Primary Occupation Research Articles

Economic analysis of tilapia-carp polyculture in a selected area of Bangladesh

Aquaculture is moving on the way of intensification to fulfill the increasing demand of protein as capture fisheries are declining. The study was conducted to identify the socioeconomic characteristics, analyze the tilapia-carp polyculture system, profitability of tilapia-carp polyculture, and credit profile of the stratified randomly selected 50 sample farmers from Sherpur district in Bangladesh. Primary data were collected through field survey using an interview schedule. Some statistical measures like average percentage and ratios were calculated. The findings revealed that 36% of the respondents belonged to the age group of 25-29 years, 68% belong to medium family size (5 to 6 people), 44% respondents’ education level was higher secondary, 44% respondents’ primary occupation was fish farming and 46 % of were belonged to in annual income level of Tk. 150001-200000 ($1770 - $2360). Average fingerlings released in the tilapia-carp polyculture were 24240 per hectare per year. Most of the fingerlings collected from private hatcheries. The annual per hectare production of tilapia and carp were 8028 kg and 11085 kg., respectively. Per hectare per year gross cost, gross margin, gross return and net return were Tk. 1093008 ($12897), Tk. 759447 ($8961), Tk. 1735455 ($20477) and Tk. 642447 ($7580), respectively. The BCR of tilapia-carp polyculture for cash cost was 1.78 and full cost was 1.59. About 20% of the respondents took loan from different sources and they received 84.51% of their applied amount and 84.73 % of the loan money used in productive purposes. Mortality of fingerlings, the high price of the ingredient, low price of fish, high interest rate and non-availability of good quality fingerlings at proper time were identified to be the major problems in conducting pond fish production. Government and other agencies should come forward to provide subsidized feed, technical supports and credit facilities for the tilapia-carp fish farmers to make the enterprise effectively.

Socio-Economic, Psychological Profile and Constraints Faced by the KVK Adopted Farmers for Improved Rice Cultivation in West Garo Hills District

The study on socio-economic and psychological profile of the KVK adopted farmers of improved rice cultivation practices was conducted in West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya with 120 sample size from the adopted villages. Data collection was done with the help of pre-tested structured schedule through personal interview method. The majority of the respondents in adopted villages belonged to middle age category and medium level of education, nuclear family type and medium size of family with medium level of social participation. They engaged farming as primary occupation and had operational land holding size up to 1 ha with income level ranging from ` 25,900.00 to ` 1, 65,067.00. Most of the beneficiary farmers had farming experience between the ages of 18 to 38 years, received medium level of trainings, financial credit facility from government sources. The beneficiary had medium level of economic motivation, information seeking behaviour, decision-making ability, innovation proneness and attitude towards KVK with high level of market orientation and risk orientation. The study further indicates that among the various problems identified by the respondents, inadequate availability of quality seed at proper time was highlighted as the major problem by the rice cultivators.

Now, being, occupational: Outdoor play and children with autism

ABSTRACT Play is the primary occupation of children and the right for children to play has been acknowledged internationally, for all children, including those with disabilities. However, there is concern that outdoor play is declining, thus warranting more focused investigation to better understand the evolving nature of outdoor play. The purpose of this study was to explore the outdoor play occupations and environments of children with autism, to understand the place of outdoor play in their lives. A qualitative methodology was used, drawing from ethnographic principles. Eight participants were recruited from one primary school in Ireland; five children with autism aged six-to-nine, and three staff members. Multiple methods were employed, including interviews, picture elicitation, observations, and behavioural mapping. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data and three core themes identified, relating to play form, play environments, and play challenge. Children with autism in this study enjoyed many forms of outdoor play. Their preferences were for active play with varied sensory elements including running, jumping, swinging, climbing, and sliding. Play occupations with opportunities for challenge, mastery, and engagement in risky play were particularly favoured, alongside preferences for imaginative play, play with natural components, and social interaction. Play engagement was most evident in environments with higher play value. This work contributes to a reconceptualization of the study of play occupation as a focus on the ‘now’ of childhood. By focusing on being and not becoming, we argue for rejecting a deficit model in favour of a rights-based occupational justice perspective to emancipate play.

