Household Respondents Research Articles

Exploring Gender and Climate Change Nexus, and Empowering Women in the South Western Coastal Region of Bangladesh for Adaptation and Mitigation

This study has been conducted to identify vulnerabilities and effects of climate change on women in 12 unions in Shyamnagar upazila in the Satkhira district in the Southwestern Coastal Region of Bangladesh (SWCRB). Climate vulnerability and gender inequality may increase due to climate change. Women may, thus, face specific conditions of vulnerability in society and daily livelihood. This paper focuses on investigating factors that influence women’s vulnerability from climate change, their adaptations, and the importance of women empowerment to reduce their inequality in SWCRB. This study also emphasizes gender inequality caused by climate change, and looks at accommodations for women to reduce hostile influences of climate change. From the 9 unions in SWCRB, a total of 320 household respondents were randomly selected to complete a questionnaire. The results of the statistical analysis showed that most of the survey’s perimeter has significant. Interviews, case studies, focus group discussions, workshops, and key informant interviews were also conducted from 12 unions, and it was found that climate change impacts men and women differently, with women being more vulnerable than men. Through case study this paper investigated the main factors influencing the vulnerability of women. In terms of empowerment women may also be well positioned to lead adaptation efforts alongside men, as this analysis represent that gender inequalities are leading by social norms. Women being more vulnerable both in short-term i.e., major natural disasters, cyclones, flood, and long-term i.e., sea level rise, salinity intrusion in water and soil, land erosion, droughts, climatic events, as they enhance gender inequalities. Further, gender inequality is seen in illiteracy, food shortages and poor health conditions, traditional norms, religious taboos, and patriarchy. Moreover, gender-based economic opportunities, women’s mobility, and income are changing, while household authority relations and gender-based socio-economic, cultural, and institutional constraints remain. This study examines the increased vulnerability of women in SWCRB to climate change, which can be mitigated through women empowerment; female involvement with environmentally friendly stoves, rural electrification and renewable energy development, microfinancing, and nakshikantha. (Nakshikantha is a special type of sewing art that is made by creating designs with different types of colored threads on plain stitches). Lastly, women may also lead adaptation efforts alongside men, make decisions, and promote their participation.

The Effects of the Transmigration Programme on Poverty Reduction in Indonesia’s Gorontalo Province: A Multidimensional Approach

The transmigration program in Gorontalo Province plays an important role in poverty reduction. The districts of Gorontalo and Boalemo, as a part of Gorontalo Province, were purposefully selected as research locations. A total of 240 respondents of transmigrant and local households were interviewed using a questionnaire containing a list of questions with a 5-Likert scale. The objectives of this research are: (1) to measure the multidimensional poverty level of transmigrant and local households, (2) to determine the impact of the transmigration program on poverty reduction and (3) to identify the factors that influence poverty status of transmigrant and local households. The results show that the poverty level of transmigrant households tends to be lower than local households. The longer the placement of transmigration, the more likely it is to reduce regional poverty levels. The health dimension has a high contribution to the cause of poverty of transmigrants, while the education dimension contributes to the highest cause of poverty of local households. The results of the analysis also show that farmers who are more educated, participate in skills training and have a side business have more opportunity to reduce poverty. The study confirms that the transmigration program has a significant impact on poverty reduction in the region.

Human-Wildlife Conflicts in Paschim Kusaha Village of Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Sunsari District, Nepal

Human-wildlife conflict has been one of the most trouble-causing issues in many areas of Nepal including Eastern Nepal. This study assessed the human-wildlife conflict status in Paschim Kusaha Village of Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR), Sunsari District, Nepal. Data were collected from 47 respondents of different households through questionnaire surveys and formal and informal interviews. Results revealed that the most destructive wild animals were wild elephants, wild boar, and wild water buffalo and the most raided crops were paddy (63.83 %), maize (19.15%), and potato (17.02%). Most of the encounters between humans and wildlife were recorded at night (after dusk and before dawn) (78.72%). Local people were suffering from damage of physical properties, human harassment or nuisance, and depredation of cropland due to wild animals. A total of 70% of respondents had a positive attitude towards conservation despite disturbing human mortality records (22 deaths in the last five years) from the reserve area and surrounding. Awareness of wildlife behavior together with conservation and easy access to compensation schemes were suggested to minimize conflicts in the area.

