Mapping Operational Efficiency Frameworks for Microinsurance Delivery to Rural Farmers

This study was conducted to determine the changes occurred in agronomic practices during the COVID-19 pandemic among rice farmers in rural and peri-urban areas of Mymensingh district of Bangladesh. A survey was conducted among 64 farmers including 32 from rural areas and 32 from peri-urban areas. This study examined the characteristics of farmers, the extent of changes in agronomic practices adopted, problems faced by farmers during the pandemic, strategies adopted to cope with the pandemic situation, and possible solutions. There were significant differences in agronomic practices between rural and peri-urban farmers, with education, training exposure, and extension personnel contact being substantial factors for both the groups. Farmers faced different problems related to agronomic practices; however, rural farmers faced more problems compared to peri-urban farmers. In terms of strategies, rural farmers emphasized local sourcing for agricultural inputs, while peri-urban farmers emphasized on marketing via mobile phone calls. Both rural and peri-urban farmers suggested that more incentives from the government would be the most effective solution during the post-pandemic time. Rural farmers had more stable rice yields than peri-urban farmers despite making more changes in agronomic activities during the pandemic. Most of the rural farmers changed their fertilizer application techniques and patterns, while majority of the peri-urban farmers changed their seed selection and planting techniques to cope with the pandemic. The findings of the present study will help to formulate strategies to cope with similar situations in the future to ensure food security in the country and livelihood of the farming community.

There is a strong link between agriculture and the economy. Smallholder farmers are the foundation of the livestock sector and an essential element in building and developing the local dairy value chain, critical to the development of its local economy. Economic growth is necessary for poverty reduction. The main objective of the study is to know the impact of livestock production on the regional economy of Gjirokastra. The result of the study identifies employment generation and income generation as the major benefit of standardized livestock production. The study hereby recommends that the government should take standardized livestock production as one of the major factors contributing to the economy and also put some policies in place in order to encourage farmers to collaborate in this regard. In Gjirokastra, and despite the efforts made since the transition from the communist regime until now, farmers still face many problems that prevent them from participating effectively in the development of the milk value chain. This research study refers to the views of small farmers in the Gjirokastra region about the milk production sector and the problems faced by these farmers. This study also investigates the effect of several factors (ethical factors, tradition, animal welfare, cultural factors, etc.) on the milk value chain. Convergence model was used in mixed method triangular design as a methodology for this research study. As part of the social data, 34 farmers who produce and sell milk and cheese in the Gjirokastra District were interviewed. The results showed the influence of ethical, cultural and traditional factors on the development of the value chain. The results also showed the problems and difficulties faced by small farmers in rural areas, on the one hand, and the gap between these farmers and government and private organizations on the other.

We highlight the tension in food systems between affordable food for all and prosperity of the rural communities that produce most of that food. Over the past six decades, global efforts to combat hunger have centered on boosting the production of basic food staples, leading to significant reductions in hunger. However, progress has stalled, and food insecurity remains a pressing issue for over two billion people, primarily in low-income countries (LICs), where it is closely tied to poverty. Current strategies in LICs, rooted in mid twentieth century paradigms, emphasize increasing staple crop yields by smallholder farmers. These approaches unrealistically assume that smallholders can simultaneously produce low-cost staples and achieve economic prosperity. Moreover, the narrow focus on staple crops overlooks the potential of high-value, diversified agriculture to improve rural livelihoods and provide nutritious, balanced diets. We advocate for a fairer distribution of responsibilities in food provision: smallholders should be supported in transitioning toward higher-value agricultural products and services, with greater emphasis on labor productivity and value chain development. Production of staple foods such as wheat, maize or rice is more suitable for larger areas, and hence mechanization, which further improves labor productivity. Such a more diversified rural economy—extending beyond the farm gate—can foster more prosperous and equitable rural communities, enhance dietary diversity and strengthen resilience to shifting environmental and socioeconomic conditions. Urban food security could be further strengthened by reducing non-food related living costs. Long-term food security depends on ensuring dignified livelihoods for rural communities and farmers. To achieve a more equitable balance between the welfare of producers and consumers will require re-examination of our farm and food systems.