Why do Filipinos desire to work more hours?

In 2018, 16.4 per cent of Filipino workers stated that they wanted to have more work hours in their present jobs, to have an additional job, or to have a new job with longer work hours, that is, they declared themselves under‐employed. Analysis of the 2015 Labor Force Survey data shows that relative to being full‐time employed and not under‐employed, the major determinant of being under‐employed is the basic pay. Region, educational attainment, sector, and primary occupation are much less important determinants.

Contribution of Agroforestry to Farmers Wellbeing in Forest Enclave, Edo State, Nigeria

Agroforestry has recently been experiencing a surge in interest as a cost-effective means to enhance food security and well-being. Thus there is a need to assess its contribution of to farmer’s wellbeing. Primary data needed for the study were collected through the administration of questionnaires to agroforestry farmers. Purposive random sampling technique was used to select three forest enclaves in Edo state. A simple random sampling technic was used in the selection of respondents and a total number of 120 copies of questionnaires were administered. Datawere analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency counts and percentages and inferential statistics such as Chi-square, Pearson Product Moment correlations (PPMC). The study revealed that the mean age of the farmers in the area was 45.6years. Majorities (85.8 %) were male and 78.3% were married. with 54.2% having household size of between 4 - 6 persons. Majority (84.2%) had formal education. Also, 65.8% engage in agroforestry farming as their primary occupation. The results showed that there was positive and significant relationship between farmers’involvement in agroforestry and their economic wellbeing (χ2 = 76.27, P ≤ 0.001), material wellbeing (χ2 = 93.77, P ≤ 0.001), social wellbeing (χ2 = 73.00, P ≤ 0.001) and psychological wellbeing (χ2 = 132.63, P ≤ 0.001), respectively. It is therefore recommended that farmers should be encouraged to increase their farm holding and also organized themselves into association for them to have access to mechanized equipment 
 Keyword: Contribution, Agroforestry, Wellbeing, Farmers

Histórias profissionais: políticas de formação e percursos formativos de professores

O artigo apresenta um estudo investigativo sobre histórias profissionais em interfaces com as políticas de formação docente. O objetivo da pesquisa parte da prerrogativa de analisar histórias de professores e a reverberação das políticas formativas em seus percursos formativos. Para tanto, dialogou-se teoricamente com as contribuições de Nóvoa (1999) e Saviani (2009). As narrativas biográficas construídas a partir de entrevistas orais, foram analisadas destacando as categorias analíticas seguida da aplicação de questionário semiestruturado, caracterizando este estudo de natureza qualitativa em que se toma das narrativas os subsídios para dialogar com elementos bibliográficos. Os achados desta pesquisa sinalizou que as políticas de formação de professores, a legislação vigente e as demandas sociais de um determinado tempo influenciam diretamente nas trajetórias individuais dos professores, entretanto estas políticas não se uniformizam nos percursos formativos, uma vez que cada professor constrói sua história profissional a partir dos modos de recriação da cultura laboral. Destacou-se ainda que na história da formação docente, dada as condições objetivas da razão prática, a cultura profissional incorpora as exigências legais e formativas em muitas circunstâncias de forma acrítica, justificando que o normativo é pra ser incorporado e não questionado, o que evidencia o peso hierárquico das políticas em nossos modos de exercer a docência quando esta consiste em nossa ocupação primária.

Can I Learn to Play? Randomized Control Trial to Assess Effectiveness of a Peer-Mediated Intervention to Improve Play in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Play is often used in interventions to improve social outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Play is a primary occupation of childhood and, therefore, an important outcome of intervention. The Ultimate Guide to Play, Language and Friendship (PLF) is a peer-mediated intervention for 6-11-year-old children with ASD. A total of 68 dyads were randomized to either a 10-week treatment first or waitlist control group. Results revealed a significant moderate intervention effect from pre- to post-intervention, which was maintained to the 3-month follow-up clinic session and generalized to the home environment. The findings support that the PLF intervention can be used to positively improve play in 6-11-year-old children with ASD.Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, https://www.anzctr.org.au/ (ACTRN12615000008527; Universal Trial Number: U1111-1165-2708).

