Total Annual Household Income Research Articles

The protective effect of CALD identity in the presence of low income on missing teeth of Australian adults over time

Background‘Culturally And Linguistically Diverse (CALD)’ populations have diverse languages, ethnic backgrounds, societal structures and religions. CALD populations have not experienced the same oral health benefits as non-CALD groups in Australia. However, the socio-demographic profile of Australian CALD populations is changing. This study examined how household income modifies the oral health of CALD and non-CALD adults in Australia.MethodsData were from two National Surveys of Adult Oral Health (NSAOH) conducted in 2004-06 (NSAOH 2004-06) and 2017-18 (NSAOH 2017-18). The outcome was self-reported number of missing teeth. CALD status was identified based on English not the primary language spoken at home and country of birth not being Australia. Social disadvantage was defined by total annual household income. Effect-measure modification was used to verify differences on effect sizes per strata of CALD status and household income. The presence of modification was indicated by Relative Excess Risk due to Interactions (RERIs).ResultsA total of 14,123 participants took part in NSAOH 2004-06. The proportion identifying as CALD was 11.7% and 56.7% were in the low-income group, and the mean number of missing teeth was 6.9. A total of 15,731 participants took part in NSAOH 2017-18. The proportion identifying as CALD was 18.5% and 38.0% were in the low-income group, and the mean number of missing teeth was 6.2. In multivariable modelling, the mean ratio (MR) for CALD participants with low household income in 2004-06 was 2% lower than the MR among non-CALD participants with high household income, with the RERI being − 0.23. Non-CALD participants from lower income households had a higher risk of having a higher number of missing teeth than low income CALD individuals (MR = 1.66, 95%CI 1.57–1.74 vs. MR = 1.43 95%CI 1.34–1.52, respectively). In 2017-18, the MR for CALD participants with low household income was 3% lower than the MR among non-CALD participants with high household income, with the RERI being − 0.11. Low income CALD participants had a lower risk of missing teeth compared to their non-CALD counterparts (MR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.34–1.52 vs. MR = 1.57, 95% CI 1.50–1.64).ConclusionsThe negative RERI values indicate that the effect-measure modification operates in a negative direction, that is, there is a protective element to being CALD among low income groups with respect to mean number of missing teeth.

Diskriminierungserfahrungen und Angststörungen bei Latina-Mädchen: Amygdala-Volumen als indirekter neurobiologischer Pfad

AbstractEthnic–racial discrimination, the differential treatment of individuals based on ethnic or racial group membership, predicts poor mental health outcomes such as anxiety. This is supported by long-standing theories on the social determinants of health and minority stress. However, these theories are rarely expanded to neurobiological sciences, limiting our understanding of mechanisms underlying observed associations. One potential neurobiological pathway between ethnic–racial discrimination exposure and anxiety is that ongoing exposure to racially charged encounters presents imminent threats that may modify stress-sensitive neurocircuitry, like the amygdala.The current study evaluated whether amygdala volume mediated associations between ethnic–racial discrimination exposure and anxiety symptoms in Latina girls, a group exhibiting heightened levels of untreated anxiety and disproportionately subjected to ethnic–racial discrimination.Thirty predominantly Mexican-identifying Latina girls residing in Southern California (MAge = 9.76, SD = 1.11 years) completed a T1-weighted structural MRI scan. Using the Perceptions of Racism in Children and Youth, participants self-reported the prevalence and severity of various discriminatory experiences. Participants also self-reported their anxiety symptoms via the Screen for Child Anxiety and Related Emotional Disorders. Controlling for total intracranial volume and annual household income, an indirect effect of ethnic–racial discrimination on anxiety symptoms via left amygdala volume was observed, β = −0.28, SE = 0.17, BC 95% CI [−0.690, −0.017]. The current findings suggest that the left amygdala is sensitive to racialized threats in childhood and that stress-related alterations may, in part, contribute to elevated anxiety in Latina girls. Our data elucidate a potential mechanism by which this form of sociocultural stress can adversely impact mental health, particularly in the transition from middle childhood to early adolescence, a period marked by a host of interlinked neurophysiological and social changes.

