Subsistence Farming Households Research Articles

Animal waste management and antibiotic-resistant {E. coli} in subsistence farming households of rural Nepal

Animal waste management and antibiotic-resistant {E. coli} in subsistence farming households of rural Nepal

SUBSISTENCE FARMER'S PRODUCTION DIVERSITY AND MARKET ACCESS: IMPACT ON RURAL WOMEN AND CHILDREN'S DIETARY DIVERSITY

Hunger and poverty are severe threats to developing nations like Pakistan. Rural people in developing countries are facing malnutrition and undernourishment due to low-income levels and limited access to nutritious food. Women's diets are the most crucial factor for their health and children. Increased dietary diversity is a significant approach to improving nutrition and health, and it can be enhanced by improving the production diversity among rural subsistence farming households. The study was conducted in four districts of the south Punjab region of Pakistan. Using the well-structured and pretested questionnaire, multistage stratified random sampling was employed to collect data from 600 rural households. The women's dietary diversity score, children's dietary diversity score, and production diversity score were calculated. The results indicate that women's dietary diversity is concerned with production diversity score; its interaction with market access, education, family size, and farming experience positively impacts dietary diversity. In contrast, the age of the respondent has a negative impact. The same association among factors was also observed for children's dietary diversity score. Based on the study results, it is recommended that there is a need to diversify the crops produced by small farmers, especially food crops so that they can get balanced food and not rely much on external purchases. Overall, the Government can play a crucial role by providing opportunities and facilities to grow non-conventional crops instead of conventional cash crops.

Exploring demographic influences on perceptions of agricultural entrepreneurship as a career choice among Lao youth

ABSTRACT Youth participation in agricultural entrepreneurship (agripreneurship) is vital to the sustainable and inclusive modernisation of agrarian societies. We analysed relationships between demographic factors and motivational antecedents of intention to practise small and medium-scale agripreneurship using survey data collected from undergraduate students in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Gender significantly influenced attitudes, family occupational background influenced subjective norms, and place of origin influenced perceived behavioural control: three constructs hypothesised to drive intention according to the theory of planned behaviour. Although students with commercial agriculture/agribusiness family occupational backgrounds were found to have a greater intention to practise agripreneurship than students without, students with subsistence farming family occupational backgrounds were not. Commercialisation of agriculture in Laos therefore requires better engagement of youth from subsistence farming households, as this group has the most to contribute and is at the greatest risk of missing the benefits of modernisation.

A mixed methods assessment of knowledge, attitudes and practices related to aflatoxin contamination and exposure among caregivers of children under 5 years in western Kenya.

Identifying factors that may influence aflatoxin exposure in children under 5 years of age living in farming households in western Kenya. We used a mixed methods design. The quantitative component entailed serial cross-sectional interviews in 250 farming households to examine crop processing and conservation practices, household food storage and consumption and local understandings of aflatoxins. Qualitative data collection included focus group discussions (N 7) and key informant interviews (N 13) to explore explanations of harvesting and post-harvesting techniques and perceptions of crop spoilage. The study was carried out in Asembo, a rural community where high rates of child stunting exist. A total of 250 female primary caregivers of children under 5 years of age and thirteen experts in farming and food management participated. Study results showed that from a young age, children routinely ate maize-based dishes. Economic constraints and changing environmental patterns guided the application of sub-optimal crop practices involving early harvest, poor drying, mixing spoiled with good cereals and storing cereals in polypropylene bags in confined quarters occupied by humans and livestock and raising risks of aflatoxin contamination. Most (80 %) smallholder farmers were unaware of aflatoxins and their harmful economic and health consequences. Young children living in subsistence farming households may be at risk of exposure to aflatoxins and consequent ill health and stunting. Sustained efforts to increase awareness of the risks of aflatoxins and control measures among subsistence farmers could help to mitigate practices that raise exposure.

