Diversification Of Activities Research Articles

Why “formal” climate adaptation strategies fail in sub‐Saharan Africa: Ignoring adapters’ agency in the case of smallholding agriculture farming practices in Bono East Region of Ghana

AbstractThis paper reviewed a body of literature on climate adaptation options in sub‐Saharan Africa's (SSA) smallholding agriculture and complemented it with a case study involving experts interviews, focus group discussions, large‐scale household surveys, and farmer practices observation while drawing insight from the concept of “everyday adaptation and interrupted agency” and agency theory to assess farmer perceived limitations with climate‐smart agriculture (CSA) and climate‐wise food systems (CWFS) practices for climate adaptation in the SSA. The study noted that the narrow focus on CSA and/or CWFS as a silver bullet for climate change adaptation suitable for smallholding agriculture ignores food producers’ agency to undermine sustainable and inclusive adaptation solutions. Moreover, smallholder farmers’ everyday climate adaptation practices could be grouped into three categories; on‐farm adaptation, off‐farm adaptation, and Indigenous agroecological adaptation options. The on‐farm adaptation options are usually agriculture intensification and extensification. The off‐farm adaptation options include livelihood diversification activities, petty trading, seasonal labor jobs, and migration. The Indigenous agroecological adaptation strategy uses observing nature and weather elements to predict the onset of the rainy season. The study noted that smallholders’ adaptation options, which is an expression of their agency, are motivated by smallholders’ desire to be resilient to changing climate, increase productivity and income, and social network influence but not necessarily because the strategy is being promoted by the government or Non‐Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Therefore, we propose a sustainable food agency (SFA)—a multifaceted blended constellation of climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, as the best approach to addressing the climate crises in the SSA. The SFA allows individuals or groups to decide what climate change adaptation options best work for them to adapt to changing climate and produce and distribute their food without undermining the economic, social, and environmental bases that generate food security and nutrition for present and future generations.

Bank diversification and ESG activities: A global perspective

The present study uses data from 1385 banks in 89 countries from 2009 to 2020 to analyze whether the banks’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities around the world affect their diversification. We use a two-step system dynamic generalized method of moments technique and find that the relationship between ESG activity and bank diversification is nonlinear. Environmental and social factors negatively impact bank diversification, whereas governance has a positive impact. Bank diversification is affected by ESG overall and individual ESG dimensions more in developed countries. In high-income countries, banks generate more scope for diversification through environmental disclosures. The social activities of the executive management and the board of directors in high-income countries are intended more to satisfy their own needs than those of their banks. Governance disclosure increases income and asset diversification more for banks in high- and upper-middle-income countries. Capitalization, management quality, and liquidity are the channels through which ESG affects bank diversification. We argue that policy makers and regulators need to design and implement tailor-made frameworks and incentivize banks to embrace sustainable finance best practices. The adoption of these practices and the financing of socially responsible projects would drive interest by various stakeholders and thereby attract higher investor interest and bank valuation.

Rural Households’ Livelihood Diversification Activities: A Case Study from Borena District, North Central Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, farm households are not adequately engage and pursue diverse livelihood activities to cope with various challenges due to livelihood asset crisis and persistent cultural bottle neck. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to identify the rural households’ livelihood diversification activities in Borena district, north central Ethiopia. The study follows a pragmatism paradigm with a cross sectional study design. The required data were drawn both from primary and secondary sources. The study used multistage sampling procedure, involving a combination of purposive and random sampling techniques to select 358 sample household heads. Household sample surveys, key informant interviews and focus group discussions were the principal means used to acquire primary data. In analyzing and interpreting the primary data, quantitative research techniques was employed. Percentages, mean and standard deviation were employed to analyze the quantitative data while thematic narration techniques were used to analyses the qualitative data. The result indicate that slightly more than one-third (33.8%), one-fourth (26.5%) and nearly half (49.7%) of the respondents were engaged exclusively in on-farm, off-farm and non-farm activities, respectively. Thus, policy makers need to intervene in the highest possible means of livelihood diversification while designing and reforming strategies related to diversification of livelihoods.