Cumulative Prenatal Risk Factors and Developmental Coordination Disorder in Young Children.

To examine the effect of cumulative prenatal risk factors (RFs) on the presence of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) in young children. Participants (N = 589, 338 boys, Mage = 4.5 ± 0.5years) were from a larger cohort study, the Coordination and Activity Tracking in Children (CATCH). Motor coordination was assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children- 2nd Edition. Children were classified as at risk for DCD (DCDr) based on European Academy of Childhood Disability guidelines. RFs were obtained through a parent-completed survey. A multiple logistic regression was conducted to examine the effect of the RFs on DCD. Results showed that the odds of a child having DCDr are significantly higher with a greater total number of prenatal RFs, after adjustment for mother's age at child's birth, child's sex, child's age, marital status and total annual household income (OR = 1.48, p < 0.01). These findings warrant further investigation into the cumulative impact of multiple prenatal RFs and whether specific combinations of RFs might be more strongly linked to DCD than others. These results provide additional insight into possible causes and prevention of DCD.

COVID-19 and Rural Households’ Environmental Incomes in Iran

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted rural livelihoods in the Global South. Environmental products, such as medicinal plants and fodder harvested in forests and rangelands, are a major source of income in many rural communities. In this paper, we investigate environmental product-related income and economic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic using face-to-face interviews with randomly selected household heads (n = 384) in 26 villages in northwestern Iran. We found that the main impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic were a decrease in income (reported by 72% of households), an increased health risk (48%), and persistent fear of infection by COVID-19 (45%). Household economies were found to be particularly reliant on animal husbandry (26% of total annual household income) and farming (26%). Environmental products contributed an average of 18% of total household income. Almost half of the households (45%) experienced lower livestock prices, a lack of buyers (49%), and a lockdown of animal markets (38%). Fodder (collected by 45% of households), medicinal plants (42%), and wild fruits (29%) were the most important environmental products harvested during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found a negative but not significant effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on total rural household income and that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a slight non-significant decrease in relative forest income. The negative impact on relative forest income resonates well with existing scholarship on livelihoods and negative shocks. It is noteworthy, however, that there is substantial scope for increasing environmental incomes and, thus, the potential of environmental products as a response option in the face of covariant shocks such as COVID-19.

Exposure level of neonicotinoid pesticides and their metabolites in pregnant women in the suburb of Shanghai

In 2021, a total of 151 pregnant women were selected from the suburb of Shanghai. A questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain data about maternal age, gestational week, total annual household income, education level and passive smoking among pregnant women and one spot urine was collected. The concentrations of eight neonicotinoid pesticides and four metabolites in urine were measured by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The differences in detection frequencies and concentrations of neonicotinoid pesticides and their metabolites among pregnant women with different characteristics were compared, and the influencing factors of the detection of neonicotinoid pesticides in urine were analyzed. The results showed that at least one neonicotinoid pesticide was detected in 93.4% (141 samples) of urine samples. The detection frequencies of N-desmethyl-acetamiprid, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and N-desmethyl-clothianidin were high, about 78.1% (118 samples), 75.5% (114 samples), 68.9% (104 samples), and 44.4% (67 samples), respectively. The median concentration of the sum of all neonicotinoid pesticides was 2.66 μg/g. N-desmethyl-acetamiprid had the highest detection concentration with a median concentration of 1.04 μg/g. A lower urinary detection frequency of imidacloprid and its metabolites was seen in pregnant women aged 30-44 years [OR (95%CI): 0.23 (0.07-0.77)]. A higher detection frequency of clothianidin and its metabolites was seen in pregnant women with per capita annual household income≥100 000 yuan [OR (95%CI): 6.15 (1.56-24.28)]. There was widespread exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides and their metabolites in pregnant women from the suburb of Shanghai, which might pose potential health risks to pregnant women, and maternal age and household income were potential influencing factors of the exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides.