An overwhelming majority of poor people in the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) live in rural areas and depend heavily on agriculture and nature-based goods and services, including forests and non-timber forest products (NTFPs). In India alone, 270 million people depend directly or indirectly on NTFPs, including medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs). However, because of their remoteness and isolation, mountain communities face formidable challenges in tapping opportunities brought by markets and globalization. For example, in India, despite the significant role of NTFPs in supporting rural livelihoods, the people who collect and process NTFPs receive very little income, even sometimes less than they would earn from wage labour. Mountain communities across all countries of the HKH often depend on middlemen to sell their produce (mostly in a raw or unprocessed form). Smallholder farmers and NTFP collectors in particular tend to be in a weaker position for negotiating a fair return. They get lower returns as a result of inadequate access to financial resources, farm inputs, technology, training, research, and advisory services, and this is compounded by poor governance systems and poor linkages between the actors in the value chain, as well as poor basic infrastructure such as roads, transport, markets, and communication. Thus, understanding how markets function and how to engage in the marketplace is very important to bring mountain communities out of poverty. It is necessary to identify, quantify, and meet the requirements of customers, and to design interventions that help the mountain poor by including new innovations that can increas profit margins (i.e., by adding value to products and services, bringing processing activities closer to rural sources of produce, introducing new technologies, and improving business linkages). The value chain development approach enables farmers and development workers to understand the entire market system and identify leverage points along the chain that offer opportunities for farmers to improve market linkages and increase their share of benefits and income. This paper presents operational guidelines for pro-poor and climate smart value chain development that provide practical tools for development practitioners to overcome value chain constraints and seize opportunities in a sustainable manner and to provide long-term benefits to mountain communities. In addition to improved competitiveness and income distribution, which are core features of value chain development, ICIMOD’s approach emphasizes inclusiveness, mountain specificities, and climate change perspectives to achieve a balance between the pro-poor and pro-growth aspects of the value chain. The publication is organized into three sections. The first highlights the relevance of the value chain development approach in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region and sheds light on the aim of the publication. The second describes the key principles, strategies, and approaches for value chain development of mountain products and services. The four key principles suggested in the guideline are 1) ensuring sustainable management of farm and off-farm based resources, 2) equitable benefits, 3) do-no-harm, and 4) valuing traditional knowledge. The major strategies are customizing the value chain approach to the mountain context, looking at value chains from the perspective of climate change, mainstreaming gender in the value chain, using value chains as an entry point to address systemic constraints, and engaging the private sector in value chain development. The final section describes the process and steps, and presents specific tools for value chain development. It presents a systematic process for applying mountain specific development tools and methodologies with five stages and ten steps, from the selection of products and services for value chain development to analysis of the chain, identification of leverage points, drawing up of a strategy and facilitating implementation, and monitoring and evaluating the interventions. A number of examples are provided that illustrate identifying, assessing, and strengthening business relationships to achieve increased competitiveness in the chain and fair distribution of income among the many actor involved.

Creating the conditions for sustainable economic growth within a constantly changing environment is a key concern for government and, as such, developing sustainable buildings is one of the key strategies. This research seeks an understanding of how improved stakeholder alignment impacts the use of information technology (IT) systems deployed in support of building sustainability, from multi-disciplinary perspectives including policy, IT and building. Specifically, this research aims to: (1) investigate how a better understanding of socio-structural patterns influences alignment and, subsequently; (2) how this alignment impacts effective system use and performance outcomes in terms of building sustainability, which involves multiple stakeholders in the construction industry, from government policy makers, designers, constructors, suppliers and end users. The IT alignment literature is dominated by a focus on strategy formulation within relatively simple organisation forms. In contrast, little is known about how stakeholder alignment is enacted to improve the use of mandated IT systems. To address this gap, we: (1) identify the factors that influence the effective use of such IT systems; (2) investigate how strategic alignment among stakeholders within project-related networks impacts on effective use; and (3) propose and test a stakeholder alignment model to explain effective use of a mandated sustainability system within the Australian building industry. By using a government mandatory building sustainability policy, which was implemented through an internet-based IT system as a case example, a conceptual model and research approaches and methods have been developed. The conceptual model includes four dimensions: (1) system quality; (2) user requirements; (3) effective system use; and (4)system performance. The conceptual model also includes direct effect and feedback loops between the four dimensions. The system quality is measured by system usability and system features, while the effective system use is measured by adaptation and learning by multi-stakeholders in relation to their risk tolerance and capability. Both the system quality and effective system use are influenced by user requirements. The system performance (i.e., the building sustainability outcomes) are influenced by user requirements, system quality and system use. To achieve the research aims and test the conceptual model, a three-stage mixed methodology (which includes both qualitative and quantitative methods) is used. The conceptual model and research approaches presented in this paper provide a guide for further research.

