Total Domestic Product Research Articles

National Healthcare System Development of Ethiopia: A Systematic Narrative Review

Objective: To describe the evidence on the development of the National Healthcare System in Ethiopia. Method: The databases Embase, Ovid Emcare, Ovid MEDLINE, and Scopus were searched, together with the reference lists of the identified articles, relevant reports and books were searched. Articles were included if they described health services development in Ethiopia. Results: In Ethiopia, medical care has historically been performed by traditional healers who use magic and superstition. Over time, modern medicine continued to develop, and by 2014, 5% of Ethiopia’s total Gross Domestic Product was spent on health. In 2017, nearly 1.26 healthcare workers per 1000 population provided services through 21,071 healthcare organizations, with the majority being rural health posts. There are shortages of healthcare workers and limited numbers of hospitals. However, the introduction of the Health Extension Program and Health Extension Workers has improved access to healthcare in the country and could be a model for other African nations. Conclusion: Although the health care strategies introduced by the Ethiopian government have improved some health issues, accessibility to healthcare institutions that provide curative services is limited.

A quantitative analysis for the Tanzania industries performance and productivity

Literature evidence manifests that the Tanzania manufacturing sector’s contribution to the economic development is inadequate and the targeted performance and productivity of the sector were never realized. With that regard the fundamental question for Tanzania Industries performance and productivity becomes the centred debate and significant for the investigation. This study focuses on investigating the performance of the industries and the labour force productivity during the period from 1996 to 2015 in Tanzania. The study considers employing the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) method to analyze the average annual growth rates of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) , employment and export during the period from 1996 to 2015. Time series macroeconomic data during the period from 1996 to 2015 for Tanzania were collected from the World Bank. To assess the performance of the Tanzania industries particularly the annual average marginal performance, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the export’s yearly average growth rate for the periodic 1996-2000, 2001-2005, 2006-2010, and 2011-2015 were evaluated. While investigating the labour force productivity the extra productivity of the employment labour force was evaluated during the period from 1996 to 2015 in Tanzania. The results of the investigatigation were in actual fact catching up the attention. The findings of the study reveals that the performance of the Tanzania industries is positive and meaningful while the labour force productivity is negative and insignificant during the period from 1996 to 2015 in Tanzania. 

Antibiotic resistance of Salmonella strains from layer poultry farms in central Ecuador.

This study evaluated the antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella enterica strains from layer poultry farms in central Ecuador isolated during 2017. This geographical area is responsible for around 60% of total domestic egg production, yet, as of 2019, no reports had been published on the phenotypic and genotypic antibiotic resistance patterns of Salmonella in the layer poultry farms of this area. Thirty-one isolates from layer poultry farms in central Ecuador obtained during 2017 were evaluated. The resistance profiles exhibited considerable differences in serovar and sample origin, grouping into nine clades by phenotype. S. Infantis strains were of the MDR phenotype in 94·4% of isolates. S. Typhimurium strains were of a reduced antimicrobial resistance phenotype and 50% showed resistance to one antimicrobial compound. One of the S. enterica nontyped strains had an MDR profile to 11 of the 20 antibiotics evaluated (eight groups). And the two remaining S. enterica nontyped strains showed resistance to two and three antibiotics respectively. The ESBL phenotype, which is resistant to clinically notable antibiotics such as ceftriaxone, ampicillin and cefepime, was observed only in S. Infantis (15/18). These strains harbour the emerging blaCTX-M-65 gene, and co-harbour tetA and sul1 resistance genes in four strains. Additional β-lactamase genes, carbapenemase-producing genes (blaIMP, blaVIM , blaOXA48 , blaKPC , blaNDM ) and colistin-mobile resistance gene mcr-1 were not detected. The findings highlight the potential role of layer poultry farm environments in central Ecuador as reservoirs of MDR Salmonella strains. These results suggest the necessity of reinforcing biosecurity practices to reduce the probability of transmission of MDR Salmonella across the food chain.

Políticas públicas de manejo populacional de cães e gatos e indicadores sociais da Região Metropolitana de Curitiba no Brasil

The objective of this study was to map public policies for population management of dogs and cats in the Curitiba Metropolitan Region (CMR) and to assess their correlations with social indicators. The data used consisted of answers from questionnaires sent via email to public managers of 14 municipalities of the CMR, and data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and Parana Institute for Economic and Social Development (IPARDES). Nine of the 14 municipalities (64.29%) had public policies for population management of dogs and cats, and five (35.71%) had no such public policies. Six (42.86%) municipalities had no other public policy related to population management of dogs and cats, besides population management; and eight (57.14%) had other public policies. The three indicators that had significant and positive correlation with the existence of these public policies were Total Gross Domestic Product (GDPt) (0.028), Income Inequality (GINI index) (0.039), and Human Development Index (HDI) (0.039). However, the decision for the implementation of public policies related to animals depends on the local government because investments on these policies are not considered in the municipal tax revenue.

