scholarly journals The Effects of Pandemics on the Vulnerability of Food Security in West Africa—A Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12888
Author(s):  
Liette Vasseur ◽  
Heather VanVolkenburg ◽  
Isabelle Vandeplas ◽  
Katim Touré ◽  
Safiétou Sanfo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Civil Unrest ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Scoping Literature Review ◽  
Restrictive Measures

The purpose of this paper was to show the effects of the Ebola and COVID-19 pandemics on food security vulnerability in West Africa. The methodology is based on a scoping literature review using the PRISMA method. The study showed that food security was affected by the restrictive measures in the different West African countries. In addition, it shows that this region is highly vulnerable to such crises, which can combine their effects with those of other events such as climate change and civil unrest. In both pandemics, all pillars of food security were affected. The effects on urban and rural centers may be very different. The study suggests a better understanding of the differences between rural and urban centers and between men and women and how long-term restraint measures can affect rural areas where agriculture is the main lever for reducing food insecurity. Food security must be seriously considered by governments when implementing restrictive measures during a pandemic. Consideration of health factors alone at the expense of food security can greatly exacerbate health problems and even increase cases of disease.

scholarly journals Seasonality and household diets in Ethiopia

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 1723-1730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalle Hirvonen ◽  
Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse ◽  
Ibrahim Worku Hassen
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Energy Intake ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Rural Households ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Nationally Representative

AbstractObjectiveTo revisit seasonality by assessing how household diets vary across agricultural seasons in rural and urban Ethiopia. The role of seasonality on the sources and intake of energy (per capita) and household dietary diversity score (HDDS) was analysed.DesignThe use of nationally representative household-level data collected each month over one year to study the seasonal changes in the sources and intake of energy and HDDS.SettingEleven regions of Ethiopia, including rural and urban settings.SubjectsTotal of 27 835 households were interviewed between July 2010 and July 2011 in all eleven regions of the country. On average each month saw 2300 household interviews, yielding nationally representative data for each calendar month.ResultsFor rural households, the mean daily per capita energy intake was 10 288 kJ (2459 kcal) in February (post-harvest period) and lower in the lean season: 9703 kJ (2319 kcal) in June (P<0·05) and 9552 kJ (2283 kcal) in July (P<0·001). HDDS for rural households was highest in February (6·73) and lowest in June (5·98; P<0·001) but high again in July (6·57). Urban energy intake was also lower in the lean season but HDDS varied less by season. Considerable seasonal variation was also found in energy sources in rural areas, less so in urban areas.ConclusionsHousehold diets in Ethiopia remain subjected to significant seasonal stress. HDDS and food security measured using energy intake do not always agree. Preferably, HDDS and energy intake data should be used together to assess food security.

Cities and Urban Patriciates

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Cowan
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Academic Discipline ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Urban Experience ◽  
Counter Reformation ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
History Of ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas ◽  
The 1960S

Urban centers had an influence on the development of Renaissance Europe disproportionate to their overall demographic importance. Most of the population continued to live and work in the countryside, but towns and cities functioned as key centers of production, consumption and exchange, political control, ecclesiastical organization, and cultural influence. Historians still debate the relative roles of urban and rural areas in facilitating the development of capitalism in the long term. Writing on urban history has a very long pedigree dating back to the 16th century, but as an academic discipline it began to flourish in the late 19th century. Since the 1960s, the range of approaches to the field has widened considerably from concerns with political and economic organization to take in issues of governance, social structure, and, most recently, overlapping urban cultures. The role of religious belief, particularly in the context of the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation, runs as a thread throughout the history of the urban experience.

