Average Family Size Research Articles

EVALUATION OF PROFITABILITY OF MAIZE PRODUCTION IN AKOKO SOUTH WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

The study was carried out to examine the profitability of maize production in Akoko South-West Local Government Area, Ondo State, Nigeria. The data for the study were collected primarily using a well-structured questionnaire and interview schedules. The production data covered a period of 3years (2018-2020). A multistage sampling procedure was used to randomly select 120 respondents. Descriptive statistics, budgetary analysis and a Linear multiple regression model were used to analyse the data. The results showed that the average age of the respondent was 44 years, with (65.0%) of them being male. Majority of the maize farmers (85.3%) were married and had an average family size of 5 members. The result also proved that only 5.8% of the farmers had no formal education while 94.2% of them had one form of education or the other. Furthermore, the average farm size of the majority of the respondent was 1.5ha and only 15% had access to one form of credit or the other. The result of the budgetary analysis revealed that the total costs of N75,970, N50,523 and N46,784 were invested in maize farming in 2018, 2019 and 2020 respectively and net farm income of N50,760, N115,117 and N134,488 were realized for the period. This implies that the maize farming business is a profitable agribusiness enterprise. The net present value was N200,042.91 at the interest rate of (20%) and with a benefit-cost ratio of 2.1 indicating that for every N1 invested in maize farming, a profit ofN1.1 kobo was made. The study concluded that household size, educational status, access to credit and cost of labour were the factors that influenced the profitability of maize farmers in the study area. Thus, it is recommended that farmers should be encouraged to form a cooperative society in order to generate funds to expand their farm enterprise. Also, maize farmers should be encouraged to practice mixed cropping in order to enhance the level of maize farm income.
 Keywords: Profitability, Production, Cost-Benefit Ratio, Net Present Value and Capital.

Estimation of genetic parameters and the effect of inbreeding on dairy traits in Istrian sheep

Pedigree analysis is an important tool for assessing genetic variability and detecting heritage patterns in domestic animals. This study aimed to (1) assess genetic variability, (2) estimate genetic parameters for daily milk yield (DMY), fat content (FC), and protein content (PC), and (3) estimate the impact of inbreeding on the aforementioned dairy traits in Istrian sheep breed. The generation interval was 3.8 years. The average family size per sire and dam was 13.5 and 1.6, respectively. There were 923 female and 282 male founders (f), 105 male and 137 female effective founders (fe ), and 72 male and 95 female effective ancestors (fa ). A total of 28 sires and 34 dams explained 50% of the genetic variability. The effective number of male and female founder genomes (fne ) was 33 and 53, respectively. Low fe/f (0.37 and 0.15), high fe/fa (1.45 and 1.44), and low fne /fe (0.45 and 0.39) for males and females indicated overuse of a small number of animals in reproduction and substantial loss of founder alleles. The heritabilities of MY, FC, and PC were 0.09, 0.03, and 0.06, respectively. Genetic correlations between DMY and FC, DMY and PC, and FC and PC were −0.22, −0.27, and 0.70, respectively. Regression of phenotypes on inbreeding coefficient () within the animal genetic model revealed negligible inbreeding depression for all traits (p<.01; a 1% increase in decreased DMY, FC, and PC by 0.002 kg/day, 0.01%, and 0.002%, respectively). Regression of breeding values on was insignificant for all traits (p>.05). HIGHLIGHTS Genetic diversity, genetic parameters and the impact of inbreeding on dairy traits were estimated using pedigree information. Results indicate recent loss of genetic variability, low heritability and negligible impact of inbreeding on dairy traits. Genomic optimum contribution selection is the best solution to achieve genetic gain and slow down the loss of genetic variability in this population.