Farm Production Diversification and Dietary Diversity among Subsistence Farming Households: Panel Data Evidence from South Africa

Improving the production of a variety of foods by subsistence farmers has been identified as a key strategy for improving dietary diversity. However, there is limited evidence in South Africa on how one’s own production is linked to dietary diversity. This study relies on nationally representative panel data to investigate the extent to which farm production diversity is correlated with dietary diversity. The data indicated a moderate level of household dietary diversity that has been on a declining trend between 2008 and 2017. The farm households produced three food groups (meat, cereals, and vegetables), suggesting more reliance on food purchases than own production. The study found a positive relationship between own production diversification and dietary diversity and that dietary diversity varied by demographics and socio-economic characteristics of households. However, production diversity was not significantly associated with the consumption of micronutrient-rich foods such as fruits or vegetables. Higher levels of education, income per capita, food expenditure, and geographic location were some of the key drivers of dietary diversity among subsistence households. The findings suggest that encouraging subsistence farming households to produce various crop and animal species can be an effective strategy to improve dietary diversity among poor households in South Africa.

Immediate impact of COVID-19 pandemic on farming systems in Central America and Mexico

CONTEXTThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected all sectors and human activities around the World. OBJECTIVEIn this article we present a first attempt to understand the immediate impact of COVID-19 and the sanitary measures taken by governments on farming systems in Central America and Mexico (CAM). METHODSThrough a review of information generated in these initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic (webinars, blogs, electronic publications, media) and 44 interviews with key informants across the region, we have identified the main impacts felt by different types of farming systems in the region. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSFrom corporate agricultural production systems, to small and medium scale entrepreneurs and smallholder subsistence farm households, all types of farming systems were impacted, more or less severely, by the different measures implemented by governments such as reduced mobility, closure of public and private venues and restrictions in borders. Larger corporate farming systems with vertical market integration and high level of control or coordination within the supply chain, and smallholder or subsistence farming systems with important focus on production for self-consumption and little external input use, were both relatively less impacted and showed greater adaptive capacity than the medium and small entrepreneurial farming systems dependent on agriculture as their primary income and with less control over the upstream and downstream parts of their supply chain. All types of farming systems implemented a series of mechanisms to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic including the development of alternative value chains, food and agricultural products delivery systems and the exponential use of digital means to communicate and maintain the viability of the different agricultural systems. Collective action and organization of farmers also proved to be an important coping mechanism that allowed some farmers to acquire inputs and deliver outputs in the context of restricted mobility, price volatility, and general uncertainty. Some features of the CAM region played an important role in mediating the impact of COVID-19 and associated sanitary measures. We identify as particularly relevant the nature of agricultural exports, the current structure of the agricultural sector, the diversified livelihood strategies of rural households, and the importance of mobility for rural livelihoods. SIGNIFICANCEThe results presented focus only in the immediate effect of COVID-19 pandemic and the mechanisms implemented by farmers in the first months. Whether these impacts and response mechanisms will result in a transformation of the farming systems towards greater resilience and sustainability is still an open question.

The intersection between the dwelling environment and health and wellbeing in impoverished rural Puebla, Mexico

This paper forms part of a major health needs assessment research project of small-scale subsistence farming households in three relatively impoverished villages located close to an active volcano (Popocatépetl) in the rural hinterland of the town of Atlixco, Puebla, Mexico. Our overarching research question is: how do housing conditions, the micro-environment of the lot and dwelling, air and water quality, patterns of food preparation and household behaviors impact health and wellbeing in each community? We use a mixed-methods strategy starting with a survey of almost 250 households to generate baseline data on the health status, treatment, and perceptions of health in each of the four communities. Our housing and health assessment also focusses upon the dwelling structure and perceived problems such as damp and pests; the use of rooms and yard space; and on-site environmental sampling of the water and air quality. In addition, we apply an intensive case-study methodology to five purposively selected farming households in order to highlight how different dwelling structures and conditions, room use, lot maintenance and organization, practices of animal husbandry, fertilizer and agrochemical storage, open fire cooking with wood, and other behaviors shape and impact health and wellbeing. Our findings and conclusions emphasize the need for further research to better understand the epidemiology of these and similar communities. We conclude by offering a series of policy actions to mitigate the risks and hazards that we identify, and argue that in these rural communities the intersections between housing, home, and yard management presents hazards and challenges to health outcomes that are more dynamic and more volatile, than those of most urban housing environments.

The situation of peasant (subsistence farming) households in the Russian rural economy

The situation of peasant (subsistence farming) households in the Russian rural economy

Demonstration gardens improve agricultural production, food security and preschool child diets in subsistence farming communities in Panama.