Socio-Economic Status of Pineapple Growers in Moulvibazar District of Bangladesh

Socio-economic indicators are significant for determining the overall lifestyle of the Pineapple Growers. The study examines the different socio-economic variables of the pineapple farmers. The researchers selected the Sreemangal upazila of Moulvibazar district purposively and primary data was collected through a structured questionnaire during 2017-2018 cropping season from one hundred pineapple growers (small, medium and large) following simple random sampling technique. Descriptive statistics include frequency, sum, average, percentage and ratios were used to analyze the data. The study revealed that majority of the farmers were in small (44 percent) and medium (30 percent) categories and average farm size was 2.130 ha. Most of the pineapple growers were middle aged (31-40 years old) while a little portion of them were older aged (greater than 60 years). It was found that 81 percent of the respondents were married in the study area. In addition, almost all farmers (95 percent) were literate and more than sixty percent of them had primary education. Averagely, a family consists five members and above three members are dependent to their family in the study areas. Majority of the respondents had 11-20 years of farming experience and the primary occupation of them (91 percent) was agriculture including pineapple cultivation. Moreover, a significant portion of farmers received training from government agricultural extension office whereas around one sixth of pineapple farmers received credit from both public and private banks as well as from NGOs. However, Extension office need to provide more and effective training facilities to the pineapple farmers for profitable production, simplification of buying, selling, renting and leasing of land to reduce production cost as well as different incentive packages can be introduced by the government for encouraging unemployed youth people to engage in pineapple production.

Economics of Cassava Flour Production in Iwajowa Local Government Area of Oyo State

This study investigated the economics of cassava flour production in Iwajowa Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. The instrument of data collection was a well-structured questionnaire and interview schedules. A simple random sampling technique in proportion to population was used to select 120 respondents in the study area. Descriptive statistics and gross margin analysis were used to analyze the socioeconomic characteristics and cassava flour production inputs. The cassava flour processors in the study area were still in their active age with a relatively low level of education and moderate family size. Majority engaged in cassava flour production as primary occupation using soaking and sundry processing techniques. Therefore ₦23064 was the mean of gross margin in the area. It is recommended that cassava flour processors should be educated on new production technologies, assisted to have access to improved processing machine and to solve the problems itemized.

Smallholder orange farmer access to markets in Uganda

Orange (Citrus sinensis L.) is a major dietary component globally, responsible for supplying nutrients and phytochemicals of biological and health influence such as minerals, vitamins, fiber, flavonoids, limonoids, and carotenoids and antioxidant. It accounts for more than 50% of the citrus fruits produced world-over. It is a popular fruit in sub-Saharan Africa, though its level of consumption per capita is by global standards very low. In Uganda, orange production is mostly concentrated in eastern and northern parts; mostly grown by small holder farmers who are plagued by a milliard of production and marketing constraints. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of institutional, infrastructural and socio-economic factors on smallholder access to orange markets in Uganda. The study was conducted in Kaberamaido, Kumi and Soroti Districts in eastern Uganda, using cross sectional data, during 2011-2012. Probit model results showed that the key institutional factor that affected smallholder access to markets was institutional belonging; the infrastructural factors entailed ownership of mobile phone and location of household; while age of household head, household size and output price constituted the socio-economic factors. Mobile phone, household size and age of household head elicited the highest effect on the probability for smallholder market access, and the magnitude of effect is shown by flexibilities of 0.5, -0.06 and 0.02, respectively. Tobit model estimates showed that market information, and household location constituted institutional and infrastructural factors affecting market access, respectively; while age of trees, output, output price and occupation of household head constituted the socio-economic factors. The critical factors that affect the extent of market access include location, market information, primary occupation of household head and quantity of output as shown by flexibilities of -0.6, 0.5, 0.5, and 0.03, respectively. Based on the Probit and Tobit model estimates, market information, mobile phone and quantity of outputs constitute critical institutional, infrastructural and socio-economic factors that affect smallholder market access. Therefore, opportunity for unlocking the potential for smallholders to access orange markets exists in boosting the level of output and facilitating linkage to markets.
 Key words: Citrus sinensis, infrastructural, institutional