A gendered perspective on climate change adaptation strategies: a case study from Yunnan, China

ABSTRACT Climate change impacts are distributed unequally, despite affecting the entire world and its inhabitants. Economically, socially and culturally deprived groups are more vulnerable to climate change impacts. Women comprise the majority among these vulnerable groups, and it is, therefore, crucial to stress gendered perspectives in climate change adaptation strategies that promote gender equality and sustainable development. To that end, this paper documents the adaptation strategies employed by farmers and examines gender differences in climate change adaptation practices in Yunnan Province, China. A random sampling technique was used to select 1520 household heads for the survey. We used descriptive statistics and a multivariate probit model to document four categories of adaptation measures against a set of household features, social network, financial assets and perception variables. We discovered that female and male respondents do not significantly differ in their knowledge and perceptions of climate change, but female- and male-headed household respondents did differ in adopting climate change adaptation measures. The adaptation measures of female- and male-headed households were influenced by different sets of factors. The most significant determinant for both female- and male-headed households was perception of drought events in the last 20 years, followed by access to loans, while income from non-farm-based work had positive and significant impacts only for male-headed households. Findings from this study will help to elucidate the determinants of climate change adaptation decisions for female- and male-headed households in farming communities and the strategic interventions necessary for effective adaptation.

Disaster Preparedness Index of Households and Selected Local Government Units in Laguna, Philippines

There is a need to strengthen disaster preparedness and resilience at all levels of society in the country. In line with this, the study was conducted to describe the assets or capitals and determine the level of disaster preparedness index (DPI) of the selected flood-prone households, barangays, and municipalities in the Province of Laguna. A total of 194 household respondents were randomly selected in Brgy. Santisima Cruz, Santa Cruz; Brgy. Concepcion, Lumban; and Brgy. Nanguma, Mabitac. Key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and household survey were conducted to collect primary data. Computed weights were derived through analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to come-up with the DPI at the household, barangay, and municipal levels. Capital-based assessment of the disaster preparedness revealed that at the household level, 51% of the respondents in the three sites had high DPI, 34% had moderate DPI, and 15% had low DPI. All the three barangays had moderate DPI while all the three municipalities had high DPI. Overall assessment shows that cascading disaster preparedness programs from municipal to barangay, and eventually to household is not fully implemented. Identified areas with low DPI should be given the highest priority and resources for disaster preparation.

Living Alone During Old Age and the Risk of Dementia: Assessing the Cumulative Risk of Living Alone.

This study examines the association between living alone during old age and dementia. Whereas most previous studies on this topic utilize measures of living alone status that were obtained at a single point in time, we compare this typical approach to one that measures long-term exposure to living alone among older adults and assesses whether dementia is more likely to occur within individuals with more accumulated time living alone. Data come from the Health and Retirement Study, with a follow-up period of 2000-2018. A total of 18,171 older adults were followed during this period, resulting in 78,490 person-waves analyzed in a series of multi-level logistic models. Contemporaneous living alone was recorded when a respondent's household size was equal to 1 in a given wave. Cumulative living alone was calculated by adding the number of living alone statuses up to a given wave. Contemporaneous living alone was either not associated (male-only subsample), or inversely associated (female-only subsample) with dementia. By contrast, a one-unit (i.e., one wave) increase in cumulative living alone was associated with about a 10% increase in the odds of dementia for both men (odds ratio [OR] = 1.111) and women (OR = 1.088), net of several covariates, including marital status, age, social activities, and social support. Living alone during late life is an important risk factor for dementia, but the cognitive effects of solitary living probably do not take hold immediately for most older adults and potentially demonstrate a dose-response relationship.

The National Target Program for New Rural Development in Vietnam: An Understanding of People’s Participation and Its Determinants

This study proposes a participation scale of people in the national new rural program, namely the levels of know, discuss, implement, and monitor identifies participation and their determinants by employing Tobit regression models. From a dataset of 508 household respondents collected in seven regions across countries, we find that the highest level of participation is still at the level of know, while the lowest level is at the level of monitor. Additionally, in some areas of the program, people are mobilized to participate in certain activities, even though they do not have a good understanding nor thoroughly discuss how to carry it out. Considering the findings, we recommend increasing the active participation of the people in the bottom-up approach, associated with the practical needs of the people and the program’s sustainability.

Who is More Likely (Not) to Make Home-Based Work Trips During the COVID-19 Pandemic? The Case of Scotland.