To explore impacts of a demonstration garden-based agricultural intervention on agricultural knowledge, practices and production, food security and preschool child diet diversity of subsistence farming households. Observational study of households new to the intervention or participating for 1 or 5 years. Variables measured were agricultural techniques learned from the intervention and used, agricultural production, household food insecurity (FIS) and child diet diversity (DDS), over one agricultural cycle (during land preparation, growing and harvest months). Fifteen rural subsistence farming communities in Panama. Households participating in intervention (n 237) with minimum one preschool child. After 1 year, participants had more learned and applied techniques, more staple crops produced and lower FIS and higher DDS during land preparation and growing months compared with those new to the intervention. After 5 years, participants grew more maize, chickens and types of crops and had higher DDS during growing months and, where demonstration gardens persisted, used more learned techniques and children ate more vitamin A-rich foods. Variables associated with DDS varied seasonally: during land preparation, higher DDS was associated with higher household durable asset-based wealth; during growing months, with greater diversity of vegetables planted and lower FIS; during harvest, with older caregivers, caregivers working less in agriculture, more diverse crops and receiving food from demonstration gardens. The intervention improved food production, food security and diets. Sustained demonstration gardens were important for continued use of new agricultural techniques and improved diets.

BRECHAS PRODUCTIVAS EN MAÍZ: UNA EXPLICACIÓN DESDE LA HETEROGENEIDAD DE LAS UNIDADES RURALES DEL CENTRO Y SUR DE MÉXICO

<p><strong>Background:</strong> Mexico has having since 1940 governmental programs to increase maize productivity without fully achieve their objectives, and one of the critics has been don´t consider the heterogeneity of Mexican farm households cultivating it and their gaps, considering a binomial model of commercial and subsistence agriculture. Productivity gaps have been studied focusing on yield differences between optimal and real conditions. <strong>Objective: </strong>This paper elaborates on productivity gaps of 3391 maize farm households from the Central and South part of Mexico, taking into account their diversity, adding social and functional elements. <strong>Methodology</strong>: The variables were divided into structural, functionals and social, and were analyzed by the multivariate method of principal components analysis. <strong>Results:</strong> Five type were found, with significant differences between them. The major productivity gaps were between <em>Commercial Mechanized farm households</em> and the rest of the types, they have access to better productive assets (6 ). In second place, the <em>Subsistence farm households with women participation,</em> presented the lowest yields (1 ), explained by less productive assets and by social attributes (women and indigenous). Between both types are the other types, with similar assets but social differences: the <em>Low Mechanized farm households</em> cultivate in the tropics using a half modernized farming system ( ), the<em> Semi-commercial farm households with Elder Families</em> (2.5 and <em>Farm households with Diversified Income</em> (2.3 . <strong>Implications: </strong>This evidenced the inappropriate bimodal agriculture vision persisting in policy designing, because several types of farms can explain the limited historical programs outputs focus on maize productivity. <strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study concludes indicating that maize productivity in Mexico is not only affected by the processes of agriculture modernization, but also by other social processes.</p>

Factors Associated with Seasonal Food Insecurity among Small-Scale Subsistence Farming Households in Rural Honduras

In the context of climate change, a nutritional transition, and increased pressures to migrate internally and internationally, this study examined the relationship between seasonal food insecurity and demographic, socioeconomic, and agricultural production factors among small-scale subsistence farmers in rural northern Honduras. Anchored by a partnership with the Fundación para la Investigación Participativa con Agricultores de Honduras (FIPAH) and the Yorito Municipal Health Centre, a cross-sectional household survey was administered in Yorito, Honduras, in July 2014. The study population included 1263 individuals from 248 households across 22 rural communities. A multivariate mixed effects negative binomial regression model was built to investigate the relationship between the self-reported number of months without food availability and access from subsistence agriculture in the previous year (August 2013–July 2014) and demographic, socioeconomic, and agricultural production variables. This study found a lengthier ‘lean season’ among surveyed household than previously documented in Honduras. Overall, 62.2% (95% confidence interval (CI): [59.52, 64.87]) of individuals experienced at least four months of insufficient food in the previous year. Individuals from poorer and larger households were more likely to experience insufficient food compared to individuals from wealthier and smaller households. Additionally, individuals from households that produced both maize and beans were less likely to have insufficient food compared to individuals from households that did not grow these staple crops (prevalence ratio (PR) = 0.83; 95% CI: [0.69, 0.99]). Receiving remittances from a migrant family member did not significantly reduce the prevalence of having insufficient food. As unpredictable crop yields linked to climate change and extreme weather events are projected to negatively influence the food security and nutrition outcomes of rural populations, it is important to understand how demographic, socioeconomic, and agricultural production factors may modify the ability of individuals and households engaged in small-scale subsistence agriculture to respond to adverse shocks.

