Cottage Industry Research Articles

Gandhi's Economic Approach to Rural Areas

Gandhi's ideas on the rural economy are a shining example of Gandhism, which is fundamentally centred on the creation of a rural lifestyle that is independent and based on solid and sustainable development. In Gandhiji's view, this idea of a rural swaraj would be a democracy in which both independence and cooperation would be present. Gandhiji thought that a cottage industry centred on the village would give it economic power, prevent output from becoming uneven, and liberate rural life from the aspects of exploitation. Gandhiji's vision for rural industries was built around the manufacturing of khadi. Gandhiji incorporated the spinning wheel in his creative work for this reason. Gandhiji equated the leather trade with labour pride rather than disdain, which supports the rural economy. Gandhiji counsels the general populace to make use of commodities produced in rural areas to boost the rural economy and increase demand for the products of village industries. Gandhiji believed that the government's responsibility in this situation should include both financial assistance and the growth of the cooperative institution. Gandhiji saw the farmer as the cornerstone of the rural economy, which is why it served as the foundation for his major campaign. Gandhiji had a vision of the perfect village, where the residents would be healthy, intellectual, and sociable. Gandhiji's beliefs are still relevant today. Some examples are the promotion of Khadi, the idea of the PURA (Rural-Urban) Mission, the Start-up campaign, Mudra Banking, Skill India, the Swachh Bharat Mission, etc. Looks creative. Gandhiji's well-known adage, “Nature can meet all our wants but not our greed,” is a direct criticism of global warming and biodiversity loss. Day of Nonviolence, Green GNP, and Sustainable Development Gandhian thinking itself appear to be the source of inspiration for the global movement toward the idea of philosophy. In actuality, Gandhi's philosophy is founded on the idea of Sarvodaya and is built on life, truth, and morality, which are everlasting truths.

The Evolution of Contemporary Indigenous Textile Practice in South West Nigeria

This paper examines changes that has occurred in the Nigerian textile from its cradle and the influence it had on both contemporary and Indigenous textile practice. Indigenous textile practice in South West of Nigeria has evolved over the past years. This study is an attempt to evaluate contemporary indigenous textile in Nigeria, to understand the difference between the two terms contemporary and indigenous. There is the need to exploit the potential of indigenous textile practice. Therefore, to understand the contemporary evolution that has affected it is important. The aim of this paper therefore, is to investigate contemporary indigenous textile practice evolution in South West of the county. The research used historical method in analysing the evolution of contemporary indigenous textile practice in south west Nigeria. Findings and conclusions were made that the South West has a very rich heritage of contemporary indigenous textile practice which is culturally unique, and this study will act as a stimulus to textile designers, textile cottage industry, students, art historian, and art scholar

Improving Fairness in Criminal Justice Algorithmic Risk Assessments Using Optimal Transport and Conformal Prediction Sets

In the United States and elsewhere, risk assessment algorithms are being used to help inform criminal justice decision-makers. A common intent is to forecast an offender’s “future dangerousness.” Such algorithms have been correctly criticized for potential unfairness, and there is an active cottage industry trying to make repairs. In this paper, we use counterfactual reasoning to consider the prospects for improved fairness when members of a disadvantaged class are treated by a risk algorithm as if they are members of an advantaged class. We combine a machine learning classifier trained in a novel manner with an optimal transport adjustment for the relevant joint probability distributions, which together provide a constructive response to claims of bias-in-bias-out. A key distinction is made between fairness claims that are empirically testable and fairness claims that are not. We then use confusion tables and conformal prediction sets to evaluate achieved fairness for estimated risk. Our data are a random sample of 300,000 offenders at their arraignments for a large metropolitan area in the United States during which decisions to release or detain are made. We show that substantial improvement in fairness can be achieved consistently with a Pareto improvement for legally protected classes.