In this study, we used survey data (n = 6,000) to investigate the work trip patterns of Scottish residents at various points of the COVID-19 pandemic. We focused specifically on the reported patterns of weekly work trips made during the government-enforced lockdown and subsequent phases of restriction easing. This was of particular importance given the widespread changes in work trips prompted by COVID-19, including a significant rise in telecommuting and a reduction in public transport commuting trips. The survey data showed that the vast majority of respondents (∼85%) made no work trips during lockdown, dropping to ∼77% following the easing of some work-related restrictions. Zero-inflated hierarchical ordered probit models were estimated to determine the sociodemographic and behavioral factors affecting the frequency of work trips made during three distinct periods. The model estimation results showed that the socioeconomic characteristics of respondents influenced work trips made throughout the pandemic. In particular, respondents in households whose main income earner was employed in a managerial/professional occupation were significantly more likely to make no work trips at all stages of the pandemic. Those with a health problem or disability were also significantly more likely to make no work trips throughout the pandemic. Other interesting findings concern respondents’ gender, as males were more likely to complete frequent work trips than females throughout the pandemic, and differences between densely populated areas and the rest of Scotland, as respondents from a large city (Edinburgh or Glasgow) were significantly more likely to make frequent work trips as restrictions were eased.

Food Consumption Management in Urban Households in Indonesia

The most significant contributor to the increase in food waste in Indonesia is household sectors, mainly urban areas. One approach to reducing food waste is Food Consumption Management (FCM). However, the application of FCM at the household level is strongly influenced by various aspects. This study aims to determine the relationship between socio-economic aspects and food consumption management at the urban household level conducted in four major cities in Indonesia during the Covid-19 pandemic. Primary data was collected using a digital questionnaire distributed to households in Medan, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, and Denpasar. A total of 149 household respondents were obtained and analyzed descriptively. Meanwhile, the relationship between socio-economic aspects and the management of food consumption was analyzed using the Pearson correlation method. The results of this study reveal that household income and the number of family members are significant factors closely related to household food consumption management (FCM), especially in terms of providing, storing, and disposing of food waste.

Impact of Soil and Water Conservation on Household Income in West Arsi Zone of Oromia

Land degradation due to soil erosion and nutrient depletion is one of the main problems constraining the development of the agricultural sector in Ethiopia. As part of intervention activities number of soil and water conservation (SWC) practices have been promoted to smallholder farmers living in highly degraded and drought prone areas of the country. This study was conducted to assess the impact of SWC intervention on the livelihood of smallholder farm households in terms household income and productivity. To meet this objective primary data was gathered from 150 sample responds (67 SWC program participants and 83 non-participants). Descriptive and inferential statistics and propensity score matching (PSM) models were used to address the stated objectives. Results of the descriptive statistics showed that before matching there was statistically significant difference between program participants and their counterfactual households in terms of sex, education and farm experience generally in favor of non-program participants whereas access to market information and amount of land allocated for production in favor of program participant in the zone. The analysis of mean difference in outcome variables before matching result indicated that the mean total crop yield for SWC practiced respondent households is higher (22.102quintal per hectare per household) than SWC non-practiced respondent households (17.26quintal per hectare per household) with mean total crop yield difference equivalent to 4.842 quintal per hectare per household in the zone. In the mean-time, even though, the results of the PSM model revealed that SWC intervention did not result in significant difference between program participant and non-participant households in terms of maize productivity and gross crop income total annual crop income of households who participated in SWC program was 10,838.13 birr whereas its 6075.48 birr for non-participant farmers accounting 4762.65birr difference suggesting that on average participant households earned 43.9 percent more crop value per hectare than the control group. Logistic regression model was employed to estimate propensity scores for matching SWC program households with their counterfactuals. Except sex of the household, Market information, amount of land cultivated, Education and farm experience influenced the probability of HH participation in SWC positively and significantly at 10% expect land cultivated at 5% level. The implication could be that farm household participation was more guided by demographic than economics factors (defined by farm size and herd size). Nominal results of analysis of treatment effects indicate that there was a sign of positive impact on both of the variables considered due to SWC program. However, the changes in crop productivity and gross household income could not be statistically justified as there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of these variables. The possible reason could be that SWC programs are not short-term nature and impacts are to be realized gradually with increased adoption and intensification of activities. Finally it was to be noted that there were positive trends which all together should guide SWC policy makers to identify important factors influencing the contribution of such a program and reconsider the design and implementation of the interventions. Keywords: Impacts, Income, participant, non- participant, household, Propensity Score Matching. DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/12-18-01 Publication date: September 30 th 2022

Assessment of Transparency Practices in Urban Land Administration: The Case of Wolkite Town Manucipality, Ethiopia