Beyond the bean: Analyzing diversified farming, food security, dietary diversity, and gender in Nicaragua’s smallholders coffee cooperatives

ABSTRACT Diversification is key for agroecological transformations, but little is known about how it relates to farmers’ dietary diversity and food sovereignty. Our team and coffee cooperative staff conducted a participatory action research mixed methods study, including 171 surveys and 50 interviews. Over 70% of the farmers reported self-initiated diversification activities. Statistical analysis showed a significant positive correlation between crop diversity and dietary diversity, while controlling for farm size and income. To assess gender relations females responded to 41% of the surveys, and we separated focus groups by sex. Average male-owned farms were 1.8 ha larger than women-owned farms, yet we found no significant differences in household food security or dietary diversity. Additional disparities included male vs. female perceptions about who does additional diversification work and who decides about strategies. Although the co-op has a strong gender equity and technical assistance program, our analysis of extension training documents identified useful content and a smaller percent of female participants in diversification vs. gender sessions. Suggested strategic actions for co-op planning include supporting: (1) female land ownership, (2) diversification focused farmer-led experimentation, and (3) more training for men on gender, women on diversification, and all participants in feminist agroecology.

Drivers of income diversification among rural households in the Ethiopian central highlands

AbstractAs in most developing countries, farm households in Ethiopia are often engaged in several income diversification activities to mitigate several risks and uncertainties faced by agriculture and address poverty and food insecurity. The benefits of income diversification have been widely documented in the literature. However, little econometric evidence exists on the drivers of income diversification among farm households in Ethiopia. The paper addresses this information gap by investigating the drivers of choice decisions and intensity of income diversification among farm households using data collected from a sample of 385 randomly selected households from the Ethiopian central highlands. Unlike previous studies, our multivariate probit model results show that the choice decision of farm households is significantly interrelated and drivers had heterogeneous effects on the choice decision of households. The findings revealed that age, education, livestock, land, food shortage, agricultural commercialization cluster (ACC), investment in sustainable farming practices, rainfall, and maximum temperature significantly impacted the choice of income diversification. The fractional response logit model results revealed that age, livestock, food shortage, joint household decision‐making, ACC, income, rainfall, and study site significantly impacted the intensity of income diversification. The descriptive results revealed that most farmers (67%) tend to have a more diversified portfolio of income including off‐farm, forest, non‐farm, livestock, crop, and other sources, and the intensity of diversification ranges between 0 and 0.76. The study also finds the presence of both synergies and trade‐offs in different types of diversification. We suggest that there is an urgent need to improve the ways of income diversification among farm households to both the sustainability of small farms and ensure food security.

ANALYSIS OF CAPITAL SOURCES AND BUSINESS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT IN UMKM PASTRIES TO MAK NI NORTH ACEH

The purpose of this study is to find out and analysis where and how the source of capital and the management of business capital by Umkm.the object of this study is Umkm in makni. This research uses the technique of Participation Observation, and formal interviews as for the results of this study are Umkm get a source of capital from business accelerator cooperation with PT. Global energy development (PGE), and the way capital management is carried out in the form of business diversification activities which is also one of the ways of developing MSME businesses towards mak ni.

Photovoltaic Companies on the Warsaw Stock Exchange—Another Speculative Bubble or a Sign of the Times?