Please mind the gap—about equity and access to care in oncology

Due to the importance of external suppliers for most companies, procurement and governance management is of utmost relevance for achieving competitive advantage. Research in the field of industrial buying behaviour (IBB) has largely been influenced by transaction cost economics (TCE). However, some TCE research has been rather simplistic; not distinguishing between governance structures and mechanisms, while research in IBB has a surplus of descriptive empirical studies and a critical shortage of analytical and conceptual constructs. This paper aims to address these shortcomings by integrating IBB and TCE in a conceptual model regarding procurement and governance of transactions. The model regards the analytical choice of a suitable combination of governance mechanisms (price, trust and authority) for different types of transactions. Additionally, a procedure for facilitating the achievement of a suitable mechanism mix is developed. The procedure shows how decisions during the buying process, regarding different types of control, will affect the mechanisms' levels in the transaction relationship. The model together with its procedure can serve as a basis for analysing planned purchases, in order to tailor governance mechanisms to transaction characteristics. Key words: Procurement, Governance, Control, Transaction Cost Economics 1. Introduction Due to the importance of external suppliers for most companies, procurement is of utmost relevance for achieving competitive advantage (Noordewier et al. 1990), since it provides opportunities for cost reduction and profit enhancement (Anderson/Katz 1998). In recent years procurement and management of buyer-supplier relationships have received increased interest in research (e.g. Cox 1996; Anderson/Katz 1998; Artz 1999; Wathne/Heide 2004). Transaction costs are argued to be a key determinant of buyer-supplier exchange performance (Artz 1999) and empirical investigations have supported the assumptions and conceptual arguments raised by transaction cost economics (TCE) (Dyer 1996; Artz 1999). Since TCE is a predictive coordination theory, indicating how to organise different transactions (Williamson 1996), it is a suitable complement in literature regarding industrial buying behaviour (IBB) (Cox 1996; Sheth 1996) and a very powerful framework for guiding procurement decisions (Heide/John 1990; Noordewier et al. 1990). Some research efforts within the TCE field have been rather simplistic, not distinguishing enough between governance structures and governance mechanisms. Hence, it is in need of a more profound analysis of the coordination problem (Pihl 2000). To enhance the understanding of individual firms, Williamson (1998) argues that TCE should move from analysing structures of industries to a more detailed and strategic firm level analysis. Also research in IBB has some weak spots. Sheth (1996) and Cox (1996) argue that it has an abundant surplus of empirical studies with a descriptive approach and a critical shortage of conceptual constructs with an analytical approach. Theoretical clarification is required to enhance the development of practical concepts and techniques, and to assess under which conditions they are 'fit for purpose' (Cox 1996). This paper aims to address these weak spots suggested by Pihl, by distinguishing between structures and mechanisms, Williamson, by moving to a more strategic level, and Sheth and Cox, by having an analytical/conceptual approach. The purpose of the paper is twofold: first, a conceptual model, based on TCE, regarding the analytical choice of a suitable combination of governance mechanisms for different types of transactions will be developed. second, a procedure based on IBB will be developed for how to obtain the suitable mechanism mix through proper choices during the buying process, involving different types of control. 2. Review of transaction cost economics TCE is the interdisciplinary field of law, economics, and organisation, dealing with governance of transactions, based on the assumptions of bounded rationality and opportunism. …

This study investigates the impact of the attitudes of the elderly on the acceptance of Thailand’s high-speed rail technology according to the technology readiness index (TRI) and technology acceptance model (TAM) theories as guidelines for policies or strategies to enhance passengers’ intentions to use high-speed rail. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 3200 elderly people aged over 60 years in the surveyed areas along high-speed rail routes in Thailand, before the use of statistical analysis and multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze variations in the participants’ attitudes toward urban and rural areas. The results that were thus obtained from both groups showed their differing attitudes toward the acceptance of technology. The TAM theory considers the attitude toward high-speed rail use in urban areas to be important, while, in rural areas, attitudes and perceived usefulness are important. With respect to the ease of use of high-speed rail, the most important factors were attitudes toward use and perceived usefulness. For the TRI theory, innovativeness features as the most positive influence on the perceived ease of high-speed rail use in both groups. Optimism and innovativeness were positive influences, but discomfort and insecurity carried a negative influence with respect to the perceived ease of use and usefulness.

