The importance of adopting Sustainable Agricultural Practices (SAPs) approach to improve food production cannot be overemphasized in policy development and research agenda of many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates how socio-demographic factors influence farm-level decision process associated with the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices among smallholder farmers in Ogun State. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 196 farmers. Primary data were collected with the aid of structured questionnaires. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Likert scale rating and multivariate probit model. The results showed that majority of the farmers were male with mean age of 35 years cultivating an average farm size of 5.8 hectares. The use of improved variety was adopted by 95.41% and this was rank first among the practices adopted by the farmers. Agroforestry was rank second and adopted by 85.71% of the respondents. The extent of adoption by the respondents showed that 94.39 and 72.45 were practicing the use of improved variety and agroforestry regularly. The factors influencing adoption of sustainable practices were age, education, farm size, farming experience and membership of social organization. The result further revealed that young farmers are more likely to adopt sustainable agricultural practices as option to increase productivity and reduce vulnerability of environment to ecological problems. This suggests that campaign for adoption of sustainable agricultural practices should target young farmers. However, this is not to discriminate older farmers in the sustainable agriculture policy agenda. The study established that there are complementary and substitute effects between the sustainable agricultural practices. This showed that policy changes that affect adoption of a given practice can have spillover effect on the other. Hence, extension services and promotion agenda should always emphasize the effects between different practices to enhance farmers’ choice.

Forage growing as an incentive to improve smallholder beef production in Cambodia

2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (10) ◽  
pp. 1620 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Bush ◽  
J. R. Young ◽  
S. Suon ◽  
M. S. Ngim ◽  
P. A. Windsor
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Informed Decision Making ◽  
Smallholder Farmer ◽  
Financial Benefits ◽  
Large Ruminant ◽  
Metabolisable Energy ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Livestock Health ◽  
Surrounding Areas

A major challenge for large ruminant improvement projects in developing countries is smallholder farmer engagement that promotes the value of knowledge in informed decision making. Most large ruminant smallholder farmers in Cambodia are considered to be livestock keepers and will become livestock producers only if they recognise the production and financial benefits from improved health and management practices. The benefits of growing and feeding five introduced forage species was investigated as a potential entry point for smallholder farmer engagement in southern Cambodia. The mean chemical composition, digestibility and estimated metabolisable energy (ME; MJ/kg DM) of introduced forages at 30 days after first harvest were comparable to published values. An initial establishment of 52 fodder plots covering 2.6 ha in 2008 expanded to 1306 plots covering 45 ha, including non-project farmers from surrounding areas. The establishment of forage plots in high-intervention project villages provided an improvement in average daily liveweight gain of cattle and saved farmers up to 2 h labour per day. This strategy provided a platform for increased uptake and adoption of livestock health and production interventions.

scholarly journals Living income benchmarking of rural households in low-income countries

Food Security ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerrie W. J. van de Ven ◽  
Anne de Valença ◽  
Wytze Marinus ◽  
Ilse de Jager ◽  
Katrien K. E. Descheemaeker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Rural Households ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Living Wage ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Extreme Poverty

Abstract The extreme poverty line is the most commonly used benchmark for poverty, set at US$ 1.90 by the World Bank. Another benchmark, based on the Anker living wage methodology, is the remuneration received for a standard work week necessary for a worker to meet his/her family’s basic needs in a particular place. The living wage concept has been used extensively to address incomes of plantation workers producing agricultural commodities for international markets. More recently intense discussion has emerged concerning the ‘living income’ of smallholder farmers who produce commodities for international supply chains on their own land. In this article we propose a simple method that can be used in all types of development projects to benchmark a rural ‘living income’. We launch the Living Income Methodology, as adapted from the Living Wage Methodology, to estimate the living income for rural households. In any given location this requires about one week of fieldwork. We express it per adult equivalent per day (AE/day) and data collection is focused on rural households and their immediate surroundings. Our three case studies showed that in 2017 in Lushoto District, rural Tanzania, the living income was US$ PPP 4.04/AE/day, in Isingiro District, rural Uganda, 3.82 and in Sidama Zone, rural Ethiopia, 3.60. In all cases, the extreme poverty line of US$ PPP 1.90 per capita per day is insufficient to meet the basic human rights for a decent living in low-income countries. The Living Income Methodology provides a transparent local benchmark that can be used to assess development opportunities of rural households, by employers in rural areas, including farmers hiring in labour, while respecting basic human rights on a decent living. It can be used to reflect on progress of rural households in low-income countries on their aspired path out of poverty. It further provides a meaningful benchmark to measure progress on Sustainable Development Goal 1, eliminating poverty, and 2, zero hunger and sustainable food systems, allowing for consideration of the local context.

Reductions in insecticide use from adoption of Bt cotton in South Africa: impacts on economic performance and toxic load to the environment

2004 ◽  
Vol 142 (6) ◽  
pp. 665-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. BENNETT ◽  
Y. ISMAEL ◽  
S. MORSE ◽  
B. SHANKAR
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Economic Performance ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Bt Cotton ◽  
Financial Benefits ◽  
Key Variables ◽  
Gross Margins ◽  
Toxic Load ◽  
Insecticide Spray

The study reported presents the findings relating to commercial growing of genetically-modified Bt cotton in South Africa by a large sample of smallholder farmers over three seasons (1998/99, 1999/2000, 2000/01) following adoption. The analysis presents constructs and compares groupwise differences for key variables in Bt v. non-Bt technology and uses regressions to further analyse the production and profit impacts of Bt adoption. Analysis of the distribution of benefits between farmers due to the technology is also presented. In parallel with these socio-economic measures, the toxic loads being presented to the environment following the introduction of Bt cotton are monitored in terms of insecticide active ingredient (ai) and the Biocide Index. The latter adjusts ai to allow for differing persistence and toxicity of insecticides.Results show substantial and significant financial benefits to smallholder cotton growers of adopting Bt cotton over three seasons in terms of increased yields, lower insecticide spray costs and higher gross margins. This includes one particularly wet, poor growing season. In addition, those with the smaller holdings appeared to benefit proportionately more from the technology (in terms of higher gross margins) than those with larger holdings. Analysis using the Gini-coefficient suggests that the Bt technology has helped to reduce inequality amongst smallholder cotton growers in Makhathini compared to what may have been the position if they had grown conventional cotton. However, while Bt growers applied lower amounts of insecticide and had lower Biocide Indices (per ha) than growers of non-Bt cotton, some of this advantage was due to a reduction in non-bollworm insecticide. Indeed, the Biocide Index for all farmers in the population actually increased with the introduction of Bt cotton.The results indicate the complexity of such studies on the socio-economic and environmental impacts of GM varieties in the developing world.

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