Designing Modern Japan

The design disciplines that Teasley addresses in her book—such as graphic and product design—took root in the wake of the Meiji-era (1868–1912), when social, political, and economic transformations upended local cottage industries and prompted the makers of luxury and craft goods to consider how to apply existing design and production practices to make new types of objects for new markets, both at home and overseas. The Arita vases displayed at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876, for example, exemplified high technical skill while also promoting a particular image of “Japan” that responded to Western tastes. Artisans across various industries, from ceramics to textiles to lacquerware, began to shift their attention to Western markets and expand their product lines (to include such things as lacquered hairbrushes and glove boxes), developing new patterns, motifs, and color palettes and experimenting with new production techniques and technologies.

Role of Mushroom Pathogen Trichoderma harzianum Rafai in the Reduction of Growth Yield, Nutrient Quality, and Morphometric Measurements of the Fruiting Body of Pleurotus ostreatus EM-1 From Seven Oyster Mushroom Cultivation Farms in Ghana.

The cultivation of edible mushrooms such as Pleurotus ostreatus commonly known as oyster mushroom has been undertaken by both commercial and cottage industry entrepreneurs in Ghana with appreciable success. However, the presence of competitors and potential pathogens in the substrate militate against increased yield and quality of fruiting bodies. The most prevalent pathogen Trichoderma harzianum in the compost for cultivating P. ostreatus is responsible for the green mould disease. In this study, in vitro pathological effects of spiking Triplochiton scleroxylon sawdust substrate with T. harzianum on pinhead emergence, percentage formation of fruiting bodies, weight of fruit body, yield, Biological Efficiency as well as morphometric data of stipe length, stipe diameter, cap diameter as criteria for reduced growth performance of P. ostreatus were investigated. The effect of the pathogen on the nutritional and elemental composition of the oyster mushroom were determined with the view of assessing the quantitative changes of nutritional and elemental composition of the mushroom using standard methods. Growth substrates inoculated with T. harzianum reduced pinhead formation; number of fruiting bodies formed, percentage conversion of pinheads, weight of fruiting bodies, and reduced morphometric measurements of stipe length, stipe diameter, cap diameter with all three flushes of the mushroom. Total yield of fruiting bodies in all three flushes in the T. harzianum-inoculated bags decreased by 67.4%, 68.5% and 83.3% respectively with the concomitant reduction of total yield by 52.3% and Biological Efficiency by 52.8%. Some of the control bags (uninoculated bags) also performed poorly as a result of contamination by T. harzianum, indicative of inadequate sterilization. Fruiting bodies of P. ostreatus grown in uninoculated compost contained Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Na, P, and Zn in contrast with the absence of Na, and Zn in the infected bags. There was a reduction in fat, crude fibre, crude protein, and carbohydrates of the fruiting bodies grown in the contaminated bags. On the other hand, total ash content was doubled in the carpophore from the T. harzianum spiked contaminated bags. The pathogen therefore has adverse effect on the production and marketing quality as well as the nutritional value of the fruiting bodies

Steam Precooking to Delay Spoilage of Shrimp Stock Awaiting for Processing in Cottage Industry

Steaming as precooking methods were explored to reduce spoilage of raw shrimp awaiting for smoking process in cottage industry. Raw shrimp steamed for 20 min are stocked at ambient temperature (29-30°C) to assess spoilage kinetic. Microbiological and physico-chemical parameters are recorded. Data showed that steam precooking eliminated spoilage bacteria (Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas spp.) and delays production of basic volatile compounds, extending raw shrimp storage up to 12 hours at ambient temperature, while raw non steamed shrimp were stored up to 6 hours in the same conditions. This study identified an attainable method to be used by stakeholders to delay spoilage of shrimp stocks awaiting smoking.

