Selection Of Beneficiaries Research Articles

Water, land, and air: how do residents of Brazilian remote rural territories travel to access health services?

BackgroundEnsuring adequate and safe means of travel is essential for maintaining and improving the health and well-being of residents of rural communities worldwide. This article maps costs, distances, travel times, and means of elective and urgent/emergency health transport in Brazilian remote rural municipalities.MethodsMultiple case studies were conducted in 27 remote rural municipalities using a qualitative method. A total of 178 key informants (managers, doctors, and nurses) were interviewed. Secondary data from national information systems were analyzed for the socioeconomic characterization, to identify the costs, distances, and travel times. Through the thematic content analysis of the interviews, the means of transport, and strategies developed by managers, professionals and users for their provision were identified.ResultsThe costs of traveling between remote rural municipalities and locations where most of specialized and hospital services are centered can compromise a significant part of the families’ income. The insufficiency, restriction of days, times, and routes of health transport affects the selection of beneficiaries based on socioeconomic criteria in places of high vulnerability and less investment in road infrastructure. In remote rural municipalities, travelling to seek health care involves inter-municipal and intra-municipal flows, as their territories have dispersed populations. Several means of transport were identified – air, river, and land – which are often used in a complementary way in the same route. Some patients travel for more than 1000 km, with travel times exceeding 20 h, especially in the Amazon region. While the demands for urgent and emergency transport are partially met by national public policy, the same is not true for the elective transport of patients. The impossibility of providing health transport under the exclusive responsibility of the municipalities is identified.ConclusionsFor the remote rural municipalities populations, the absence of national public policies for sufficient, continuous, and timely provision of transport for health services worsens the cycle of inequities and compromises the assumption of the universal right to health care.

A hybrid approach to targeting social assistance

Proxy means testing (PMT) and community-based targeting (CBT) are two of the leading methods for targeting social assistance in developing countries. We present a hybrid targeting method that incorporates CBT’s emphasis on local information and preferences with PMT’s reliance on verifiable indicators. Specifically, we outline a Bayesian framework for targeting that resembles PMT in that beneficiary selection is based on a weighted sum of sociodemographic characteristics, but we instead propose calibrating the weights to preference rankings from community targeting exercises. We discuss several practical extensions to the model, including a generalization to multiple rankings per community, an adjustment for elite capture, a method for incorporating auxiliary information on potential beneficiaries, and a dynamic updating procedure. We further provide an empirical illustration using data from Burkina Faso and Indonesia, which shows that our method achieves error rates lower than what PMT achieves when targeting household expenditures.

A perspective review on the paradigm shift in Local Economic Development interventions in developmental Uganda

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to investigate the success of one LED intervention – the youth livelihood program from obtainable literature.
 Methodology: This study adopted a desk review method using secondary data from obtainable policy, theoretical and empirical literature.
 Findings: Results suggest a recurrent problem in the selection of beneficiaries, inept business management skills of the youth selected and/or administrative incompetence of fund administrators. Consequently, the need to refocus the current training on agricultural value addition training with a view of meeting the credit value criteria of Commercial Banks and relevant agencies tasked with disbursement of Youth Entrepreneurship Funds is key.
 Recommendations: It is encouraged that training of youth in business development, scaling, marketing, and management be integrated into the BTVET curriculum and supported by mentorship programs upon completion of their formal training. Also, mentorships and business incubators and/or hubs need to be set up and to be accessed by the youth themselves country wide.
 Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: This analysis contributes to the LED policy and YLP practice seeing that it targets household level income generation, creation of prosperity and enhanced sources of revenue, as well as giving support to the active poor to progress basing on the available means.

SISTEM PENDUKUNG KEPUTUSAN UNTUK PENYELEKSIAN CALON PENERIMA BANTUAN PROGRAM INDONESIA PINTAR MENGGUNAKAN SIMPLE ADDITIVE WEIGHTING

The "Program Indonesia Pintar" (PIP) is a program from the Indonesian government to help children from poor families to get the proper education. Schools often deal with obstacles when selecting the students who are eligible for the PIP grant, due to the process of collecting and managing many registration files, thus requiring high accuracy to prevent errors in the selection results. Therefore, this research aims to develop a website of Decision Support System to support the tasks of the PIP recipient selection committee. The Decision Support System applies the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method to obtain the selection results from the ranking of the requirements data handed over by the applicants for the selection of PIP beneficiaries. Then this research applies the Waterfall software development method to analyze, design and develop the Decision Support System website. Furthermore, the results of the black box test indicate that the functions of this Decision Support System work according to their objectives. The system can manage the selection registration data and generate the rankings of prospective PIP beneficiaries.