Women and Apartheid

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meghan Healy-Clancy
Keyword(s):  
Black Men ◽  
Social Reproduction ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
White Women ◽  
African Women ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Racial Lines

Apartheid, the system of racial and ethnic separation introduced in South Africa in 1948, was a gendered project. The immediate goal of the white Afrikaner men who led the apartheid state was to control black men: to turn black men from perceived political and criminal threats into compliant workers. Under apartheid, African men would travel to work for whites in towns and on mines, but their homes would be in rural ethnic “reserves,” known as “homelands” or “Bantustans.” This vision depended on the labors of African women: while their men migrated to work, women were to maintain their families in the increasingly overcrowded and desolate countryside, reproducing the workforce cheaply while instilling a sense of ethnic difference in their children. “Coloured” (mixed-race) and Indian women were similarly charged with social reproduction on a shoestring, in segregated rural and urban areas. White women uniquely had the franchise and freedom of movement, but they were also constrained by sexually repressive laws. Apartheid’s gendered vision of production and social reproduction faced continual resistance, and it ultimately failed. First, it failed because African women increasingly moved from rural areas to urban centers, despite laws limiting their mobility. Second, it failed because some women organized across ethnic and racial lines. They often organized as mothers, demanding a better world for a new generation. Both their nationally and internationally resonant campaigns—against pass laws, educational and health care inequities, police brutality, and military conscription—and the fact of their collective organization gradually undermined apartheid. Officials generally underestimated the power of women, and their contributions have continued to be under-appreciated since apartheid ended in 1994, because women’s political style emphasized personal and familial concerns. But because apartheid was premised on transforming how families lived, actions of women in fact undermined the system from its core.

scholarly journals New Findings on Food Security, Climate Change and Income Growth in West African Countries: P-VAR Approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (31) ◽  
pp. 241
Author(s):  
Olabode Philip Olofin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
West African ◽  
Income Growth ◽  
Panel Var ◽  
African Countries ◽  
New Findings

This paper examines empirically the interaction among per capita income growth, climate change and food security in fifteen West African Countries. We employ Panel VAR (PVAR) techniques on annual secondary data obtained from the World Development Indicator (WDI) between 1990 and 2013. The PVAR approach allows us to address the endogeneity problem by allowing the endogenous interaction among the variables in the system. Our results provide evidence of income growth spurring food security in the short run and reducing it in the long run, while climate change increased food insecurity throughout in West Africa. The study suggests that climate change is a necessary variable that needs to be controlled if food security is a desired goal in West Africa and that more priority should be given to agricultural sector in economic growth. Also, the leaders in West Africa should embrace a judicious and dynamic energy mix that will allow renewable sources to replace fossil fuels.

scholarly journals The role and development perspectives of small towns in central Serbia

Spatium ◽  
2006 ◽  
pp. 8-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nenad Spasic ◽  
Jasna Petric
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Social Exchanges ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Urban Classification ◽  
Spatial Changes ◽  
Real Risk ◽  
The One

The link between urban centers and the countryside, including movement of people, goods, capital and other social exchanges, play an important role in processes of rural and urban change of a country. Major demographic and spatial changes have been typical for Serbia in the second half of the 20th century, caused by a dynamic primary urbanization process, i.e. by intense migration trends between rural areas and towns (cities). A special attention in this paper is given to the small urban centers in Serbia (small towns with population of less than 20,000) as the first magnet in proximate contact with the rural surroundings, and the one that therefore could have the greatest influence on organization structure and development prospects of the rural areas. In addition to being difficult to substantiate criteria for urban classification, small towns themselves do not represent a homogeneous group of settlements, and this makes it even harder to put up generalizations that would fit to all the settlements of this kind either within our country or cross-borders. However, here are identified certain common features for the small towns in Central Serbia and their development perspective is analyzed in relation to medium towns and cities of the same territory in consideration. Finally, this paper discusses the importance of policies for small town development in light of a real risk that the process of globalisation may lead to the justification of a new concentration of activities in the large cities, increasing the already significant regional differences in living conditions and economic development.

scholarly journals Differences in the Early Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security and Livelihoods and in Rural and Urban Areas in the Asia Pacific Region

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 229-229
Author(s):  
Yunhee Kang ◽  
Anurima Baidya ◽  
Alec Aaron ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
Christabel Chan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Essential Medicines ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Food Stock ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Food Expenditure

