6 research outputs found
Farmland Conversion and the Compensation Question in Mekelle (Ethiopia)
No full textThe city of Mekelle has been growing fast and infringing its statutory limits. This growth, in recent times, has required the conversion of agricultural land into non-agricultural, urban use; and now the number of expropriated farmers as a result of rural land conversion is on the increase: between 2005 and 2008, about 9883 farmer-households were expropriated totally or partially from their farmlands. This paper focuses on the post-acquisition welfare of farmers by critically evaluating the overall process of compensation: method of valuation, amount of compensation, and negative fallouts. The method of determining the value of expropriated farms is unscientific, not timely updated, and the compensation is not associated with rehabilitation support. The materials used in this paper are taken from an ongoing doctoral research by the same author, and all data was obtained from a survey of 250 expropriated farmers. Findings show that as the city advances towards the agricultural hinterland fringe farmers feel threatened of losing their livelihood, and are not happy because of the knowledge that the compensation process is unfair in terms of amount and absence of rehabilitation support for their losses. The paper is organized into five sections: the introduction deals with the background, the problem and the objective, followed by review of relevant literature, then the methodology, the findings, and finally the conclusion. Keywords: expropriation, valuation, compensation, rehabilitation, perceptio
The Role of Ethiopian Medium and Large Scale Manufacturing Industries in Strengthening Rural-Urban Linkages
No full textContemporary economic theory sees the manufacturing industry as a strategic tool for strengthening rural-urban linkages and for bringing overall economic development and poverty eradication. This is due to the interdependence of the rural and urban economies in developing countries. However, the Ethiopian medium and large scale manufacturing industry does not appear to be on the right track in their relationship to the agricultural sector as required by the Agricultural Development Led Industrialization [ADLI] policy. Most Ethiopian manufacturing establishments are known for their high dependence on imported raw materials and for their operating below capacity. Past studies failed to realize the potential benefits of creating production linkages by reinforcing rural-urban links across the country. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the capacity of medium and large scale manufacturing industries (MLSMIs) to forge rural-urban relationships that will assist towards achieving the goals of ADLI. The methodology for putting the paper together is by drawing results from the ongoing doctoral research[1] by the author. That study is based on a mixed data approach using both quantitative and qualitative methods and with a questionnaire survey as the main data collection tool. The research question addressed in this paper is what role can medium and large scale manufacturing industries play to strengthen rural-urban economic linkages? There is every reason to believe that manufacturing industries have the capacity to expand their demand for local agricultural raw material. Rural areas, on the other hand, have an equally dependable appetite for agro-allied products such as fertilizers, pesticides, and farming machinery. Unfortunately, the paper finds from the study that as high as 52.7 percent of existing industries in the four case-study areas are wholly or partially dependant on imported raw materials and that only 9.9 percent appear involved in the production and supply of agricultural inputs. Strangely, however, as much as 44.6 percent of the study’s respondents chose the main reason hindering linkages as the unavailability of preferred and export quality raw materials in the local market. The paper is structured into five sections; the introduction, literature review, methodology, findings and conclusion (incorporating some suggested recommendation). Key Words: rural-urban, forward/backward integration, interdependence, export-quality raw material, agro-allied manufacturing, [1] Factors affecting the performance of Medium and Large Scale Manufacturing Industries in Ethiopia: Case study of selected cities in Ethiopia by the Autho
The Need for Agro-Based Value-chain Industrial Clustering in Ethiopia
No full textEconomic development theory envisages that economies based on agriculture would promote productivity and production of the agriculture sector to become the backbone for the transformation of the economy from agricultural to industrialization. To realize this in a sustainable way, the development of industrial clustering of agro-based, value-chain industries are crucial. Clustering is a geographic concentration of firms, suppliers, support services, specialized infrastructure, producers of related products, and specialized institutions (e.g., training programs and business associations) that arise in particular fields in particular locations (Porter, 2007). Agricultural-based industrial clustering, therefore, refers to the geographic location of farms and processing firms directly involved with products from the farms. In Ethiopia, the Agricultural Development Led Industrialization [ADLI] policy required the development of medium and large scale industries dedicated to supporting agricultural industries. However, existing industrial zones around the country do not appear to possess the capacity to meet ADLI’s objective and, also the zones, as they are currently, configured do not exhibit the important qualities of clustering. Past studies failed to identify the shortcoming of existing industrial zones from the perspectives of clustering and the rationale for agro-based value-chain cluster of industries in the country is now at a high point. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the capacity of medium and large scale manufacturing industries from the point view of industrial clustering advantages and to identify the rationale for demanding exclusive agro-based value-chain clustering. The methodology for putting the paper together is by drawing from the ongoing doctoral research[1] by the author. That study is based on a mixed research approach using both quantitative and qualitative data. The research question addressed in the paper was what is the rationale for the future development of exclusive agro-based value-chain industrial clustering? The paper found from the study that existing medium and large scale manufacturing industrial zones were not concentrations of firms capable of generating multi-functional connections, i.e. value-chain. Another finding was that most of the firms dependent on local agricultural raw material had to source from farms at more than 100 kilometers away. Again, of the exporting firms surveyed in the study only 10.8 percent were exporting final products after adding value through processing. The paper is structured into five sections; the introduction, literature review, methodology, findings and conclusions. Keywords: Industrial Clustering, Economic Transformation, Agro-based, Value-chain, [1] Factors affecting the performance of Medium and Large Scale Manufacturing Industries in Ethiopia: Case study of selected cities in Ethiopia by the Autho
Adaptation of the Wound Healing Questionnaire universal-reporter outcome measure for use in global surgery trials (TALON-1 study): mixed-methods study and Rasch analysis
No full textBackground: The Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire (WHQ) is a universal-reporter outcome measure developed in the UK for remote detection of surgical-site infection after abdominal surgery. This study aimed to explore cross-cultural equivalence, acceptability, and content validity of the WHQ for use across low- and middle-income countries, and to make recommendations for its adaptation. Methods: This was a mixed-methods study within a trial (SWAT) embedded in an international randomized trial, conducted according to best practice guidelines, and co-produced with community and patient partners (TALON-1). Structured interviews and focus groups were used to gather data regarding cross-cultural, cross-contextual equivalence of the individual items and scale, and conduct a translatability assessment. Translation was completed into five languages in accordance with Mapi recommendations. Next, data from a prospective cohort (SWAT) were interpreted using Rasch analysis to explore scaling and measurement properties of the WHQ. Finally, qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated using a modified, exploratory, instrumental design model. Results: In the qualitative phase, 10 structured interviews and six focus groups took place with a total of 47 investigators across six countries. Themes related to comprehension, response mapping, retrieval, and judgement were identified with rich cross-cultural insights. In the quantitative phase, an exploratory Rasch model was fitted to data from 537 patients (369 excluding extremes). Owing to the number of extreme (floor) values, the overall level of power was low. The single WHQ scale satisfied tests of unidimensionality, indicating validity of the ordinal total WHQ score. There was significant overall model misfit of five items (5, 9, 14, 15, 16) and local dependency in 11 item pairs. The person separation index was estimated as 0.48 suggesting weak discrimination between classes, whereas Cronbach's α was high at 0.86. Triangulation of qualitative data with the Rasch analysis supported recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ items 1 (redness), 3 (clear fluid), 7 (deep wound opening), 10 (pain), 11 (fever), 15 (antibiotics), 16 (debridement), 18 (drainage), and 19 (reoperation). Changes to three item response categories (1, not at all; 2, a little; 3, a lot) were adopted for symptom items 1 to 10, and two categories (0, no; 1, yes) for item 11 (fever). Conclusion: This study made recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ for use in global surgical research and practice, using co-produced mixed-methods data from three continents. Translations are now available for implementation into remote wound assessment pathways
Accuracy of the Wound Healing Questionnaire in the diagnosis of surgical-site infection after abdominal surgery in low- and middle-income countries