Peran Fleksibilitas Strategi dan Orientasi Pasar pada Peningkatan Inovasi dan Kinerja Usaha Kecil Menengah Sektor Industri Pengolahan Kota Malang

The processing industry is a growing industry and accounts for around 1/5 of Indonesia's total Gross Domestic Product. This study analyzes the factors that influence the performance of SMEs in the manufacturing industry sector in Malang. Some variables such as internal and external environment, market orientation, are considered as important variables that influence the performance of SMEs, this study aims to examine the effect of market orientation and strategy flexibility on SME innovation and performance. This research is an explanatory study using a sample of 180 managers of processing industry SMEs in Malang. The data collected was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Strategic flexibility and market orientation are found directly (direct effect) to affect innovation and company performance positively. In addition, proven innovation acts as a mediator in the influence of strategy flexibility and market orientation on company performance. Likewise, company performance has a role as a mediator for each strategy flexibility and market orientation towards innovation.

Austerity, and funding cuts: Implications for sustainability of the response to the Caribbean HIV/AIDS epidemic

ABSTRACTThe Caribbean, accessed significant external funding over the first three decades of the epidemic, which provided local authorities the opportunity to defer their responsibility in leading or matching the support provided from the external agencies. The reduction in external support has placed increased pressure on the response to the epidemic, with some countries more likely to be affected than others. This paper undertakes a review of the expenditure and funding landscape for HIV programs in the Caribbean. The findings confirm that despite the dwindling number of funding sources, some countries continue to display a significant degree of dependency on external funding sources. It is noteworthy that Treatment and Care accounted for the largest share of HIV expenditure in those countries, which displayed the highest degree of dependency on external funding. While, HIV spending was a relatively small percentage of both total health expenditure and gross domestic product, expenditure levels were noticeably higher in Haiti. These averages however conceal significant differences across countries, which should inform the magnitude and direction of any spending expansion by these countries if they are to achieve financial sustainability. Some recommendations are provided on the way forward to facilitate building a sustainable response to the epidemic.

Does Hospital For-Profit Status Affect Intracranial Hemorrhage Outcomes and Cost of Care?

Abstract INTRODUCTION Health care spending in the United States continues to draw national attention, accounting for 17.9 percent of total gross domestic product (GDP) or $3.5 trillion dollars in 2017, expected to rise to nearly 20 percent of GDP by 2026. In order to address these expenditures, further examination of rising hospital costs is required. Evidence suggests that for-profit hospitals may be established in areas with well-insured patient populations, while disproportionately offering high-cost, profit-driven interventions over less profitable services. The objective of this study is to compare inpatient mortality, operation rates, length of stay (LOS), and cost of care between private non-profit and for-profit hospitals in the treatment of intracranial hemorrhage. METHODS This retrospective cohort study used data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. Primary outcomes including all-cause inpatient mortality, operative status, patient disposition, hospital LOS, total hospital charges, and per-day hospital charges were assessed for patients discharged with a primary diagnosis of intracranial (epidural, subdural, subarachnoid, or intraparenchymal) hemorrhage, while controlling for baseline demographic and comorbidity differences via propensity-score matching. RESULTS Out of 155 977 unique hospital discharges included in this study, 133 518 originated from private non-profit hospitals and 22 459 from for-profit hospitals. Mortality rates were similar, at 13.80% for non-profit centers and 14.50% at for-profit hospitals. Non-profit hospitals appeared to be more intensive with ICP monitor placement, occurring in 5.50% of patients compared to 4.24% in for-profit centers. Although overall discharge disposition and rate of surgical intervention was similar, LOS was greater among for-profit hospitals at 7.46 d, compared to 6.71 d at non-profit centers. Care at for-profit hospitals was more expensive with total charges amounting to $136,845 versus $85,093 at non-profit institutions. CONCLUSION Despite similar mortality and discharge disposition, hospital stays for ICH tend to be costlier and longer at for-profit hospitals compared to their non-profit counterparts.

Transition from Conventional Broiler Meat to Meat from Production Concepts with Higher Animal Welfare: Experiences from The Netherlands.

