Does Fish Farming Improve Household Nutritional Status? Evidence from Bangladesh

In the present study, nutritional status was assessed using dietary diversity of fish and non-fish farming households in Mymensingh district of Bangladesh. It has determined the incidence of poverty in fish and non-fish farm households through a comparative analysis of family profile, food consumption, calories, and protein intake. A total of 420 farms were selected for data collection using structured questionnaires with 210 fish and 210 non-fish farm families. The study using both descriptive and functional analysis revealed that the respondent age of both farms was 45.10 years, family size was 5.70, average education was 4.64 schooling years, and average farm size was 0.514 hectares. As a result, due to the increase in household income, fish farm families improved their food consumption, calories, and protein intake in comparison with non-fish farms. On a direct calorie intake (DCI) basis, the overall absolute and hardcore poverty levels of fish farm households were 32 percent and 18 percent, respectively, while those of non-fish farm households were 22 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Therefore, the incidence of poverty was higher in non-fish farming families than in fish farming families. In principle, provision of various forms of government assistance through the Department of Fisheries (DOF) will further intensify and strengthen fish farming, which will easily bring fallow and uncultivated lands of the area under fish farming. Moreover, it is possible to inspire the younger generation through this research that will help them to become a fish farm-based entrepreneur. The main conclusion of the present study is that fish farming is more positively related to household income, family food intake, and nutritional status than any other type of farming.

Socio-economic analysis of Baroda branch canal of Som Kamla Amba irrigation project, Dungarpur, Rajasthan

Irrigation system development results in improvements of farmers' economy, followed by livelihood sustainability, standard of living and social attitude. Present analysis focused on socio-economic status of farming families in the command area of Baroda Branch Canal of Som Kamla Amba Irrigation Project. The study considered survey sampling of 10 per cent beneficiaries in the Baroda branch canal command which consisted 150 farming families having 787 persons in numbers. The socio-economic indicators viz., the family structures, employment pattern, education status, livestock ownership, farm asset distribution, cost of cultivation, and cost of returns were analysed. Results indicated that education and living standards are of farmers was low which may be one of the reasons for not adoption of newly farming technologies. Cost of cultivation per hectare for wheat, barley, gram, and mustard crops were found as Rs. 28,503.00, Rs. 26,727.00, Rs. 21,184.00 and Rs. 21,697.00, respectively and net benefits per hectare obtained from these crops were Rs. 13,297, Rs. 13,023, Rs. 14,416 and Rs. 18,303, respectively. The pattern of ownership of livestock showed that the average number of cows in the command area was about 1.97 per family. The productivity in the area is average due to low inputs use.

PROGRAM MENCIPTAKAN MANFAAT BERSAMA UNTUK MENINGKATKAN PENDAPATAN PETANI PISANG DI KABUPATEN TANGGAMUS, PROVINSI LAMPUNG

<p>The Creating Shared Value (CSV) program as an alternative to the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program provides options that allow companies to increase competitiveness while stimulating inclusive growth in reducing the poverty of farming families. This study examines the CSV program by looking at farmers' interests and the impact of the CSV program on banana commodities in Tanggamus Regency, Lampung Province. This study uses primary data obtained from surveys of 60 partner and non-partner farmers and in-depth interviews with 18 people involved in the existing business model. This research was conducted in March-April 2020. The data were analyzed descriptively. The results showed that the CSV program had been implemented in the location. In this CSV program, farmers get assistance from the company and certainty of selling banana products at an agreed price. However, not all farmers are interested in the program for various reasons, including due to limited land, limited time available, and farmers who do not want to be bound by work agreements. The impact of the CSV program on the banana commodity on household farmers' income has not been significant because bananas are not the primary source of livelihood for household farmers. The policy implication is that the CSV program can be an alternative to CSR programs. However, the success of this program also needs to consider the profile and the sources of livelihoods of farmers to ensure that farmers' interest and involvement can be more optimal.</p>

Pathways to Improving Nutrition among Upland Farmers through Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture Interventions: A Case from Northern Laos

While there is an increased awareness of the role of nutrition-sensitive agriculture (NSA) interventions on nutrition, the studies that investigate holistic pathways from interventions to nutrition outcomes are inadequate. We aimed to understand these pathways to improved nutrition from the Enhancing Nutrition of Upland Farming Families (ENUFF) Project implemented in northern Laos. We applied an embedded case study design by recruiting 101 participants representing implementers, school and private sector representatives, and beneficiaries, of which 34 participated in interviews and 68 participated in 11 FGDs. This was supplemented by a desk review of project documents. We analyzed the data using a directed content analysis across five pathways using a published framework on impact pathways from NSA interventions to nutrition outcomes. The project contributed to nutrition mainly through three core pathways-food production, nutrition and WASH-related knowledge, and agricultural income, supported by strengthening local institutions within the project’s scope. While it is evident that the project contributed to empowering women by saving their time and increasing income, further study is needed to investigate the translation of these aspects to nutrition-related practices. We also suggest the need to sustain the capacity of local institutions and their engagement beyond the project cycle. To enhance the effectiveness of NSA interventions on nutrition, there is a need to design and implement intervention package with multiple pathways and tailored strategies based on nutrition outcomes, the envisaged pathways, geographical context, and factors affecting these.