Importance of socio-economic and institutional factors in the collection of dry forest products: The case of gum and resin in Jawi District, Northwest Ethiopia

Although the important role of dry forests in livelihoods is immense, empirical evidence on the role of socioeconomic factors in the collection of dry forest products is still lacking. This study aimed to assess the determinants of household participation in dry forest product collection and its contribution to the household economy in Jawi district. The primary data were collected from 259 randomly selected households. The determinant factors affecting household participation in dry forest product (gum and resin) collection and the level of revenue from gum and resin were evaluated using a Heckman 2-stage selection model. According to the findings of this survey, dry forest revenue accounts for 23.69% of the total annual household income. Our findings reveal that age, proximity to the forest, distance to the market, participatory forest management (PFM) membership, frequency of forest extension, and poor wealth status have a substantial impact on a household's engagement in dry forest product collection and the level of income generated from engagement in dry forest product collection. Policies and strategies aimed at improving the well-being of households in the country's dry forest areas should focus on the market development of resources to boost the income of local people.

What is the relationship between ecosystem services and farmers’ livelihoods? Based on measuring the contribution of ecosystem services to farmers’ livelihoods

The relationships between ecosystem services and farmers’ livelihoods are important for ecological and livelihood sustainability. In this paper, Chongqing was picked up as a case to elucidate the contribution of ecosystem services to farmers’ livelihoods. First, we constructed a DPSIR (driver, pressure, state, impact and response) framework of ecosystem services and farmers’ livelihoods through participatory farmers’ livelihoods surveys and empirical data from the literature. Then, a 48-node Bayesian network model were used to explore the explicit and implicit impacts of both ecosystem services and farmers’ livelihoods, and to determine the key factors. Finally, we analyzed the contribution of ecosystem services to different types of farmers’ livelihoods. The results showed that ecosystem services have a significant impact on the farmers’ livelihoods. The probabilities of high state for ecosystem services and livelihood outcomes were 17.6% and 30.7%, respectively. While the probabilities of medium state were 51.2% and 45.4%, respectively. Particularly for low-income farmers, the impact on them increased with the increasing of ecosystem services (such as esthetic landscapes and food production). For different types of farming households, the most important contributor of ecosystem services-related income were pure farming households, part-time farming households and nonfarming households, accounting for 77.3%, 36.3%, and 14.8% of the total average annual household income, respectively. Our findings suggested that in promoting sustainable management of ecosystems, the contribution of ecosystem services to farmers’ livelihoods and their impact on farm income and the ecosystem services value should be considered.

Contribution of Integrated Farming System (IFS) Units Towards Household Income in Kerala

From an economic point of view, combining various components in the same unit helps to diversify farmers’ income. An attempt was made to determine the contribution of various components, adopted in an IFS unit, to the annual household income among the IFS units of Kerala during 2022. In this study, total annual household income was computed by summing up the gross income from all the on-farm sources. The study revealed that 52.78 per cent of respondents were found in the low-income category, followed by one-third in the medium-income category. Among the selected components, the contribution of income from the crop component, dairy component, and poultry component, was found to be low to medium, while the trend in income generation from fish component was from medium to low. In the case of apiculture and mushroom components, medium to high-income generation was also noticed. It was also found that farm size, experience in farming, economic motivation, training undergone, and herd size were positively correlated with the total farm income of households.

Dependency of Local People on Forest Products: A Case Study in Balipara Reserve Forest, North-Eastern India