Assessment of Rural Households’ Food Insecurity in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Attaining food security is one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. Despite the various efforts made by governments, food insecurity continues to be a major developmental problem across the globe. Research shows that food production in Nigeria is increasing at a rate of less than 2.0% while the population growth rate is estimated to be increasing at 2.5% per annum. Therefore, this study was carried out to assess rural households’ food insecurity in Ekiti state, Nigeria. Descriptive statistics, Per-capita Food Consumption Expenditure, Probit Regression Analysis, Likert Rating Scale, and Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) were used to achieve the objectives. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 240 respondents used for the study. Results show that the respondents were in their active working age with an average age of about 46 years and marital status, educational qualification, primary occupation, access to credit, and age were significant drivers of food insecurity in the study area. Also, 68.33% of the respondents were food insecure while only 31.67% of the respondents were food secure. Seven out of ten generated perception statements developed were rated ‘agreed’ while the remaining three statements were rated disagreed. The results of HFIAS show that 31.7% of the respondents were least food insecure and 48.2% were moderately food insecure while the remaining 20.1% were most food insecure. Recommendations were made based on the findings of the research work that governmental and non-governmental organizations should make credit facilities available to the people in the study area in other to augment income inconsistency and policy measures that will enhance increase scale of production should be encouraged.

Life-course social class is associated with later-life diabetes prevalence in women: evidence from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing

This study aimed to investigate the independent and synergistic effects of childhood and adult social class, as well as the effect of social mobility, on type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk in later life. Cross-sectional data from The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (TILDA) (n = 4,998), a nationally representative probability sample of adults aged 50 and older, were analysed. Prevalent diabetes was defined using subjective (self-reported doctor’s diagnosis) and objective data (medications usage and glycated haemoglobin testing). Social class was classified as a three-level variable based on fathers’ occupation in childhood and respondents’ primary occupation in adulthood. A five-level social mobility variable was created from cross-classification of childhood and adulthood social class. Logistic regression was employed to assess the relationship between social class variables and T2D. Mean (SD) age of the sample was 63.8y (9.9) and 46.4% were male. Incidence of T2D was 11.6% of men and 7.7% of women. Some 57.4% of the sample were classified as Manual social class in childhood. Compared to those in Professional/Managerial occupations, belonging to the Manual social class in childhood was associated with an increased risk of T2D in men (Odds Ratio (OR): 1.36, 95% CI: 0.88, 2.10) and women (OR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.21, 3.85). This association was attenuated in women when controlled for adulthood social class (OR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.00–3.37), suggesting that the effect of childhood social class may be modified by improving social circumstance over the life course.

English

The drivers of perception and adoption of aquaculture innovations were studied. Data obtained from 300 aquaculture operators, were analyzed using Heckman Probit sample selection model. Results revealed that perception and adoption of aquaculture innovations were high. Education (a=0.281), extension contact (a=0.149), experience (a=0.021), gender (a=0.440) and information source (a=0.145) increased the likelihood of positive perception of innovations, while age (a=-0.456), primary occupation (a=-1.54) and distance to urban center (a=-0.55) were negatively signed. Technical know-how (b=0.116), “other income” (b=1.17-e06), education (b=0.115) and gender (b=0.11) were drivers of adoption. Access to credit (b=-0.074), age (b=-0.095), pond size (b=-0.094) and Information source (b=-0.05) were negatively related to adoption. Adoption of innovation will rely on policies involving on these relationships. In doing these, attention should be paid to variables with conflicting influences on perception and adoption. Electronic sources may be employed in introducing an innovation, followed by personal contacts with experienced fish farmers. Furthermore, assisting fish farmers to increase incomes from other sources might be a better funding alternative for innovation adoption than credit. Provision of practically oriented education will elicit adoption. Provision of productive resources and reduced domestic burdens on female folks will increase their likelihood of innovation perception and adoption. Key words: Drivers, perception, adoption, aquaculture, innovation, Heckman Probit. &nbsp

