Participation In Farming Activities Research Articles

Role of farmers’ entrepreneurial orientation, women’s participation, and information and communication technology use in responsible farm production: a step towards sustainable food production

Responsible production is essential for sustainable development and for ensuring global food security. The concept of responsible production has been well studied in other sectors of the economy, but has yet to gain recognition in the agricultural sector. Therefore, this study examined responsible production in the context of agriculture and the factors affecting responsible farm production in the developing country of Pakistan. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data from 196 farmers selected using the multistage random sampling method. An independent sample t-test, chi-square test, and ordered probit model were used to analyze the data. The responsible farm production index was estimated based on the climate change adaptation, resource efficiency, carbon footprints, and economic returns of each farm. The mean value of the responsible farm production index is 0.69. The farmers were divided into low-, moderate-, and highly responsible farm producers using cluster analysis. More than 36% of farms were highly responsible. The results revealed that women’s participation in farming activities, extension services, the use of information and communication technologies, and farmer entrepreneurial orientation dimensions significantly affected responsible farm production. Farm producers using the Internet for agriculture had a 1.4% points higher probability of belonging to the highly responsible farm producer category compared to those who did not use the Internet to obtain agricultural information. Farms with women’s participation in agricultural activities were 33.5% points more likely to belong to the highly responsible farm producer category than farms where only males perform agricultural operations. Therefore, women’s empowerment and farmers’ entrepreneurial skills are absolute necessities of responsible farming. This study piques the interests of stakeholders while also adding to the scant body of knowledge on responsible farm production around the world. Furthermore, this study is critical for developing a roadmap for long-term sustainable agricultural development.

Participation pattern of rural women in household production system

A rural woman contributes a lot in the household production system by participating in agriculture activities, different income generating activities like teaching, selling matters etc. and family as well as social activities which are an essential part of rural economy. To study the participation pattern of rural women in household production system, an experiment with ex post facto research design was conducted in three talukas named Vansda, Chikhali and Khergam of Navsari district. Two villages from each taluka were selected randomly. From one village twenty rural women as respondent were selected. The interview schedule was prepared and pre-tested to collect the data. Total 120 respondents were surveyed through personal interview technique from their home, farm, office or any other workplace. It was found that majority of the rural women had medium to low level of participation in household production system with medium level of participation in farm activities, home activities, off farm activities and communal activities.

Income Diversification and Income Inequality: Household Responses to the 2013 Floods in Pakistan

In this paper we investigate the economic response of rural households to the 2013 floods in Pakistan. The case study illustrates the important roles of labor supply adjustments and income diversification in coping with climate-related risks. Using detailed household panel data that were collected before and after the 2013 floods, we find that the exposure to flood results in lower participation in farm activities. The overall effects are decreased diversification in the sources of income and ambiguous reduction in inequality which is associated with overall declines in incomes. These changes could be locked in if affected households do not have sufficient assets to resume farming. The results suggest intervention points for public policy, related to labor mobility and access to capital.

Assessment of Technological Interventions in Farm Women Empowerment

Women play an important role in agriculture. There is a need to empower these farm womento improve their overall wellbeing. An attempt was made to assess the impact oftechnological interventions in terms of participation of farm women in farming activities,change in drudgery involved, involvement in decision making and other attributes relatedto empowerment in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal involving 110 farm families.The results reveal that there is significant increase in participation in all the selected farmingactivities in post intervention period. Majority of the farm women participated in decisionmaking always in activities like drying (95%), weeding (70%) and storing (70%) in thepost intervention period. The mean drudgery score had also decreased for all the activities,the higher decrease was observed in case of retting (1.525) followed by sowing (1.225).Among the personal attributes studied, the highest difference level in mean was attained incase of self-confidence (2.45) followed by decision making ability (2.15). The present studyclearly indicate that special emphasis on women friendly technologies can make a hugechange in their existing status in agriculture by improving their participation in farmingactivities, decision making ability and self-confidence.