EMPOWERMENT OF RURAL WOMEN FARMERS AND FOOD PRODUCTION IN IMBULPE DS DIVISION IN SRI LANKA: A HOUSEHOLD LEVEL ANALYSIS

Women empowerment and gender equity are two significant aspects of the sustainable development of a country. As Sri Lanka is on the way towards sustainable development, this study was conducted to identify the current situation of women farmers’ empowerment and food production in Imbulpe (Divisional Secretariat) DS division of the country. A sample of 300 women farmers was randomly selected for the study, from seven selected Grama Niladhari divisions (GN) of Imbulpe DS division. A field survey was carried out to data collection through a pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire from April to July 2019. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and regression analysis were used as the data analysis methods. Results convey that most of the women farmers were middle aged, married and had two children within their family. Furthermore, most of the respondents had secondary level of education and their average family size was four, 1.25 acres was the average farm land size. They had about 16 years of experience in the field of agriculture sector. The average monthly income of the respondents was 25,000.00 LKR (Sri Lankan Rupees). Women empowerment was measured by using the models of Rahman and Naoroze (2007); Praveen and Leonhauser (2004) with necessary modifications according to the study area. Most of the women farmers were showed social empowerment aspect and political empowerment aspect reported as the least empowerment aspect according to the unit empowerment measures. Out of the socio-economic factors size of the farm land, number of agricultural training programs participated, monthly income of the family, respondents level of education and number of agricultural training programs attended were indicated significant and positive effect for the empowerment of women farmers. Accessibility of credit facilities and agricultural extension program participation showed that there was a considerable impact on food production rather than the cultivable land size and utilization of modern farming technologies for food production. Therefore, providing of timely important agricultural education and training programs, enhance awareness level of modern farming technology utilization, better micro finance programs and agricultural credit facilities will be able to upgrade the level of empowerment of women farmers in Imbulpe DS division furthermore.

Frequency Distribution of Demographic Variables among Victims of Burns of Domestic Violence – A cross-sectional study

Background: Burns are common occurrences of daily routine. The working environment and accidents invariably result in burns which unfortunately cannot be stopped. There definitely are certain factor which need to be assessed and addressed. Demographic variables like that of age, gender, marital status, family size, gross family income, literacy grades and occupation could be one of the vital aspects which need further research exploration to see frequencies of burns incidents. Aim: To assess the most involved demographic variables in frequency of burns incidents for domestic violence. Methods: The study population comprised of 250 unfortunate victim of burns of domestic violence reported in the Accident and Emergency Department of Mayo Hospital Lahore between December 2017 to August 2018. Results: The study revealed the minor age groups, females more than males, married adults, average family size, middle socio-economic class, lower grades of literacy and labor class subjects suffer the higher frequencies of burns incidents. Keywords: Age, Gender, Family Size, Marital Status, Income, Literacy Level, Occupation, Burns, Frequency

Assessment of housing affordability in the Republic of Kazakhstan

This paper presents an assessment of housing affordability in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The concept of "affordable housing" is considered from the perspective of various authors. The methodology for assessing housing affordability was adapted by the authors, taking into account Kazakhstan's building standards and average family size according to the Bureau of National Statistics. The results of the assessment of commercial housing availability in all regions of Kazakhstan are compared with the determined coefficients of housing affordability provided to the population under the state housing program according to average criteria. In addition, a housing affordability assessment was conducted for each type of state housing program in effect at the time of the study. The assessment takes into account all mechanisms and instruments for granting preferential loans for the purchase of an apartment to certain groups of the population in Kazakhstan: the duration of the loan, the amount of the down payment for obtaining a loan, the percentage of the monthly loan installment, the cost of living, the price per square meter of housing by region of the country, the annual family income before and after loan repayment, and other characteristics of each type of program separately. The objective of the study is to assess housing affordability in Kazakhstan and to classify housing affordability by housing market.

Predicting the academic performance of middle- and high-school students using machine learning algorithms

This research is one of the first to predict the academic performance of middle- and high-school students using Machine Learning Algorithms (MLAs) based on numerous socio-demographic (such as age, gender, obesity, average household income, family size, and marital status of parents), school-related (type of gender education and academic level), and student-related (stress and lifestyle) variables. The Grade Point Average (GPA), which is a reflection of academic performance, is considered to be the model output. Five different MLAs are considered to identify and rank the parameters affecting academic performance: multinomial logistic regression, artificial neural network, random forest, gradient boosting and stacking methods. To evaluate the performance of the MLAs, three metrics are utilized: precision, recall, and F1-score. It is observed that the gradient boosting method outperformed the other techniques by generating superior results, followed by random forest. From the model analysis, it is concluded that a health-conscious lifestyle positively correlates to academic performance, whereas the existence of stress has a negative impact. However, gender is not found to be a significant predictor of a student's academic performance.

