Climate Change Impact on Agriculture and Food Security

Research on the impact of climate change on agriculture and food security is important, especially in the agricultural economies, not only to know the severity of impact but also the policies to be adapted to halt climate change and the technology to be used to mitigate the impact of climate change. The study was conducted in Kapiri Mposhi district of Central Province in Zambia to find out the impact of climate change on agriculture and food security. The objectives of study include to know the intensity of climate change and its impact on area under cultivation, late sowing of seed and damage of seed due to lack of water, fertilizer absorption reduction, food shortage, livestock, and productivity. The chapter also focuses on the sources of credit to the farmers.

Food Insecurity and Literacy Learning

Food insecurity occurs when there is no consistent access to enough food. There are different reasons for food shortage leading to food insecurity. As per Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, food is a basic need and must be met. Lack of availability of food develops food insecurity among adults and children. Food insecurity results in physical and mental health issues. Food insecurity is evident among some of the homeless people. To overcome food insecurity, literacy learning plays a major role. Families and children suffering from food insecurity need support and education.

Hatched and starved: Two chromatin compaction mechanisms join forces to silence germ cell genome

Animals evolved in environments with variable nutrient availability and one form of adaptation is the delay of reproduction in food shortage conditions. Belew et al. (2021. J. Cell Biol.https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202009197) report that in the nematode C. elegans, starvation-induced transcriptional quiescence in germ cells is achieved through a pathway that combines two well-known chromatin compaction mechanisms.

Household food insecurity and coping strategies in Southern Ethiopia

Background Hunger and undernourishment are the main challenges of today’s world and 960 million people are hungry and undernourished. Food insecurity is an enduring, critical challenge in Ethiopia. Majority of the previous studies overlooked relevant determinant factors which affect the occurrence of food insecurity. This study aims to investigate household level food insecurity determinate factors and coping strategies used in the study area. Method Explanatory and descriptive research was designed to assess household food insecurity and coping strategies in Analemmo district of southern Ethiopia. A multi-stage purposive sampling technique was used for the purpose of this study. Two hundred households were selected systematically following list of food insecure households. Econometric models were employed using binary logit model. Household calorie acquisition was calculated to categorize households into food secure and food insecurely status. Results The survey result showed that 64% of the respondents were food insecure. Variables such as agro-ecology, age and education status, number of oxen, soil and water conservation, amount of credit, cultivated land size and receiving remittance were negatively but significantly (P < 0.05) affected households' food insecurity level. Female and young groups of the community were more food insecure as compared to others groups. The community was coping food shortage by relying on less preferred and less expensive food followed by participating in off-farm activities and borrowing food. Housesholds in the study area were utilizing less preferred foods to cope up food shortage and starvation. Conclusion Efforts of different developmental organizations should give due emphasis to household's wealth level, female-headed household and young and old-aged members of the community. Crop land production supported by modern agricultural technologies and information can reduce agricultural risks, and enhance productivity per unit land.

US Consumers’ Online Shopping Behaviors and Intentions During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

A study of 1,558 US households in June 2020 evaluated utilization of online grocery shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic, influences on utilization, and plans for future online grocery shopping. Nearly 55 percent of respondents shopped online in June 2020; 20 percent were first-timers. Cragg model estimates showed influences on online shopping likelihood and frequency included demographics, employment, and prior online shopping. Illness concerns increased likelihood, while food shortage concerns increased frequency of online shopping. A multinomial probit suggested 58 percent respondents planned to continue online grocery shopping regardless of pandemic conditions.

Life-course pathways from childhood socioeconomic status to type 2 diabetes in mid-late Chinese adulthood

The relationship between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains inconclusive, and the pathways and mechanisms driving this relationship have yet to be clarified. This study aimed to examine the pathways linking childhood SES to T2D prevalence in mid-late adulthood in a low- and middle-income country. The incidence of T2D diagnosed in mid-late Chinese adulthood was assessed using self-reports from the Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Childhood SES was assessed by the education, occupation, survivorship of the parents and the financial situation of the family, whereas adulthood SES was assessed by education and wage. This study performed structural equation modeling to clarify the direct and indirect pathways from childhood SES to T2D via childhood health, childhood food shortage, adulthood SES and physical activity. A total of 15,132 participants were included, and the prevalence of T2D was 5.24%. This study found that childhood SES was directly associated with T2D in mid-late adulthood, the probability of developing T2D increased by 9.20% of the standard deviation for each decrease in standard deviation in childhood SES. Childhood SES was indirectly associated with T2D via adulthood SES, physical activity, childhood health and food shortage. Adulthood SES and physical activity mainly mediated the indirect pathway from childhood SES and T2D. This study showed direct and indirect pathways from disadvantaged childhood SES to increased risk of T2D in mid-late Chinese adulthood. Childhood SES, adulthood SES, physical activity, childhood health and food shortage were identified as life-course interventional targets that should be considered in the development of effective strategies to reduce the burden of T2D and SES-related health inequities in childhood.

Association between Health Practice and Food Stockpiling for Disaster

In this study investigated the association between health practices and food stockpiling for disasters in predicted areas with a high risk of food shortage due to the Nankai Trough earthquake. A survey was conducted during 18–20 December 2019 using a self-administered web-based questionnaire. In total, 1200 individuals registered with an online survey company participated in the study. The association between health practices and food stockpiling status was analyzed (n = 998). 59.1% of participants had a poor Breslow’s seven health practice scores (BHPS), 32.9% had a moderate score, and 8.0% had a good score. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that higher BHPS had a significantly higher prevalence of food stockpiling. Additionally, the interrupted group had the highest percentage of participants with low BHPS. Lower BHPS was significantly associated with interrupted stockpiled in the adjusted models. Among the seven health practices, the odds ratio of the “eating breakfast” practice was high. There was a significant positive association between higher health practice scores and food stockpiling for disasters in areas with a high risk of food shortage due to the predicted earthquake. Particularly, it was clarified that individuals who had fewer good health practices were associated with ending up interrupting food stockpiling.