The Establishment of the Royal Hungarian State School of Lacemaking in Körmöcbánya (Kremnica) and Its Impact on the Lacemaking Cottage Industry in the 20th Century

AbstractThe Royal Hungarian State School of Lacemaking in Körmöcbánya was the earliest independent institution in the field of Hungarian bobbin lacemaking. Unfortunately, there is little information available about the school, largely due to the revision of national borders as a result of the Treaty of Trianon. Following a survey of what remained of the lacemaking cottage industry in Upper Hungary [now mostly present-day Slovakia], teaching was organized from 1883 in itinerant workshops in Bars and Zólyom counties (in Úrvölgy, Sóvár, Eperjes, and Hodrusbánya). Annual training courses, as part of a school-based teaching system, were introduced probably in around 1894, and from 1899 yearbooks were published by the Royal Hungarian State School of Lacemaking in Körmöcbánya. Until 1909 (with the exception of the 1888/89 academic year), Körmöcbánya functioned as the administrative center, while teaching took place in local schools, first in Jánoshegy and subsequently in Óhegy, Jánosrét, Kunosvágás, and Kékellő, where schools opened in succession. Poorer students were awarded scholarships to participate in the two-year training, and those who wished to work in the cottage industry were given employment following graduation. Besides introducing the readily marketable Carlsbad, Idrija, Cluny, and Torchon lace patterns that were taught at the school, Béla Angyal was the first to expand the treasury of Upland lace patterns with the addition of new Hungarian designs, while Emília Angyal was responsible for their technical elaboration. For a while, state-sponsored lacemaking in Upper Hungary provided a relatively good livelihood for the female members of working families, although this situation changed with the influx of cheap foreign lace, and especially with the spread of mass production. Besides popular foreign patterns and techniques, the school in Körmöcbánya also played an important role in the spread of new tools in Hungary.

Advances In Lac Insect Culture Research And Scope For Innovative Entrepreneurship Using Natural Resins And Gums

Lac insects are specialized group of phytosuccivorous insects (Coccoidea: Tachardiidae) that secrete resin of industrial importance having diverse applications. Around 101 species of lac-insects and over 400 species of lac host-plants have been reported but insects belonging to sub-family Tachardiinae are considered important for laksha-culture (lac insect farming). Not only the lac insect, but also the host-plants and various biotic associations play a significant role in determining the quantity and quality of the produce. India is endowed with rich wealth of lac insect resources. 27.7% lac insect biodiversity reported from the world is found in our country under two genera i.e., Kerria and Paratachardina. Kerria the true lac secreting genus includes 28 species worldwide, 23 of which are recorded from India. Cultivation of lac / tapping of natural resins and gums not only provides livelihood to millions of lac growers but also helps in conserving the vast stretches of forests, lac insects and associated biota. Lac also provides sustained high economic returns, generates employment opportunities and has the potential to lay a strong foundation for lac based rural cottage industries. Lac farming can easily be integrated with agriculture thus helping in land use diversification for increased income. Indian Institute of Natural Resins and Gums (ICAR- IINRG) has recently developed new technologies of lac insect farming including newer host plants and developed value added products from lac and other natural resins and gums. Lac integrated farming system models and many of these products have the potential to pave the way for rural industrialization and entrepreneurship development. This review article discusses all these aspects in detail

Industrial infrastructure and economic platform development for social and sustainable enterprise encouragement of cottage industries: case study of Bishnupur West Bengal

Indian rural cottage industries have been a significant income source for non-farming populace but have faced numerous problems related to collaboration of the state and business to pursue SDGs, including lack of facilitation of pro-active contribution of MSMEs towards sustainability through capacity building and strengthening of sustainability element to reach various possibilities of growth and management. Conceptualising the need for infrastructure development in the sector for involvement of both supply chain and community level through stakeholder identification is lacking. Bishnupur is encountering similar circumstances and thus losing artisans to urbanisation and negligible profit. They are not only economically dependent but also infrastructurally indigent. The research aims at analysing the economic involvement scale and sustainability of Bishnupur municipality's cottage industries through socio-economic impact assessment outlining problems, their covariance and regression to business principles as well as difference using ANOVA analysis; helping generate framework of policy and understand applicable ways to achieve SDGs.

