Rural Agricultural Communities Research Articles

Optimization of Hybrid Renewable Energy Microgrid for Rural Agricultural Area in Southern Philippines

Microgrids, or distributed systems of local energy generation, transmission, and demand, are now technologically and operationally capable of providing power to communities, especially in rural and peri-urban regions of developing nations. The reliability of the system, the cost of power generation, and the operating environmental impact are the major issues when designing and evaluating the performance of an off-grid hybrid renewable energy microgrid (HREM). This paper presents an integrated method for optimal sizing and operation of an HREM for rural agricultural communities in the Southern Philippines composed of run-of-the-river hydropower, photovoltaics (PV), diesel generator, and a battery energy storage system (BESS) using multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) and a proposed multi-case power management strategy. The three conflicting objective functions that were simultaneously minimized were: loss of power supply probability (LPSP), levelized cost of energy (LCOE), and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, subject to several constraints. The optimization generated 200 non-dominated or Pareto optimal alternative solutions, 4 of which were selected as solutions of interest. Based on the results, the optimal sizes of the main components for the reliable operation of the system are 100 panels with a rating of 0.25 kW for PV, 100 kWh for BESS, and 13 kW for the diesel generator, with corresponding LCOE, LPSP, and GHG emission values of 0.1795 USD/kWh, 0.05%, and 7874 kg, respectively, for 1 year. The effectiveness of the proposed HREM design was also analyzed, and the study yielded plenty of useful findings that could aid the electrification of the area.

The Future of Rurality: Place Attachment among Young Inhabitants of Two Rural Communities of Mediterranean Central Chile

Rural livelihoods are under threat, not only from climate change and soil erosion but also because young people in rural areas are increasingly moving to urbanized areas, seeking employment and education opportunities. In the Valparaiso region of Chile, megadrought, soil degradation, and industrialization are driving young people to leave agricultural and livestock activities. In this study, our main objective was to identify the factors influencing young people living in two rural agricultural communities (Valle Hermoso and La Vega). We conducted 90 online surveys of young people aged 13–24 to evaluate their interest in living in the countryside (ILC). We assessed the effect of community satisfaction, connectedness to nature, and social valuation of rural livelihoods on the ILC. The results show that young people were more likely to stay living in the countryside when they felt satisfied and safe in their community, felt a connection with nature, and were surrounded by people who enjoyed the countryside. These results highlight the relevance of promoting place attachment and the feeling of belonging within the rural community. Chilean rural management and local policies need to focus on rural youth and highlight the opportunities that the countryside provides for them.

Assessing the impact of agricultural education programmes on farm production in rural agricultural communities in Yoni Chiefdom, Tonkolili District, Northern Sierra Leone

Assessing the impact of agricultural education programmes on farm production in rural agricultural communities in Yoni Chiefdom, Tonkolili District, Northern Sierra Leone

Acute Pancreatitis Following Organophosphate Compound Poisoning: A Case Report

Organophosphate compounds are chemicals containing central phosphate molecules with alkyl or aromatic substituent’s. They occur in diverse forms and are used as pesticides, herbicides, nerve agents, etc. Organophosphate compounds are frequently used as pesticides in agrarian communities all across the world. South Asian countries such as Nepal use vast quantities of Organophosphate compounds for pest control in agriculture. Therefore, accidental and suicidal ingestion of Organophosphate compound poisoning has been common especially among the agricultural rural communities. Apart from muscarinic, nicotinic and central nervous system effects in rare instances, Organophosphate compounds are known to cause pancreatitis. Although pancreatitis is a rare complication of Organophosphate poisoning, it is necessary to evaluate patients with Organophosphate poisoning with serum lipase level, Ultrasound abdomen, and Contrast- Enhanced Computed Tomography(CECT) abdomen in patients with pain abdomen for early detection and management of acute pancreatitis.

The Role of Jordanian Agricultural Policies in Climate Change Responding Affecting Agricultural Production

A study was conducted in Jordan to evaluate the role of Jordanian agricultural policies on agricultural production under the effect of climate change. A scientific questionnaire was distributed to 100 samples of Jordanian citizens who had direct contact with the effect of agricultural policies and they can touch the effect of climate change and agricultural policies on the agricultural production, data selected from farmers, agricultural rural communities, agricultural sector decision makers, and agricultural researchers were selected randomly from different areas in Jordan. The results show that Jordanian are aware of the climate change effect on the agricultural sector and agricultural production, they believe that the most effective ways to face the negative effect of climate change on agricultural production by implementing agricultural regulations and policies which try to develop the Jordan agricultural sector under the effect of climate change. On other hand, results show a significant effect of agricultural policies to adapt and face the climatic changes in Jordan.

