Use Of Family Labor Research Articles

Determinants of technical and allocative efficiencies in catfish (Clarias gariepinus) Production in South-East, Nigeria

The study analysed technical and allocative efficiencies and their determinants in Southeast zone of Nigeria with the objectives of examining and identifying the socioeconomic characteristics of the catfish farmers in the area, the technical and allocative efficiency levels of the farmers, the determinants of technical and allocative efficiencies in catfish production, and the effect of pond systems on technical and allocative efficiencies. Multi stage and simple random sampling procedures were adopted in the selection of 384 respondents for the study. The results showed that majority of the farmers were males, educated up to secondary school level, with the mean fish production experience of 9.6 years, and high use of family labour. It was also found that average stocking rate was 2,500 per production phase with average duration of production of 6months. The result on the efficiency distribution showed that the mean technical and allocative efficiency levels of the farmers were 0.73 and 0.87 respectively. The results further pointed out that the socio-economic characteristics included in the study significantly contributed to technical and allocative efficiencies of catfish farmers in the area with experience standing out as the most important. Lastly, it was found that farmers who farmed in earthen ponds allocated their resources more efficiently.

Economics of Protected and Open Field Cucumber Cultivation in Jaipur District of Rajasthan

Protective cultivation is a cropping technique in which the climate around the plant is modified in part or whole to meet the plant’s requirement for the appearance of its output potential. For the study, an ultimate sample of 50 respondents was randomly selected from four villages in Jaipur district, which comprises 25 polyhouses and 25 open field cucumber cultivators. CACP cost concept was used in analyses of costs and returns pattern. Results showed that cucumber cost of cultivation in polyhouses and open fields was Rs 289815.10 and Rs 93726.24 per acre, respectively, while the gross return was Rs 543509.68 and Rs 137301.08 per acre. The net return of cultivation was Rs 253694.58 and Rs 43574.84 per acre under respective cultivation. In polyhouse cucumber cultivation, higher B-C ratio (1.88) was observed in comparison to open field cultivation (1.46) which showed that former was more profitable than latter. Family labor use in polyhouse was found relatively low in comparison to open field condition.

Profit Analysis of Small-Scale Poultry Layers in Iwo Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) Zone of Osun State

This study focused on the profit analysis of small-scale poultry layers in Iwo ADP Zone of Osun State. Data were collected from the poultry farmers using a well-structured questionnaire and multi-stage sampling procedure. A total sample size of one hundred and five (105) poultry farmers was selected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics budgetary analysis and inferential statistical tools (OLS). Results of the study revealed that majority (80%) of the farmers were below 50 years and the farmers’ mean age was 49.5±7.7 years. The majority (95%) of the farmers had primary education and above. The mean year of experience was 11.0±3.4 years. The mean birds reared and profit was 405 birds and N84, 849.54 respectively. Return on investment during the period was N1.04 establishing positive returns. Household size, years of poultry farming experience and stock size were the factors significantly influencing the profit positively. Therefore, it is suggested that poultry farmers in the study area should try to increase their pen size, explore the use of family labour and endeavour to learn new methods of poultry management from farmers with more years of poultry-keeping experience to increase their level of profit.

Rural market imperfections in India: Revisiting old debates with new evidence

SummaryMotivationEnsuring viability of farming and increasing farmers' incomes are key policy concerns in India at present. To realize these aims, markets need to function well: market imperfections can increase production and transaction costs for farmers and thereby reduce incomes. A longstanding and repeated observation in India is that land productivity is inversely related to farm size, an inverse relation (IR) which may well indicate imperfectly functioning land, labour, and credit markets.PurposeThe study revisits the inverse relation, to examine whether market imperfections still prevail in India, particularly in output, input, factor, and credit markets.Methods and approachBased on multi‐stage sampling, 1,800 households spread over 45 villages and 21 districts were surveyed across Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab. Micro‐econometric methods were applied to the household‐level data to test for relations between farm size and land and labour productivity, and implied evidence of market imperfections.FindingsA strong IR between land productivity and farm size on the output side, and farm size and family labour use on the input side can be seen. However, intensive use of family labour on small farms is not the only determinant of farm size‐productivity relations. It is found that smaller farmers are relatively more constrained in obtaining credit. The results suggest that Sen's labour dualism theory, together with imperfections in land and credit markets, offers important insights. Also, drawing from the recent literature, measurement errors in plot size and production and “edge effect” could be some of the contributing factors.Policy implicationsOur findings point to the prevalence of surplus family labour on small farms, even a decade after the enactment of a major employment guarantee programme (MGNREGS), exacerbated by small farmers having limited access to institutional credit.Thus, particularly for marginal and small farmers, reforming land lease markets to enable easier access to land, providing better access to institutional credit, and improving literacy to enable farmers to deploy abundant household labour in other occupations, are needed to address some of the observed imperfections.