The dependency of local people on forest products is recognised as an essential driver of sustainable forest conservation and restoration, but empirical studies evaluating it are scant. This study aimed to examine selected household attributes as determinants of people's dependency on forest products in selected villages in Balipara Reserve Forest, Assam, India. A total of 109 households were interviewed through a questionnaire survey in Dharikati and Sopaloga village, along with key informed interviews and focus group discussions with the villagers and government staff. A village-level logit model was used to analyse the pattern and degree of reliance on forest products in the two villages differing in socio-economic profiles. Results suggest that education level, livestock size, and distance to the forest as the key factors that are negatively and significantly associated with forest dependency in Dharikati; whereas, only landholding size was negatively and significantly associated with forest dependency in Sopaloga. On the other hand, the other two variables, family size and age, were insignificant. The income derived from forest has been accounted second-largest share after agricultural income to the total annual household income. Fuelwood was the major forest product and was largely extracted by the local communities. Thus, the results endorse policymakers and the forest department to take initiatives towards higher education accessibility, provision of alternative livelihood portfolios, availability of efficient sources of energy, introduction of advanced agricultural tools and encouraging the active participation of locals in biodiversity conservation and forest management.

Household Catastrophic Health Expenditure from Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders and Oral Cancer in Public Healthcare of Malaysia.

Objective:Oral cancer causes a significant disease burden and financial distress, especially among disadvantaged groups. While Malaysia has achieved universal health coverage via its highly subsidized public healthcare, patient and family expenditure for treatment of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and oral cancer remains a concern in the equitability of care. This study thus aims to estimate household out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures and the extent of catastrophic healthcare expenditure (CHE) while identifying its predictors. Methods:This three-part study consists of a cross-sectional survey to collect sociodemographic and health utilization data of patients, a retrospective medical record abstraction to identify resources consumed, and cost modeling to simulate expenditures in two tertiary public hospitals. Loss of productivity was calculated based on absenteeism related to disease management in the hospital. OOP payments for transport, care in public healthcare facilities, and other healthcare expenditures were tallied. A CHE was defined as OOP spendings of more than 10% from total annual household income. Multivariable logistic regression was further applied to identify the association between sociodemographic factors and the incidence of CHE. Results:A total of 52 patients with OPMD and 52 with oral cancer were surveyed and medical records were abstracted. A Kruskal-Wallis test showed a statistically significant difference in OOP share over household income between OPMD, early- and late-stage cancer, χ2(2)=51.05, p<0.001, with the mean percentage of 9%, 22%, and 65% respectively. This study found that the prevalence of CHE in the first year of diagnosis was 86.5% for oral cancer and 19.2% for OPMD. Indian ethnicity (OR=6.24, p=0.046) and monthly income group ‘less than USD 2,722’ (OR=14.32, p=0.023) were shown as significant predictors for CHE. Conclusions:Our study demonstrated the provision of subsidies may not be adequate to shield the more vulnerable group from CHE when they are diagnosed with OPMD and oral cancer.

Dependency, Distribution and Diversification (3Ds) of livelihoods in the Miombo woodlands: learning from Tanzania

ABSTRACT The Miombo woodlands that cover around 93% of forested area in Tanzania are central to livelihoods of rural dwellers. Nevertheless, there is paucity of scientific studies and associated knowledge on the dependence, distribution, and diversification aspects of livelihoods in such ecosystems. Our empirical case-based findings indicate the dependence on Miombo woodlands was relatively high contributing 33.8% to total annual household income after tobacco cultivation at 39.6%. As such, forest incomes are vital for rural households living around such ecosystems. Among the poorest groups, forest income contributed to 40% of the total annual income whilst decreasing slightly as wealth increased reaching 32% among the better-off. On issues of livelihood distribution, forest incomes played a role in equalizing income distribution with a Gini change of about 0.05, however, it was tobacco cultivation that was more responsible for lowering the gap between income inequality levels with a Gini change of 0.08. In terms of diversification, rural households displayed a high level of diversity of livelihood options at a diversity index of 0.7 and forests were a diversification option. These findings contribute a policy lesson that reduced access to the miombo woodlands through exclusionary conservation mechanisms would result in considerable negative impacts on rural households’ welfare and exacerbate income differentiation in the area.