Technical efficiency of maize-based farm irrigators in the Eastern Cape province: a stochastic frontier model approach

Maize production is the most important field crop in South Africa produced from ancient years, Mpumalanga and North West Provinces being principal producers. Maize is extensively produced and ascendancy ground crop because maize is greater resilient, less labor exhaustive, rich in food strength and starches, grows actual fast, and easy to produce as other ground crops. Most of the produced maize in South African is consumed domestically. Despite massive extents of arable land and all-inclusive land reform implemented for 25 years, farmers in the former homeland areas of South Africa cultivate only small food plots where they grow mostly maize and a small variety of vegetables. The aim of this paper was to examine the technical efficiency of maize-based farmers who farm within smallholder irrigation schemes. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 120 maize-based irrigation farmers. Descriptive statistics and stochastic production frontier models were used in the study. Maize production in the study area was dominated by males (78%) with an average age of 60 years and an average family size of 4 people in the household. Smallholder irrigators have primary education meaning farmers were literate and able to access farming information and interpret it. Farmers have a minimum average of 10 years of farming experience. Smallholder maize-based farmers were efficient in using their resources given their high farm productivity. The level of technical efficiency for maize farming was 84% which indicates that 16% of maize yield was not realized by smallholder maize farmers in the study area. The study recommends that the government and private sector must improve the farm techniques such as manure and enhanced seeds prepared early and accessible at small and affordable expenses to upsurge maize productivity.

Livelihood pattern and food security of tribal people in a selected area of Bangladesh

Asset’s possession and food consumption level of tribal people in Bangladesh express their socioeconomic status. The study was conducted to analyze the socioeconomic characteristics, measure the livelihood assets, and determine the calorie intake level of the sample households. Primary data were collected through field survey using an interview schedule from 60 tribal households. Tabular analysis and capital asset pentagon from DFID livelihood framework were used for data analysis. Household consumption data were converted to per person per day calorie intake level. The major findings of the study were that about 41.67% of the respondents were being 15-29 years of age, 30% respondents’ education was in the secondary level, average family size was 5.81, 40% of the respondents were occupied with agriculture as their primary occupation, average annual income and expenditure were Tk. 258560 (US$3015.28) and Tk. 242373.50 (US$2826.51), respectively. The livelihood assets were moderate. About 83.34% of the respondents belonged to the poor category and rest 16.67% of the respondents belonged to non-poor category. About 98.33% and 96.67% respondents suggested that, if job opportunity increases and ensure proper education; then their socioeconomic improvement will be faster. So, government and other organizations need to come forward to create more employment opportunity and education facilities for improving their livelihood pattern and food security status.

Gender Analysis of Decision Making on Maternal Health Care among Rural Farmers in Southwestern Nigeria: Implications for Food Security

Safe childbirth is crucial to farmers’ productivity and food security as farm labour plays a pivotal role for farming inmost rural communities. Analysing gender roles on maternal health care (MHC) decision is of major concern in ensuringsafe motherhood and poverty reduction in rural homes. Therefore, this study analysed gender concerns of MHC amongrural farmers. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select 124 respondents for the study; data were collected usingstructured interview schedule, Focus Group Discussion, descriptive and inferential statistics. Respondents (χ = 29 years)were in their youthful and procreating stage with average family size of 4 members. Husbands (64.5%) mainly decided theMHC utilised for childbirth. More females (54.8%) belonged to cooperative society. About (56.5%) of males and females(53.2%), respectively were crop producers having average monthly earning of #19,000. Most predicating factors to MHCdecision were family tradition ( χ= 2.21) and social capital (χ = 2.18). Males (61.3%) had high level of MHC decisionunlike the females (54.8%) with low contribution to MHC decision. Monthly income (r=0.521), responsibility for decisionmaking (r=0.668) were significantly related to respondents decision on MHC. There was a significant difference in thelevel of decision making between males and females (t=5.28, df =31). Hence, it is recommended that non-governmentalorganisation should collaborate with the government to aggressively sensitise rural communities on safe motherhood andmen should sufficiently empower women to contribute and participate actively in decisions on maternal health care in ruralfamilies for sustainable food production and supply.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Towards Onchocerciasis Prevention and Control Among Residents of Kometa Kebele, Bench Maji Zone, South Western Ethiopia