Simple SummaryAnimal welfare (AW) in conventional Dutch broiler production (i.e., production systems that only satisfy the legal minimum requirements) has been under critique for decades. Then, suddenly, in 2014–2015, AW was improved for the entire Dutch fresh meat market for broilers. A study was conducted regarding the main reasons and decisive factors of this transition. It was found that important factors in bringing-about this transition were: (1) The availability of a cost-efficient alternative to conventional concepts, (2) a basic willingness to change within the entire value chain (including consumers), (3) initiating and triggering actions by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), (4) decisive initiatives by retailers and (5) simultaneous introduction of the new concept and replacement of the conventional concept (i.e., depriving the consumer of a cheaper choice alternative). It was concluded that, if these decisive factors were present, considerable improvements with regard to AW could be obtained in a relatively short period of time. This information can be of use for value chains of other species (e.g., pork) and countries outside the Netherlands.Since the 1970s, animal welfare (AW) in Dutch broiler production has been criticized by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the general public. Despite the development of production concepts aimed at improving AW, the conventional concept, which satisfied only the minimum legal requirements, remained by far the most dominant one in the Dutch fresh broiler meat market. Then, quite suddenly, in 2014–2015 (i.e., within less than two years), a new broiler concept with increased AW was introduced, which included a slower growing animal, more space, and an improved light regime. This alternative completely replaced the by then conventional concept. The aim of this study was to investigate the origin, causes, and driving forces of this sudden change. Popular and scientific literature, as well as interviews with key players in this transition process, were used to re-construct the chronology of events and draw the main and decisive findings. The latter include: (1) The availability of a cost-efficient alternative to conventional concepts, (2) a basic willingness to change within the entire value chain (including consumers), (3) initiating and triggering actions by NGOs, (4) decisive initiatives by retailers and (5) simultaneous introduction of the new concept and replacement of the conventional concept (i.e., depriving the consumer of a cheaper choice alternative). The result was a real transition of the Dutch fresh meat market without negative purchasing responses of the consumers. It was concluded that, although the Dutch fresh broiler meat market only included 30% of total domestic production, the existence of the abovementioned decisive factors could bring about an important change in favor of AW within a short period of time.

Economic nature of total national product and total domestic product in the system of national accounts

Economic nature of total national product and total domestic product in the system of national accounts

AN ECONOMIC STUDY OF THE PRODUCTION AND IMPORTS SITUATION FOR SOME OIL CROPS IN EGYPT

he problem of research was the low level of the local production capacity of plant oils with the increasing of Consumption requirement so the research aimed to find a way to cover the gap of oil crops. The main findings of the research are as follows - The area of oil crops decreased from about 1160 thousand feddans for the year 2001 to about 697 thousand feddans at the end of the first period by half, in addition to the continued decrease of cultivated areas of oil crops from about 718 thousand feddans in 2009 the beginning of the second period to about 470 thousand feddans in 2016 Second period of study. It was found that the area cultivated during the period (2001-2016) took a general decreasing trend and a statistical significance of about 49.33 thousand feddans annually, with a yearly average of about 5.96% of the total area of about 827 thousand feddans. - Peanuts, rice, maize and cotton are among the most important crops competing to soybeans and sunflowers in terms of the profitability of the invested Egyptian pound, which led farmers to refrain from growing soybean and sunflowers crops. The statistical estimate of the supply response function of soybeans indicates that the most important factors affecting the cultivated area in the current year depend on the net revenue in the pre vious year. The increase of one pound increases the cultivated area of the crop in the following year by about 6 feddans in the following year. It is also shown that the cultivated area in the current year of soybean crop is directly proportional to the cultivated area of the previous year. On the other hand, area under cultivation is affected by soybean revenue in the current year, in turn, by increasing the net revenue of maize crop. The increase of one pound is due to the shortage of cultivated area of soybeans in the following year by about 4 feddans in the following year. This is consistent with the economic logic. - As for the estimation of the response function of sunflower crop, it was found that the most important factors affecting the cultivated area in the current year depend on the net revenue in the previous year, increasing it by one Egyptian pound will increase the cultivated area of the crop in the following year by about one feddan. While the cultivated area with sunflower crop in the current year is adversely affected by the increase in the net revenue of maize and peanut. The increase of one pound is due to the shortage of cultivated area of the sunflower in the following year by about 7 feddan, 2 feddan in the following year respectively. The correlation between the strength of imports as a dependent variable and both the local production and size of the oil gap during the period 2001-2016 shows that there is a significant inverse relationship between the strength of imports and total domestic production. This is consistent with economic logic. Size of the gap is positive and morally significant. Size of the gap is 1,000 tons, which increases the import force by about 0.24%.An Economic study of the production and imports situation for some oil crops in Egypt Arab Univ. J. Agric. Sci., Special Issue, 26(2C), 2018 In the light of the obtained findings of the research, it is possible to recommend the following points: 1. Apply the contracting farming between farmers for the purchase of oily crops with the predetermined guarantee price for oil crops by the Ministry of Agriculture to cover production costs and achieve a profitable profit margin, encouraging farmers to expand the cultivation of these crops. 2. The need to increase the cultivated area of soybean and sunflowers crops in the new lands away from the competitive summer crops in the old lands. Besides intercropping these tow mentioned crops among the main crops. 3. Improve the competitiveness of soybeans and sunflowers crops with competitive crops, which can be achieved by providing producers with a high yield varieties and new hybrids.