Assessing the Economic Contribution of Forest Use to Rural Livelihoods in the Rubi-Tele Hunting Domain, DR Congo

Forest utilization makes a significant economic contribution to the livelihoods of rural households, especially those living in developing countries. This study was conducted to determine the absolute and relative forest income and measure the distributional impact of forest income on economic inequalities among rural households in the Rubi-Tele Hunting Domain (RTHD), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo). Household socioeconomic data and other qualitative informations were collected using structured household-level surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. The study used descriptive statistical analysis, Gini coefficient, and Lorenz curve computation. Additionally, the non-parametric alternative Kruskal–Wallis Test was also used. Findings revealed that 89.76% of the households’ sample were involved in forest-based activities. The annual average income from these forest-based activities was estimated at CDF 1,219,951.58 (USD 659.08) per household, contributing 32.46% to total annual household income. Other income sources share constituted 37.09%, 10.04%, 8.30%, 7.63%, 2.41%, and 2.08% from crop, livestock keeping, business activities, fishing, and non-forest environmental activities, paid employment, and other income sources, respectively. There was a significant difference between annual household income in terms of income sources (p &lt; 0.5). Forest income constituted the second most crucial income portfolio after crop income. Bushmeat income share was higher than other forest products income share. However, the proportion of households involved in firewood extraction was substantial (80.70%). Gini coefficient and Lorenz curve analysis proved that forest income helped reduce economic inequality among the sampled households by 11%. Therefore, reducing access to forest would significantly impact rural households’ welfare and could increase income disparities. The present study provides valuable information for developing sustainable forest management policies and strategies to maintain and enhance the economic benefit of forest use without damaging biodiversity conservation.

Economic Analysis of Tomato Cultivation in Himachal Pradesh

The present study is based both on secondary and primary data. The secondary data were collected from various publications of the state government, and the primary data were collected for the agricultural year 2016-17 from 60 tomato growers from Sadar block of Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh. The results revealed that compound growth rates in the area, production and productivity of tomato in Bilaspur district were 0.49, 2.02 and 1.52 percent, respectively, whereas it was 1.68, 4.46 and 2.73 percent in Himachal Pradesh. The cropping pattern revealed that 10.48 percent of the cropped area was under tomato at an overall level. The average yield of tomato crops was found to be higher in the case of large farmers. The net returns over variable cost were ?249361 per ha, and the output-input ratio stood at 2.21:1. It was found that all costs declined with the size of the holding, mainly due to economies of scale. Further, it was found that the returns over total and variable cost were higher on large farms than on small farms. Vegetable growing (mainly tomato) contributed 32.21 percent to the total annual gross household income at an overall level. The average farm income of the large growers was higher (?222990 per farm) compared to small growers (?140719 per farm).

Income disparity and incident cardiovascular disease in older Americans

ObjectiveTo examine the association between income and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in community-dwelling older adults. MethodsOf the 5795 Medicare-eligible community-dwelling older Americans aged 65–100 years in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), 4518 (78%) were free of baseline CVD, defined as heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, or peripheral arterial disease. Of them, 1846 (41%) had lower income, defined as a total annual household income <$16,000. Using propensity scores for lower income, estimated for each of the 4518 participants, we assembled a matched cohort of 1078 pairs balanced on 42 baseline characteristics. Outcomes included centrally adjudicated incident CVD and mortality. ResultsMatched participants (n = 2156) had a mean age of 73 years, 63% were women, and 13% African American. During an overall follow-up of 23 years, incident CVD, all-cause mortality and the combined endpoint of incident CVD or mortality occurred in 1094 (51%), 1726 (80%) and 1867 (87%) individuals, respectively. Compared with the higher income group, hazard ratio (HR) for time to the first occurrence of incident CVD in the lower income group was 1.16 with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.03 to 1.31. A lower income was also associated with a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.08–1.30), and consequently a higher risk of the combined endpoint of incident CVD or death (HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.09–1.31). ConclusionAmong community-dwelling older Americans free of baseline CVD, an annual household income <$16,000 is independently associated with significantly higher risks of new-onset CVD and death.

Health care seeking patterns of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis patients in Harare, Zimbabwe: A prospective cohort study.