Value chain development (VCD) dominates discussions on how to address poverty through engagement with the private sector. In the rural sector, interventions often focus on building mutually beneficial linkages for production, and marketing of agricultural and forest products. However, the poverty impacts of VCD remain an open question. This research examines the impacts of interventions in Nicaragua for the development of a taro value chain involving smallholders, a cooperative and exporters. Poverty impacts are assessed at the household level based on changes in the endowments of five livelihood assets. Data collection concerned changes in asset endowments for 127 households from 2007 to 2009. The results suggest that the poverty impacts of VCD varied considerably based on production technologies, but that, in general were limited due to households’ low levels of pre-existing asset endowments, the limited nature of the VCD interventions and a less-than-enabling market and institutional context. Greater attention to the heterogeneous needs of the rural poor is necessary. Policy makers must also assume some responsibility for the external environment affecting private sector and NGO interventions to address poverty reduction goals through VCD.

Rural farmers are not only facing challenges of severe drought blamed on the El Nino weather pattern, but the stock theft as well. The South African Police’s annual crime statistics report and surveys indicates that rural livestock farmers are mostly affected by stock theft in South Africa. The costs paid by these farmers to enhance security in the environs of their livestock roughly precede the financial planning meant for production. However, the research on the extent, economic impact, dark figures and problem areas of stock theft in rural areas remain limited. The National Crime Statistics about stock theft as administered and published by the South African Police Service remains the key focus of this paper. The responses of selected farmers indicate that there is no single solution tailor-made to fight against this phenomenon. The nature of this scourge extremely manifests itself in rural areas because it is not fully tackled by authorities. This paper draws from the detailed statistics reports of stock theft. Keywords: Crime Statistics, Livestock, Rural farmers, Police Service, Stock theft, Extension implication

Purpose: This study examines soap production’s entrepreneurship potential and profitability as a supplementary business for rural rice farmers in Tanzania to promote their economic independence.
 Design/ Methodology/ Approach: We randomly sampled and interviewed about ten small-scale soap manufacturers in urban Tanzania gathered from 2019-2021 to develop a soap production business strategy for rural farmers at a similar scale. Considering the Voronoi theory, we calculated the distance from the rural areas to urban centres to determine the transportation costs, which particularly burden rural farmers. Soap production costs and profitability were determined based on transportation costs and raw material prices.
 Findings: Rural farmers would incur high transportation costs, given the high average distance to the nearest urban centre (sometimes > 100 km). Nevertheless, producing their rice bran oil, valuable raw material for soap production, would give them a competitive advantage over urban producers.
 Research Limitation: The study’s proposed strategy can be applied to similar contexts to reduce the urban-rural entrepreneurship divide.
 Practical Implication: Soaps made using rice bran oil help farmers reuse agricultural waste. Their active ingredients also increase their marketability as high-end cosmetic products, providing farmers with additional income.
 Social Implication: Commercializing agricultural residues such as rice bran increases farmers’ revenues and reduces CO2 emissions by preventing the residues’ incineration; this creates a virtuous cycle in society.
 Originality/ Value: This study presents a more realistic business strategy for rural Tanzanian farmers, as, unlike previous studies, it considers not only direct costs but also transportation costs.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate and understand China’s rural farmers’ financing intention of inclusive finance, and it examines related drivers like knowledge of inclusive finance, perceived benefits and perceived risks of ordering finance. Besides, the social enterprise embeddedness and digital finance are integrated into the conceptual model to further investigate their moderating impact.Design/methodology/approachThe authors designed an inclusive finance intention model to examine the relations between dependent variable knowledge of inclusive finance, intermediary variables perceived benefits and perceived risks of ordering finance and the independent variable financing intention of inclusive finance. The embeddedness of social enterprise and digital finance were identified as modifying factors. Both exploratory and conclusive research strategies were applied. A structured questionnaire was developed to collect empirical data from the rural areas of China.FindingsIt suggests that knowledge of inclusive finance can strengthen both perceived benefits and perceived risk of ordering finance. Interestingly, the embeddness of social enterprise can significantly reduce risk perceptions and improve perceived benefits of ordering finance. Furthermore, perceived benefits of ordering finance can positively enhance rural farmers’ financing intention of inclusive finance, whereas perceived risks can negatively influence the financing intention. Moreover, digital finance as a modifying factor can significantly strengthen the positive correlation between perceived benefits of ordering finance and financing intention of inclusive finance.Practical implicationsThe research indicates that a systematic inclusive finance educational project is needed to enhance rural farmers’ understanding of inclusive finance and its components. Moreover, the study reveals that it is crucial to promote social enterprise participation and digital finance to develop inclusive finance in rural China, as the service attributes of social enterprise and efficiency of digital finance can greatly reduce the existing transaction cost of farmers.Originality/valueThe conceptual model would potentially contribute to researchers interested in investigating the financing intention of inclusive financial services relating to rural population. The integration of social enterprise embeddedness and digital finance is the uniqueness of this research conceptual model.