An empirical study on the development of MSMEs and the role of MSMEs in the economic growth of Rajasthan

Rajasthan has been a state of natural conflicts. Due to adverse geographical location, desert, lack of water and lack of infrastructure, there has been little development of large scale industries. Therefore, small and cottage industries, rural industries and handicraft industries have been of special importance in the economy of Rajasthan. Small and cottage industries hold special importance for Rajasthan in terms of employment generation, state income, best utilization of local resources, industrial decentralization, promotion of local talent, export promotion and requirement of less capital and technical knowledge.Being a developing state, MSMEs are the backbone of Rajasthan's economy. After the independence, the central and state governments have paid a lot of attention to the development of these industries. The scope of MSMEs is very wide as the economic life of a large number of people depends on these industries only. This paper attempted to explain the role and importance of the MSMEs sector in the Rajasthan economy, and the efforts made by the central and state government to develop and strengthen the MSMEs sector to its continuous contribution to the development of state.

Socio-Demographic Depletion Due to COVID-19 Impact and Government Intervention: A Review in Bangladesh

COVID-19 known as coronavirus disease, has been dominating the headlines all over the world since about a year ago which is now almost under control. The World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled it a pandemic. Bangladesh is struggling with this virus with its scarce resources. Nearly two million people have been reported as confirmed cases of coronavirus disease in 185 countries worldwide in the five months after the virus first emerged in December 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic affected people directly or indirectly all over the world. There has been a slowdown in all sectors worldwide and most of the global population was placed under lockdown. The families of 43.9 percent of the students might live in poverty, and export revenues from RMG fell by 18.12% from the previous year. Households in Chittagong city corporation experienced the least decrease in average income (11.7%) while the households in Sylhet city corporation experienced the most reduction in average income (63.4%). This COVID-19 created a widespread global shock. The government of Bangladesh has declared several stimulus plans worth a combined total of about USD 11.90 billion for the agricultural sector to ensure the country's food and nutritional security, for doctors, nurses, and the homeless for social safety, and for business sectors including small and medium enterprises and cottage industries at the early age of pandemic. There were 23 COVID-19 stimulus packages total across the nation, with a total outlay of USD 1.23 billion which is 4.44% of GDP. Approximately USD 3,529 million for the service sector and the impacted industries, USD 589 million to cover workers' salaries/allowances, and those of staff working in industries focused on exports were allocated as a package to tackle the serious impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Product lifecycle management in the cottage industry: development of software for the zellige sector

Product lifecycle management in the cottage industry: development of software for the zellige sector

In the Ruins of the Japanese Empire: Imperial Violence, State Destruction, and the Reordering of Modern East Asia ed. by Barak Kushner and Andrew Levidis