Produção científica brasileira em Química entre 2004 e 2013: análise dos artigos indexados na Web of Science

Analisa a produção científica brasileira em Química publicada entre 2004 e 2013 na forma de artigos científicos. O corpus da pesquisa é composto por 42.954 artigos científicos coletados na base de dados da Web of Science. Os resultados mostram que a produção científica em Química cresceu linearmente durante os dez anos estudados. A taxa de crescimento é de 6,29% ao ano e de 73,19% no período completo, e sua contribuição para o total da produção nacional é de 15,5% e para a mundial da área de 1,95%. O Índice de atividade é de 0,79 e aponta para um desenvolvimento abaixo da média mundial para a área. A distribuição geográfica da produção científica em Química apresenta grande desigualdade entre as regiões brasileiras; as regiões Sudeste e Sul se destacam pelo número de artigos publicados, respectivamente 57% e 17,97% do total. Constata-se que um pequeno núcleo de instituições brasileiras foi responsável pela publicação de 52,41% do total de artigos. As instituições com maior produtividade na área são USP (13,93%) e Unicamp (7,83%). A internacionalização da pesquisa em Química é observada pelo percentual de artigos publicados em inglês (92,08%) e em periódicos estrangeiros (83,65%). A maior parte dos artigos da área tem colaboração nacional, porém um percentual de 24% tem coautoria com pesquisadores estrangeiros. A coautoria bilateral é predominante entre artigos publicados em colaboração internacional. Os resultados apontam para o crescimento constante da área e para a internacionalização da pesquisa Química brasileira.

An Analysis of the Effects of Brexit on Korean SMEs

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact on Korean SMEs after the Brexit . . The research method used an industry association analysis. The results of the study are as follows. First, total exports in 2015 were $ 519.9 billion, while exports to the UK were $ 7.4 billion. Exports to the UK are about 1.4% of Korea's total exports. The amount of damage to the total gross domestic product of Korea is estimated to be about 1.6 trillion won. SMEs account for about 56% of the total manufacturing output in Korea and about 12% of UK exports. Second, the loss estimate for SMEs is estimated to be W940bn. The amount of about 1 trillion won is a large amount, so anyone potentially affected will have to prepare. Policy implications are as follows: First, SMEs should move from export-oriented management to domestic-oriented management. Second, the export window should be unified to help SMEs export. The significance of this paper is to analyze the impact of small firms on SMEs.

Temperature Based Spatiotemporal Growth Monitoring of Rice Plant from Germination-Ripening Stage Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques

Rice (Oryza sativa) is the second staple food largely grown and widely consumed in Pakistan. About 10% of the total crop area of Pakistan is cultivated by rice that takes a part in value addition of almost 1.3% - 1.6% in the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Due to global warming, temperature has a profound impact on rice crop phenology. Low temperature is the main factor of delay in rice plant growth and very high temperature results in stressed and short heighted plant so the crop sown in a region at the same time is not ready to harvest at same hours but a delay is observed. The study area under investigation was district Sheikhupura, Nankana, Lahore, Gujranawala and Hafizabad, which are famous for rice productivity. Landsat 7, 8 freely available thermal dataset are used to calculated pixel based temperature values to evaluate growth using agricultural growth indicators. The total covered area was 13,480 km2 in which 484 km2 area was marked as less growth rate area with low temperature values due to water body and excess of vegetation over there. About 7960 km2 area is marked as good for growth experiencing optimum temperature for rice plant. Approximately 4944 km2 area is marked as stressed rice plant area experiencing high temperature values adjacent to urban population. An attempt is made here to map this effect of temperature-based growth variability of the rice plant across the study area.

