1,721,060 research outputs found
Nonfarm employment and consumption diversification in rural China
No full textWith rapid growth and development, nonfarm employment has become an important source of livelihood for millions of rural households in China. Rural nonfarm employment is leading to an increase in income and consumption diversification, which has a direct implication on household well-being. Using Chinese General Social Survey 2017 data, this study explores the effects of nonfarm employment on Chinese rural households’ consumption diversification, measured by the Simpson index. We employ the endogenous treatment regression model and a synthesized instrumental variable to address the endogeneity of the nonfarm employment variable. Findings show that nonfarm employment increases consumption diversification significantly. We find heterogeneous effects of nonfarm employment between males and females and across geographical locations. In particular, our estimates show a higher level of consumption diversification is associated with nonfarm employment of female (relative to male) respondents and those residing in China’s eastern and western (relative to central) regions. Consumption diversification seems to monotonically increase with the increase in the household size and consumption expenditure quintiles. Further analysis reveals that nonfarm employment significantly increases household expenditures on food, culture and leisure activities, and online shopping
Farmers willingness to grow GM food and cash crops: empirical evidence from Pakistan
No full textUsing data collected from 950 farmers in four provinces of Pakistan i.e. Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, the current paper analyzes the farmer’s willingness to grow genetically modified (GM) food and cash crop. There exists a huge difference in farmers’ perception about GM food and cash crops in Pakistan. In Pakistan, over 90 percent of the farmers were aware of the GM cash crop while only few farmers were aware of GM food crops and vegetables. Empirical results show that majority of the farmers were willing to grow GM cash crops but reluctant to grow the GM food crops and vegetables mainly due to the controversy surrounding the GM food crops. The econometric results illustrate the willingness to grow GM food and cash crop is higher among farm households with large land holdings, secured land rights, higher income levels and larger assets ownership. Result also reveals that farm household NGOs membership negatively affects the willingness of the farmers to grow GM food and cash crops. The access to credit and agricultural extension services do not affect farmer’s willingness to grow GM food and cash crops in Pakistan
Cereal consumption and marketing responses by rural smallholders under rising cereal prices
No full textPurpose
International commodity prices have escalated to an unprecedented level since 2008. Although commodity prices have declined recently, prices are still high compared to the pre-2008 levels. Combining this market phenomenon with Bangladesh Government’s Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) data sets HIES 2005 and HIES 2010, and applying the seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) estimation process, the purpose of this paper is to examine paddy rice marketing, and the cereal and non-cereal food expenditure behavior of rural smallholders in Bangladesh under rising commodity prices.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses information collected by the Government of Bangladesh and applies two-step Heckman-type selection model estimation procedure, first to estimate total rice production by the rice production self-sufficiency status of the household. Second, the study estimates the paddy marketing behavior by the households by their rice self-sufficiency status under rising commodity price regime applying SUR estimation process combing with Heckman’s selection model estimation procedure.
Findings
Empirical findings demonstrate that there was no positive assertion between higher paddy rice prices and paddy rice marketing by the rural smallholders. Rather, under the rising commodity price regime, smallholders significantly reduced consumption expenditure on high food value-enriched non-cereal food items to adjust to the market shocks.
Research limitations/implications
This is a Bangladesh-based case study. Individual country-level case studies should be conducted in order to generalize the findings of the present study.
Originality/value
The present study warns that the market volatility may discourage farm households to market their cereals more due to uncertain future. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to explore the cereal marketing behavior of the farm households in Bangladesh under commodity price hikes by the rice production self-sufficiency status of the farm households
Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change
No full textClimate change reduces agricultural productivity and leads to greater instability in crop production, disrupting the global food supply and resulting in food and nutritional insecurity. A transformation of the agricultural sector towards climate-resilient practices is urgently needed to successfully tackle food security and climate change challenges. Climate-smart agriculture is an approach that guides farmers’ actions to transform agri-food systems towards building the agricultural sector’s resilience to climate change based on three pillars: increasing farm productivity and incomes, enhancing the resilience of livelihoods and ecosystems, and reducing and removing greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. Promoting the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices is crucial to improve smallholder farmers’ capacity to adapt to climate change and mitigate its impact, as well as help achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Although smallholder farmers worldwide have adopted numerous practices and technologies (e.g., integrated crop systems, improved pest, water, and nutrient management, improved grassland management, reduced tillage and use of diverse varieties and breeds, restoring degraded lands, and improved the efficiency of input use) to reach the objectives of climate-smart agriculture, the increased uncertainty that climate change imposes calls for more flexible and rapid response capacity in smallholder farming systems.
With this special issue, we seek to comprehensively understand the associations between climate-smart agriculture and sustainable agricultural development. To achieve this goal, we aim to find answers to these questions: What are the climate-smart agricultural practices and technologies (either single or multiple) that are currently adopted in smallholder farming systems? What are the key barriers, challenges, and drivers of promoting climate-smart agricultural practices? What are the impacts of adopting these practices? Answers to these questions will help devise appropriate solutions for promoting sustainable agricultural production and rural development. They will also provide insights for policymakers to design appropriate policy instruments to develop agricultural practices and technologies and promote them to sustainably enhance the farm sector’s resilience to climate change and increase productivity
Climate Change Mitigation : Policies and Lessons for Asia
No full textAsia and the Pacific accounts for over 50% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, driven by rapid economic growth and energy consumption in developing countries. Far-reaching efforts are urgently needed to reduce the region’s emissions and realize a 1.5°C temperature drop required to fight climate change and associated threats to sustainable development, particularly in highly polluted cities.
