Caring for the elderly in Chile. Exploring the experiences of men who care for dependent people

Recognizing that research on care has tended to focus on the experiences of female caregivers, this study, based on the experience of men caregivers of dependent elderly people in Chile, has sought, among others, to answer what meanings give them the men caregivers in the care given to dependent elderly people, and what consequences the need to care for others has had for them. Through a qualitative study based on interviews with ten men caregivers of dependent people, it has been possible to determine that, among others, caregivers mean care as an expression of love, but also as a responsibility. On the other hand, caring for others has had negative consequences both for their mental health and for their income generation. The study concludes by recognizing, among other aspects, that interventions and policies of care that are conceived from a rights perspective, must address in a robust way the needs of both people involved in the arrangements, care receivers, and the caregiver. In doing so, the State has a crucial role, as the first guarantor of rights.

A Multi-Methodological Analysis of Jabuticaba’s Supply Chain in an Agricultural Cooperative Production

Background: In the late 1990s, the idea of fighting drought gave way to the concept of how to live with drought in the Brazilian semi-arid region. From this perspective, the Brazilian Federal Government’s investment in social technology and education encouraged local agricultural production and subsistence agriculture began to have a surplus for commercialization and income generation. However, there are still difficulties in the development of the productive chain, as perceived in Alagoas, Brazil, with the jabuticaba fruit and its derivatives. In this locus, problems related to the creation of value and distributions of the product were identified. Methods: This study proposed a participant observation in a rural producers’ association and a multimethodological approach based on VFT (Value-Focused Thinking) and SWOT analysis aiming to structure the problem, identify communities’ objectives and develop alternatives to solve these problems so that they can get more out of their production. Results: showed that the product has marketing potential due to its differential, but the producers are limited in the process of distributing the goods. Conclusions: So, this study was able to analyze the problems of this productive system in a structured way, generating suggestions for actions to achieve the strategic objectives of the cooperative.

Sustainability impacts of ecosystem approaches to small-scale aquaculture in Bangladesh

This study explores the sustainability impacts of adopting an ecosystem approach in underutilized homestead ponds (ecoponds) operated by women in Bangladesh. Households with ecoponds have significantly higher fish productivity, fish diversity, and income generation potential compared to households with similar underutilized ponds. Furthermore, certain dimensions of women’s empowerment are improved at the individual and household level (e.g., control of income and productive assets), without, however, addressing wider structural inequalities. Food security impacts are rather inconclusive, as despite the higher consumption of more diverse fish species among ecopond households, there is no significant effect on overall dietary diversity.

The socio-economic importance of Calabar Carnival on the economic development of Cross River State

The study investigates the socio-economic importance of the Calabar Carnival on the economic development of Cross River State, Nigeria. To establish the relationship between the festival and the development of Cross Rivers State, hypotheses were formulated based on the identified major independent variables namely: employment creation, income generation, and infrastructural development while the dependent variable is the Calabar Carnival Festival. Literatures related to the major variables of the study were reviewed. To generate data for hypotheses testing, questionnaire was used; survey research design was adopted for study while utilizing the convenience sampling technique to select the respondents (300) for study. The generated data were statistically tested at a 0.05 level of significance using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient analysis. The analysis showed that the Calabar carnival has significant relationship with job creation, income generation, and infrastructural development in Cross River State. Based on the result of the findings, the study recommended the need for tourism industry be fortified with security and as well be privatized. Also, the study recommends that youth development should be a cardinal point in the carnival as a promotional strategy in other to accelerate the state's socio-economic development.

Livelihood of Entrepreneurs of Union Digital Centers in Bangladesh: An Empirical Study

Union Digital Centers (UDCs) have changed not just how government services are delivered, but also how entrepreneurs (UDDOKTA) live. This study appraises the demographic status of entrepreneurs of Union Digital Centers in Bangladesh. This study is based on a mixed approach to social research. Data were collected from 45 entrepreneurs of 25 UDCs in the southern part of Bangladesh. This study found most of the entrepreneurs get appointed from local inhabitants with proper training though it has a chance of political influence but regular monitoring has occurred. The entrepreneurs are under the age of 30 with a standard educational background. The reasons for joining at UDCs are to generate income and to enter an independent profession. Among male and female entrepreneurs, the dropout rate is higher regarding female than male counterparts because of their pregnancy or after marital issues. The rate of availability of male entrepreneurs in UDCs is higher than the female counterparts. Although the income of the entrepreneurs has become higher than before joining, low-income generation by male Entrepreneurs is surely a concern if it becomes lower than expectation. However, authorities must take care of the entrepreneur’s issues so that they can serve the entire community.

Park visitation in the context of Khartoum town

Parks improve people's physical and mental well-being, strengthen communities, and make towns and neighborhoods more appealing places to live and work. Many reasons discourage frequent park visitations, such as poor park characteristics, poor management system, and the lack of programs to encourage park visitation. Participation in different outdoor activities has become a necessity for many people nowadays. However, many residents are not engaged in recreational activities in Khartoum, making parks an important element. Therefore, the study aimed at investigating parks characteristics and different patterns of users based on societal needs. The study concentrates on the residents' characteristics such as age, gender, income, education level; these characteristics are tested against park visitation patterns such as type of visitation, the best day for visitation, and visit frequency. A two hundred and fifty (250) participant questionnaire survey was carried out in Al Tifl Park to assess the park's visitation pattern based on the purposive sampling technique. The result shows that most of the visitation patterns were not frequent regardless of the visitors' characteristics. It proves that the visitation pattern was not based on the visitors' characteristics but rather on the park characteristics. The study recommends that the park's features be redesigned based on user affinity to improve visitation, visitor benefits, and income generation.