A comprehensive approach for quantifying environmental costs associated with unpaved roads dust

ABSTRACTThis study attempted to quantify the environmental damage costs associated with unpaved roads dust in Wyoming. Dust has profound impacts on human health, agriculture, and livestock. Incorporating the environmental impacts in the decision making process can highly enhance the planning process and maximise the social welfare especially at the local level. It was found that, dust associated with unpaved roads is responsible for environmental damages that worth $2429/mile/year. The majority of this cost is related to changes in annual crops yield (68%) and human health (38%). Unpaved roads dust seems to have a minor impact on livestock production (1%). The total estimated environmental damage costs in Wyoming is $32 million/year. This value is equal to 0.08% of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 4.7% of the gross value added by the agriculture sector in the state. In addition, these impacts represent 0.1% of the total personal income in the state. A life cycle cost comparison showed that maintaining unpaved roads using chemical suppressants is 48% cheaper than traditional maintenance methods considering service life and environmental impacts. The obtained results from this analysis can be used as basis for cost to benefit evaluations in the management process.

Perceived Effects of Sand Dredging on Livelihood Diversification of Artisanal Fisher Folks in Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract The study examined perceived effects of sand dredging activities on livelihood diversification of artisanal fisher folks in Lagos State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select respondents for the study. Purposively, Eti-Osa, Ibeju-Lekki, Epe and Ikorodu local Government Areas (LGAs) were selected for intensive dredging activities. Registered artisanal fishermen in these LGAs were 310, 350, 380 and 320, respectively. Twenty percent of the population in each LGAs were selected using simple random sampling technique to arrive at 272 respondents interviewed for the study. An interview schedule guide was used to elicit information on respondents’ socio-economic characteristics, knowledge, livelihood diversification and perception of the sand dredging effect on fishing activities. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation and independent sample t-test. The mean age of fisher folks was 37 ± 8 years, 92.1 % of them were males, 81.4 % were married and had households’ size ranging from 1 to 16 persons. Over 50 % of the respondents had no formal education. Monthly income of fisher folks in the study area ranged from ₦5, 000 to ₦60, 000 with a mean income of ₦22, 892 ± 13,564 and majority (92.9 %)were members of a social group. Respondents diversified most into off-farm activities such as commercial bike riding, security and technician services. Slightly above half (55.7 %) perceived sand dredging as having a negative effect on fishing activities. Results on inferential statistic revealed that a significant relationship existed between knowledge of sand dredging effect on fishing activities (r = 0.35), monthly income (r = −0.181) and social group (χ2 = 2.886) and perceived effects of sand dredging on fishing activities. Deliberate policy drive to mitigate sand dredging practices is required to forestall the negative effect on livelihood diversification of the artisanal fisher folks. Consequently, the artisanal fishery contribution to total Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employment generation and total domestic fish production will be enhanced.

Import Dependence and Food and Nutrition Security Implications

Pulses are the staple sources of protein for Indians and contribute significantly to their nutritional security. However, limited growth in domestic production, has led to India’s increased import dependence. India’s import of pulses almost doubled in the last ten years and is currently estimated to be more than 3 million tonnes. Imports account for 15–20 per cent of total domestic production. The article presents the factors behind stagnating pulses production, India’s vulnerability to pulses import shortage and thereby food security implications. It also suggests strategies to promote sustainable supply of pulses to ensure food security. JEL: Q130, Q180, Q170, Q020, F680

ТЕОРЕТИКО-МЕТОДОЛОГІЧНІ ОСНОВИ ФОРМУВАННЯ ТА ОЦІНЮВАННЯ ФІНАНСОВОГО ПОТЕНЦІАЛУ ІНВЕСТИЦІЙНОЇ ДІЯЛЬНОСТІ МАЛИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВ

In many countries, small businesses have a significant impact on the total gross domestic product. However, in Ukraine, the opportunities of small businesses to ensure the economic growth of the state are not sufficiently used yet. Among the reasons for this phenomenon is the insufficiently high rate of economic development of domestic small businesses, which, among other things, is due to the low level of investment activity of many small enterprises in Ukraine. In turn, the low volume of investment activity of such enterprises is also because the owners and managers of these enterprises are not competent enough to form and assess the financial potential of investment activities of business entities. Given this, the study aims to develop theoretical and methodological principles for the formation and evaluation of the financial potential of small enterprises’ investment activities. The economic content of the concept of the strategy of formation of the financial potential of small enterprises' investment activity is considered. Classification of factors influencing the magnitude of this potential has been developed. In particular, the primary and secondary, deterministic and non-deterministic, positive and negative factors that are directly or indirectly involved in the formation of the financial potential of small enterprises’ investment activities are highlighted. It is established that the process of such formation involves the transition from the existing to the strategic financial potential of investment activities of economic entities. The main ways of such transition are identified. Indicators for assessing the existing and strategic financial potential of investment activities of small enterprises are proposed. The connection between these indicators is established, and we perform their decomposition. In particular, the amount of the available financial potential of the business entity is presented as the sum of the opportunities to use the company's own funds, as well as obtaining loans and borrowed funds to finance investment projects. The results of the study can be used in planning the investment activities of small enterprises, in particular, in justifying the rational parameters of financial support for these activities.

Building Regional Water-Use Scenarios Consistent with Global Shared Socioeconomic Pathways

Water use projections are crucial to safeguard sustainable access to freshwater in the future. The Water Futures and Solution initiative (WFaS) has developed a set of global water-use scenarios consistent with the recent Assessment Report framework of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, notably the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), and applying a hydro-economic classification that links a socioeconomic dimension with hydrologic complexity. Here we present regional water use projections for the Pearl River Delta (PRD) in China consistent with the WFaS global assessment. Using two different downscaling techniques for developing regional water-use scenarios based on the national assumptions made for China in the WFaS assessment, we investigate PRD’s water-use projections. The findings indicate significant differences in the PRD’s regional development trends compared to China’s national SSP. The regionalized scenarios project lower water use because of the PRD’s lower share of the manufacturing sector in total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and higher rates of technological improvement, compared to national development trend assumptions. Nevertheless, hydrological challenges remain for the PRD. Its total water use would still increase by up to 54% in 2030 under the regionalized scenarios. Although uncertainties related to scarce data remain, we provide a scientifically sound and feasible method to generate regional scenarios that can capture the regional sectorial water uses development as well as being consistent with national water-use scenarios developed by global assessment.

Analysis of the Croatian vegetables market

Croatian accession to the European Union has increased exposure of domestic vegetable growers to competition from foreign markets making this market more vulnerable. The aim of this study was to determine the situation and problems on the Croatian vegetables market. Based on the method of supply balance sheets this paper analyzes the vegetable market in Croatia in the period from 2010 to 2012. Results showed that Croatia is not self-sufficient in vegetables production (self- sufficiency rate is less than 67%). In the last three years potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions and garlic were Croatia’s most important commodities, which made up 66% of the total domestic production of vegetables. Total vegetables human consumption in 2012 amounted to 114.3 kg / per capita (pc), with the highest per capita consumption being for potatoes (44 kg / pc), followed by tomatoes (15.8 kg / pc), onion and garlic (9.9 kg / pc), and carrots (6.7 kg / pc). The domestic vegetable market is characterized by a negative foreign trade balance and dependence on imports. The biggest amount of vegetables is imported from the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. Insufficient domestic vegetable productions is the result of fragmented structure of mostly small family farms, unmanaged production infrastructure, lack of heating and irrigation systems, as well as lack of systems for protection from hail and frost, and lack of storage capacity. Also, one of the biggest problems of Croatian vegetable market is inefficient distribution because growers often do not have the financial and/or organizational ability to act independently in the market which causes high logistics costs. Competitiveness of the Croatian vegetable market can be increased by consolidation and technological modernization of production, and encouraging vertical and horizontal integration of all stakeholders in the supply chain of vegetables.

Socio-Economic Analysis of Artisanal Fishing Operation in West and East Axes of Lagos State, Nigeria

The fishery sector occupies a significant position in the economy of Nigeria contributing 4% to agricultural GDP. The artisanal fisheries supplies 81.9% of the total domestic fish production in Nigeria. The result of this study which relied purely on field research examined the socio-economic activities of artisanal fisher folks in the east and west axes of Lagos state comprising Ibeju-Leki and Badagry areas. Five fishing communities were selected from each axis and 200 respondents (20 from each community) were sampled. Structured questionnaire, focus group discussion and interview sessions were used to collect data on socio-economic characteristics, livelihood parameters, cost of craft, gear and other fishing inputs, fish species and productivity. T-test and descriptive statistics were used for analyses. The analysis showed that there was no significant variation in the distribution pattern of the socio-economic characteristics and other parameters between the fishers' areas of operation.