Integrated Policy Solutions for Water Scarcity in Agricultural Communities of the American Southwest

The conventional approach of policy interventions in water management that focus on the portions of the system that directly relate to water often lead to unintended consequences that potentially exacerbate water scarcity issues and present challenges to the future viability of many rural agricultural communities. This paper deploys a system dynamics model to illustrate how expanding the policy space of hydrology models to include socioeconomic feedbacks could address these challenges. In this regard, policies that can potentially mitigate general water scarcity in a region of the American Southwest in southern New Mexico are examined. We selected and tested policies with the potential to diminish water scarcity without compromising the system’s economic performance. These policies included supporting choices that reduce or limit the expansion of water-intensive crops, promoting workforce participation, encouraging investment in capital, and regulating land use change processes. The simulation results, after the proposed boundary expansion, unveiled intervention options not commonly exercised by water decision-makers, bolstering the argument that integrated approaches to water research that include socioeconomic feedbacks are crucial for the study of agricultural community resilience.

Prevention of pesticide suicides and the right to life: The intersection of human rights and public health priorities

Suicide by pesticide ingestion is one of the three most common global means of suicide, causing over 150,000 deaths each year. The majority occur in rural agricultural communities, where pesticides are readily available to small-scale farmers and their families in poor under-resourced households. In addition to enormous individual, communal and societal suffering, as well as public health, economic, and developmental harm, human exposure to pesticides leads to serious human rights violations. This article focuses on the right to life, as the main right impacted by pesticide suicides while touching upon other human rights implications of pesticide self-harm. Our analysis shows that, by failing to restrict access to highly hazardous pesticides, states violate their obligations under international human rights law. States, businesses and civil society need to apply the human rights-based approach to preventing pesticide suicides and to develop a comprehensive plan to phase out or ban the most harmful pesticides.

The contribution of climate smart interventions to enhance sustainable livelihoods in Chiredzi District

Climate change impacts are exposing populations to many losses. Climate change impacts namely severe floods, droughts, extreme temperatures and storms are hindering attainment of sustainable livelihoods to most populations. This study sort to analyze the contribution of climate smart interventions targeting enhancement of sustainable livelihoods in Chiredzi District’s agricultural rural communities. Interventions have been implemented by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) (CARE & PLAN) in collaboration with Government departments and communities. A pragmatist research philosophy encompassing both interpretivist (qualitative) and positivist (quantitative) paradigms was adopted to comprehensively answer research objectives. Household survey questionnaire was the main quantitative tool administered to randomly selected households. Interviews were conducted with purposively selected key informant interviewees from the Department of Agriculture Technical and Extension services, CARE, PLAN International, District Development Coordinator and Rural District Council. Adoption of climate smart interventions by 60.6% of the respondents in communities studied yielded notable successes whereby it enhanced sustainable livelihoods through ending poverty amongst vulnerable communities. Some, 67% of the respondents did fodder production to manage livestock production challenges induced by climate change. It also improved community well-being by increasing sources of livelihoods. The study recommends adoption of more climate smart interventions that ensures livelihood sustainability.

Nitrate Levels in Rural Drinking Water in Belize.

Background.Health issues have been associated with the consumption of high levels of nitrates in drinking water. Rural agricultural communities in Belize play a large role in the economic growth of the country. These communities obtain drinking water directly from the ground and may be susceptible to nitrate consumption and at risk of developing diseases associated with nitrates.Objectives.The present study examined nitrate levels in Belize's rural water supply with the aim of assessing its suitability for human and livestock consumption. The study also provides baseline data for monitoring the concentration of nitrates to prevent public health hazards in Belize.Methods.Forty-three (43) water samples from reservoirs, wells, vats, and standpipes were collected from 40 villages in Belize and analyzed for nitrates using the cadmium reduction method. Nitrates were detected with an Orion® AquaMate® 8000 UV-Vis spectrophotometer at 520 nm. The Belize Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute laboratory analyzed all water samples for nitrates.Results.Except for four water samples from four different sites, all analyzed water samples were found to contain nitrate levels below 10 mg/L. Nitrate levels above 10 mg/L were seen in a few samples in the northern part of the country, probably due to agricultural activities in these areas.Conclusions.Belize's rural drinking water contains low levels of nitrates, except for a few villages where the levels exceeded the acceptable limit of 10 mg/L. Higher levels of nitrates detected in a few villages need regular evaluation and monitoring to avoid public health issues as well as prevent harm to livestock.Competing Interests.The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Integrando un enfoque de igualdad en la evaluación de acceso al agua para riego en una comunidad andina