Onchocerciasis is one of the most important public health problems over large areas of tropical African countries including Ethiopia. Involvement of individuals and communities are an important component of Onchocerciasis prevention and control methods. The objective of this study was to assess communities knowledge, attitude and practices towards prevention and control of Onchocerciasis in Kometa Kebele. A cross-sectional study was carried out in Kometa kebele in which 362 respondents who were above 18 years of age were considered in data collection. Data were collected using a pre-tested questioner administered to sample respondents which was then analyzed using SPSS version 20. The results indicated that majority of the respondent were male (55 %) and 32.9 % of the interviewed respondents attended primary school. The average family size per household was 5.5 person. Majority of the respondents (64.4%) knew about the disease Onchocerciasis . About 36.5% of respondents mentioned Onchocerciasis can be transmitted, of which 50.8 % knew that the transmission is related to black fly biting. Majorities (90.3%) of the respondents mentioned that onchocerciasis is treatable disease with drug. In the present study 85.9 % of the study respondents perceived that, Onchocerciasis could cause blindness and death. In the present study 79.6 % of respondents did not wear protective clothes when they are working around fast flowing water. In the study area more than 82 percent of the respondents take ivermectin for Onchocerciasis prevention. About 67, 64 and 60.4% of respondents had good knowledge, attitude and practices, respectively. In conclusion, most of the respondents knew the disease Onchocerciasis, however they majorities lack awareness on the causative agent, mode of transmission and prevention of Onchocerciasis. Thus, it is important to create awareness and implement intervention activities among communities about Onchocerciasis in the area to prevent and control the disease and achieve the desired goal at national level. Keywords; Attitude, Ethiopia, Knowledge, Kometa, Onchocerciasis, Practice. DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/96-02 Publication date: December 31 st 2021

Estimation of macro- and micro-genetic environmental sensitivity in unbalanced datasets

Genotype-by-environment interaction is caused by variation in genetic environmental sensitivity (GES), which can be subdivided into macro- and micro-GES. Macro-GES is genetic sensitivity to macro-environments (definable environments often shared by groups of animals), while micro-GES is genetic sensitivity to micro-environments (individual environments). A combined reaction norm and double hierarchical generalised linear model (RN-DHGLM) allows for simultaneous estimation of base genetic, macro- and micro-GES effects. The accuracy of variance components estimated using a RN-DHGLM has been explicitly studied for balanced data and recommendation of a data size with a minimum of 100 sires with at least 100 offspring each have been made. In the current study, the data size (numbers of sires and progeny) and structure requirements of the RN-DHGLM were investigated for two types of unbalanced datasets. Both datasets had a variable number of offspring per sire, but one dataset also had a variable number of offspring within macro-environments. The accuracy and bias of the estimated macro- and micro-GES effects and the estimated breeding values (EBVs) obtained using the RN-DHGLM depended on the data size. Reasonably accurate and unbiased estimates were obtained with data containing 500 sires with 20 offspring or 100 sires with 50 offspring, regardless of the data structure. Variable progeny group sizes, alone or in combination with an unequal number of offspring within macro-environments, had little impact on the dispersion of the EBVs or the bias and accuracy of variance component estimation, but resulted in lower accuracies of the EBVs. Compared to genetic correlations of zero, a genetic correlation of 0.5 between base genetic, macro- and micro-GES components resulted in a slight decrease in the percentage of replicates that converged out of 100 replicates, but had no effect on the dispersion and accuracy of variance component estimation or the dispersion of the EBVs. The results show that it is possible to apply the RN-DHGLM to unbalanced datasets to obtain estimates of variance due to macro- and micro-GES. Furthermore, the levels of accuracy and bias of variance estimates when analysing macro- and micro-GES simultaneously are determined by average family size, with limited impact from variability in family size and/or cohort size. This creates opportunities for the use of field data from populations with unbalanced data structures when estimating macro- and micro-GES.