Economic evaluation of an enhanced homestead food production intervention for undernutrition in women and children in rural Cambodia

The Family Farms for the Future project has field-tested an enhanced homestead food production (EHFP) program to improve food security and nutritional status of subsistence farming households in south-east Asia. We report the estimated cost of delivering the program over ten-years in rural Cambodia, as well as the estimated monetary value of increased agricultural production and improvements in child health. Our analysis suggests that this type of EHFP program could not only improve child health but also result in a positive societal net monetary benefit due to increased agricultural production. However, because these estimates are dependent on many assumptions (e.g. that program oversight and delivery continue over ten years), readers should carefully consider their generalizability to new contexts.

Household food insecurity in Panamanian subsistence farming communities is associated with indicators of household wealth and constraints on food production.

To determine if constraints on agricultural production were a novel construct in the Panama Food Security Questionnaire (FSQ) and to characterize agricultural and economic determinants of food insecurity during the planting, growing and harvesting time periods in subsistence farming communities. This longitudinal study followed households during land preparation, growing and harvest periods in one agricultural cycle. Agricultural production and economic variables were recorded and the Panama FSQ was administered. Exploratory factor analysis was used to verify construct validity of the FSQ. A food insecurity score (FIS), ranging from 0 to 42, was derived. Multiple regression analyses of FIS were conducted for each agricultural period. Fifteen rural villages in Panama. Subsistence farming households (n 237). The FSQ contained four constructs: (i) ability to buy food; (ii) decreased amount/number of meals; (iii) feeling hungry; and (iv) lower agricultural production because of weather or lack of resources. Although most households were mildly food insecure in all time periods, determinants of food insecurity differed in each. Higher FIS was associated during land preparation with less rice and legumes planted and lower asset-based wealth; during growing months with less rice, more maize and pigeon peas planted and not selling produce; and during harvest with less rice planted, fewer chickens and lower income. Constraints on agriculture was a novel construct of the Panama FSQ. Different income-related variables emerged in each agricultural period. Planting staple foods and raising chickens were associated with food security, but some crop choices were associated with food insecurity.

Effect of agronomic practices and weather conditions on mycotoxins in maize: a case study of subsistence farming households in Zimbabwe

Maize is susceptible to many mycotoxigenic fungi and mycotoxins, being prone toFusarium spp. infection and subsequent mycotoxin contamination. Fumonisin B1 (FB1) is the predominant mycotoxin in Zimbabwean subsistence-grown maize and results of mycotoxin analyses indicated FB1 to be significantly higher compared to other mycotoxins. To fully elucidate maize agronomic practices influencing FB1 contamination of maize produced by Zimbabwean subsistence farming populations, an investigative field survey was conducted in the selected provinces of Mashonaland West and Manicaland. Agronomic data and associated climatic data were collected during the 2014/2015 agricultural season. A total of 158 maize samples were collected from households’ harvest, three months and six months post-harvest. Analysis and quantification of mycotoxin contamination in the maize samples was performed using a validated multi-mycotoxin analysis method with a scope of 23 mycotoxins. Maize was mainly contaminated by FB1. There was low mycotoxin co-occurrence in Zimbabwean maize, which was typically ofFusarium toxins. FB1 occurred in 23, 47 and 47% of samples at harvest, three and six months post-harvest, respectively. The corresponding means of positive samples were 609, 597 and 289 μg/kg, respectively. Regarding fumonisins, the choice of seed and fertiliser application were significant in modulating FB1 contamination. There was no significant difference in mean FB1 contamination during post-harvest maize storage. Daily temperatures were key factors influencing FB1 incidence and levels. High temperatures were associated with high FB1 contamination particularly at the flowering stage of maize. Rainfall was positively correlated with FB1 contamination. Good agricultural practices attributed to low FB1 contamination in maize pre-harvest. Post-harvest practices such as preserving seed integrity by preventing pest infestation using grain protection chemicals are important in achieving lower mycotoxin contamination and in particular, FB1, in maize grain.