PURPOSEUterine cancer is a top-ranking women’s cancer worldwide, with wide incidence variations across countries and by rural and urban areas. Hormonal exposures and access to health care vary between rural and urban areas, globally. Egypt has an overall low incidence of uterine cancer but variable rural and urban lifestyles. Are there changes in the incidence of uterine cancer in rural and urban areas in middle-income countries such as Egypt? No previous studies have addressed this question from a well-characterized and validated population-based cancer registry resource in middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to explore the differences in clinical and demographic characteristics of uterine cancer over the period of 1999 to 2010 in rural and urban Gharbiah province, Egypt.METHODSData were abstracted for all 660 patients with uterine cancer included in the Gharbiah Population-based Cancer Registry. Clinical variables included tumor location, histopathologic diagnosis, stage, grade, and treatment. Demographic variables included age, rural or urban residence, parity, and occupation. Crude and age-adjusted incidence rates (IRs) and rate ratios by rural or urban residence were calculated.RESULTSNo significant differences were observed in most clinical and demographic characteristics between rural and urban patients. The age standardized IR (ASR) was 2.5 times higher in urban than in rural areas (6.9 and 2.8 per 100,000 in urban and rural areas, respectively). The rate ratio showed that the IR in urban areas was 2.46 times the rate in rural areas.CONCLUSIONThis study showed that the disease IR in rural areas has increased in the past decade but is still low compared with the incidence in urban areas in Egypt, which did not show a significant increase in incidence. Nutritional transitions, obesity, and epidemiologic and lifestyle changes toward Westernization may have led to IRs increasing more in rural than in urban areas in Egypt. This pattern of increasing incidence in Egypt, which used to have a low incidence of uterine cancer, may appear in other middle-income countries that experience emerging nutritional and epidemiologic transitions. The rate of uterine cancer in urban areas in Gharbiah is almost similar to the corresponding rates globally. However, the rate in rural areas in this population has increased over the past decade but is still lower than the corresponding global rates. Future studies should examine the etiologic factors related to increasing rates in rural areas and quantify the improvement in rural case finding.

Heterogeneous incentives for innovation adoption: The price effect on segmented markets

Equity in health outcomes for rural and remote populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is limited by a range of socio-economic, cultural and environmental determinants of health. Health professional education that is sensitive to local population needs and that attends to all elements of the rural pathway is vital to increase the proportion of the health workforce that practices in underserved rural and remote areas. The Training for Health Equity Network (THEnet) is a community-of-practice of 13 health professional education institutions with a focus on delivering socially accountable education to produce a fit-for-purpose health workforce. The THEnet Graduate Outcome Study is an international prospective cohort study with more than 6,000 learners from nine health professional schools in seven countries (including four LMICs; the Philippines, Sudan, South Africa and Nepal). Surveys of learners are administered at entry to and exit from medical school, and at years 1, 4, 7, and 10 thereafter. The association of learners' intention to practice in rural and other underserved areas, and a range of individual and institutional level variables at two time points—entry to and exit from the medical program, are examined and compared between country income settings. These findings are then triangulated with a sociocultural exploration of the structural relationships between educational and health service delivery ministries in each setting, status of postgraduate training for primary care, and current policy settings. This analysis confirmed the association of rural background with intention to practice in rural areas at both entry and exit. Intention to work abroad was greater for learners at entry, with a significant shift to an intention to work in-country for learners with entry and exit data. Learners at exit were more likely to intend a career in generalist disciplines than those at entry however lack of health policy and unclear career pathways limits the effectiveness of educational strategies in LMICs. This multi-national study of learners from medical schools with a social accountability mandate confirms that it is possible to produce a health workforce with a strong intent to practice in rural areas through attention to all aspects of the rural pathway.