Delays in seeking and accessing treatment for rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) and multi-drug resistant (MDR-TB) are major impediments to TB control in high-burden, resource-limited settings. We prospectively determined health-seeking behavioural patterns and associations with treatment outcomes and costs among 68 RR-TB patients attending conveniently selected facilities in a decentralised system in Harare, Zimbabwe. From initial symptoms to initiation of effective treatment, patients made a median number of three health care visits (IQR 2-4 visits) at a median cost of 13% (IQR 6-31%) of their total annual household income (mean cost, US$410). Cumulatively, RR-TB patients most frequently first visited private facilities, i.e., private pharmacies (30%) and other private health care providers (24%) combined. Median patient delay was 26 days (IQR 14-42 days); median health system delay was 97 days (IQR 30-215 days) and median total delay from symptom onset to initiation of effective treatment was 132 days (IQR 51-287 days). The majority of patients (88%) attributed initial delay in seeking care to "not feeling sick enough." Total delay, total cost and number of health care visits were not associated with treatment or clinical outcomes, though our study was not adequately powered for these determinations. Despite the public availability of rapid molecular TB tests, patients experienced significant delays and high costs in accessing RR-TB treatment. Active case finding, integration of private health care providers and enhanced service delivery may reduce treatment delay and TB associated costs.

Economic dependence of forest fringe communities on threatened and near-threatened medicinal trees of Madhya Pradesh - the largest forest cover state of central India

People have a free access to the Non timber forest produce (NTFP) in the State of Madhya Pradesh, India barring only a few NTFP which are monopolized by the state for collection and trade. Because of such free access tenure, people and the policy makers have little appreciation for the provisional ecosystem services emanating from the state’s forests. Hence, a research study was conducted in Madhya Pradesh state of India during 2014-2015.This paper evaluates the dependence of the forest fringe communities on the already Threatened and Near-threatened Medicinal Tree resources (TNMTs) in the forests of the state for their health and livelihood requirements.This study was conducted in all the six eco-regions of the state after selecting the most forested divisions and purposely selected forest compartments and socio-economic surveys were conducted in the villages adjoining these forest compartments. The TNMTs of these compartments were fully enumerated in the selected compartments and their physical conditions were recorded. Focus group discussions and household surveys were conducted to study the dependence of forest fringe communities on TNMTs in the adjoining forests. The results show that contribution of direct forest income to the total annual household income was found to vary from 29.35% to 69.48% in forest divisions located in all the six eco-regions of the state. In all the six eco-regions, the percentage of households found to be dependent on forests for some or the other benefits ranged from 96% to 100%. Almost all the TNMTs encountered during this survey were found facing threat of local extinction due to poor regeneration and many other factors at most of the forest sites. The authors have suggested some corrective measures for sustainable management of forest resources for the benefit of forest fringe community in the article.

Biosecurity in Village and Other Free-Range Poultry-Trying to Square the Circle?

Village poultry commonly suffer significant disease related losses and a plethora of biosecurity measures is widely advocated as a means to reduce morbidity and mortality. This paper uses a household economy perspective to assess some “economic” considerations determining biosecurity investments of village poultry keepers. It draws on the 2012/13 Tanzania National Panel Survey (TZ-NPS), which covered 1,228 poultry-keeping households. Disease was the most frequently reported cause of bird losses and, in the majority of households, accounted for more than half of reported bird losses. However, given that poultry rarely contributed more than 10% to total annual household income, for 95% of households the value of birds lost to disease represented <10% of annual income. The value placed on poultry within households may vary by gender and the overall figure may mask differential intra-household impacts. The break-even cost for various levels of reduction of disease losses is estimated using a partial budget analysis. Even if achieved at no cost, a 75% reduction in disease-associated mortality would only result in a one percent increase of annual household income. Thus, to the “average” village poultry-keeping household, investments in poultry may not be of high priority, even when cost-effective. Where risks of disease spread impact on the wider community and generate significant externalities, poultry keepers must be supported by wider societal actions rather than being expected to invest in biosecurity for purely personal gain.