PARTICIPATION OF TRIBAL WOMEN IN DIFFERENT FARM ACTIVITIES IN KISHANGANJ DISTRICT OF BIHAR

The present study was conducted in Kishanganj District of Bihar to find out the participation of tribal women in various farm activities. A total of 124 respondents were selected randomly for the present study. The data were collected through a pre-structured interview schedule and later appropriate statistical analysis was done to find out the meaningful result. The results showed that the tribal women were engaged in almost all the farming activities like preparation of field, sowing of seeds, transplantation, weeding, manureing, harvesting, threshing, winnowing, storage of grains ,marketing, disposal of farm produce etc. however, they were actively participating in farm activities like, transplantation, weeding, raising of nurseries, preparation of field, storage of grains , cleaning and grading etc but they were having less participation in farm activities like, threshing, plant protection measures, fertilizer and pesticide application, marketing etc. The maximum extent of their participation found in transplanting having mean score 2.88 (rank Ⅰ), followed by harvesting having mean score 2.87 (rank Ⅱ).

Husbands’ migration: increased burden on or more autonomy for wives left behind?

ABSTRACT Migration of men has important influences on reshaping family and gender roles in left-behind wives. However, it is unclear whether husbands’ out-migration increases the burden on or creates autonomy for left-behind wives. Using new data from Nepal, we examine the associations of husband’s out-migration and remittance status with the work burden and autonomy of left-behind wives’. Results of our multi-level multivariate analyses show that the number of months a husband migrated internationally during the last year is significantly associated with an increase in participation in farming activities for the left-behind wives. Husband’s out-migration and remittance status are also associated with an increase in wives’ number of daily activities outside the home, and leisure activities and media use. In sum, husbands’ out-migration might be good and bad for women, by increasing the burden on wives while also promoting their freedom of movement, leisure activities and media use. Importantly these findings are net of wives’ individual background characteristics, household characteristics and community context measures.

Contribution of rural women to rice production activities in two different areas of Bangladesh

The study was undertaken to identify the core contribution of women in the rice production activities, identify the wage gap between male and female laborer and factors influencing women’s participation in rice farming at household level in Bangladesh. In doing so, the study utilized the data collected by the field survey from Nilphamari and Mymensingh districts of Bangladesh. A total number of 60 women respondents were selected using random sampling methods who were actively working in the rice fields during the production period in 2015. Data were analyzed using simple statistical techniques as well as OLS regression analysis. An analysis of the socioeconomic status of the women showed that in terms of contribution, nearly 43% and 42%of the total works were done by rural women in rice farming activities in Nilphamari and Mymensingh district, respectively. It was found that male workers spent 228.2 hours and female workers 174.5 hours per season in Nilphamari region compared to 270 hours and 197.3 hours per season in Mymensingh region, respectively. The average wage rate in Nilphamari district was BDT 241/day for male and BDT 175/day was female. Similarly, in Mymensingh district the average wage rate for male and female workers was BDT 281/day and BDT 162/day, respectively. The result of the OLS method suggests that the distance of the rice field from the home, the number of available technologies used and the number of adult male labour significantly affect the women's participation in farming activities. Despite the positive role of women in the production activities, their contribution was often neglected in terms of wage rate. Therefore, this study recommends the avoidance of wage discrimination between male and female workers which may strengthen their position within the family and increase their self-esteem and status in the society.Progressive Agriculture 27 (2): 180-188, 2016

The Effect of Input-Trade Liberalization on Nonfarm and Farm Labour Participation in Rural Vietnam

This paper examines the impact of the trade liberalization of chemical fertilisers on the allocation of labour between nonfarm and farm sectors in rural Vietnam during the period 1993-1998. To do that, we use a panel dataset controlling for fixed effects and instrumenting the volume of chemical fertilisers and the exogenous change in fertilisers’ prices is exploited. The study shows that a higher volume of chemical fertilisers reduces the employment of rural households in the nonfarm sector and increases labour participation in farm activities. A larger use of chemical fertilisers would also generate other complementary effects such as a higher demand for organic fertilisers, increased on-farm hired labour, a bigger cultivated area with chemical fertilisers and a larger number of crops grown with chemical fertilisers. Also, we find that a larger use of chemical fertilisers creates larger incentives for on-farm family labour for small landholders compared to those with larger agricultural land, and that the magnitude of the effects is relatively larger for new farmers.

