Income-generating Opportunities Research Articles

Commercialization of underutilized fruits: Baobab pulp supply response to price and non-price incentives in Kenya

Baobab fruit pulp has been recognized globally for its high nutritional content and income generation opportunities. However, it is still underutilized, under-commercialized and neglected by research in Kenya. Our paper analyzes the responsiveness of baobab supply to price and non-price factors in Kenya using the restricted normalized translog profit function. We find that baobab collectors are responsive to both price and non-price incentives. Supply of baobab pulp and profits respond positively to baobab pulp price, and negatively to labor, transport and packaging input costs. Aside from the number of years’ experience selling baobab, non-price incentives such as other household incomes, number of baobab trees on a household’s farm, number of buyers known to the collector and number of children, show positive effects on baobab supply and profits. Input demands for labour, transport and packaging are also responsive to baobab prices, input prices and non-price factors. The findings of this study indicate that market development, rigorous baobab-related research and education, and the expansion of physical infrastructure are paramount in promoting baobab supply.

Learning Individual Behavior Using Sensor Data: The Case of Global Positioning System Traces and Taxi Drivers

In this study, using a Bayesian learning model with a rich data set consisting of 2 million fine-grained GPS observations, we study the role of information observable by or made available to taxi drivers in enabling them to learn the distribution of demand for their services over space and time. We find significant differences between new and experienced drivers in both learning behavior and driving decisions. Drivers benefit significantly from their ability to learn from not only information directly observable in the local market but also aggregate information on demand flows across markets. Interestingly, our policy simulations indicate that information that is noisy at the individual level becomes valuable when aggregated across relevant spatial and temporal dimensions. Moreover, we find that the value of information does not increase monotonically with the scale and frequency of information sharing. Our results also provide important evidence that efficient information sharing can lead to a welfare increase because of potential market expansion. Efficient information sharing can bring additional income-generating opportunities that could be unfulfilled. Overall, this study not only explains driver decision-making behavior but also provides taxi companies with an implementable information-sharing strategy to improve overall market efficiency.

“I came all this way to receive training, am I really going to be taught by a woman?” Factors that support and hinder women’s participation in agroecology in Costa Rica

ABSTRACT In agroecology, women’s activities, from seed saving to activism, are well documented. Less well described are the factors that support and/or hinder women’s participation in agroecology; we addressed this gap through a feminist analysis of women’s motivations and barriers to participation in agroecological production in Costa Rica. We found that women derive multiple benefits from agroecology. These benefits included: sharing knowledge, creating community, income generation, independence (financial and having their own identity that goes beyond that of a man’s), cultural identity, health (human and land), biodiversity conservation, self-confidence, and leadership opportunities within agroecological networks. Our results also illustrated how there are multiple barriers to women’s participation including: access to leadership positions, government support, access to capital, technology, land access, high costs of agriculture, a lack of understanding of Indigenous culture, triple burdens, and machismo and microaggressions. Although women experienced some common barriers to participation, women experience agroecology differently, based on age, ethnicity, and geographic location, and their unique context. The common barriers reported by women (machismo and triple burdens) illustrate how agroecology cannot be isolated from 1) the wider culture of discrimination against women in agriculture and 2) women’s disproportionate roles in the care economy.

Community-level interventions for improving access to food in low- and middle-income countries.

Community-level interventions for improving access to food in low- and middle-income countries.