Good governance in land administration is becoming an important issue in both developed and developing countries. This study has been undertaken to assess transparency practices in urban land administration in wolkite town municipality, Ethiopia. The study employed a cross sectional survey research design. Data were collected both from primary and secondary sources using surveys, key informants interviews, focused group discussions and document analysis. Questionnaire survey data were collected from 380 sampled household respondents; and analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The study found that there was limited access to land information to most urban residents; and clarity of land services were failed to be transparent to its customers. The study also revealed that the decision making process was not open and participatory. The major challenges of land administration in the study area were corruption, bureaucracy, political interference, poor management and incompetence. The study concludes that the land administration services were not transparent based on the views and experiences of survey respondents. It is recommended that enlighten urban residents on urban land laws, rules and regulations, ensuring accessibility of information, capacitating service providers and increase application of information communication technologies are essential to ensure transparent land governance and administration in the study area. Keywords: Clarity; Accessibility; Transparency; Land Administration; Wolikte Town DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/14-17-02 Publication date: September 30 th 2022

The Association between Neighborhood Factors and Bullying among Adolescents with Asthma

Introduction: Neighborhood factors may be associated with bully victimization, a serious health concern for adolescents with asthma. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine associations between neighborhood factors and past year bullying in adolescents with asthma as reported by adult household respondents. Methods: Using data from the adolescent 2019 National Survey of Children’s Health, we included in our analyses responses from adults of adolescents with asthma who replied to whether or not the adolescent was bullied over the past year and to the neighborhood factors of interest. These adults included 473 adult respondents of adolescent females with asthma and 551 adult respondents of adolescent males with asthma. Neighborhood variables included whether the adolescent’s neighborhood had sidewalks or walking paths, a park or playground, a recreation center or a boys’ or girls’ club, and vandalism exposure. The complex samples module in IBM SPSS 27 with equal probability sampling without replacement was used to conduct the analyses. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses were also used. Results: Statistically significant differences were found in the proportion of adolescent females with asthma ever bullied compared to the proportion never bullied who had access to a park or playground (70.0% vs. 83.7%, respectively; p=.038) and were exposed to neighborhood vandalism (2.8% vs. 10.8%, respectively; p=.028). A significantly smaller proportion of adolescent males with asthma ever bullied than the proportion never bullied were exposed to neighborhood vandalism (4.9% vs. 14%, respectively; p=.032). Conclusion: It is important to examine the influence of neighborhood factors further to better understand their association with bully victimization in adolescents with asthma.

Resilience of persons with disabilities to climate induced landslide hazards in the vulnerable areas of Mount Elgon, Uganda

The resilience of persons with disabilities in landslide-prone areas is not well understood. Moreover, these disasters are persistent and this information is vital in enhancing socioeconomic transformation of the livelihoods of Persons with disabilities. We anchored the resilience of Persons with disabilities to landslide hazards on four factors, namely; risk exposure, socioeconomic capacity, the individual functioning capacity, and the individual's housing infrastructure. The objectives of the study were (i) to assess the level of resilience of Persons with disabilities to landslides and (ii) to explore the significant sociodemographic factors that underpin the resilience of Persons with disabilities to landslides. We used a cross-sectional design and snowball sampling to access the households respondents for interviews. The analysis included descriptive analysis and inferential statistics computed using in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 23 and Microsoft Excel version 2016. The geometric mean method was used to assess the level of resilience. The Chisquare and Kendals' Tau-b were used to ascertain the underpinning sociodemographic factors to the resilience of Persons with disabilities. Results revealed that the overall resilience was low. Sex, education level, and access to disaster training significantly controlled resilience among Persons with disabilities. We conclude that Persons with disabilities in landslideprone areas have low resilience and receive little attention with respect to rescue and recovery amidst these recurrent hazards in the area. There is a need to boost the resilience of Persons with disabilities, especially the housing infrastructure and functioning capacity taking into account their social networks to build the socioeconomic and preparedness wings of disaster resilience among Persons with disabilities.

Flood hazards vulnerability and risk of food security in Bait community flood-prone areas of Punjab Pakistan: In SDGs achievement threat.