Many governments have pledged to meet net-zero carbon emissions by around mid-century, but action to transform energy markets alone will not be enough. Measures to promote the decarbonization of the transport, buildings, agriculture, and other sectors must also be taken forward to successfully achieve emissions reduction targets.
Climate Change Mitigation: Policies and Lessons for Asia highlights evidence-based approaches for advancing decarbonization across sectors. It offers timely insights for policy makers and scholars seeking to better understand the region’s climate change mitigation challenges, policy approaches for fostering emissions breakthroughs, and the sustainable development implications
Changing Food Consumption of Households in Developing Countries: A Bangladesh Case
No full textIncreasing incomes, urbanization, and population growth are transforming developing countries. This structural transformation is changing lifestyles and consequently food consumption and agri-food systems. The present study uses Bangladesh as a case study, a rapidly growing developing economy in South Asia to examine the changing food consumption pattern. Using information from more than 29,000 households, the present study demonstrates that, with the increase in income and urbanization, this traditional rice-consuming country is increasingly consuming more wheat. The changes in the relative consumption in Bangladesh are prominent both in rural and urban areas. The literature often is based on the premise that with increasing income, households switch from staple cereals to high food-value items. The present study highlights the need to also consider within-staple substitution
Evolving food consumption patterns of rural and urban households in developing countries: A Bangladesh case
No full textPurpose
Population and income are growing rapidly in South Asia, spurring the demand for food in general, and the demand for higher-valued food items in particular. This poses particular food security challenges for densely populated and emerging countries, such as Bangladesh. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the increasing and changing cereal consumption pattern in developing countries using Bangladesh as a case.
Design/methodology/approach
Using Bangladesh’s Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2000, 2005a, b data, and applying a two-stage quadratic almost ideal system estimation procedure, the present study separately estimates the expenditure elasticities for rural and urban households for five food items: rice, wheat and rice and wheat products, pulses, fish and vegetables. Second, using the estimated elasticities, projected population and the per capita GDP growth rates, this study projects the consumption of the sampled food items by 2030.
Findings
This study demonstrates that in 2030 both rural and urban households in Bangladesh will consume more wheat, pulses and fish, but the urban households will consume less rice compared to the current levels of consumption in 2015.
Originality/value
To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study on developing countries that examines the evolving food items consumption separately by rural and urban households. Using Bangladesh as a case, this study warns that with rapid urbanization and income growth, developing countries need to supply more wheat, fish and pulses. The provision of the maximum usage of scarce resources, such as arable land, the development and dissemination of improved varieties and the best management practices must be ensured to boost domestic food production in developing countries to cater to the future evolving food consumption
Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics: Farmers’ organizations and sustainable development
No full textThis special issue features 14 new research papers investigating the role of farmers’ organizations (e.g., collective action, self-help groups, producer companies/organizations, and cooperatives) in supporting sustainable development. The key findings include: (1) farmer groups and cooperatives promote farmers’ adoption of good farm management practices, new agricultural technologies and sustainable farming practices, although not substantially improving farm yield; (2) outsourcing services provided by agricultural cooperatives help to increase the technical efficiency of crop production; (3) cooperative membership enhances members’ bargaining power and enables them to sell their products at higher prices; (4) cooperatives motivate rural laborers to work in off-farm sectors, while self-help groups empower rural women in decision-making; (5) internet use improves agricultural cooperatives’ economic, social, and innovative performances; (6) direct administrative intervention supporting cooperative development may lead to the emergence of shell cooperatives; (7) participation in forest farmer organizations enables wood value chain upgrading; (8) increasing the cooperative size in terms of income, equity, and assets increases the profitability of savings and credit cooperatives; and (9) creating cross-border cooperation between cooperatives generates benefits for all parties involved. These findings can inspire the design of policies aimed to support farmers’ organizations in achieving sustainable development goals
Laser-land leveling adoption and its impact on water use, crop yields and household income: Empirical evidence from the rice-wheat system of Pakistan Punjab
No full textUsing a primary dataset from 350 farmers from the rice-wheat area of Pakistan Punjab, we estimate the impact of laser-land leveling on water saving, crop yields and household income. The analysis employs propensity score matching (PSM) to correct for the potential sample selection bias that may arise due to systematic differences between adopting and non-adopting farmers. In the study, 57% of farmers had access to laser land leveling, with an important role for service providers. Adoption of laser-land leveling has a positive impact on irrigation water savings, wheat and rice yields and household income. The study suggests policy implications for making laser land leveling access and performance more socially inclusive through enhanced awareness, institutional support to service providers and public-private partnerships
Improved water-management practices and their impact on food security and poverty: empirical evidence from rural Pakistan
No full textUsing a comprehensive data set collected through field survey of 950 farmers across Pakistan, the current study evaluates water-management practices and their impact on food security and poverty. The results show that rural households mainly adopted four water-management practices (bund making, deep plowing, the adoption of stress-tolerant varieties, and irrigation supplements) and that the wealth, education, and gender of the farmer (male) positively influences the adoption of improved water-management practices. The propensity score matching approach shows that the adoption of improved water-management practices improves wheat and rice yields, household income and food security levels, and reduces poverty levels. The food security levels of households adopting improved water-management practices are higher: in the range of 3–12%. Higher wheat yields are in the range of 26.8–70.4 kg/acre and higher rice yields are in the range of 48.4–85.2 kg/acre. Higher household income levels are in the range of rupees 2,573–4,926 and the lower poverty levels are in the range of 2–7%. Hence, agricultural policy should promote improved water-management practices among rural households
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