High Poverty Rate Amidst Empowerment Programmes: The Impact of Skills Acquisition on Poverty Reduction in Rural Cross River State, Nigeria

This study sought to examine skills acquisition and its effect on poverty reduction in rural Cross River State, Nigeria. Thus, providing policy guide towards government effective implementation of skills acquisition programmes in the state in order to reduce poverty at the grassroots. Survey method of research was utilized to obtain information from households and communities. Five thousand and four (5004) respondents were selected using ballot method. Data were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (r x y). The findings of the study show that the skill acquisition programmes organized by Cross River State Government has not significantly reduced rural poverty in the state. The study concluded that despite government intention to provide skills to the rural people in order to be functionally relevant in their local environments, there were some obnoxious practices which served as obstacles to the successful implementation of these programmes in the rural areas of the state. Some of these include: the supply of obsolete equipment, dishonest attitude of the programme managers and prebendal selection of beneficiaries. Based on the findings, the study recommended that the government should increase the quantity of items and materials given to the trainees. One cannot acquire skills without equipment. It amounts to giving somebody training without creating job opportunities. It is as good as nothing. Therefore, if government is serious with poverty reduction programme, trainees should have their materials ready at the point of graduation or passing out. Capacity building demands that availability of materials as the basis for success on a given task should be given prompt attention.

Serum cytokine levels for predicting immune-related adverse events and the clinical response in lung cancer treated with immunotherapy.

BackgroundAt present, immunotherapy has become an important treatment for lung cancer. With the widespread use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), we must be strict with the emergence of immune related adverse events (irAEs). There are also some patients who do not respond to immunotherapy. However, there was no biomarkers to predict the safety and efficacy of immunotherapy. The selection of immunotherapy beneficiaries contributes to improving the efficacy and safety of lung cancer treatment.MethodThe electronic medical records of 221 lung cancer patients with complete clinical data who received immunotherapy from the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi ‘an Jiaotong University from November 2020 to October 2021 were collected and followed up. IBM SPSS Statistic 26.0 and R 4.1.2 software were used for statistical analysis and mapping.Results1. A total of 221 lung cancer patients receiving immunotherapy were included in the study. Higher baseline levels of IL-1β (7.88 vs 16.16pg/mL, P=0.041) and IL-2 (1.28 vs 2.48pg/mL, P=0.001) were significantly associated with irAEs. Higher levels of IL-5 (2.64 vs 5.68pg/mL, P=0.013), IFN-α (1.70 vs 3.56pg/mL, P=0.004) and IFN-γ (6.14 vs 21.31pg/mL, P=0.022) after the first cycle therapy were associated with irAEs. There was no statistical significance between cytokines and irAEs after the second cycle therapy. Higher IL-5 levels in peripheral blood (9.50 vs 3.57pg/mL, P=0.032) were associated with the occurrence of irAEs after the third cycle therapy. 2.The efficacy of immunotherapy was assessed in 142 lung cancer patients. There was no statistical significance between baseline cytokine levels and clinical benefit. After the first cycle therapy, the level of serum cytokines had no statistical significance with the occurrence of immunotherapy clinical benefit. Lower serum levels of IL-10 (2.66 vs 1.26pg/mL, P=0.016) and IL-17 (8.47 vs 2.81pg/mL, P=0.015) were associated with clinical benefit after the second cycle therapy. Lower serum levels of IL-6 (10.19 vs 41.07pg/mL, P=0.013) and IL-8 (8.01 vs 17.22pg/mL, P=0.039) were associated with clinical benefit of immunotherapy after the third cycle therapy.Conclusion1. Baseline IL-1β and IL-2 levels in peripheral blood were associated with the occurrence of irAEs in lung cancer patients. The levels of IL-5, IFN-α and IFN-γ during treatment were associated with irAEs. 2. Baseline cytokine levels in peripheral blood were not associated with immunotherapy efficacy. The levels of IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-17 levels during treatment were associated with immunotherapy efficacy.