Unlocking Household Electricity Consumption in Pakistan

In Pakistan, data for household electricity consumption are available in the form of monthly electricity bills only, and, therefore, are not helpful in establishing appliance-wise consumption. Further, it does not help in establishing the relationship among the household electricity consumption and various driving factors. This study aimed to unlock the household electricity consumption in Pakistan by analyzing electricity bills and investigating the impact of various socioeconomic, demographic, and dwelling parameters and usage of different appliances. The methodology adopted in this study was survey-based data collection of the residential sector. For this purpose, data were collected from 523 dwellings through surveys and interviews in Mirpur city. The results of the data analysis revealed that the average household electricity consumption is 2469 kWh/year with an average family size of seven and an average floor area of 78.91 m2. Based on possession of various appliances, the households were categorized into four types and their consumption patterns were established and compared. Air Conditioned (AC) houses consume 44% more electricity compared to the non-AC houses, whereas an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) consumes electricity equivalent to an AC. The research findings are useful for policy makers and building designers and are discussed in the conclusion section.

Does media-based health risk communication affect commercial health insurance demand? Evidence from China

ABSTRACT In recent years, the mass media (such as TV shows and movies) plays an important role in communication with the general public. In this paper, we investigate the impact of a recent movie from China, ‘Dying to Survive’, on the demand for commercial health insurance. To explore this impact, a fixed-effect model and instrumental variable estimation are utilized, and the causal effect of movie-based health risk communication on commercial health insurance demand is studied. The result shows that the cumulative box office value of a movie has a significantly positive impact on the income from commercial health insurance premium, with a one- or two-day lag. This movie has encouraged viewers to purchase short-term commercial health insurance rather than long-term insurance. In addition, the heterogeneity of the impact exists for movie arrangement rate, average family size, urbanization rate, medical resource level, and per capita disposable income. The results show that sufficient health risk communication can improve the social ‘visibility’ of health risk.

Rethinking the Fertility Transition in Rural Aragón (Spain) Using Height Data.

Based on an analysis of the life trajectories of 2510 conscripts and their families from a Spanish rural area in the period 1835–1977, this paper studies the development of the fertility transition in relation to height using bivariate analyses. The use of heights is an innovative perspective of delving into the fertility transition and social transformation entailed. The results confirm that the men with a low level of biological well-being (related to low socio-economic groups) were those who started to control their fertility, perhaps due to the effect that increased average family size had on their budget. The children of individuals who controlled their fertility were taller than the children of other families. Therefore, the children of parents who controlled their fertility experienced the largest intergenerational increase in height (approximately 50% higher). This increase could be due to the consequence of a greater investment in children (Becker’s hypothesis) or a greater availability of resources for the whole family (resource dilution hypothesis).

Brazil: A Biography

Brazil: A Biography

Socio-Economic Characteristics and Present Scenario of Sheep Farmers at Sherpur District In Bangladesh

This study was aimed to investigate the socio-economic characteristics and present scenario of farmers engaged in sheep production at Sherpur district in Bangladesh. Data were primarily collected with a pre-tested interview schedule from the local sheep farmers. Results showed that average family size, male and female ratio and age was 5.58, 3:10, and 45.23 year, respectively. Family size, land size and yearly livestock income was found significant (P&lt;0.01). Most of the farmers belong to primary education (46.70%) and illiterate (30.00%). Maximum numbers of farmers belong to small holder (81.91 decimal of land). The average monthly income and expenditure of farmers was estimated BDT 10123.00 and 11476.00, respectively. The male partner was dominant over female partner in different decision-making process. The co-efficient of family size (-9843.99), land size (404.27) and yearly livestock income (1.02) was significantly different (P&lt;0.05). It is implied that one unit increases of land size and yearly livestock income might help in increasing 404.27 and 1.02 unit in family yearly income, respectively whereas, one unit increase of family size, resulted 9843.99 unit decreases of yearly family income, considering all other variables constant. It is concluded that there is great opportunity to improve livelihood of the small farmers particularly increase family income through sheep farming in the study areas. SAARC J. Agric., 19(1): 185-199 (2021)