Economic Inequality: Implications for Society and Organizations

In this symposium, we present some of the latest research findings in regard to economic inequality and the ways in which it is shaping beliefs and behaviors, both at the societal and the organizational levels. These findings are timely and relevant, as the consequences of economic inequality are heightened by current trends, and the effects for society and organizations are of great consequence, as demonstrated by the work presented in this symposium. In the first presentation, Ongis and Davidai discuss the antecedents of a destructive thinking pattern known as zero-sum thinking, i.e., the belief that in order for one group to win another one has to lose. More specifically, they explore the belief that wealth is zero-sum, such that one’s economic gains must also come at the expense of another’s loss. Their work reveals a surprising factor that leads to zero-sum thinking: the experience of personal relative deprivation. In the second presentation, Waldfogel, Kteily, Sheehy-Skeffington, Ho, and Hauser explore the ways in which social dominance orientation (SDO), an inequality-relevant ideology, predicts the extent to which people notice the presence of economic inequality. Their work shows that social egalitarians pay more attention to inequality relative to anti-egalitarians, noticing it to a greater extent. In the third presentation, Kakkar et al. contend that the relationship between social class and unethical behavior depends on the immediate economic environment an individual resides in. While for high SES individual’s the propensity to behave unethically reduces with the worsening of their economic environment, for low SES individuals the tendency to behave unethically increases as the economic environment worsens. Their work shows that this is driven by comparing similar others as points of reference to gauge one’s own social standing. In the fourth and final presentation, Goya-Tocchetto, Kay, and Payne discuss the effects of economic inequality on perceptions of the fairness of organizational processes and outcomes. They show that, when it comes to economic inequality, it is impossible to disentangle the fairness evaluation of processes versus outcomes. More specifically, their work reveals that inequality aversion exists not only when unequal outcomes are the result of unfair processes, but also when people realize that unequal outcomes are inter-temporally undermining the landscape of opportunities for income generation. The Influence of Personal Relative Deprivation on the Belief that Wealth is Zero-Sum Presenter: Martino Ongis; The New School for Social Research Presenter: Shai Davidai; Columbia Business School (Anti-)Egalitarianism Predicts Attention to Inequality Presenter: Hannah Benner Waldfogel; Northwestern Kellogg School of Management Presenter: Nour Kteily; Northwestern Kellogg School of Management Presenter: Jennifer Sheehy-Skeffington; London School of Economics and Political Science Presenter: Arnold Ho; U. of Michigan Presenter: Oliver Hauser; U. of Exeter Business School The Critical Role of the Economic Environment in Influencing Unethical Behavior Presenter: Hemant Kakkar; Fuqua School of Business, Duke U. Presenter: Niro Sivanathan; London Business School Presenter: Jon Michael Jachimowicz; Harvard Business School Presenter: Xiaoran Hu; London Business School The Role of Economic Inequality in Perceptions of Process and Outcome Fairness in the Workplace Presenter: Daniela Goya-Tocchetto; Fuqua School of Business, Duke U. Presenter: Aaron Kay; Duke U. Presenter: Keith Payne; U. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Community-level interventions for improving access to food in low- and middle-income countries.

Community-level interventions for improving access to food in low- and middle-income countries.

Inclusive and Sustainable Healthcare Delivery-A Public Private Participatory Model

Healthcare has become one of India’s largest sectors with high income generation and employment opportunities. Indian Healthcare includes Public and private hospitals, clinics outsourcing, telemedicine, medical tourism, health insurance and other medical equipment. Public spending on public health and welfare in India are still not at the required level even after introduction of Ayushman Bharath. The gap between the actual spending by common man and the required amount is high in low-income which results in inter-state inequality in healthcare. The aim of this paper is to analyze the public private participatory projects by Narayana Hrudayalaya and its CSR activities to reduce the problems faced by common Indian citizen in receiving good healthcare.

Unveiling the Role of Rural Social Networks in Facilitating Rural-Urban Migration and the Survival of Self-Employed Youth in Iringa Municipality, Tanzania

Youth unemployment is a global challenge but more severe among developing countries such as Tanzania. In addressing the challenge, rural youth resort to migrating to urban areas in search of perceived vast economic opportunities. This paper explores how rural social networks facilitate youth rural-urban migration and migrants' survival in Iringa Municipality. It shows that cooperative values manifested in day to day socio-economic relations among village dwellers nurture long term social networks that are the potential to facilitate youth migration and their survival in urban areas. The paper unveils how earlier migrants support the newcomers to join them and access economic opportunities. They provide fare to travel, hosting assistance and connect them to urban income generation opportunities. As a survival strategy, youth migrants use their rural social relations to form economic groups to work together, exchange information about alternative sources of incomes as well as helping each other when faced with socio-economic crises. However, despite such accrued rural social networks benefits, some youth migrants fail to meet their expectations given urban life challenges as they earn insufficient income to cater for their basic needs. To avoid such urban vulnerability, the paper proposes some suggestions. Before migration, rural youth need to be informed to make proper decisions based on the correct information, and they should work hard while in the urban area to cope with a new working environment.
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DEVELOPMENT OF WAQF LAND FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: IS A HOTEL A VIABLE PROJECT?