Seasonal relation of NTFPs and socio-economic indicators to the household income of the forest-fringe communities of Jaldapara National Park

For India's forest-dependent communities, Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) are a major source of income and survival. NTFPs collection and their varieties differ season to season. However, little attention has been given on the income variation according to the seasons and various socio-economic factors influencing it. The present study examined the household income of the forest dwelling communities from NTFPs and their relation to the time spent for its collection in three different seasons i.e., summer, winter and rainy. We interviewed randomly selected families of the forest-dependent communities living in the forest fringe areas of Jaldapara National Park (JNP), West Bengal state of India located in the Eastern Himalayas using a semi-structured questionnaire. The average annual household income of the communities was greatly affected by NTFPs obtained during the rainy season. The majority of the households supplemented their total annual household income through NTFPs (1–20% of total family income annually). In the rainy season, the majority of the respondents (75%) spent 1–10 days for NTFPs collection, the time spent significantly influenced their household income. Furthermore, we found that socio-economic variables such as age, education, and family size have an effect on total annual household income from NTFPs. The other variable also influenced the family income is time spent, in terms of number of days expended in NTFP collection during summer and winter seasons. The study affirms the contribution of NTFPs in family income is strongly determined by the period spent in the collection, which also varies with season and socio-economic variables of the inhabitants.

Non-timber Forest Products (NTFPs): Contribution towards Farmers’ Economy in North-Western Himalayas

A study was conducted in Rajouri and Kishtwar districts of Jammu region of J&amp;K to assess the contribution of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) towards farmers’ economy in North-Western Himalayas. Anardana and Kalazeera were the important forest NTFPs collected by the farmers of Rajouri and Kishtwar districts, respectively for commercial purpose. Four major blocks of Rajouri namely Doongi, Rajouri, Kalakote and Manjakote and two major blocks of Kishtwar namely Nagseni and Paddar were selected purposively, as the areas earmarked maximum extraction of mentioned NTFPs. Fifteen farmers were selected randomly from each block constituting a sample of 60 farmers from district Rajouri and 30 farmers from district Kishtwar. The average cost of collection of Anardana &amp; Kalazeera was ` 414.16 and ` 1106.67, respectively. The overall gross and net income from Anardana was ` 7,588.33 and ` 5,228.33 per kg with cost benefit ratio of 3.34. The overall gross and net income from Kalazeera was ` 20,566.67 and ` 17,863.33 per kg with cost benefit ratio of 7.94. The percentage share of Anardana to total farm income in Rajouri district was 8.99 per cent, whereas it was 49.45 per cent for Kalazeera in Kishtwar district. The overall share of NTFPs to farm income was 24.11 per cent. The farmer’s income from NTFPs was significantly determined by total annual household income of the family, total time spent on gathering NTFPs and farm income at 5 per cent level of significance. Non-availability of labour was the major problem reported in collection of Anardana, whereas in case of Kalazeera, difficulty in harvesting the seeds was the major problem. The marketing system and market intelligence for NTFPs is urgently required for optimal use of natural resources and enhancing the income of farmers in North-Western Himalayas.

Economics of Cinnamomum glaucescens (Nees.) Drury in Western Terai Region of Nepal: A Value Chain Perspective

This study was carried out in Chillikot village of Dang district to find out the economic contribution of Cinnamomum glaucescens to local economy and to document the major conservation threats for this species. Household survey (n=29), key informants interviews (n=5) and focus group discussions (n=3) were carried out to collect the data. This study reveals that about NPR 1.7 million (US$ 16,5002) have been contributed annually to local economy by 29 households from NTFPs including C. glaucescens berries collection business. Average annual income for each household was around US$ 569.19 from the species that contributes about 53% of the total annual household income. Value chain analysis showed that six different value chain actors were found involved in C. glaucescens business with maximum profit margin to wholesaler (US$ 1.66 kg-1) and minimum to village traders ( US$ 0.07 kg-1). Open access to the resource and poor functional linkage among the actors were identified as major limitations in the value chain of the products. Handing over the national forest as a community forest, linking the producers with processor through organized market channel has been recommended for future.