Reviewed by: In the Ruins of the Japanese Empire: Imperial Violence, State Destruction, and the Reordering of Modern East Asia ed. by Barak Kushner and Andrew Levidis Kelly Anne Hammond (bio) In the Ruins of the Japanese Empire: Imperial Violence, State Destruction, and the Reordering of Modern East Asia. Edited by Barak Kushner and Andrew Levidis. Hong Kong University Press, 2020. vi, 246 pages. $65.00, cloth; $40.00, E-book. Edited collections can be tricky. They often lack cohesion and feel like they are strung together by a theme that is either too broad or too narrow, or the quality of the chapters varies widely. Luckily, this is not the case with Barak Kushner and Andrew Levidis's edited volume, In the Ruins of the Japanese Empire: Imperial Violence, State Destruction, and the Reordering of Modern East Asia . The book presents cutting edge scholarship on many different facets of the underacknowledged and underrepresented continuities between the Japanese imperial project and the postimperial reconstruction throughout East Asia. Essentially, the book is a smorgasbord of postimperial history: there is something for everyone who is interested in the legacies of Japanese imperialism throughout East Asia. Although I do not have the space to review all the chapters, I hope that readers will be prompted by my review to check out the book and see what suits their own interests. This volume examines how political systems and society were rebuilt in the postwar period while simultaneously considering how the collapse of the Japanese empire impacted East Asia (p. 2). The postwar experiences of those living scattered throughout the remains of the defunct empire were varied, as were the processes of "deimperialization" (pp. 3–4). At its core, the edited volume examines the ways that the violence inflicted by imperial Japan informed both the tangible (political and military, especially) legacies as well as the postwar memories of people living throughout East Asia (p. 11). The book coalesces around two central themes. All the chapters address how "newly independent entities, or states reclaiming independence" successfully or unsuccessfully came to terms with Japan's imperial programs in their territories. The collection also investigates how postimperial Japan "worked to reframe" these new political, military, and civilian relationships within the new cold war geopolitics in East Asia (p. 15). For the authors, the "indelible mark" of the Japanese empire is all over East Asia, although it is not fully recognized, nor is it fully reconciled (p. 23). The chapters are divided into three thematic sections: "Collaboration and Dilemmas of Deimperialization" (four chapters); "Negotiating Past and Present in the Military and Political Realms" (three chapters); and "Returning to the Continent, Japan's Relations with New China" (two chapters). [End Page 247] When I started my PhD in 2008, Tim Brook had only recently published Collaboration: Japanese Agents and Local Elites in Wartime China (Harvard University Press, 2007). Although there is a cottage industry in French studies about Vichy and French collaboration with the Nazis, Brook's work was really the first monograph in English to deal with collaboration with the Japanese empire. Such studies have become more frequent and nuanced (see, for example: Jeremy Yellen, The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere: Where Total Empire Met Total War [Cornell University Press, 2020]; and A. Carly Buxton, Unthinking Collaboration: American Nisei in Transwar Japan [University of Hawai'i Press, 2022]). Yet, there is still a lot of work to do on the postwar legacies of these collaborators. Many of the chapters in this book (including Levidis's chapter on Kishi Nobusuke and the wartime antecedents of the Liberal Democratic Party [LDP]) are a step in this direction. Beyond the volume, Ernest Leung's recent article in Palladium (August 2021), "The School That Built Asia," echoes many of the points the authors in this section make about the legacies of wartime collaborators in postwar East Asian politics. In section 1, the authors are attempting to "[b]ring attention to spaces where imperial control ceased but was not really replaced" (p. 18). There were often conflicts about how to handle collaborators in postwar East Asia. The Tokyo War Crimes Trials were so different from Nuremburg (see Tim Brook's article "The Tokyo...

Product lifecycle management in the cottage industry: development of software for the zellige sector

Product lifecycle management in the cottage industry: development of software for the zellige sector

CONTRIBUTION OF NIRDHAN UTTHAN MICROFINANCE INSTITUTION TO SAVING MOBILIZATION AND MANAGEMENT AT MICROENTERPRISES: A CASE STUDY OF RAMKOT BRANCH IN KATHMANDU OF NEPAL

The objectives of this study were to assess the contribution of Nirdhan Utthan Microfinance Institution, Ramkot branch in Kathmandu on saving mobilization and investment in different types of businesses or enterprises and to determine the roles of the microfinance to the economic status of its borrowers and entrepreneurs. The study applied both quantitative and qualitative data using a descriptive research design and case study method. It has employed both primary and secondary sources of data. Thematic analysis was used for primary data. Secondary data was analyzed using simple statistical tools such as tabulation and percentage. The finding has shown that microfinance has been successful to mobilize and manage saving in different business and economic sectors such as agriculture and forestry, cottage industries, services, trading, social and consumption, and other sectors. The finding of the study has also indicated that about 98.70 percent of the borrowers were successful to receive a collateral-free loan from microfinance. Likewise, the analysis reveals that microfinance has been successful to motivate household members to deposit in different saving accounts such as Personal Savings, Central Fund savings, Sambridhi Savings, and Nari savings and to create entrepreneurs. The study has found that microfinance was an important tool to improve the economic status of borrowers and entrepreneurs. Nirdhan Utthan Microfinance Institution should increase its number of borrowers and entrepreneurs and try to collect savings and mobilize them efficiently and effectively to enhance the economic status of the borrowers and stakeholders.