This article examines waqf(pious endowment) hotel projects developed by Yayasan Waqaf Malaysia(YWM) for the economic development of Malaysian communities. Hotel projects were selected as the scope of this study because of their function as large-scale commercial projects and their impact on the development of Malaysian communities. The study involved three waqfhotel projects in Peninsular Malaysia. This study used interviews as primary sources and relevant documents as secondary sources. Data were analysed using a thematic approach. This study found that waqf hotel projects contribute to the economy through the optimal use of land resources, income generation and employment opportunities. Thus, the implementation of waqfhotel projects have the ability to contribute to the socio-economic development of society and the state.

Redressing the gender imbalance: a qualitative analysis of recruitment and retention in Mozambique\u2019s community health workforce

BackgroundMozambique’s community health programme has a disproportionate number of male community health workers (known as Agentes Polivalentes Elementares (APEs)). The Government of Mozambique is aiming to increase the proportion of females to constitute 60% to improve maternal and child health outcomes. To understand the imbalance, this study explored the current recruitment processes for APEs and how these are shaped by gender norms, roles and relations, as well as how they influence the experience and retention of APEs in Maputo Province, Mozambique.MethodsWe employed qualitative methods with APEs, APE supervisors, community leaders and a government official in two districts within Maputo Province. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and translated. A coding framework was developed in accordance with thematic analysis to synthesise the findings.FindingsIn-depth interviews (n = 30), key informant interviews (n = 1) and focus group discussions (n = 3) captured experiences and perceptions of employment processes. Intra-household decision-making structures mean women may experience additional barriers to join the APE programme, often requiring their husband’s consent. Training programmes outside of the community were viewed positively as an opportunity to build a cohort. However, women reported difficulty leaving family responsibilities behind, and men reported challenges in providing for their families during training as other income-generating opportunities were not available to them. These dynamics were particularly acute in the case of single mothers, serving both a provider and primary carer role. Differences in attrition by gender were reported: women are likely to leave the programme when they marry, whereas men tend to leave when offered another job with a higher salary. Age and geographic location were also important intersecting factors: younger male and female APEs seek employment opportunities in neighbouring South Africa, whereas older APEs are more content to remain.ConclusionGender norms, roles and power dynamics intersect with other axes of inequity such as marital status, age and geographic location to impact recruitment and retention of APEs in Maputo Province, Mozambique. Responsive policies to support gender equity within APE recruitment processes are required to support and retain a gender-equitable APE cadre.

What goes around, comes around? Access and allocation problems in Global North\u2013South waste trade

Infamous cases of toxic waste trade and research on its health and environmental implications have made the global waste trade a prominent environmental and social justice issue. Recently, such trade has shifted towards extracting resources from waste as recyclable components and used goods which could create income-generating opportunities and reduce the environmental burdens of waste trade from Global North to Global South countries. Nevertheless, studies highlight persistent problems in the access to these resources and allocation of responsibilities, risks and burdens from processing and disposal of traded waste in Global South countries. This article aims to contribute to the lessons learnt on access and allocation with respect to waste trade by focusing on issues of equity, fairness and distributive justice. Two cases are analysed: trade in discarded electronic and electric equipment (EEE) between the EU and Africa and trade in plastic materials between the UK and China. This study shows that exports of used EEE and recyclable plastic materials exacerbate the environmental burdens of Global South countries while also exporting new environmental risks and social burdens. At the same time, new demands for justice have emerged from Global South countries through waste ship back initiatives, and new international measures have also been adopted. While the access and allocation lens enabled the identification of persistent problems in Global North–South waste trade, directing future Earth System Governance research to the demands emerging from the Global South countries could offer insights into how to better address these problems and deal with growing global inequalities.