Factors that influence learner engagement and completion rate in an xMOOC on energy and sustainability

In Mexico, there has been a rise in Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) enrollments through platforms such as MexicoX. However, this rise in interest has not been accompanied by a corresponding increase in completion rates. This article examines the factors that influence Mexican learners’ retention rates and learner engagement to determine the extent to which a student´s profile can predict his or her ability to engage with and complete an xMOOC on energy and sustainability. Correlation and multiple regression analysis methods were employed to analyze a sample dataset (n = 844) of participants who had completed the xMOOC. It was found that the critical factors affecting completion rate were age, education level, and primary occupation and that participants who were most likely to complete an xMOOC were 34 years of age or older, had a bachelor’s degree or higher, and were in a full-time job.

Socio-Economic Characteristics of Farmers on Access to Agricultural Credit in Tripura

Institutional agricultural credit has played a significant role widespread adoption of modern production technologies and promotion of private investments on farms through its increasing as well as cheap supplyin the past. The present study was conducted in West Tripura district of Tripura to analyse the socio-economic characteristics of the borrowers in the district. 120 sample farmers were selected using multistage random sampling technique for detailed analysis. Information on demographic and socio-economic characteristics like age, sex, education level, land use, etc. by borrowers were collected by survey method using pretested schedules. From the socio-economic study of the farmer it could be observed that majority of the farmers of the state are literate, experienced and interested in the timely agricultural credit utilization and repayment. The household considered for the study in West Tripura District had the highest percentage of the male population (51.49%) than that of the female population (47.58%). Cultivation was the primary occupation for 55.82 per cent of the sample population and secondary occupation for 29.17 per cent of sample population.

Use of artificial neural network to model reproductive performance and mortality of non-descript rabbits

This study was carried out to predict average number of kits per birth and mortality number of non-descript rabbits in Plateau State, Nigeria using artificial neural network (ANN). Data were obtained from a total of 100 rabbit farmers. The predicted mean value for number of kits per birth using ANN (6.60) was similar to the observed value (6.52). As regards mortality, the predicted mean value using ANN (17.75) was also similar to the observed value (17.80). Primary occupation, experience in rabbit keeping, flock size and credit type were the parameters of utmost importance in predicting number of kits per birth. The fairly high coefficient of determination (R2) (55.7%) and low root mean square error (RMSE) value of 1.22 conferred reliability on the ANN model. The R2 value obtained in the prediction of mortality using ANN implies that 61.1% of the variation in the number of mortality can be largely explained by the explanatory variables such as flock size, age of farmers, experience in rabbit keeping and average number of kits per birth. The low RMSE value of 3.82 also gave credence to the regression model. The present information may be exploited in taking appropriate management decisions to boost production.

DETERMINANTS OF FOOD SECURITY LEVEL OF GINGER FARMING HOUSEHOLDS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

Socio-economic factors are known to be important in achieving food security especially among farming households. This paper analyzed the major determinants of the food security level of ginger farming households in Kaduna State, Nigeria. A sample survey of ginger farming households in three Local Government Areas in Kaduna State was conducted. Primary data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, principal component analysis and logistic regression. The socio-economic characteristics of the ginger farming households showed that about 77% of the respondents in the sampled areas were of an average age of 40 years. Female headed households were 24% of the sampled households, while 76% were male headed. A total of 66.3% had farming experience of more than 10 years with 92% of the household heads having one level of formal training or the other. More than half of the household sizes were within the range of two to seven persons. The analysis of the food security status of the ginger farming households which encompassed four dimensions of food security showed that 37.8% were food secure while 62.2% were food insecure. The major determinants of the food security level of the ginger farming households in Kaduna State were sex, age, marital status, years of formal education, years of farming experience, household size, secondary occupation, income from primary occupation and farm size. It was concluded that a higher proportion of the ginger farming households were not food secure which could be attributed to their socio-economic factors amongst other factors. The study recommended that social protection interventions that are more nutrition sensitive need to be promoted farming households to eradicate poverty and address food security issues.