ASSESSMENT OF PRODUCTION CONSTRAINTS AND CONTRIBUTION OF AVOCADO TO FOO SECURITY AND INCOME IN THE MOUNT KENYA REGION, KENYA

Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) belongs to the family Lauraceae and it is an important crop to rural communities and economies in Kenya. Currently, avocado is grown in several agroecological zones mainly by small-scale growers (85%) who grow it for subsistence, local markets and export. About 70% of avocado is grown in Central and Eastern region of Kenya. Central region produces 40%, Eastern 28%, Western 13%, Rift Valley 10%, Nyanza 6%, Coast 2% and Nairobi County 1%. The main production areas are Muranga, Kiambu, Thika, Embu, Meru, Taita Hills and Kitale. The aim of this study was to assess the production constraints and contribution of avocado to food security and income in Mount Kenya region. The study population comprised of smallholder avocado farmers. Purposive sampling was done in selecting highest producing sub-counties of avocado in Nyeri, Muranga and Embu counties. Simple random sampling was used to select 40 smallholder farmers from each of the selected subcounties who participated in the survey. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed using SPSS computer package. Results indicated several constraints in the production of avocado including pests and diseases, lack of quality planting material, poor soils, lack of technical knowledge by avocado farmers and lack of well-structured marketing system. The study identified a gap in value addition of avocado in Kenya. It was also demonstrated that avocado contributes highly to household income and food security. The crop should therefore be accorded priority by policy makers and more research needs to be encouraged especially in the management of pests and diseases. Capacity building to avocado growers should be routinely carried out so as to avoid the many challenges that emanate from lack of technical knowledge. Intervention in value addition of avocado is an aspect that Kenyan county governments need to engage in by investing in cottage industries on avocado processing.

Photocatalytic decomposition of textile dyeing effluents using TiO2, ZnO, and Fe2O3 catalysts

Textile dyeing industries are facing the challenge of environmental sustainability due to the discharge of large volumes of textile dyeing effluents containing residual reactive dyes and chemicals. Hence, it is imperative to treat the discharged effluents before releasing them into the environment. The study aimed to degrade textile dyeing effluent using some selected catalysts. The study collected some effluent samples from the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BICIC) of Rajshahi, and were subjected to photocatalytic decomposition using three catalysts such as TiO2, ZnO, and Fe2O3. It considered several operational parameters, including irradiation time, catalyst concentration, pH, and dose of the oxidizing agent for optimizing the color removal efficiency. Besides, the kinetics and the mineralization of the photocatalytic decomposition reactions were examined. The study results showed that the maximum 81.6% decomposition was achieved using ZnO catalyst at the optimized conditions. It also showed that TOC and COD were reduced by about 97.9% and 43.53%, respectively. Kinetics study of the degradation process of the effluents showed pseudo-first-order reactions indicating the potentiality of the catalysts. The study observed that the ZnO is suitable for photocatalytic degradation in the textile dye effluents treatment.

GIS-Based Vulnerability Analysis for Sustainable Fish Drying Cottage Industry in Southern Province, Sri Lanka