Development statistics for Bolivia reflect considerable inequalities among people, for instance, poverty rates are much higher in rural agricultural communities, where living conditions depend to a great extent on access to water resources. Many policy interventions ignore the principle of equality, and in some cases even exacerbate differences. In this paper, we examine water access for irrigation in an Andean community, integrating a perspective of equality based on data disaggregation. By analyzing the available data, we identified that tenure of rights and distribution priority are the main criteria that control water access in the community. Based on these criteria, water demand was disaggregated into 28 groups and the system was simulated using the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) software, which allowed us to assess water demand coverage. Some groups receive less than 20% of their water demand, while others receive almost 100%. These inequalities are hidden in an aggregated model, which shows that the entire system never receives less than 60% of water demand. An evaluation of future climate change scenarios showed that water demand coverage could decline a further 15% in the dry season. The implementation of planned strategies, however, could counteract that decline by increasing supply and storage facilities; the model showed that implementing these strategies could raise water demand coverage up to 80% for some groups; however, others still face shortages. This study highlights methods and tools in planning that can strengthen existing equality approaches, and increase the efficiency in reducing poverty and inequality through water management.

The Rural Agricultural Neighbors’ Communities: Logic vs History

Rural neighbors’ communities are observed in various periods in many countries. Usually they are understood as the survival of primordial social structures, as the remnants of a tribal system, which allegedly was peculiar to human beings from the very beginning of social history. This community theory was based on: 1) some misinterpreted contemporary (for the 19th century) remnants of communality (in Germany, Russia and India); 2) research on the tribal society of American Indians (L.G. Morgan) and 3) on the logic, on the deep persuasion that a man was primordially a community member and only after some time and development acquired individualistic notions. This concept was perceived by K. Marx and F. Engels and, therefore, became the indisputable dogma in the Soviet and, unfortunately, in some Post-Soviet historical and theoretical historical studies. The author of the article shows groundlessness of such kinds of ar-guments and reveals his own concept of formation of rural agricultural communities in various countries as institutions, providing the formation and functioning of political and economic systems of class (stratified, developed) society. They had various forms depending on their composition: they were rather composed with the lower social stratum (peasantry), or they included privileged people as well, and on their main functions: securing of rights or of their obligations. Periodical redistributions of land, if any, accordingly, were of two types: based on sharing common property, or on usages of distribution of rents and revenues.

Analysis on the Status Quo and Characteristics of the Living Space of Native Agricultural Rural Communities in China

Analysis on the Status Quo and Characteristics of the Living Space of Native Agricultural Rural Communities in China

Análisis técnico-económico de la erosión del suelo y su impacto en el bienestar de productores

Soil erosion in rural agricultural communities in Mexico and low yields is the subject of the present work, places where production has stopped due to the low profitability and productivity generated by the loss of nutrients as a result of natural phenomena, as well as by the action of man. The objective is to identify the current condition of the soil and its impact on agricultural production, in order to suggest soil improvement and conservation techniques appropriate to regional characteristics, to raise the income level of producers in a rural community of Hidalgo, Mexico. The work is divided into three stages: the first consisted of identifying the predominant agricultural crops; the second, sampling to develop the soil analysis; the third, to evaluate economically the income that currently generates the agricultural activities that are practiced in the community and later to evaluate the changes that could be generated when applying measures of soil conservation; as well as the application of the methodology to identify the profitability and the products.

Seasonal Food Insecurity in Haydom, Tanzania, Is Associated with Low Birthweight and Acute Malnutrition: Results from the MAL-ED Study.