No full textIntroductionTelemedicine is being adopted for postoperative surveillance but requires evaluation for efficacy. This study tested a telephone Wound Healing Questionnaire (WHQ) to diagnose surgical site infection (SSI) after abdominal surgery in low- and middle-income countries.MethodA multi-centre, international, prospective study was embedded in the FALCON trial; a factorial RCT testing measures to reduce SSI in seven low- and middle-income countries (NCT03700749). It was conducted according to a pre-registered protocol (SWAT126) and reported according to STARD guidelines. The reference test was in-person review by a trained clinician at 30 postoperative days according to US Centres for Disease Control criteria. The index test was telephone administration of an adapted WHQ at 27 to 30 postoperative days by a researcher blinded to the outcome of in-person review. The sum of item response scores generated an overall score between 0 and 29. The primary outcome was the diagnostic accuracy of the WHQ, defined as the proportion of SSI correctly identified by the telephone WHQ, and summarized using the area under the receiving operator characteristic curve (AUROC) and diagnostic test accuracy statistics.ResultsPatients were included from three upper-middle income (396 patients, 13 hospitals), three lower-middle income (746 patients, 19 hospitals), and one low-income country (54 patients, 4 hospitals). 90.3% (1088 of 1196) patients were successfully contacted. Those with non-midline incisions (adjusted odds ratio: 0.36, 95% c.i. 0.17 to 0.73, P=0.005) or a confirmed diagnosis of SSI on in-person assessment (odds ratio: 0.42, 95% c.i. 0.20 to 0.92, P=0.006) were harder to reach. The questionnaire correctly discriminated between most patients with and without SSI (AUROC 0.869, 95% c.i. 0.824 to 0.914), which was consistent across subgroups. A representative cut-off score of ≥4 displayed a sensitivity of 0.701 (0.610-0.792), specificity of 0.911 (0.878-0.943), positive predictive value of 0.723 (0.633-0.814) and negative predictive value of 0.901 (0.867-0.935).ConclusionSSI can be diagnosed using a telephone questionnaire (obviating in-person assessment) in low resource settings
Use of mobile money in Colombia: an analysis of its influence on the financial inclusion of a rural community
No full textUno punto cuatro (1.4) billones de adultos en el mundo no tienen acceso a un producto
Financiero, un porcentaje alto de esta cifra se encuentra en las áreas rurales. Sin embargo,
las cuentas de dinero móvil han contribuido para disminuir el porcentaje de personas que
no tienen acceso a un producto financiero. Ahora bien, es importante analizar si las
cuentas de dinero móvil están siendo de influencia para la inclusión financiera en las zonas
rurales. A través de un estudio cualitativo en el que se realizaron entrevistas a adultos en
una comunidad rural, se analizó la influencia de los usos de dinero móvil en la inclusión
financiera de una comunidad rural en Colombia. Para desarrollar el trabajo, primero, se
caracterizaron los usos del dinero móvil en la comunidad rural, posteriormente, a partir de
las 3 dimensiones de inclusión financiera: acceso, uso y calidad se evaluó y analizó la
influencia de las cuentas de dinero móvil en la inclusión financiera.
El estudio revela que el uso de las cuentas de dinero móvil, a través del teléfono celular,
fomenta la inclusión financiera en la comunidad rural analizada. Sin embargo, se evidenció
brechas entre el acceso y el uso de las cuentas de dinero móvil debido principalmente a:
los problemas recurrentes de conexión en los puntos de servicio; la preferencia por el
efectivo y la falta de educación financiera. En este sentido, es importante que los oferentes
de cuentas de dinero móvil junto con el Gobierno realicen campañas y talleres para ofrecer
educación financiera sobre estos servicios en las zonas rurales, de tal manera que, las
personas entiendan cómo acceder, utilizar y aprovechar estas aplicaciones. (Texto tomado de la fuente)1.4 billion adults in the world do not have access to a financial product, a high percentage
of which are in rural areas, mobile money accounts have contributed to reduce the
percentage of people who do not have access to a financial product. However, it is
important to analyze whether mobile money accounts are influencing financial inclusion in
rural areas. Through a qualitative study in which interviews were conducted with adults in
a rural community, the influence of the use of mobile money on financial inclusion in a rural
community in Colombia was analyzed. To develop the work, first, the uses of mobile money
in the rural community were characterized, then, based on the 3 dimensions of financial
inclusion: access, use, and quality, the influence of mobile money accounts on financial
inclusion was evaluated and analyzed.
The study reveals that the use of mobile money accounts, through cell phones, promotes
financial inclusion in the rural community analyzed. However, gaps between access and
use of mobile money accounts were evidenced mainly due to recurrent connection
problems at service points, preference for cash, and lack of financial education. In this
sense, it is important that mobile money account providers, together with the government,
carry out campaigns and workshops to provide financial education on these services in
rural areas, so that people understand how to access, use, and take advantage of these
applications.MaestríaMagíster en Contabilidad y Finanza