IMPACT OF RURAL ELECTRIFICATION ON LIVELIHOOD IN A SELECTED AREA OF BANGLADESH

Rural electrification is the lifeblood of rural development in Bangladesh. The study was conducted to examine the socioeconomic conditions of sample households, investigate the impact of rural electrification on user’s livelihoods, and identify the problems and constraints faced by the households. A total of 70 households were randomly selected from Chargobodia and Charkalibari villages of sadar upazila under the Mymensingh district. All of the respondents were clients of the Mymensingh Palli Bidyut Samity-1. Primary data were collected through field survey using an interview schedule. Simple statistical techniques were employed to analyse the data. The DFID livelihood approach was carried used to determine the impact of the rural electrification on livelihood. The findings revealed that the highest 74.29% of the selected respondents belonged to the age group 30 – 64. About 47.14% farmers ended their primary level education and 44.28% did not receive institutional education. About 65.71% respondents’s main occupation was agriculture and 21.43% respondents considered agriculture as subsidiary for their earnings. The overall average family size in the study area was 5.15 persons in a family with dependency ratio 3.33. The average farm size was 237.21 decimal. On the basis of farm category, 5.71% of the respondents belong to landless, 75.72% respondents belong to small, and 12.86% respondent’s medium and 5.71% respondents were a large farm category. An average income and expenditure of the respondents were Tk.270485.71 and Tk.236500 respectively. The all five types of assets such as human, natural, social, physical and financial were positively changed after rural electrification in the study area. Wrong bill, load shading, the high price of electricity, low voltage, damage of electric equipment and difficulty of new meter set up were the main problems and constraints. So, the government should address these issues in the development policies and programmes for rural Bangladesh.

Marriage and Population Growth Anthropological Comparative Study in Kirkuk City

The city of Kirkuk is one of the disputed cities between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Baghdad. In the Iraqi Constitution 2005, through Article 140, the constitutional solution to this problem was decided, through (normalization, the census of the city’s population, the referendum). This process is depending on the number of population .&#x0D; The simple marriage habits of Arabs and the difficulty of Kurdish marriage led to rapid population growth among Arabs..&#x0D; Population growth is influenced by a wide array of social and cultural variables including social customs, marriage levels, birth rate, and family size and so on.&#x0D; The Kurdish rural community has been dismantled since the 1980s, while the Arab rural society is in a state of continuous growth. Moreover, the Kurdish population is concentrated inside the city and practices urban or marginal occupations, while the Arab population has become widely distributed in villages, districts and within the city, practicing pastoral, agricultural, governmental, security and military occupations. The Arab rural community is also characterized by high demographic growth due to early marriage, lack of family planning and polygamy, while the Kurdish urban population is characterized by a low population due to delayed marriages, birth control and civil marriage. Furthermore, the average size of Kurdish family is between (3 to 5 persons), while the average size of Arab family, especially in rural areas, ranges between 8 and 10. The process of marriage in Arab society is easy and does not cost much while this process tends to be more costly in Kurdish community. It is worth mentioning that the migration of Kurdish youth outwards or the migration of Kurdish families to Kurdistan Region is high, while migration for many Arab families and their young members tend to be towards Kirkuk city. The percentage of spinsterhood in Kurdish society is higher compare to Arab community. Therefore, we expect that the percentage of Kurds in Kirkuk will fall to (38%) in 2030, after it was 48% in the 1957. And the percentage of Arabs in Kirkuk will arise to (35%) in 2030, after it was 21% in the 1957.

Radical Existentialist Exercise

Radical Existentialist Exercise

Effects of the housing privatization process in post-socialist Croatia

The paper focuses on the aspects of housing privatization in the post-socialist period in Croatia. The transition towards the democratic system and market-oriented economy further empowered the privatization of ownership, especially home ownership. Former tenancy rights over socially owned housing were turned into an opportunity of purchasing flats. Socially owned flat thus became private property belonging to the post-socialist type of housing, as an anti-state housing, in which the role of state is marginalized. The state is now much less concerned for housing policy, which is becoming marginalized under market-oriented policy. The changes in the housing standard in the post-socialist period can also be seen in the number of rooms indicator and room size, which both show improvement compared to the socialist period. However, the consequences are visible in excessive privatization i.e. commercialization of the built urban environment, which leads to the reduction of public and green spaces. On the other hand, country’s unfavourable demographic trends are visible in the reduction of an average family size, and the increase in the number of families without children, which leads to different housing demands, especially in urban settlements.