Climate change in the global perspective has increased the occurrence of natural disasters, which subsequently decreased agricultural production and intensified the issue of food security. Developing countries, such as Pakistan, are facing severe food security issues, where most of the population still experiences poverty and hunger in their daily lives. Flood disasters ruin valuable land, cause agricultural production losses, and interrupt livelihood routines as expected household livelihood becomes more vulnerable. This research work focused on investigating the flood hazards vulnerability and risk of food security in the Bait community flood-prone areas of Punjab, Pakistan, with a broader aspect in contrast to previous research work. A constructed food security index composed of several IPCC and FAO factors with correlated dimensions of food security was used for the empirical estimation in this study. A composite food security index was developed through polychoric principal component analysis. To estimate the influence on the overall food security condition in the study area, a food security index was regressed on various independent variables. Estimates of the study indicated that three-fourths of household respondents in the study area are confronted with the issue of food security with changeable scale. Financing schemes, physical assets, and family type illustrated the positive influence on respondents' food security level, whereas respondents suffering property losses owing to floods had a negative influence. The study findings suggested integrated strategies must be adopted to effectively deal with issues of food security in the scenario of increasing severity of flood disasters. Policymakers and disaster-concerned institutions need to develop disaster risk mitigation strategies by constructing new water reserves and clearing river encroachments to deal with flood disasters. Agricultural research and development authorities need to provide climate friendly seed varieties and promote particular food crops for flood prone areas to ensure food security and reduce livelihood vulnerability, specifically for the flood-prone communities.

Financial Literacy A Need of an Hour for Nurturing Lives and Livelihood: A Study on Households in Central Region of Uttar Pradesh in the Pre Covid-19 Scenario

Background: The Indian economy has witnessed a rapid financial transformation in the recent time period. And with this rapid financial transformation the economy has also witnessed shift in the planning for financial responsibilities like children education, retirement planning, planning of funds for financial emergencies etc. from employer to employee which ultimately led to the growing importance of financial literacy. The purpose of the study here is to ascertain financial literacy level of Households in the Central Region of Uttar Pradesh on the basis of basic and advance financial literacy questions and also highlights the significance of financial literacy in Post COVID-19 scenario. Method: The present study considers primary source of data. A total sample from 394 Households by way of non-probability sampling convenience sample method was selected from Central Region of Uttar Pradesh to determine the financial literacy level. Result: The findings of the study revealed that more than half of the household respondents were found low in financial literacy level and lack in financial numeracy concepts as well as to cope up with financial emergency situations. Conclusion: The results clearly showed that there is urgent need to educate individuals about managing personal finance for present as well as for future emergencies which help them to face the obstacles as prevalent at present in the form COVID-19 and ultimately help them to nurture their live and livelihoods.

Binary Choices of Households about REDD Regime in Nepalese Forest

This study studies empirically whether REDD is a better alternative to community forest of Nepal. The data set of the study is primary nature in which the primary data sets were collected from the household survey in the Kafle community forest of Lamatar-6, Lalitpur District, Nepal. The study has employed descriptive statistics and probit models to analyze the data sets. The study found 45 percent households depend on the community forest for livelihood materials (firewood, leaf litter, grass, water), along with Service and Agriculture income sources. As a result of binary choice, the study in mixed familiarity with REDD finds only 44 percent of households expect that REDD will be a better livelihood alternative to the poor. Further, 63 percent of households expect livelihood from REDD. Large household respondents don’t believe that REDD will be a better alternative livelihood for the poor. Almost all households expect REDD for livelihood objectives. From estimation, household stakeholders who have good asset holdings (land and livestock) think that REDD will be not a better livelihood alternative to the poor. However, the household stakeholders who have literacy, different food sufficiency level, landholding (1>), different earnings per day, Rsex, per day earning, and age thinks that REDD will be a better alternative. Thus, the poor households expect a livelihood role from REDD in Nepal. Therefore, REDD should be more beneficial to the poor household stakeholders and their livelihoods.

Study of Clean Water and Sanitation Access and Its Relationship to Waterborne and Stunting Prevalence in Bandung Regency

Water and proper sanitation access in Bandung Regency has not covered all population. Lack of availability of water and sanitation is certainly related to public health. This research was conducted to identify clean water access in terms of quality, quantity, and continuity as well as sanitation access in Bandung Regency, and then to determine its relationship to waterborne diseases and stunting prevalence. The study was conducted in three locations representing domestic, agricultural, and industrial areas. The study collected 33 water samples for physical and microbial analysis, and questionnaires to 75 household respondents about the waterborne disease and stunting prevalence, household income levels, hygiene behaviour, mother’s education, and birth weight. The results showed clean water quality differences in those areas for parameters Total Coliform (p=0,051), temperature (p=0,044), and pH (p=0,002) as well as differences of wastewater system types (p=0,002). Factors namely clean water quantity and continuity, personal hygiene, and household income level have an association with waterborne diseases prevalence (PR>1). Whereas stunting is associated with sanitation access, personal hygiene, household income level, mother’s education, and children’s birth weight (PR>1). However, only household income level has significant relationship with stunting (p=0,005; PR=4.0; 95% CI=1.33-12). These factors should be improved to prevent waterborne disease and stunting children in the community.