Fast Fully Adaptive Signalling for Target Matching

In this article, we discuss a novel signal processing technique for adaptive radar that permits joint target-matched illumination and interference avoidance in dynamic spectral environments. This approach allows for spectral coexistence between a radar system and a primary user of the radio frequency space. Spectral coexistence is exploited to allow the use of higher bandwidths than would otherwise be available to conventional radar systems. The technique proposed exploits the relative simplicity of the error reduction algorithm, and also provides a novel use of the masking procedure to allow for target-matched illumination. Practical constraints such as constant modulus are considered in the waveform design procedure, while providing an implied signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio improvement via the error reduction algorithm. Results for full simulation and hardware-in-the-loop experiments are presented and analyzed. We are able to show a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio gain of 40 dB is achieved for the target-matched waveform as compared with a linear frequency modulated waveform. However, the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio gain comes at a cost of degraded autocorrelation characteristics of the target-matched illumination waveform, despite only modest levels of primary user spectrum occupancy. Spectral notch depths achieved by the modified error reduction algorithm are approximately 25 dB.

Calloused hands, shorter life? Occupation and older-age survival in Mexico.

Inequalities in mortality are often attributed to socioeconomic differences in education level, income, and wealth. Low socioeconomic status (SES) is generally related to worse health and survival across the life course. Yet, disadvantaged people are also more likely to hold jobs requiring heavy physical labor, repetitive movement, ergonomic strain, and safety hazards. We examine the link between primary lifetime occupation, together with education and net worth, on survival among older adults in Mexico. We use data from four waves (2001, 2003, 2012, and 2015) of the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS). We estimate age-specific mortality rates for ages 50 and over using a hazards model based on a two-parameter Gompertz function. Primary lifetime occupations have a stronger association with survival for women than men. Women with higher socioeconomic status have significantly lower mortality rates than lower status women, whether SES is assessed in terms of schooling, wealth, or occupation. Occupational categories are not jointly related to survival among men, even without controls for education and wealth. There are significant survival differences by wealth among men, but no disparities in mortality by education. Consistent with recent studies of the Mexican population, we fail to find the expected gradient in the association between some measures of SES and better survival among men. Our estimates extend this anomalous pattern among Mexican men to another dimension of SES, occupation. SES differentials in mortality are substantially larger for Mexican women, highlighting an important gender disparity.

Socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors for HIV transmission in female bar workers in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic literature review

BackgroundAlthough sex workers are considered a key population in the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), less consideration has been given to female bar workers (FBW), whose primary occupation is not sex work but who often engage in transactional sex. Understanding FBWs’ risk profiles is central to designing targeted HIV prevention interventions for them. This systematic review describes the socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors for HIV transmission among FBWs in SSA.MethodsWe searched six databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Popline, Embase and additionally the World Health Organization’s WHOLIS database for grey literature between July and September 2017. Inclusion criteria were reporting (1) primary socio-demographic or behavioral data; on (2) women who sold or delivered drinks to clients; (3) in establishments serving alcohol; (4) in SSA. We excluded studies not presenting separate data on FBWs. We extracted quantitative and qualitative data from the selected studies and conducted a qualitative synthesis of findings.ResultsWe found 4565 potentially eligible articles, including duplicates. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, we retained 19 articles. FBWs often migrated from rural to urban areas due to economic need or social marginalization. They began bar-based transactional sex due to low wages, peer pressure and to increase financial independence. FBWs had high HIV risk awareness but low agency to negotiate condom use, particularly with regular partners or when offered higher prices for condomless sex. FBWs were also vulnerable to violence and stigmatization.ConclusionsFBWs are a vulnerable population for HIV infection. Despite social stigmatization and elevated risk of contracting STIs, bar work remains attractive because it enables unskilled women to both, make a living and maintain some independence. FBWs face HIV-related risk factors at the individual, community and societal level and may benefit from biomedical, behavioral and structural interventions.