Renewable energy sources are an attractive alternative to fossil fuels for several reasons. Firstly, these are ecological arguments, mainly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Secondly, there are legal issues, particularly the obligations of the European Community countries in the field of climate as part of the implementation of the European Green Deal and the joint achievement of 40% of energy from renewable sources by 2030. Thirdly, these are international issues, primarily regarding reducing dependence on uncertain oil or gas markets. And finally, they may be economic reasons, such as diversification of energy supplies and associated costs, as well as opportunities for profits on the capital market. In Poland, over the last decade, a certain kind of boom in photovoltaics has been visible, both in terms of the number of companies dealing with solar collectors, as well as the annual increase in new capacity, or the level of installed capacity. Also, on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, photovoltaic companies have introduced much confusion in the tier of quotations in recent years. Solar energy has become a kind of gateway for companies to increase their results, stock exchange quotations, or acquire new customers. It is not surprising that more and more investors want to invest their money in this segment. Given the above, this article attempts to answer the question: Is there a risk of a stock market bubble among photovoltaic companies in the near future? For this purpose, we used the financial indicators of photovoltaic companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, and with the help of the Taxonomic Measure of Attractiveness of Investments, we created rankings of the investment attractiveness of these companies in 2017-2019. The leaders include companies listed on the main market as well as in the alternative trading system of the Warsaw Stock Exchange. It should be borne in mind that regardless of the undertaken diversification and analytical activities, the risk of an investment bubble has been and will remain an indispensable element in the functioning of every capital market in the world.

Corporate diversification and firm's financial performance: an empirical evidence from Indian IT sector

The aim of this research paper is to provide empirical evidence on the effect of geographic and segment diversification on the financial performance of the Indian IT sector. The study was done on 12 listed IT firms representing 93% market share on BSE/NSE. Standard econometric regression analysis on panel data was carried out to find the stated relationship. The results of the regression analysis revealed that international/geographic diversification impacted strongly on IT firms' profitability whereas product/segment diversification had no significant impact on the firms' profitability. This study also proves the existence of demand for Indian IT sector in other countries. These results could be useful in decision making for top managers of IT companies as they advocate the need for diversification (specialisation) and growth in size and also provide encouragement to small-scale Indian IT companies to undertake international diversification activities with confidence.

Jade Sdn Bhd: should it acquire Tulip Garden Hotel?

Learning outcomes ▪ Perform relevant analysis (financial and non-financial) related to investment decision-making. ▪ Make decision based on the analysis. Case overview/synopsis Jade Sdn. Bhd. (JADE), since its establishment, has been mainly involved in providing services in facility management and cleaning services. Apart from these main services, JADE was also involved in hospitality management, travel and tours, and agribusiness. The current involvements were already varied, and the Board was thinking of furthering the diversification activity to generate more revenues. As the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of JADE, Ahmad was required to conduct the necessary analysis and provide his recommendation to the Board whether JADE should proceed with the purchase of Tulip Garden Hotel (TULIP). He had one month to act before proposing his recommendation to the Board. Complexity academic level Undergraduate and Postgraduate Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 1: Accounting and Finance.

SOCIOECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF LIVELIHOOD DIVERSIFICATION AMONG ARABLE CROP FARMERS IN SHENDAM, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

Livelihood diversification is an integral component of household income. Diversification determinants were estimated. Multistage sampling was adopted, and primary data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Logit regression. Socioeconomic factors affected livelihoods. Several diversification activities and derivable benefits are indicated. Variations in diversification decisions were attributable to the regression variables. Policy modifications and strategies that improve livelihoods are recommended.

Corporate diversification and debt financing: Do family shareholders protect their control rights?

AbstractThe study explored the relationship between corporate diversification and the debt choice of listed 712 Malaysian family firms for the period from 2016 to 2020. Tobit regression results revealed that industrial diversified firms preferred debt financing, while geographically diversified firms rejected debt. With family control, firms that conducted both types of diversification activities rejected debt financing. Further, for the case of maturity structure of debt, family firms engaged in diversification activities tend to borrow short‐term debt, thereby reducing their ownership's risk of dilution and boosting their short‐term market goals by improving the creditors' short‐term monitoring function. Policy implications are discussed.