Selection and validation of chemotherapy beneficiaries among elderly nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT): a large real-world study

PurposeUsing real-world evidence, this study aimed to identify elderly nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients who would benefit from chemotherapy.Methods and materials1714 elderly NPC patients between April 2007 and December 2017 were identified. Recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) was used to generate risk-stratified outcomes. Prognostic factors were performed for individual comparisons of different risk groups to assess chemotherapy benefits.ResultsThe median follow-up was 59.3 (0.39–170.09) months. Epstein Barr virus (EBV) DNA and T stage were included in the RPA-generated risk stratification, categorizing patients into a good-prognosis group (EBV DNA ≤ 4000 copies/mL & T1–2), and a poor-prognosis group (EBV DNA ≤ 4000 copies/mL & T3–4 and EBV DNA > 4000 copies/mL & any T). Overall survival (OS) was significantly higher in the good-prognosis group compared with the training set (HR = 0.309, 95% CI 0.184–0.517; P < 0.001), and validated in the testing set (HR = 0.276, 95% CI 0.113–0.670; P = 0.002). In the poor-prognosis group, a significantly improved OS for chemoradiotherapy (CRT) compared with RT alone was observed (HR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.55–0.88; P = 0.003). Patients who received induction chemotherapy (IC) + concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and CCRT had a significantly improved OS compared with RT alone (IC + CCRT vs. RT alone: P = 0.002; CCRT vs. RT alone: P = 0.008) but not in the IC + RT group (P = 0.306). The 5-year OS for CRT versus RT-alone with ACE-27 scores of 0, 1 and 2 were 76.0% versus 70.0% (P = 0.014), 80.5% versus 68.2% (P = 0.150) and 58.5% versus 62.2% (P = 0.490), respectively; for those aged 60–64, 65–70 and ≥ 70 years old they were 80.9% versus 75.9% (P = 0.068), 73.3% versus 63.4% (P = 0.270) and 64.8% versus 67.1% (P = 0.820), respectively.ConclusionsFor elderly NPC patients a simple screening cutoff for chemotherapy beneficiaries might be EBV DNA < 4000 copies/ml & T3–4 and EBV DNA ≥ 4000 copies/ml & any T, but not for those > 70 years old and with an ACE-27 score > 1. IC + CCRT and CCRT were effective forms of chemotherapy.

Are climate finance subsidies equitably distributed among farmers? Assessing socio-demographics of solar irrigation in Nepal

Solar-powered irrigation pumps are a vital tool for both climate change adaptation and mitigation. Since most developing countries cannot fully utilize large-scale global funds for climate finance due to limited institutional capacities, small-scale solar irrigation pumps (SIPs) can provide a climate-resilient technological solution. We study the case of a subsidized SIP program in Nepal to understand who likely benefits from a small-scale climate finance program in a developing country setting. We analyze government data on profiles of farmers applying for SIPs and in-depth interviews with different actors along the SIP service chain. We find that vulnerable farmers (women, ethnic minorities, and poor farmers) were less likely than wealthier and non-minority farmers to have access to climate finance subsidies. Even though the government agency gave preference to women and ethnic minority farmers during beneficiary selection, an unrepresentative pool of applicants resulting from social and institutional barriers that prevented them from applying to the program led to an inequitable distribution of subsidized SIPs. The lack of a clear policy framework for allocating climate finance subsidies was a significant constraint. Lack of periodic updating of SIP prices and poor provision of after-sale services were also responsible for the inequitable distribution of subsidized SIPs. We recommend the involvement of local governments in soliciting applications from a wider pool of farmers, periodic revision of SIP prices to reflect market price, replacement of the current fixed subsidy scheme with a variable subsidy scheme, and mandatory provisions of after-sales services.

The pursuit of simplicity: Can simplifying eligibility criteria improve social pension targeting?

Governments in developing countries struggle to reach intended beneficiaries when targeting social transfers towards vulnerable populations. Rates of eligible individuals not receiving social transfers and ineligible individuals receiving them tend to be high, constraining the effectiveness of such anti-poverty programs. While interventions to incentivize or monitor local agents in charge of selecting beneficiaries are typically expensive, an important complementary and cost-effective approach could be to reform eligibility criteria to facilitate the selection of beneficiaries. Whether reforms should focus on reducing the number of rules, or selecting criteria which are easy to verify, or do both remains an unanswered question. We address this knowledge gap based on India’s social pension scheme for elderly poor. We find that making eligibility criteria easier to verify has the potential to achieve a substantial improvement in the targeting performance through a reduction in the exclusion error. Those who meet the relevant criteria have a much higher chance of actually becoming beneficiaries. Since eligibility criteria can be changed at low cost, this suggests a viable route for reform in many developing countries. However, a major caveat remains that criteria must sufficiently well reflect actual poverty if the more accurate selection of beneficiaries according to formal criteria shall also translate into actual poverty reduction.