Ethnobotany and Agrobiodiversity: Valuation of Plants in the Homegardens of Southwestern Uganda

Homegardens are species-rich agroforestry systems with a high diversity of associated traditional knowledge. These systems are an important part of food security for rural marginalized poor around the world, particularly in the humid tropics. Despite the high diversity and cultural importance, little is known about the livelihood-relevant plant diversity contained in the homegardens of southwestern Uganda. Here we employ the quantitative ethnobotany indices use reports (UR) and the cultural importance index (CI) to describe the importance of plants and plant types in the region’s homegardens. Data is based on inventories of 102 homegardens in the Greater Bushenyi from 2014 and reveals 225 useful plant species in 14 different use categories with 3,961 UR, 54% for food, 15% for economic uses, and 11% for medicine. The findings highlight the importance of homegarden plants for subsistence farming households and indicate that they are important places for conservation of botanical agrobiodiversity that should be considered part of the conservation movement in Uganda. Efforts to conserve both botanical and food system diversity in the extremely rich but rapidly deteriorating regional socio-cultural and ecological systems should consider homegardens for their role in conservation of plants and preservation of traditional knowledge.

Land fragmentation and production diversification: A case study from rural Albania

We analyze the impact of land fragmentation on production diversification in rural Albania. Albania represents a particularly interesting case for studying land fragmentation as the fragmentation is a direct outcome of land reforms. The results indicate that land fragmentation is an important driver of production diversification of farm households in Albania. We find that land fragmentation stimulates significantly more diversification for subsistence farm households than for market-oriented households. Our findings have two key policy implications: (i) the consolidation policies that relocate and enlarge plots would have a significant impact on reducing agricultural production diversification; and (ii) land fragmentation contributes to the nutritional security improvement by increasing the variety of foodstuffs produced by subsistence farm households.

Food security in a remittance based economy

We interviewed 395 subsistence farming households from Chitwan, Nepal in order to identify the impact of remittances and other explanatory variables on child, adult, and household food security. The highest category of the IV - ordered probit regression models with cluster robust standard errors indicated that the food security status of households, adults and children was explained by gender and age of household head, adoption of conservation agricultural technology, number of fruit trees, and income from agricultural and livestock sources. Additional variables affecting only children’s food security were the adoption of hybrid rice or maize varieties and the wage income or salary earned within the district, whereas an additional variable affecting only household and adult food security was the wage income earned outside the district. Households receiving international remittances were more food secure than those households that did not receive such remittances.

Factors Associated with Anemia among Lactating Mothers in Subsistence Farming Households from Selected Districts of Jimma Zone, South Western Ethiopia: A Community Based Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Anemia is the most common nutritional deficiency disorder affecting one third of the global population. Lactating mothers are more susceptible because of maternal iron depletion during lactation, blood loss during childbirth and inadequate nutrient intake. Morbidity associated with chronic anemia extends to loss of productivity from impaired work capacity, cognitive impairment, and increased susceptibility to infection. Nevertheless, many Ethiopian mothers remained anemic yet the availability of information is limited. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 327 randomly selected lactating mothers residing in the two districts. Interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect demographic characteristics and anemia risk factors. Finger prick blood sample was analyzed by Hemocue device to determine hemoglobin level. Epi-data 1.4.4.0 and SPSS version 20 were used for data entry and analysis. Bivariate and multivariable regressions were used to identify candidate and predictor variables of anemia, respectively. All associations were considered statistically significant at alpha <0.05. Results: Overall, 28.7% (95% CI: 24.1%, 33.6%) of mothers were anemic with mild and moderate anemia accounting for 25.8% and 2.9%, respectively. Multi-gravidity (AOR=2.32 (95% CI: 1.12, 4.84), lower ante-natal frequency (AOR=2.37 (95% C.I.: 1.20, 4.71)), lower meal frequency/day (AOR=2.28 (95% C.I.: 1.12, 4.63)), food insecurity (AOR=4.19(2.83, 21.13)), mild undernutrition (AOR=0.35 (95% C.I.: 0.10, 0.80)) and lower dietary diversity (AOR=2.32 (95% C.I.: 1.65, 5.72)) were predictors of anemia. Conclusion: Anemia is public health problem in the study community, where one in every four lactating mothers was anemic. Antenatal follow up should be encouraged in order to reserve and prevent iron depletion during breastfeeding period, while frequent births need to be alleviated through family planning. Multi-sectoral collaboration is needed to improve the feeding practice, dietary diversity, food insecurity and undernutrition of study community in order to prevent anemia.