DIVERSIFICATION AS ONE OF THE DIRECTIONS OF INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ENTERPRISES

The article analyzes the theoretical foundations of the introduction of diversification into the activities of agrarian business entities as an innovative process. The peculiarities of diversification activities of agricultural enterprises are revealed and their expediency is substantiated. It was determined that diversification in the innovative activity of agricultural enterprises determines the production of innovative products, which will ensure an increase in its level of competitiveness and level of profitability. It was revealed that the main problems that will restrain the development of full-fledged diversification and innovation activities in modern agricultural enterprises are: lack of interrelationships between monetary, credit, budget, financial policies and the policy of economic growth; lack of close relationships between scientific developments and production; imperfection of intellectual property law systems; lack of financing, demand for goods, adequate personnel potential; lack of information provision regarding new and innovative technologies and target sales markets for the introduction of new production and some others. It was determined that the introduction of diversification strategies into the innovative activity of agrarian enterprises, as the basis of the innovation process, should become the main factor for ensuring its effective functioning and ensuring strategic development. The directions for intensifying diversification in the activities of agricultural enterprises, as the main innovative process, are substantiated, including the production of fundamentally updated and improved existing types of products through the toolkit of increasing their quality characteristics and effectiveness of implementation; introduction and development of innovative progressive technological processes, technical equipment and production mechanisms; full and effective use of the available technical and technological potential; effective redistribution and use of existing resources in the directions of modern technical development; search for new sources of obtaining and attracting investment resources, as well as improving ways to increase them; development and implementation of personnel training and retraining programs; improvement of sales and marketing policy, etc.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEORY OF PRODUCTION DIVERSIFICATION MANAGEMENT AT THE ENTERPRISES OF THE MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

The article discusses the development of management theory in the field of production management of military products. The results of studies of this problem by different authors are analyzed. It is established that information and telecommunication technologies are one of the most important factors determining the direction of organizational, technological and economic development of enterprises at the present time. The process of informatization of enterprise management is proposed to be considered as one of the most important mechanisms for reforming the defense industry. This mechanism should ensure the creation of effective competitive forms of organization and management of the military-industrial complex. This mechanism should ensure the creation of effective competitive forms of organization and management of the military-industrial complex. It is proposed to implement the accelerated introduction of modern information and telecommunication technologies in the process of managing the diversification of production by creating virtual clusters in the military-industrial complex and ensuring the sharing of information by enterprises that are part of them. A virtual cluster model has been developed and a list of tasks that need to be solved for its creation has been defined. The implementation of these research results in practice will contribute to improving the efficiency of diversification activities of enterprises of the military-industrial complex.

Toward Food Sovereignty: Transformative Agroecology and Participatory Action Research With Coffee Smallholder Cooperatives in Mexico and Nicaragua

The challenges that coffee smallholder livelihoods face suggest the need to move beyond incremental changes in production. Transformative agroecology offers a potential approach to guide systemic change to achieve food sovereignty among coffee smallholders and cooperatives. This work aims to understand the extent to which diversification practices among coffee smallholders can contribute to a transformative agroecology, and to what extent, participatory action research (PAR) projects may support related transformative processes. The PAR projects described in this paper took place over 3 years with participants associated with two smallholder cooperatives in Mexico, and Nicaragua. After establishing long-term partnerships among cooperatives and universities, we used a PAR approach to guide a mixed methods study that included 338 household surveys, 96 interviews, 44 focus group discussions, and participant observation during farmer-to-farmers exchanges. We found that, although coffee-producing households in both study sites report several diversification activities, more than 50% still face some period of food scarcity each year. In our reflections with farmers and staff from the participating cooperatives, that are also included as co-authors in this study, we conclude that coffee smallholders and cooperatives in both locations are in the early stages of developing a transformative agroecology, as a path toward food sovereignty. Several leverage points to achieve this include land access, native seed conservation, cultural attachment to certain diversification practices, and traditional diets. Some of the more significant challenges to advancing a more transformative agroecology are the prioritization of coffee as a crop (i.e., coffee specialization), and dependency on coffee income. Our PAR project also aimed to contribute to achieving change in the prevailing system through 1) capacity building with community facilitators/promoters, 2) co-creation of questions and knowledge relevant to the strategic planning by coffee cooperatives, 3) sharing farmer-to-farmer pedagogies across territories, and 4) the co-production of popular education material. We conclude that diversification remains an important agroecological strategy for smallholder commodity producers, as a way of achieving food sovereignty. Most of all, we find that achieving diversification is not a linear process, as there are many trade-offs, feedback loops, obstacles and opportunities that should be considered through long-term and collective approaches.