Are return-of-service bursaries an effective investment to build health workforce capacity? A qualitative study of key South African policymakers.

Return-of-service schemes (RoS) or bursaries are used in South Africa and other nations to publicly fund the training of skilled health professionals in return for the beneficiary agreeing to return to serve in their local provinces on a year-for-year basis. This study aimed to understand insights of key policymakers in South African provinces to identify barriers and solutions to implementation of RoS schemes used to recruit and retain skilled health professionals. This research draws on the insights of 16 key South African policymakers from eight of its nine provinces through semi-structured, qualitative interviews. The respondents were interviewed through Microsoft Teams virtual platform, either in pairs (ten) or as individuals (six). Data were analysed using inductive, thematic analysis in NVIVO. The study was reported according to the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research. Respondents reported that the schemes had resulted in an increase in the number of skilled health professionals and had provided opportunities for study and employment for previously marginalised groups. Formal evaluations of the impact of the schemes were not reported, however, a number of shortcomings with current schemes were identified that were likely limiting their effectiveness. Respondents reported a lack of foresight in the scheme implementation including a bias in the selection of beneficiaries towards medical professionals at the expense of other health workers. Furthermore, failure to plan for practice location when beneficiaries finished training limited the capacity of the schemes to meet the needs of local populations. Monitoring of recipients was limited by loopholes in contract design, decision-making and poor coordination between departments. Between 1 and 30% of beneficiaries were reported to default their contracts with some not completing their studies, some not returning after completing their internship and others terminating their services before concluding their contracts. Return-of-service schemes have helped in overcoming health professional shortages. However, they haven't been formally evaluated. Several planning and implementation shortcomings were identified which can be improved to enhance access to healthcare in South Africa.

Identifying beneficiaries for sustainable development in low- and middle-income countries

Implementation projects on sustainable development have already triggered the global transfer of funds through multi-lateral agencies. The selection of beneficiaries at the local level is an intriguing problem in the developmental sector and does not have a single-window solution. In absence of equitable selection, a fraction of beneficiaries might be benefitted over and over again and the rest remain deprived. The proposed opinion will discuss the challenges of selecting beneficiaries in the developing countries and shade lights in some of the probable solutions which can be used. The present opinion also suggest measures needs to be taken by funding agency, and implementing agency to create more transparent framework and assure maximal utilization of available funds.

Poverty-alleviation programs in Tunisia: selection processes and targeting performance indicators at the regional level

PurposeThis paper aims to evaluate the social safety nets in Tunisia using targeting performance indicators which consider the divergence observed between the beneficiary selection process at the regional level and the official identification of poor.Design/methodology/approachIn the first part of this research, the author intend to quantify the degree of association between social programs coverage and poverty incidence, with special emphasis on the contribution of the center's targeting of regions and on the efforts of the regions themselves to reach their poor households. Next, the author measure four targeting errors: inclusion and exclusion errors, by eligibility and by poverty. These targeting errors help policymakers to understand how well a program is performing in terms of its specific eligibility criteria and knowing whether a social transfer is reaching poor people at the regional level.FindingsThe author’s empirical findings show there is a positive targeting differential which rejects the nullity of independence between poverty incidence and coverage of the program in Tunisia. The author then found that the overall targeting differential is accounted for by the intra-region component. After estimating the eligibility thresholds at the regional level, the author found that the targeting performance differs from one region to another, while some recorded gains that others did not.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, no research has addressed the distinction between eligibility and poverty in the measurement of targeting errors. Thus, this paper contains research to fill this gap. It differs from previous studies in two important ways. First, the targeting errors will be estimated on the basis of the official eligibility criteria used at the regional level. Second, we estimate the eligibility thresholds by considering the programs coverage rate variations between regions based on quotas allocated to each governorate by the Ministry of Social Affairs (MSA).

Buying out the political support of the poor with Ghana’s leap programme: An empirical fact or fiction?

There is a consensus around the view that pro-poor programmes constitute an effective response to extreme poverty. However, available evidence indicates that the political class in many nascent democracies use such programmes to extract electoral returns from the poor beneficiaries. The Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP) programme attempts to support the poor to leap out of poverty. Using concurrent mixed methods approach, this article examined the extent to which LEAP benefits get to the poor, and also to ascertain if the recipients feel compelled to reciprocate government’s generosity by supporting the incumbent electorally. The results suggest that the selection of LEAP communities and beneficiaries are motivated by partisan consideration. Thus, politicians use LEAP to reward party supporters. It concludes that LEAP benefits constitute insufficient motivation to swing the political support of beneficiaries toward the incumbent since most of them were affiliated to either NPP or NDC prior to their selection.