Sertanejo biodigestor: a social technology, an alternative source of energy

The use of biogas as an alternative to using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking food in the context of family farming is something recent and has ample room for growth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of the Sertanejo biodigester by farming families as a social technology for cooking gas production, as well as an alternative energy source. It also aimed to identify elements which contribute to disseminating this technology as an alternative to the use of firewood, charcoal and LPG. Quali-quantitative approaches were used following the exploratory method, with interviews and non-probabilistic sampling. A population with 132 units of biodigesters in the Agreste mesoregion of the State of Pernambuco was considered, with 83 interviews being collected. The results indicated that the Sertanejo biodigester social technology provides an increase in the income of farming families, avoids the use of firewood and charcoal for cooking food and produces biofertilizer for crops. They also showed that its non-continuous use or deactivation is related to a lack of raw material and the need for maintenance. Given this scenario, its implementation must consider the availability of a raw material source in the production unit and the potential for biogas production from the existing herd and consumption demand. It is recommended to strengthen arguments of economic and environmental impact for low-income families to disseminate this technology; to encourage the use of biogas associated with other activities in the production system; and to incorporate biodigestor social technology in rural credit financing lines.

Pendidikan Formal Anak Pada Keluarga Petani Ikan Di Desa Pudak Kecamatan Kumpeh Ulu Kabupaten Muaro Jambi Provinsi Jambi

Abstrack. The study aims to describe the distribution of children's formal education levels to fish farming families, and the perception of fish farming families to the formal education of children, as well as analyze the level of formal education of children of fish farmers in Pudak Village, Kumpeh Ulu District, Muaro Jambi Province. Data analysis uses descriptive methods both qualitatively and quantitatively and multiple linear regression analysis. The results showed that the distribution of the level of formal education of fish farmers' children in Pudak Village of Kumpeh Ulu Subdistrict was uneven, the percentage in the lower education category (elementary and junior high) amounted to 48.40%, the moderate education category (SLTA) by 38.71% and the higher education category (D3 and S1) by 12.89%. Farmers perceive that formal education is important for children, through education can expand thinking and knowledge as a provision for children's lives in the future so that they have a decent job and their lives are better than the conditions of their parents. Of the six factors (age of the head of the family, the education of the head of the family, the number of dependents of the head of the family, the income of the head of the family, the distance of the educational facilities, the sex of the child) included in the model, there are two factors that affect the level of formal education of the child in the fish farming family, namely family income and distance of residence with educational facilities. The coefficient of determination of 85.5% which means that both factors as free variables are able to explain the child's formal education level as a non-free variable and 14.5% cannot be explained by the model but is explained by other factors outside the model.Keywords: Formal Education, Children, Fish Farmers

Cattle, Women, and Wells

This book describes the choices open to farming families in the Sahelian village of Kala, in central Mali. Life in this drought-prone region is harsh and full of risk to health, crops, and livestock, yet there are also opportunities open to the hard-working, audacious and lucky, bringing considerable returns if the timing is right. Three inter-related themes underlie the analysis of production and investment decisions faced by households; the role of risk, the long timeframe within which decisions are made, and the close links between economic performance and household size and organisation. Climatic variability and demographic uncertainty lie at the heart of domestic structures; the extreme vulnerability faced by single individuals means people cluster in large kin-based groups, pooling risks and providing protection. The very limited development of labour markets means that households rely almost entirely on their own members for their workforce, and generating the capital needed for investing in ploughs, wells, carts and livestock must stem from a good year’s grain surplus and migration earnings. Based on field-research over the period 1980-82, this study illustrates a successful response to making ends meet in a land abundant region, despite high risks of drought. A follow-up study of this village was published in 2020: Land, Investment, and Migration. Thirty-five years of village life in Mali (OUP).

Farm-Investment Strategies

This chapter reviews the broader investment strategies pursued by Kala’s farmers, the differences between the three assets – wells, oxen plough-teams, breeding cattle - in terms of the variability in returns due to rainfall fluctuations, difference in household size and access to complementary inputs. Returns are shown to be consistently greater for larger households, as their services are spread over a larger area, and maintenance costs of livestock, especially watering, are spread over a larger herd. Wells and plough teams generate rapid returns, while the payback period for breeding cattle is much longer. Returns from each asset are not perfectly correlated, though all rely on rainfall, and each is subject to certain risks. The chapter also compares the length of useful life, resale values and the consequences for farming families of not being able to invest in a particular asset. The distribution of all three assets is described in relation to household size, and the strong association shown between large domestic groups and a diverse range of assets. Returns to the overall household enterprise are shown to be vulnerable to climate, land availability, and control by the villagers over who gains access to land and water, and on what terms. It is shown that some households have been better able than others to seize opportunities to invest capital and labour in new assets and openings, which then cement their longer-term ownership of wealth.

Bicentennial Commemoration at Seven Fountains

On 27 September 2020, along with representatives of local farming families and wellwishers, we were drawn to this Church to celebrate perhaps the only public settler Bicentennial Commemoration that took place in 2020, the year of Covid pandemic and lockdown. The event had been planned and organised by Graham Dickason, a direct descendant of widower Robert Dickason of the 1820 Latham Party.

Food Insecurity and Related Factors among Farming Families in Takhar Region, Afghanistan

Improved food security remains a major challenge for policymakers in Afghanistan. The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence and drivers of food insecurity among farming households in the Takhar region of Afghanistan. Household questionnaire survey datasets were obtained from 262 farmers via multi-stage sampling across four districts. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) was constructed to assess the prevalence of food insecurity, and an ordered probit econometric model was used to identify the factors influencing the prevalence rates in farming families. The findings indicate that 66.79% of the farming households were food insecure, whilst 30.53% were severely food insecure. After adjustment of socio-economic and demographic characteristics of families, the ordered probit results reveals that household head education, dependency ratio, farm income, access to non-agricultural income, livestock unit, group membership, borrowing, farm diseases, flood, and war significantly influenced farming households’ food insecurity in the study area. Our findings highlight the urgent requirement for policies and initiatives to support farmers to improve their overall food security. Such strategies should focus on introducing improved farming techniques, enhancing farmer education levels, livestock development programs, building and empowering farmers groups, creating credit access to households, and providing humanitarian food support.