Determinants of non-farm income diversification strategies and decisions of Bangladesh farm households

Despite being mostly dependent on agriculture, farm households in Bangladesh frequently engage in non-farm income diversification activities in order to maintain or increase their standard of living. The aim of this study is to examine the factors that influence farm households’ strategies and decisions regarding the accumulation of non-farm income.Multi-stage sampling was used to collect primary data from 139 farm households in the Rajshahi district in order to meet the study aim. Descriptive and econometric analyses were both used for data analysis.The descriptive data showed that around 80% of the respondents earned income outside of agriculture. The findings of the binary logit model demonstrate that family size, years of schooling of the household head, and lack of participation in local organizations have a substantial impact on respondents’ decisions on diversification. The multinomial logit model examined how family size, local organization membership, and farm size affected factor diversification outside of farming. Furthermore, the household head’s years of schooling, participation in local organizations, and distance to the closest product market were the main factors influencing their diversification strategy.Policy makers should provide incentives and training that further stimulates non-farm income generating activities of farm households to facilitate the continuing transition of the Bangladesh economy away from its primary reliance on agriculture to generate national income.

Tackling market opportunities for the biomass production in Romania

Abstract The European Green Deal sets out a detailed vision for Europe to become a climate-neutral continent by 2050 by providing clean, secure, and affordable energy. Thus, with the aim of providing a market-oriented perspective on the economic potential of biomass-related activities, several data were analyzed in this research paper. The positive impact of the green transition is necessary to be studied both at macroeconomic and microeconomic levels. In this context, the research question addressed was: What is the impact of the green transition on farms’ performance and national economy? A descriptive statistical analysis was carried out in order to prove the importance of specific crops, taking into consideration the movements in the energy market and the farmer’s constraints in the era of the European Green Deal. The main objective of this research was to determine if biomass is one of the optimal solutions able to gather all these European desiderates. This conference paper identifies the best scenario for an agricultural farm using diversification activities and the macroeconomic impact of the biomass crops. Currently, the European context is the most favorable for resorting to biomass crops, especially if considering the recent global energy market dynamics. Additionally, there is a need for activities diversification at the farm level in order for them to become greener and to boost their socio-economic and environmental performance. Results confirm that there is considerable economic potential for biomass production in Romania. The added value of the paper is provided by both microeconomic and macroeconomic approaches.

Pengembangan Usaha Marble Cake pada Industri Rumah Tangga “Kari Cake Bali” di Banjar Jeleka, Batuan Sukawati Gianyar

To maintain food security in Indonesia, it is necessary to participate in entrepreneurs engaged in food to continue to develop their businesses. The partner in this community service activity is Mrs. Ni Wayan Kariani who has a business called Kari Cake Bali with a business focus is making Marble Cake. Mrs. Kariani's business has been running for 11 years and is assisted by 3 employees. During a field visit to find existing partners, he said the last few years have experienced a decline in orders due to business competition. Specifically, Ms. Kariani said the competition was motivated by marketing limitations and the absence of innovation or development in her business. Based on these problems, the solution that has been given is product diversification activities and the digitalization of Kari Cake Bali.