Implementation Challenges of Land Redistribution Programme in South Africa

Upon assuming political office, the ANC government instituted a land redistribution programme to address the land ownership injustice perpetrated during the apartheid regime whereby the non-white citizens owned only 7% of land in South Africa. However, the programme has not achieved the set target; thus, this study sought to understand the challenges curtailing the successful implementation of the programme. The study used a qualitative research approach. An in-depth interview was conducted with three purposefully selected senior officials from three Departments in Greater Kokstad Municipality involved in the land redistribution programme’s implementation. The findings indicate that the major issues curtailing the programme's implementation are land claim disputes and mediation process, reliance on the willing-seller-willing-buyer model, lack of institutional capacity, cumbersome beneficiary selection process, land beneficiary resettlement support, and inadequate programme’s monitoring and evaluation. There is an urgent need for the government to institute measures to address the challenges preventing the smooth implementation of the land redistribution programme in South Africa. These challenges prevent the programme’s beneficiaries from accessing the land, thus preventing them from experiencing socio-economic emancipation as promised.

Update on Poly ADP-Ribose Polymerase Inhibitors in Ovarian Cancer With Non-BRCA Mutations.

Poly ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitor (PARPi) has become an important maintenance therapy for ovarian cancer after surgery and cytotoxic chemotherapy, which has changed the disease management model of ovarian cancer, greatly decreased the risk of recurrence, and made the prognosis of ovarian cancer better to certain extent. The three PARPis currently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the treatment of ovarian cancer are Olaparib, Niraparib and Rucaparib. With the incremental results from new clinical trials, the applicable population of PARPi for ovarian cancer have expanded to population with non-BRCA mutations. Although BRCA mutated population are still the main beneficiaries of PARPi, recent clinical trials indicated PARPis’ therapeutic potential in non-BRCA mutated population, especially in homologous recombination repair deficiency (HRD) positive population. However, lack of unified HRD status detection method poses a challenge for the accurate selection of PARPi beneficiaries. The reversal of homologous recombination (HR) function during the treatment will not only cause resistance to PARPis, but also reduce the accuracy of the current method to determine HRD status. Therefore, the development of reliable HRD status detection methods to determine the beneficiary population, as well as rational combination treatment are warranted. This review mainly summarizes the latest clinical trial results and combination treatment of PARPis in ovarian cancer with non-BRCA mutations, and discusses the application prospects, including optimizing combination therapy against drug resistance, developing unified and accurate HRD status detection methods for patient selection and stratification. This review further poses an interesting topic: the efficacy and safety in patients retreated with PARPis after previous PARPi treatment---“PARPi after PARPi”.

Implementation process evaluation of an improved cookstove program in rural San Luis Potosi, Mexico

The government of San Luis Potosí (SLP) in Mexico implemented the Ecological Cookstove Program (ECSP) during the period 2010–15, subsidizing over 60,000 improved cookstoves with the goal of addressing poverty in rural communities where people cook with fuelwood in open fires. As part of the comprehensive summative program evaluation conducted during 2014–2016, we assessed the implementation processes analyzing the regulations governing the program and contrasting them with the opinion of the officials and users involved in the program.The evaluation of the operation processes of the program was conducted using three qualitative techniques: documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews, and in depth interviews of stakeholders (government officials and beneficiaries).The processes of social marketing, selection of beneficiaries and follow up were identified as the critical nodes for the successful implementation of the program. There was no document detailing the overall process and this was reflected in a lack of standardization in the execution of each step of the process.This type of programs should go beyond a change in technology, i.e., they need to consider the state's social, cultural, and economic factors, and their difference among the different regions of the state. In summary, the evaluation presents eight recommended actions which should be considered during the design and implementation phases of these type of programs.

