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.

Perception and Correlation of Dairy Cattle Farmers Concerning Electronic Media as a Source of Information in Punjab, Pakistan

Pakistan is ranked fourth among all the milk-producing countries across the globe. Despite this, livestock farm families are often located far from potential locations for dairy production. This gap exists due to a lack of information regarding recommended dairy production practices. In this modern era, the provision of information necessary for enhanced dairy production could be achieved through the effective use of electronic media. The present study was confined to the district of Faisalabad due to our limited time and economic resources. We aimed to identify farmers’ perceptions of the use of electronic media as a source of reliable information. A total of 165 dairy farmers participated in this research survey after being selected using a simple random sampling technique. The findings of the present research study indicate that a lack of education followed by male–female influences the adoption of electronic media as a potential information tool. The use of mobile phones for obtaining necessary information, on the other hand, was ranked the highest among dairy farmers. It is recommended that dairy farmers’ training includes the effective use of electronic media so that they may equip themselves with advanced dairy production information.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITION AND KNOWLEDGE LEVEL OF INDIGENOUS TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE (ITK) BY RURAL FARM FAMILIES IN SAMPATCHAK BLOCK IN PATNA DISTRICT OF BIHAR

The present study was conducted in Patna District of Bihar to find out the association between socio-economic condition and knowledge level of rural farm families regarding indigenous technical knowledge. A total of 120 respondents were selected randomly for the present study. The data were collected through a pre-structured interview schedule and appropriate statistical analysis was done to find out the association. It was found that age, mass media exposure and extension contacts were found to be highly significant with relation to knowledge of the rural farm families regarding indigenous technical knowledge whereas land holding was found to be mildly related.

Effects of Climate Change On Human and Social Livelihood Assets of Rural Farm Families in Orlu Agricultural Zone of Imo State, Nigeria

The study investigated the effect of climate change on human and social livelihood assets of rural farm families in Orlu agricultural zone of Imo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to ascertain rural farmers’ awareness of climate change, and identify sources of information on climate change and to describe the effect of climate change on the human and social livelihood assets of the rural farmers. A purposive sampling technique was adopted in selecting a sample size of 120 farm families. Data were collected with structured questionnaire and mean, percentage were used to analyze the data. The result showed that the major evidence of climate change include increased temperature, unpredictable rainfall pattern, drought, flooding, increased precipitation, crop damage and among others. Climate change affects the livelihood of rural people and can be seen in the effects it has on their human and social capita assets in the following ways - loss of human lives, food shortage, hunger and malnutrition, increased disease incidence, reduction in household. Other effects includes prevention of assistance from members of social groups to farmers and rural people at large, interruption of familiar social linkages of the poor, widows, disruption of linkages to formal and informal community organization.

INCOME DISCRIMINATION-A MANIFESTATION OF INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT (IFAD) RICE PROGRAMME IN NIGERIA’S NIGER STATE: INVISIBLE OR INVINCIBLE

The present study evaluated the income inequalities between IFAD and non-IFAD rice farmers in Nigeria’s Niger state. Undated data of 2018 cropping season elicited through structured questionnaire coupled with interview schedules from a total of 296 rice farmers (111 IFAD rice farmers and 185 non-IFAD rice farmers) through a multi-stage sampling technique. Tools viz. descriptive statistics, censored regression, Chow F-test statistics, Average treatment effect (ATE) and Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition model were used for data analysis. The findings showed that the programme had effect on the farmers’ income in the short-run; while in the long-run, the non-remunerative product’s price has diffused the impact of the programme on the farmers’ income. However, it was observed that participation in the programme made the average income accumulation of the participated farmers to higher than that of the non-participants. The discrimination difference called programme participation accounts for more than 75% of the income gap, while endowment or characteristics difference accounts for less than 24% vis-à-vis the non-treated groups. Therefore, the programme should link the farmers with the appropriate off-takers in order to insulate them from adverse effect of market imperfection which tends to dampen the rice price during the boom season. Also, the farmers should engage in co-operative marketing and monitor price behavior using market information and intelligence. The scope of programme coverage should be expanded beyond the target group so as to enhance the farm families’ livelihoods; the rural, state and the national economies.

Cultural barriers towards women and youth entry to apiculture production in Maara Sub-County, Kenya

The study adds to extension education knowledge by revealing cultural barriers inhibiting the uptake of apiculture enterprise among women and youths in Maara Sub-County, Kenya. Data were gathered from twenty-three smallholder farmers selected through purposive sampling based on gender and age from Maara Sub-county, Kenya. Data were collected through the use of structured interview schedule. The study revealed that women and youths’ participation in apicultural activities hindered by cultural restrictions which included taboos, inheritance, traditions, and attitudes. The taboos inhibiting female farmers from engaging in apicultural production were; forbidding women from climbing trees, sitting beehives in apiaries, and honey harvesting. Traditions such as the belief that apiculture is meant for elderly men discouraged youths and women entrant to the industry. Only interested and older sons from the farm families could inherit apiaries in the community. A majority of female and young farmers were blinded by the negative attitude they had towards the enterprise hence they could not participate. Even though apprenticeship was the main channel of equipping farmers with apicultural knowledge and skills, personal experiences and social gathering played a vital role. Few farmers also acquired knowledge through formal schooling. Cultural restrictions need to be eased to attract women and young farmers in apiculture production. Extension education would also enhance the adoption of the farm enterprise through dissemination of modern beekeeping technologies.

Farm Dinner Theater: Improving Health and Safety for Farm Families

This article provides a brief overview of Farm Dinner Theater (FDT), a novel intervention that positively influences the health and safety behaviors of senior family farmers and their family. The FDT uses principles of adult learning and engages the audience in conversations about their health and safety experiences. The FDT was developed through interdisciplinary community-engaged research and tested using a repeated measures design with 553 intervention and 317 comparison participants. Significant changes were reported and the FDT is now being used by Extension through the use of a toolkit developed by the project.

Livelihood income sources of landless and marginal rural households in Haryana

The present study was conducted in four districts two each from Eastern and Western zones of Haryana. Total 300 household from different landholding categories were selected from four villages of the selected districts. Finding revealed that majority of landless families was mainly through wages followed by livestock and in most of the cases it was less than 2.5 lakh per annum. As regards marginal land holding farmers, major source of income of both males and female was wages and private work. The income of large majority of marginal farm families was below Rs. 2.5 lakh per annum.