Women labor participation in rice production in some selected areas of Thakurgaon district

The present study was undertaken to analyze the participation of women labor in rice production activities covering randomly selected 50 rural households of two villages under Ranisonkail Upazila of Thakurgaon district. Data were collected from the selected households using face to face semi-structured interviews during December 2013 to February 2014. The study revealed that in rice production activities the percentage of hiring out days for women were 94.18 and 92.90 in aman and boro seasons, respectively. To determine the effects of the explanatory variables on women labor participation in rice production, Ordinary Least Square method was used. The analysis showed that age of the respondents and total household expenditure were positively related with women participation but negatively related with education, number of male earning members and farm size of the households. The study concludes that education, credit facilities, extension and motivation, need-based training should have the potential to increase women’s participation in farm activities reasonably contributed to household income. Therefore, effective initiatives undertaken by the concerned agencies in improving women’s education, skill acquisition training and access to information could enhance women’s empowerment in order to achieve gender equality and development at all levels in the rural society of Bangladesh.Res. Agric., Livest. Fish.2(2): 239-246, August 2015

Impact of gender participation in non-farming activities on household income and poverty levels in Pakistan.

In the rural areas of Pakistan, the majority of farm households have small landholdings of less than 2 hectares. Both male and females are engaged in farming and non-farming activities. However, in Pakistan the gender-wise participation in farming activities is not much documented. The main objective of the current study is to estimate the impact of male and female participation in non-farming activities on a household's income level and poverty status in Pakistan. The current study is based on a cross-sectional data set collected from 325 households through a purposive random sampling technique. A detailed comprehensive questionnaire was prepared for data collection. The data were analyzed by employing the propensity score matching approach. The empirical results indicate that both male and female participation in non-farming activities has a positive impact on household welfare in Pakistan by raising income levels and thus contributing to poverty reduction. However, the impact is greater when the males of a household take part in these activities rather than the females. In the past only a few studies have focused on gender-based participation in non-farming activities. The non-farming sector is an important one in rural areas, especially in developing countries like Pakistan. More opportunities need to be created for both men and women in rural areas of Pakistan to find off-farm work, in order to increase household income and reduce poverty levels.

Involvement of Apatani women of Arunachal Pradesh in farm and home activities

The present investigation was undertaken to study the involvement of Apatani women of Arunachal Pradesh in farm and home activities with the objective to study the selected socio-personal characteristics of Apatani women of Arunachal Pradesh and to identify the extent of involvement of Apatani women in selected farm and home activities. The study was conducted in Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh. Four villages were selected for the present study. Data were collected with the help of interview schedule. Statistical technique viz., frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation and coefficient correlation were used for analyzing the data. The study revealed that majority of the respondents were within the age group of 30-40, belonged to Hindu religion were mostly illiterate, married, having nuclear family and member of one organization. Observations revealed that all the respondents independently participated in sowing of seed, nursery raising, leveling of field, weeding, gap filing and application of organic manure. The findings revealed that correlation between extent of participation in farm activities and land holding was negative and significant. While relationship between extent of participation in home activities with family size was positive and significantt. The mass media exposure and occupation of the family had positive and significant relationship with extent of participation in decision making pattern in home activities. The correlation between extent of participation in farm activities and land holding was negative and significant while relationship between extent of participation in home activities with family size was positive and significant.

Rural Women’s Awareness on Agricultural Extension Services: a case study on Manikgonj district in Bangladesh

The major purpose of this paper was to have an understanding on rural women's awareness on agricultural extension services. Furthermore, the study aimed at exploring relationships between the selected characteristics of the rural women and their awareness on agricultural extension services. The study was conducted in a village of Singier upazila,Manikgonj and 125 rural women were selected as sample from the list of 502 housewives of the village. Data were collected from the selected rural women through using a pre-tested structured personal interview schedule during 16-28 February 2014. The majority of the rural women (56 percent) had medium awareness on agricultural extension activities, while 43 percent and only one percent had high and low awareness, respectively. Education, cosmopoliteness and extension contact of the rural women were positively correlated with their awareness on agricultural extension services, while family size was negatively correlated with their awareness. The rest of the variables, namely age, training exposure. Participation in farming activities, social participation, and role in decision making of the rural women showed no relationship with their awareness on agricultural extension services.