Abstract Objectives Lockdowns due to COVID-19 had health, economic, social, and political consequences globally. This study examined if the early impact of COVID-19 on livelihoods and food security differed between rural and urban areas in six Asia-Pacific countries. Methods Secondary data analysis was conducted in May 2029 using a total of 13,522 household survey data collected cross-sectionally among socially disadvantaged populations through a World Vision's rapid response assessment (n = 13,522) in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Changes in food expenditure, availability of various food items, and accessibility and affordability of essential items (staple food, fresh foods, medicine, and hygiene) were tested between rural and urban areas using multivariate logistic regressions, accounting for confounding variables. Results Job loss or reduced income was prevalent (rang: 54.1%–89.6%), higher in urban than rural areas in all six countries. A higher percentage of households reduced food expenditure in urban areas (53.0%–80.3%) than in rural areas (34.2%–66.4%) in India, Myanmar, and Vietnam (all P &lt; 0.001). The proportion of households having no food stock varied in six countries (13.4%-66.0%), with lower odds of available food stocks in urban areas than rural areas (OR range in Bangladesh, India, and Myanmar: 0.30–0.53, all P &lt; 0.05). Access to essential items was moderate to high depending on the type of item. Essential medicines were more accessible in urban than in rural areas with an OR range of 1.88–5.63 in India, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Household affordability was low particularly for rent (3.8%-16.6%) and loan repayment (3.3%-19.9%), with higher affordability for rent payments in urban than in rural areas with an OR range of 1.98–22.2 across four countries (P &lt; 0.05). Access and affordability for essential items were better in urban areas than in rural areas in Vietnam. Conclusions Disproportional differences were found in experiencing food security and livelihoods between rural and urban areas in six Asia Pacific countries. An understanding of the differential implications of lockdowns related to COVID-19 by residence can inform specifically recovery policies and guide mitigation efforts. Funding Sources N/A

scholarly journals Regional and Rural–Urban Variation in Opioid Prescribing in the Veterans Health Administration

2019 ◽  
Vol 184 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 894-900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian C Lund ◽  
Michael E Ohl ◽  
Katherine Hadlandsmyth ◽  
Hilary J Mosher
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Regional Variation ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Opioid Use ◽  
Opioid Prescribing ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Per Capita

Abstract Introduction Opioid prescribing is heterogenous across the US, where 3- to 5-fold variation has been observed across states or other geographical units. Residents of rural areas appear to be at greater risk for opioid misuse, mortality, and high-risk prescribing. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) provides a unique setting for examining regional and rural–urban differences in opioid prescribing, as a complement and contrast to extant literature. The objective of this study was to characterize regional variation in opioid prescribing across Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and examine differences between rural and urban veterans. Materials and Methods Following IRB approval, this retrospective observational study used national administrative VHA data from 2016 to assess regional variation and rural–urban differences in schedule II opioid prescribing. The primary measure of opioid prescribing volume was morphine milligram equivalents (MME) dispensed per capita. Secondary measures included incidence, prevalence of any use, and prevalence of long-term use. Results Among 4,928,195 patients, national VHA per capita opioid utilization in 2016 was 1,038 MME. Utilization was lowest in the Northeast (894 MME), highest in the West (1,368 MME), and higher among rural (1,306 MME) than urban (988 MME) residents (p &lt; 0.001). Most of the difference between rural and urban veterans (318 MME) was attributable to differences in long-term opioid use (312 MME), with similar rates of short-term use. Conclusion There is substantial regional and rural–urban variation in opioid prescribing in VHA. Rural veterans receive over 30% more opioids than their urban counterparts. Further research is needed to identify and address underlying causes of these differences, which could include access barriers for non-pharmacologic treatments for chronic pain.

Integrated agro-industrial park as a promising model for the development of agriculture in Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 45-55
Author(s):  
Nina G. Gavrilova ◽  
◽  
Rafail R. Mukhametzyanov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Agricultural Products ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Industrial Park ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Investment Projects ◽  
Model Driven ◽  
Industrial Parks ◽  
Rural And Urban