Determinants of Malaysian Financial Literacy: A Financial Socialization Perspective

Objective - The study aims to examine the financial literacy level of Malaysian households and the role of financial socialization in improving an individual’s financial literacy level. Methodology/Technique – Convenience sampling was used to select respondents in Malaysian households through questionnaires distributed between August and December of 2021 with a total of 132 retrieved responses. Findings - The results indicated that the Malaysian financial literacy level is above average. Financial education and financial socialization significantly enhanced an individual's financial literacy level. Novelty - The study is based on the Social Learning Theory and demonstrated the importance of financial socialization in improving an individual’s financial literacy level. Hence, measures should be taken to enhance the role of social agents (family or friends) in informal financial education. Type of Paper: Empirical. JEL Classification: I22, M29 Keywords: Financial literacy, financial socialization, financial education, drivers of financial literacy, social agents Reference to this paper should be referred to as follows: Rahim, N.M; Ali, N. (2022). Determinants of Malaysian Financial Literacy: A Financial Socialization Perspective, Acc. Fin. Review, 7(1), 51 – 61. https://doi.org/10.35609/afr.2022.7.1(2)

Effects of Perceived Climate Variability on Provisioning Ecosystem Services Among Agro-Pastoral Systems of Laikipia West Sub-County, Kenya

The impact of climate variability on societies around the world is increasingly evident. A vast majority of communities in Eastern Africa depend on agro-pastoralism for their livelihoods, however climate variability threatens a vast majority of these communities. Kenya is one of the most vulnerable countries and economic sectors and livelihoods frequently experience the manifestations of the problem. Climate variability therefore, affects provision of ecosystem services, especially those depended on by agro-pastoral farmers in Laikipia West sub-County, Kenya. This study determined the effects of perceived climate variability on provisioning ecosystem services (food supply/crop yield, livestock production and water availability) and response strategies employed by agro-pastoral farmers to mitigate risks in semi-arid Laikipia West sub-County. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a combination of methods including: systematic quadrat sampling, key informant interviews and structured questionnaires. The study used multistage stratified sampling to select respondents and study sites; purposive sampling to select the study divisions and proportionate random sampling to select household respondents from each of the selected divisions. Four hundred agro-pastoral farmer households were selected through stratified random sampling. Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) was used for data analysis. To make reliable inferences from the data, all statistical tests were verified at α = 0.05 level of significance. Results from the study indicated that majority of the agro-pastoral farmers kept poultry and browsers as they required less feed for survival during these times of climate variability and change. Climate variability resulted to decline in food supply/crop yields and water availability had increased yet its amount declined. Climate variability negatively affected provisioning ecosystem services like food supply/crop yield and water availability. The study recommends that, there is need for sensitization on climate smart agricultural practices that would increase food supply and enhance water availability sustainably.

Implementation of the Solid Waste Management Program in Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur

This descriptive study was conducted to assess the implementation of the Solid Waste Management Program of Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur. The respondents of the study include the members of the municipal councils, barangay council, commercial establishments, other units in LGU, and school heads. The respondents of the study include the municipality council, barangay council, commercial establishments, LGU’s, schools, and household respondents which were clustered into eight (8) districts. A self-administered questionnaire, adapted from the study of Quibilan (2010) was used. Results revealed that the implementers of the SWMP of Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur have a moderate level of administrative capability. Municipal officials, LGU’s, schools, commercial establishments, barangay officials and residents have moderate level of participation. The SWMP is moderately implemented in its various activities. Health and cleanliness and satisfaction of the members are moderately improved. Administrative capability and community participation contributed significantly. The impact of the SWMP is significantly influenced by its level of implementation. It is suggested that personnel, technical and financial aspects should be enhanced to create a greater impact. Participation of the residents should be properly maximized. There should be an intensive information dissemination drive. The municipality should create a well-designed program on health and cleanliness to meet satisfaction of the community. A tie-up with the municipal government in the scheduled collection of garbage should be revived and disposal must be in a well-developed sanitary land-fill. A rigid monitoring of cleanliness and beautification in the barangays should be done. The proposed action plan may be implemented for the improvement of the SWMP of the municipality.