Contracting the Road to Development: Early Impacts of a Rural Roads Program

We study here the early impacts of the Peruvian Rural Roads Program (RRP), characterized by a decentralized mechanism that contracts private local firms for the rehabilitation and maintenance of rural roads with local supervision by community leaders setting incentives that favour prevention activities and a sustainable and timely maintenance of rural roads. The analysis is based on a quasi-experimental approach through which control roads are defined prior to the intervention and based on key observable characteristics of the road and the villages they connect. Diff-in-Diff estimates are reported to control for biases associated with time-invariant unobservables. We find that this institutional innovation improved road transitability, which in turn led to significant changes in employment patterns and increased investments in education and health. Income effects are not significant on average, but they appear strong in villages with pre-existent endowments of key productive infrastructure, favouring the notion that road improvements need to be complemented with additional investments to effectively contribute to the reduction of rural poverty. Most of these results, though, are concentrated on interventions in motorized roads, although the inclusion of non-motorized tracks is supported by the empowering of women through their participation in farm activities. Thus, the results of this early evaluation are encouraging in terms of program impacts, as these indicate that the Peruvian RRP has been able to control local capture and corruption threats.

Agro-climatic Zone-wise Analysis of Women in Farming in Punjab

Women play a significant and crucial role in agricultural development and allied fields including in the main crop production, livestock production, horticulture, post harvest activities, agro/social forestry, fisheries, etc. This fact has always been taken for granted and also long ignored. However, lack of data hampers the policy makers in clearly understanding the extent of participation of women in farm operations. Women's perspectives can only be included in designing and implementing macro- economic and social policies if their role is adequately understood .In order to understand the present status of rural women vis-a-vis their agro-climatic zone wise participation in farm activities an attempt was made under the Extension component of All India Coordinated Research Project on Home Science. The study in rural Punjab represented by 2980 households from five agro-climatic zones representing five distinct landholding categories clearly indicate an active participation of women in most of the selected activities . Highest participation in farm activities was found in sub-mountainous undulating zone. Women maximum participation was observed in harvesting and weeding.

Change in Social Capital – A Case Study of Collective Rice Farming Practice in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

This paper describes how the social capital of rice farmers of the Mekong delta of Vietnam - manifested in the tradition of collective farming practice, changed from the 1940s to 1990s. The reason this collective rice farming had existed for decades, irrespective of critical events that challenged its continuation, was the co-existence of two key factors – high need for collective farming to ensure subsistence, and the availability of a closely knit social network that facilitated the exchange of labor. Despite its longevity, the practice of a cohesive and spontaneous collective farming, particularly in terms of labor exchange and labor participation in farming activities, was not maintained under the influence of agrarian reforms which aimed to improve rural livelihood. Land reform resulted in individual rice farming, making mobilization for spontaneous collective action, at the community level quite challenging. The assessment arose in the context of the need to mobilize collective action for implementation of a Community Trap Barrier System (CTBS), an ecologically-based rodent pest management system. It is concluded that successful restoration of social capital in the form of collective farming practices at the field level may depend on government intervention strategies at both local and national policy levels.

Emergence of Buruli Ulcer Disease in the Daloa Region of Cote D'Ivoire

Recent reports have suggested increases in Buruli ulcer (BU), an infection caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans in west Africa. In 1991, we conducted surveillance for BU in a rural area of Cote d'Ivoire and identified 312 cases of active or healed ulceration. A case-control study was then performed to investigate risk factors for this infection. The rate of illness did not appear to differ between males and females (5.2% versus 7.5%; P = 0.11). The highest rate of illness was seen in the 10-14-year-old age group (143 cases per 1,000 population). New cases increased more than three-fold between 1987 and 1991, and local prevalence of BU was as high as 16.3%. Twenty-six percent of persons with healed ulcers had chronic functional disability. Participation in farming activities near the main river in the region was identified in the case-control study as a risk factor for infection (odds ratio [OR] for each 10-min decrease in walking distance between the fields and the river = 1.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01, 2.28, P = 0.046). Wearing long pants was protective (OR 0.20, 95% CI 0.06, 0.62, P < 0.005). We conclude that the incidence of BU is increasing rapidly in Cote d'Ivoire. Specific causes of this increase were not identified, but wearing protective clothing appeared to decrease the risk of disease.