.In rural agricultural communities in Africa, particularly those with a single annual harvest, the preharvest period has been associated with increased food insecurity. We estimated the association between seasonal food insecurity and childhood malnutrition in Haydom, Tanzania. Children enrolled in a birth cohort study were followed twice weekly to document food intake and monthly for anthropometry until the age of 2 years. Household food insecurity was reported by caregivers every 6 months. We modeled the seasonality of food insecurity and food consumption, and estimated the impact of birth season on enrollment weight and subsequent malnutrition. Finally, we described the seasonality of admissions for acute malnutrition at a local referral hospital (Haydom Lutheran Hospital) from 2010 to 2015. Food insecurity was highly seasonal, with a peak from December to February. Children born during these 3 months had an average 0.35 z-score (95% CI: 0.12, 0.58) lower enrollment weight than children born in other months. In addition, weight-for-length z-scores measured in these months were on average 0.15 z-scores lower (95% CI: 0.10, 0.20) than that in other months, adjusting for enrollment weight and seasonal infectious diseases, and this disparity was sustained up to the age of 2 years. Correspondingly, the number of admissions with acute malnutrition at the local hospital was highest at this time, with twice as many cases in December–February compared with June–August. We identified acute and chronic malnutrition associated with seasonal food insecurity and intake. Targeting of prenatal care and child-feeding interventions during high food insecurity months may help reduce child malnutrition.

Promena koncepta ruralne zajednice i njegov značaj za prenos svojine na poljoprivrednom zemljištu

Primarily focusing on the European Union (EU) law and the national law of the Member States of the EU, this paper presents the changing legal concept of rural communities and/or agricultural communities (hereinafter together referred to as rural communities). Since the EU's concept of rural communities is significantly based on the definition provided by the Council of Europe, hence, the paper also asesses the background of the rural communities' concept connected to the Council of Europe, namely, the European Charter for Rural Areas and scientific reports connected to the Charter. The legal definition of rural communities is elementary for Hungary-among others-since the conservation of rural communities was a determining reason at the time of the adoption of the new Hungarian land law. According to the jurisdictions of the Court of Justice of the European Union, certain aspects of the conservation of rural communities shall serve as a legal public interest objective for national measures concerning land transactions. Therefore, this situation raises the question: what does the term 'rural community' mean.

Eliminating malaria by 2040 among agricultural households in Africa: potential impact on health, labor productivity, education and gender equality.

Background: Ambitious goals have been set to eradicate malaria by the year 2040. Given the high poverty levels and the intense levels of malaria transmission in sub-Saharan Africa, suppressing malaria in rural agricultural communities in these regions will be one of the greatest challenges to achieving malaria eradication. This study has two objectives. The first is to estimate how eradicating malaria by 2040 would affect agricultural households in sub-Saharan Africa. The second is to identify where additional research is needed to develop better estimates of how eradicating malaria by 2040 would affect those households. Methods: Using agricultural census data and malaria morbidity data, we developed estimates of the number of malaria cases in 2018 among agricultural households with fewer than 10 hectares of land for 35 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. By combining these estimates with additional evidence from the literature, we analyzed how achieving malaria eradication by 2040 would affect indicators related to four Sustainable Development Goals: health, poverty, education and gender equality. Results: Our analysis found that achieving malaria eradication by 2040 would prevent approximately 841 million cases of malaria and thereby decrease the number of lost workdays among agricultural households by approximately 3.2 billion days. Eradicating malaria by 2040 would also increase the number of school days attended by children by 1.5 billion days while also reducing the number of caregiving days provided by women for malaria cases by approximately 1.1 billion days. Conclusions: This article analyzes the impact of eradicating malaria among agricultural households in sub-Saharan Africa using indicators related to four of the Sustainable Development Goals. Enhanced data collection efforts related to these four indicators would facilitate more rigorous estimates of how eradicating malaria would affect these indicators over the next two decades.