Dried fish manufacturing is a famous cottage industry in Sri Lanka. Due to various natural and manmade reasons, their locations are not set up in sustainable ways. As a result, industry locations have become more vulnerable. Therefore, hurdles are there to sustainably expanding this cottage industry. So, the industry's novelty and the enormous number of issues experienced have yet to be discovered or solved via research study. Therefore, the current study intends to conduct GIS-based vulnerability analysis of the fish drying cottage industry by identifying the socioeconomic, environmental, and industry-related backgrounds of existing manufacturers and the industry, challenges faced by manufacturers, and vulnerable sites in the village using geo-spatial analysis. The case study focuses on Kudawella of Tangalle local authority, in the southern province of Sri Lanka. Qualitative analysis was used to identify the existing situation using a structured questionnaire survey and descriptive analysis was performed on the obtained information. The constraints were revealed by a content analysis of qualitative data acquired from a judgemental sample via semi-structured and unstructured interviews. Furthermore, the relative positions of the cottages were determined using OpenStreet Map and the absolute coordinates of a sample of 27 cottages gathered using GPS. A Weighted Overlay Analysis was performed using Arc Map 10.8 to create a Vulnerability Index Map to identify vulnerable locations for the industry while taking nine socioeconomic and environmental parameters. The outcome indicated four categories of vulnerability: severe, moderately severe, moderate, and low vulnerability, with 4.13% of the village falling into the severely susceptible category. The index map assists relevant authoritative organisations in making industrial decisions to attain sustainability based on the amount of risk and underlines the importance of institutional and individual decision-making systems

Chemical compositions of bivalves shells: Anadara senilis, Crassostrea gasar, and Mytilus edulis and their potential for a sustainable circular economy

The paradigm termed circular blue economy has become a concept that is greatly associated with the utilization of marine resources to ensure continued sustainability. Several constraints and limitations related to plants and plant products means human needs to look beyond green economy. The chemical constituents of animals also allow researchers to evaluate their growth and development. This study evaluates the proximate and chemical compositions of Anadara senilis, Crassostrea gasar, and Mytilus edulis, with emphasizes on their calcium and calcium carbonate contents and industrial importance. A total of 270 live bivalve samples were collected from March to May 2021 from Lagos Lagoon harbour. Each bivalve sample collected was opened to separate the flesh from the species’ shell, sun-dried and transported to the laboratory for analysis. One-way analysis of variance was adopted to estimate the significance level at 5% (P < 0.05). Post-HOC LSD test was performed to verify the disparity of mean. The results of this study revealed that Mytilus edulis shells had the highest moisture, crude protein, and crude fat at 1.15 ± 0.05%, 4.29 ± 0.43%, and 0.96 ± 0.15%, respectively and showed significant difference (P < 0.05). Anadara senilis shells had high levels of calcium (51.00 ± 2.87 mg/kg), magnesium (0.59 ± 0.23 mg/kg) and calcium carbonate (60.91 ± 2.50 mg/kg). Due to the high Ca and CaCO3 contents obtained, these shells can be processed alongside other biomaterials into food supplements, animal feeds, dental products, plant nutrient supplements, ornamental purpose, construction, agricultural industries among others. These would enhance the development of cottage industries, promotes farming of shell animals, help to alleviate the unemployment crisis and creation of wealth from substances which would have been regarded as waste.

Poverty, Female Labour Force Participation, and Cottage Industry: A Case Study of Cloth Embroidery in Rural Multan

It is a well-known fact that cottage industries can play a significant role in the development of an economy like Pakistan. As it is observed that this industry is not required too much financing, imported and highly sophisticated technology. So the problems like deficit in public finance and balance of payments is not related with the growth and development of these industries. Simultaneously, high degree of female labour force participation in this sector has also been proved in the number of studies. Which seems to be helpful in the process of reduction of poverty especially in the rural areas. The Southern Punjab especially its rural areas are comparatively less prosperous than the other parts of Punjab. A number of female workers can be seen in the rural areas of Southern Punjab. The concentration of these workers is in few traditional areas and is characterised by the low technology and low production levels. These areas are typically those, which require skills that are basically the extension of household skills or which reflect a specific educational and employment experience of women. It has also been observed that women’s income of the rural areas of Southern Punjab are more likely than their male partners to go towards meeting their family’s basic needs. These women spent most of their business income on the households, food, clothing and education of their children rather than reinvesting it in their business.