Assessing Gender Inequality in Food Security among Small-holder Farm Households in urban and rural South Africa

Summary With the ongoing changes in climate, household food insecurity is likely to be more widespread in most small-holder and subsistence farm households in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the existence and extent of gendered household food security—or lack thereof—remains unclear. This study extends existing knowledge by assessing gender inequality in household food (in) security among small-holder farm households in urban and rural areas of South Africa. In doing-so, we use the gender of the head of household and treatment effects framework. Our results show that male-headed households are more food secure compared to female-headed households, with the latter depending more on agriculture to increase household food levels. We further find that the household food security gap between male- and female-headed households is wider in rural than in urban areas, where rural male- and female-headed households are more likely to report chronic food insecurity, i.e., are more likely than their urban counterparts to experience hunger. Interestingly, the effects of climatic characteristics on household food security are more apparent in rural than in urban areas. Our findings suggest that household food security initiatives are likely to be more effective, in closing the gender gap in household food security, if aligned with policies on urban and rural agriculture and development.

Occurrence and risk assessment of mycotoxins in subsistence farmed maize from Zimbabwe

Maize is the staple food of Zimbabweans and is consumed daily in the majority of households, particularly subsistence farming households. The objectives of this study were first, to determine the occurrence of mycotoxins in maize produced and consumed by subsistence farmers in Zimbabwe and second, to determine mycotoxin exposure through maize consumption and subsequently the human health risk. A total of 95 maize meal samples were collected from the household stores of randomly selected subsistence farming households. Maize intake data and agronomic practices of these households were investigated A multi-mycotoxin LC-MS/MS method was used to analyze and quantify mycotoxin contamination in the maize samples. Mycotoxin contamination was compared across agro-ecological zones in order to determine differences in mycotoxin contamination levels and presented. Of the toxicologically relevant mycotoxins, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), fumonisin B1 (FB1), FB2, deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEN) were detected in 1, 95, 31, 24 and 15 % of the samples at mean levels of 11, 242, 120, 217 and 110 μg/kg respectively. Other mycotoxins detected in the maize were 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (15-ADON), nivalenol (NIV), FB3, alternariol-methylether (AME), AFB2, AFG1 and diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS) and the percentage contamination ranged between 1 and 4 % in the maize samples. Contamination of the maize by the mycotoxins was observed at minimum levels below limit of detection for each mycotoxin and maximum levels of 105, 530, 67, 108, 3, 4 and 14 μg/kg for 15-ADON, NIV, FB3, AME, AFB2, AFG1 and DAS respectively. The median levels of each mycotoxin were reported below the limit of detection, with the exception of FB1 (median, 146 μg/kg), which was further considered in the exposure and risk assessment. Dietary exposure was derived from combining mean maize intake data and median FB1 contamination. Mean maize intake was estimated to be 26.8, 37.2, 30.1, 15.8 and 15.0 g/kg bodyweight (bw)/day for under 5s, children, adolescents, adults and the elderly respectively. Subsequently FB1 exposure from maize was calculated, to be 3.91, 5.40, 4.40, 2.30 and 2.20 μg/kg bw/day for these populations. Exposure to FB1 through maize intake was observed to equate to 196, 272, 220, 115 and 110 % of the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (2 μg/kg bw/day) for under 5s, children, adolescents, adults and the elderly respectively. Subsistence farming communities in Zimbabwe are at risk of high exposure to FB1 and the risk was highest for under 5s, children and adolescents respectively.