Integrated agro-industrial parks (IAIP) – is a new economic model, driven by the need to facilitate modernization and advancement of agriculture and to help developing countries carry out the structural transformation of the industry and commercialize it. In Africa, the first country to start implementing IAIP was Ethiopia, which already had experience at that time in the construction of industrial parks specializing in the production of manufactured goods. Ethiopia faces problems common in Africa’s agriculture: unequal incomes of rural and urban residents, high unemployment and poverty, low food security, underdeveloped agricultural infrastructure, limited opportunities for small farmers to centrally and profitably deliver their products with minimal losses, etc. All these problems can be solved through the introduction of IAIP. Ethiopia has also set itself the goal of competing in the increasingly globalized agribusiness market and needs to provide an enabling environment for the establishment and growth of agribusiness firms. In 2016, the country hosted the first International Agro-Industry Investment Forum, where investment projects of 4 startups were presented. Three of them were opened in February, March and May 2021 and focused on the production, sorting, processing, acquiring and other activities related to adding value to agricultural raw materials. The goals of creating IAIPs were not only to increase the production of agricultural products and enhance food security, but also to expand the volume and range of exported products, as well as to increase the production of agricultural products with added value. Several other African countries were inspired by the example of Ethiopia, and now the discussion of the possibility of establishing an IAIP is underway as part of the creation of a common agro-industrial park in Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Politics

The Age of Em ◽  
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Hanson
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Slow Speed ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Class System ◽  
Younger Workers ◽  
The People ◽  
Lower Status ◽  
The Status

Who is higher status in an em world? Humans are much less competent than ems in most jobs, and so ems see humans and styles and habits associated with humans as lower status. As ems must retire when they can no longer compete with younger workers, retirees are also lower status, as are styles and habits associated with retirees. Also, we have long treated places where people congregate more densely, and the people who congregate there, as higher status. Humans, retirees, and ems away from urban centers all tend to be slower. These features help to make slow speed seem low status to ems. In addition, faster ems tend to have many other features that are today treated as markers of higher status. Faster ems tend to be bosses, to embody more wealth, to host meetings, and to sit at premium locations. Faster ems find it easier to coordinate with each other in contests with slower ems. Fast ems hear of and react to news first, and so more quickly adopt new fashions. As faster em brains embody more capital, impoverished ems are often forced to run at slower speeds. Also, the lives of slower ems seem more like “death,” in the sense that they have a larger chance of ending sooner because of civilization instability. For example, if the em era lasts for 2 objective years, a micro-em experiences only 1 subjective minute during that period. Thus slower ems can naturally seem nearer to death, which seems low status. Thus we have many reasons to expect that ems who run faster are usually seen as higher status. Similarly, during meetings the more centrally located ems, for whom signal delays are smallest, may usually appear to be more central and powerful. Note that as em speeds will tend to clump, this creates a class system of distinct status levels. Today, residents of bigger cities tend to be seen as higher status, and their higher status isn’t much lost when they temporarily visit rural areas. Similarly, em status may not change much during temporary speed changes. It might instead be the typical speed of their clan or subclan that matters most. Slow ems can have the status mark of taking a longer-term bigger-picture view, and a few of them are trusted to manage capital for long-term payoffs.

scholarly journals Estimating Long-Term Care Costs among Thai Elderly: A Phichit Province Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pattaraporn Khongboon ◽  
Sathirakorn Pongpanich
Keyword(s):  
Informal Care ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban

Background. Rural-urban inequality in long-term care (LTC) services has been increasing alongside rapid socioeconomic development. This study estimates the average spending on LTC services and identifies the factors that influence the use and cost of LTC for the elderly living in urban and rural areas of Thailand. Methods. The sample comprised 837 elderly aged 60 years drawn from rural and urban areas in Phichit Province. Costs were assessed over a 1-month period. Direct costs of caregiving and indirect costs (opportunity cost method) were analyzed. Binary logistic regression was performed to determine which factors affected LTC costs. Results. The total annual LTC spending for rural and urban residents was on average USD 7,285 and USD 7,280.6, respectively. Formal care and informal care comprise the largest share of payments. There was a significant association between rural residents and costs for informal care, day/night care, and home renovation. Conclusions. Even though total LTC expenditures do not seem to vary significantly across rural and urban areas, the fundamental differences between areas need to be recognized. Reorganizing country delivery systems and finding a balance between formal and informal care are alternative solutions.

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