Biofortified crops for “health and wealth”, but for whom? A gendered analysis of sweet potato promotion in Tanzania

ABSTRACT From 1991–2016, A variety of development actors promoted the production, consumption and sales of biofortified orange sweet potato (OFSP) across Sub-Saharan Africa. OFSP is described as a food-based solution to vitamin A deficiency and more broadly malnutrition in children, as well as presents income-generation opportunities for women. This article examines the long-term impact of OFSP on sweet potato producer’s everyday lives and the ways in which the product’s promotion reinforced normative gendered labour roles in food production, provision and sales in Mwasongwe village in Tanzania. The article suggests that the technical framing of nutritional health disregards the environmental, social and economic conditions that shape everyday relations to food and diets.

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, ICTs, and Digital Economy: A Cross-District Analysis of Baseline Data for Gilgit-Baltistan

In the fast digitizing world, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is pivotal for providing greater, efficient, and easier access to many basic services in the everyday life. In the era of globalization, ICT also provides opportunities for self-employment and income generation. It has the potential to pull many isolated regions out of poverty and it provides opportunities. In regard, the purpose of the research is to highlight the current status of ICT usage and infrastructure across various districts in Gilgit-Baltistan. It is anticipated that the installation of fiber optic cable from China to Pakistan along the CPEC route will connect Gilgit-Baltistan to the rest of the world by high speed internet. Using the baseline information, we explore the current ICT related challenges and opportunities, which will help developing an ICT framework for Gilgit-Baltistan in order to take advantage of the opportunities that CPEC promises.

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, ICTs, and Digital Economy: A Cross-District Analysis of Baseline Data for Gilgit-Baltistan

In the fast digitizing world, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is pivotal for providing greater, efficient, and easier access to many basic services in the everyday life. In the era of globalization, ICT also provides opportunities for self-employment and income generation. It has the potential to pull many isolated regions out of poverty and it provides opportunities. In regard, the purpose of the research is to highlight the current status of ICT usage and infrastructure across various districts in Gilgit-Baltistan. It is anticipated that the installation of fiber optic cable from China to Pakistan along the CPEC route will connect Gilgit-Baltistan to the rest of the world by high speed internet. Using the baseline information, we explore the current ICT related challenges and opportunities, which will help developing an ICT framework for Gilgit-Baltistan in order to take advantage of the opportunities that CPEC promises.

Building just and sustainable cities through government housing developments

While government housing can raise living standards for the urban poor, it has environmental impacts and contributes to urban resource consumption. In Gauteng Province, South Africa, government housing aims to improve quality of life, reduce poverty and inequality, and transform unsustainable urban forms. This paper draws on survey and interview data to explore the social justice and environmental sustainability outcomes of Gauteng’s government housing programmes. The data reveal improved access to basic services and amenities. However, the developments tend to be poorly located with regard to economic opportunities, and residents are forced to explore other income generation opportunities. This paper highlights the complex interplay between justice and sustainability, where the outcomes are aligned in some instances and conflictual in others. It points to the need to move beyond linear, reductionist relationships between justice and sustainability to further the conceptual understanding of their interlinkages.

Group farming and productivity in the Muda Agricultural Development Authority of Malaysia

The paddy sector is a strategic sector in Malaysia. This is due to its importance in the context of rice self-sufficiency, income generation and job opportunities especially for the rural population. The Malaysian government has set the goal of achieving self- sufficiency level in rice production at about 65-70% of local consumption. In order to achieve the objective, the government has implemented many strategies, the group farming project in Muda Agricultural Devevelopment Area (MADA) is one such strategy. The study was conducted on four MADA areas representing three schemes, namely the 10 tones Project, Estate Paddy Project, and Model Farm Project. The proportionate multistage stratified random sampling technique involving the area sampling method and the systematic method was employed to select 664 respondents. A structured questionnaire was used as an instrument to elicit information. An econometric model and other statistical techniques were used to estimate the effects of group farming project on productivity and farmers’ income. The study makes a number of suggestions for improving the effectiveness of group farming projects. Recommendations are included in the project planning and implementation of group farming, and the importance of subsidy on paddy production for farmers in the study area.