Factors affecting sustainability of agricultural machinery assistance program

One of the Ministry of Agriculture’s efforts to support agricultural development is by providing equipment and machinery assistance. There are many multi-dimensional problems, both technical, socio-cultural, economic, and environmental. This study aimed to analyze the sustainability status of the agricultural equipment and machinery assistance program. This research was conducted in 2020 with the object of the two-wheeled tractor and four-wheeled tractor assistance program in 2018-2019. Research location covers six districts, the selection of site determined by the provinces considered the most successful and the least successful in realizing activities. The sustainability status of the activity program was analyzed using Multidimensional Scale Analysis. The collected data and information through structured questionnaires from 47 institutional respondents and literature studies, both printed and electronic. The results showed that agricultural equipment and machinery assistance program (TR2 and TR4) was less sustainable. The comparison of the MDS value and Monte Carlo’s analysis was 49.93, with an R2 value of 89%. The S-Stress statistical test is still relatively high, namely 0.30 (above 0.25), which means improvements and refinement needs from the implementation aspect. Improvements from various elements are divides into two groups. First, leverage factors that encourage the sustainability and success of the implementation of activities, and the second is the improvement of the performance of TR2 and TR4 beneficiary groups. Policy recommendations for implementing future program activities are a strict selection of potential beneficiaries and improvements in the management aspects of beneficiaries at the farmer level by providing guidance.

Sustainable Livelihood Program for Purok Arao, Barangay Vista Alegre, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines

This paper assessed the workability of a sustainable livelihood program for poor urban dwellers relocated to Purok Arao, Barangay Vista Alegre, in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines in line with the government’s poverty-alleviation initiatives. The program’s viability was analyzed in reference to respondents’ socio-economic profile, skills training needs, and a host of anticipated issues and concerns within the community. Data needed were collected using a self-made survey questionnaire, which was administered to randomly sampled respondents (N=817; n=269). Said data were later complemented by a focus-group discussion (FGD) with ten (10) selected participants fairly representing all segments of the community. Initial data analysis characterized the respondents’ demographic profile with the older residents outnumbering the younger ones, the females surpassing the males, and the married outstripping the single, widowed, and separated ones combined. Additional data reveal that less than 50% of the residents are high school graduates, but 77% of them own a house. The majority recorded a meager family income of Php8,450, which was attributable to their low educational attainment and limited skills in cooking, personal services, and construction work. Subsequent analysis revealed the respondents’ preferred livelihood skills in food and beverage, baking/pastry making, dressmaking, tailoring, culinary arts, automotive servicing, food preservation, electrical servicing, welding, beauty care, cosmetology, massage therapy, and communication and information technology. These findings call for a methodical selection of target beneficiaries, continuous skills training development program, cultivation of entrepreneurial mindset, and strengthening partnership with LGUs and other NGOs to bankroll the proposed sustainable development livelihood program.

IMPACT OF KVK IN DOUBLING FARMERS INCOME IN SITAPUR DISTRICT OF UTTAR PRADESH

More than half of Indian population were engaged in agricultural sector but the available technology doesn’t ensure food security of the country. Hence, to diffuse new agricultural invention and innovation in the farming community, there arises a need for effective medium for transfer of technology. Thus, KVK bridges the gap between the technology generation and dissemination. The present study was proposed to understand the impact of KVK in doubling farmers income to formulate suitable programmes. For the study, descriptive research design was adopted. 120 respondents from Biswan taluk of Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh were selected as respondents. Primary data collected from respondents and secondary data from available literatures. The findings revealed that majority of the respondents were middle aged, illiterate, upto 5 members in their family, medium level of annual income, possesses their own land, agriculture as their main occupation, medium level of mass media exposure, office bearer in one organization, high level of extension contact. Meanwhile, more than half of the respondents had reported medium level of impact towards the activities carried out by KVK, beneficiary selection is not unbiased is a major constraint suggested that maximum emphasis should be given on learning by doing.

The effects of the Malawi Farm Input Subsidy Program on household per-capita consumption convergence

ABSTRACT The Malawi Farm Input Subsidy Program (FISP) was praised for turning the country's food deficit into a surplus after inception in 2005. It is, however, not clear whether these food security gains spill over to equity in distribution of welfare. We examine the effects of the FISP on per-capita consumption convergence, on 2251 households interviewed in 2010–2013 Malawi Integrated Household Panel Survey. The analysis employs a Lewbel method of instrumental variables to account for non-random selection of beneficiaries into the programme. The results reveal that FISP helps relatively poor farmers increase household per-capita consumption towards converging to that of the relatively rich. This convergence is robust only among small but not large farmers. Past studies that evaluated the FISP while not paying attention to the welfare equity gains in household per-capita consumption, may have underestimated its benefits. Therefore, policy should support the programme with an additional objective of reducing inequality, beyond the primary aim of enhanced food security. Considering that the effects of FISP are limited to small farmers, alternative interventions such as inputs for credit should be made available to large farmers. This will allow FISP to induce widespread welfare gains.