Assessment of Farmers' Adoption Level of Climate Change Adaptation Practices in the Southern Parts of Tamil Nadu

Climate change is a global hazard to the world's food and nutritional security. As greenhouse-gas emissions in the atmosphere rise, so does the temperature due to the greenhouse effect. The average world temperature is steadily rising and is expected to climb by 2 degrees Celsius by 2100, resulting in significant global economic losses. Climate variability in the form of temperature and precipitation may impact on agricultural production and productivity. The study was conducted in the wetland, dryland, and garden land farming systems of the Tamil Nadu districts of Madurai and Sivagangai with a sample size of 120 farmers. Descriptive statistics were used in this study. For compare all three systems; a simple percentage analysis was performed. The majority of respondents in the wetland (65.00%), dryland (70.00%), and garden land (75.00%) farming reported a medium level of climate change adaptations. Cropping system diversification includes mixed cropping (65.00%), intercropping (36.66%), perennial and tree crop agriculture (30.00%), and fallow cropping (25.8%). Summer ploughing (36.67%) and micro-irrigation systems (34.17%) were among the water conservation strategies used by nearly one-third of those polled. The majority of respondents (85.00%) were rearing cattle followed by working as a r worker (off-farm activities) (56.67%) in the local industry is the second most common income diversification activity done by farmers.Government and agencies must play an important role in improving farmers' adaptive capacity by disseminating agrometeorological data and tools, conducting vulnerability assessments, and providing policy advice to strengthen institutional approaches to disaster risk reduction so that farmers can respond to the immediate risks of climate change and make the best use of climate variability.

Livelihood Pattern of Riverine Areas of Dibrugarh District and its Prospects of Livelihood Diversification

Background: Diversification is a continuous adaptive process whereby household add new ctivities maintain existing one or drop others, thereby maintaining diverse and changing make greater contribution to general livelihood portfolios. Livelihood in rural areas is very erratic and risk hidden. The land-based livelihood of small and marginal farmers is becoming unsustainable in recent times due to continuous flood and decrease in availability of arable land. Diversification activities make greater contribution ta key strategy by which people try to improve the generate cash incomes for poor households and it is a key strategy by which people try to improve their wellbeing. Methods: Based on the primary and secondary data, Barbarua Development Block is finally selected for the study. In the block itself three nos Missing community dominated villages and three nos Scheduled Caste dominated villages are selected for the study. Through random sampling, 10 households of each diverse socio economic background are selected from each village. Semi structured schedules are prepared for interviewing the villagers, local village head (Gaon Burah), school teacher, unemployed youth, agricultural labour, landless people and women. Result: As the entire survey area is inundated by flood water in every year, a part from farm activities various income generating activities carried out under livelihood diversification. Some households end upon multiple activities. A common pattern is for every poor and the comprehensive well-off households to have most diverse livelihood. Farm income accounts for 54.0 per cent of the total household income coming from off farm activities. It is also revealed that 44 per cent households prefer livelihood diversification due to limited agricultural income. About 22 per cent reported that the availability of non-farm activities encouraged them to adopt non farm activities. Managing livelihood has always been a critical factor or challenge among the poor in everywhere.

Nature, patterns, and determinants of seasonal outmigration in the north-eastern part of Ethiopia

ABSTRACT The article identifies the nature, patterns, and determinants of seasonal outmigration in Tsagibji District, in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia. In the study on which the article is based, a quantitative research approach was primarily employed, complemented with a qualitative approach to triangulate the findings. Primary data were gathered from rural households using a household survey, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. Secondary data sources were employed to complement the primary data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed. The findings indicate that rural–urban migration is a dominant pattern of seasonal outmigration, as about half of the total sample households migrated to urban areas to avoid the seasonal food shortages and economic shocks caused by environmental factors. The binary logistic model analysis revealed that male-headed households, household size, and participation in productive safety-net programmes were significantly and directly related to seasonal outmigration. Other aspects had a significant and negative association with seasonal outmigration. Additionally, environmental and economic push and pull factors drive households to employ migration as a coping and adaptive livelihood strategy. The authors conclude that addressing rural unemployment, livelihood diversification, and environmental rehabilitation activities is crucial to reduce the volume and scale of seasonal outmigration in Tsagibji District.