PARTICIPATION OF RURAL WOMEN IN EXPLOITATION OF NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS AS A MEANS OF SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD IN SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

The study examined the participation of rural women in exploitation of non-timber forest products (NTFPs), as a means of sustainable livelihood in Southwestern Nigeria. A number of 320 respondents were interviewed through pre-tested structured interview schedule in the four purposively selected forest reserves using a multistage sampling procedure. Data collected were presented using appropriate descriptive and inferential statistics. The mean age and mean year of experience in NTFPs exploitation were 40.9 ± 11.5 years and16.4±3.4 years, respectively. NTFPs participated by the respondents in the study area were palm fruits, vegetables, snails and fire wood among others. Actor categories identify in the NTFPs business chain were collectors, processors, traders among others. In addition, majority of the respondents show willingness to continue in NTFPs exploitation irrespective of alternative livelihood. The findings revealed that age (t=2.39), number of hours of collection per week (t=3.48), years of experience of NTFPs exploitation (t= -3.88) and external orientation (t=2.20) of respondents significantly contributed to their participation in NTFPs exploitation. The study concludes that participation in NTFPs exploitation by the respondents was moderate. It was recommended that more enlightenment programmes should be organized by relevant stakeholders for the rural women to create awareness on the income generation opportunities that abound in the NTFPs activities.

Rural livelihoods and agricultural commercialization in colonial Uganda: conjunctures of external influences and local realities

Rural livelihoods and agricultural commercialization in colonial Uganda: conjunctures of external influences and local realities

Forest conversion by the indigenous Kalasha of Pakistan: A household level analysis of socioeconomic drivers

Indigenous groups in many parts of the world are often forest dependent societies, and thereby may also play a disproportionate role in protecting and managing threatened forest resources. Taking the Kalasha indigenous group of Pakistan as a test case, this study contributes a socio-economic analysis at the household level aimed at understanding factors that influence forest clearing decisions. The findings of the study may help to develop general policies that facilitate sustainable resource for indigenous and other marginalized forest-dependent communities. The analysis was based on a contrast of 74 households at the forest margin that cleared nearby forested land versus 49 households that did not clear. Survey results indicated that the prime motivation for conversion of forests was expansion for cropland (77%), livestock grazing (18%), and orchards (5%). We found that families with more members and fewer physical assets were more likely to clear forested land for agricultural expansion. Families with more members employed off-farm, and members of Joint Forest Management Committees were less likely to be involved in forest clearing. For poor households, fuel wood constituted the largest part of their total income and for households with off-farm income the smallest. Social factors, such as education, ethnicity, and forest ownership were not significantly associated with clearing of forests. We conclude that programs focusing on off-farm income generation opportunities targeted towards the poorest households would be the most effective policy intervention for lowering deforestation and forest conversion.

An experimental test of community‐based strategies for mitigating human–wildlife conflict around protected areas

AbstractNatural habitats are rapidly being converted to cultivated croplands, and crop‐raiding by wildlife threatens both wildlife conservation and human livelihoods worldwide. We combined movement data from GPS‐collared elephants with camera‐trap data and local reporting systems in a before–after‐control‐impact design to evaluate community‐based strategies for reducing crop raiding outside Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park. All types of experimental fences tested (beehive, chili, beehive and chili combined, and procedural controls) significantly reduced the number of times elephants left the Park to raid crops. However, placing beehive fences at a subset of key crossing locations reduced the odds that elephants would leave the Park by up to 95% relative to unfenced crossings, and was the most effective strategy. Beehive fences also created opportunities for income generation via honey production. Our results provide experimental evidence that working with local communities to modify both animal behavior and human attitudes can mitigate conflict at the human–wildlife interface.