Eliminating malaria by 2040 among agricultural households in Africa: potential impact on health, labor productivity, education and gender equality

Background: Ambitious goals have been set to eradicate malaria by the year 2040. Given the high poverty levels and the intense levels of malaria transmission in sub-Saharan Africa, suppressing malaria in rural agricultural communities in these regions will be one of the greatest challenges to achieving malaria eradication. This study has two objectives. The first is to estimate how eradicating malaria by 2040 would affect agricultural households in sub-Saharan Africa. The second is to identify where additional research is needed to develop better estimates of how eradicating malaria by 2040 would affect those households. Methods: Using agricultural census data and malaria morbidity data, we developed estimates of the number of malaria cases in 2018 among agricultural households with fewer than 10 hectares of land for 35 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. By combining these estimates with additional evidence from the literature, we analyzed how achieving malaria eradication by 2040 would affect indicators related to four Sustainable Development Goals: health, poverty, education and gender equality. Results: Our analysis found that achieving malaria eradication by 2040 would prevent approximately 841 million cases of malaria and thereby decrease the number of lost workdays among agricultural households by approximately 3.2 billion days. Eradicating malaria by 2040 would also increase the number of school days attended by children by 1.5 billion days while also reducing the number of caregiving days provided by women for malaria cases by approximately 1.1 billion days. Conclusions: This article analyzes the impact of eradicating malaria among agricultural households in sub-Saharan Africa using indicators related to four of the Sustainable Development Goals. Enhanced data collection efforts related to these four indicators would facilitate more rigorous estimates of how eradicating malaria would affect these indicators over the next two decades.

Eliminating malaria by 2040 among agricultural households in Africa: potential impact on health, labor productivity, education and gender equality

Background: Ambitious goals have been established to eradicate malaria by the year 2040. Suppressing malaria in rural agricultural communities in sub-Saharan Africa represents one of the greatest challenges to achieving malaria eradication given the poverty and high intensity of malaria transmission in these regions. The objective of this study is to examine how suppressing malaria among smallholder agricultural households in sub-Saharan Africa over the next two decades will affect progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.Methods: Using agricultural census data and malaria morbidity data, we developed estimates of the number of malaria cases among smallholder agricultural households for each country in sub-Saharan Africa. Using these estimates as well as additional data from the literature, we analyzed how achieving malaria eradication by 2040 would affect indicators related to four Sustainable Development Goals: health, poverty, education and gender equality.Results: Our analysis found that achieving malaria eradication would prevent approximately 1 billion malaria cases and thereby decrease the number of lost work-days among agricultural households due to malaria morbidity by approximately 3.8 billion days. Eradicating malaria by 2040 would also increase the number of school days attended by children by 4.5 billion days while also reducing the number of caregiving days by women for malaria cases by approximately 1.9 billion days.Conclusions: This article analyzed the impact of eradicating malaria among smallholder agricultural households in sub-Saharan Africa in terms of four of the Sustainable Development Goals. Greater recognition of the non-health benefits of achieving malaria eradication could catalyze the agricultural sector to intensify their contributions to eradicating malaria.

Direct production of lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) from wood using p-toluenesulfonic acid in an aqueous system at 80°C: characterization of LNP morphology, size, and surface charge

Abstract Lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) from renewable lignocelluloses can be a valuable building block for a variety of applications and could contribute to the economic development in rural agricultural communities. Current technologies for producing LNPs are not cost effective and use toxic solvents. In this study, LNPs were produced by fractionating poplar wood at ≤80°C with a recyclable hydrotrope p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TsOH) in an aqueous system. The dissolved lignin was separated as LNPs simply by diluting the spent liquor (SL) to the minimal hydrotrope concentration (HCmin) of 11.5%. The p-TsOH, a solid acid, can be easily recycled by re-concentrating the diluted SL after lignin separation. The LNP size, morphology, and surface charge were controlled by the dilution ratio, speed, pH, and ionic strength of the LNP sol. The LNPs were analyzed by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and found to be fairly stable in terms of mean particle size and surface charge over a period of 2 weeks. Fractionation conditions also affected LNP properties.

The production of human-wildlife conflict: A political animal geography of encounter

This study examines how transformations of a regional rural economy have produced new geographies of encounter between agricultural communities, their livestock, and carnivores surrounding Bandipur National Park in Karnataka, India. We analyze state discourses of human-wildlife conflict alongside the perspectives of rural agricultural communities about changes in human-wildlife interactions. Our study shows how state narratives about human-wildlife conflict mask more foundational changes in the livelihood strategies of agricultural villages in response both to park management and regional economic transformations, and how these changes are inherently woven into the production of new geographies of human-wildlife encounter. Our results suggest declining tolerance for injury and death of cattle by carnivores represents the cumulative impacts of a transformation of the livestock economy and more aggressive protected area management strategies. This research also suggests how political ecology can maintain its commitments to social justice while becoming more attuned to animals as political actors.