Determinants of Transmigrant Households’ Income in Settlement Unit 3 Pagar Banyu, Ulu Talo District, Seluma Regency

In Indonesia, which consists of thousands of islands, it is very likely that there will be population inequality between islands. The government initiated the transmigration program to collectively encourage a more even distribution of the population, especially outside Java. The condition of the transmigration location with agricultural potential has encouraged most of the transmigrants to have their main livelihood as farmers. One of the transmigration destinations in Indonesia is Bengkulu Province, which is spread over eight regencies, but Seluma Regency is the only district that is included in the 3T (Frontier, Isolated, Underdeveloped) in Bengkulu Province which is allocated for the settlement of transmigrants, and the Settlement Unit 3 Pagar Banyu is one of the transmigration destinations since 2007. This study aims to analyze the effect of farm diversification, land size, family labor, and non-farm income on transmigrant household income. The population in this study consists of 50 transmigrant households in the settlement unit 03 Pagar Banyu, Ulu Talo District, Seluma Regency, all selected as respondents. Data were collected through interviews based on questionnaires, which were then analyzed with multiple linear regression. The results of this study indicate that farm diversification, land size, family labor, and non-farm income have a positive and significant effect on the income of transmigrant households. The results imply that transmigrant households should optimize farming in terms of diversification, land size, use of family labor, and engagement in non-farm income opportunities to increase income. Furthermore, the government should provide policies that focus on developing transmigrant farming.

Assessing Rice Farmers’ Coping Strategies to Labour Scarcity in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, Nigeria

This study assessed the coping strategies of small holder rice farmers in the face of agricultural labour challenges in Guma local government area of Benue state, Nigeria. Literature was reviewed to ascertain the results of other scholars across the globe on the various strategies that farmers have used to cope with the challenge of labour scarcity in agriculture. This study adopted a survey research design with a population of 5125 small holder rice farmers, out of whom 371 respondents were determined using Taro Yamane’s formula. These respondents were sampled using a multi-stage sampling strategy (simple and purposive random sampling techniques). Pre-tested and well structured questionnaires were used for data collection. Data collected was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 26.0); frequencies and percentages derived were presented in tables and a bar chart. Study findings indicated that the farmers adopt coping strategies such as the intense use of family labour; increased use of chemicals; preference for other crops (such as cassava, sweet potatoes and vegetables); importation of labour from other regions; marrying more wives and leasing out fadama (swampy and fertile) land. The study concluded that, the coping strategies adopted are not viable and sustainable in the 21st century; and thus recommended that the task of overcoming agricultural labour scarcity must not be left in the hands of the rural farmers alone; all stakeholders must be actively involved in finding sustainable coping strategies which must include mechanization of farms.

Adaptation Strategies of Small-Scale Farmers to Challenges of COVID-19 Pandemic in Osun State, Nigeria

The deadly virus COVID-19 has affected not only the health of people but also the food value chain sector. The experience of the locked down period to curtail the spread of the virus was unexpected. It is therefore important to understand how small-scale farmers survived the period. This study examined the strategies employed by small-scale farmers in Osun State to adapt to the challenges resulting from COVID-19 lock down. Specifically, the study itemized types of crops grown by small-scale farmers, assessed the forms of challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, examined the perceived effects of these challenges on small-scale farming activities, and investigated the adaptation strategies employed by small-scale farmers during this time. Six communities in the local government were selected at random and a total of one hundred and twenty farmers from the communities were interviewed. A questionnaire was designed to collect the primary data. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics and the chi-square tools. Results showed that COVID-19 lock down period led to poor health status (mean=2.87), less transport available to convey farm produce (mean=2.70), and high cost with little/no access to farm inputs such as fertilizer, chemicals and seeds/seedlings (mean=2.62). The foremost effects of these challenges on small scale farming activities were poor marketing of agricultural produce (mean=4.52), decrease in farmers’ income (mean=4.51), and labour shortage (mean=4.39). The leading adaptation strategies employed by the farmers were planting of available grains instead of seeds (mean=2.85), reduced food consumption (mean=2.83), and the use of family labour (mean=2.80). The regression analysis showed that education (β=0.151), marital status (β =1.173), non-farm income (β=-6.790), and years of experience (β=-0.032) were significant (at p<0.05) factors influencing the adaptation strategies employed by the farmers. To effectively reduce the adverse effects of unexpected lockdowns on farmers in the future, it is recommended that outlets for necessary agricultural inputs should be made available in all farming communities

Economic study on the export of cape gooseberry produced by Colombian indigenous communities in post-conflict areas to Spain and Europe

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to estimate and analyze the production and export viability of organic cape gooseberry to Spain, cultivated by indigenous communities in post-conflict areas.Design/methodology/approachBased on interviews with indigenous people who grow organic cape gooseberry in post-conflict areas and information from official platforms, the data are systematized, and a matrix of costs, expenses, productivity and income from the production and export of Cape gooseberry is calculated. Financial indicators of profitability are calculated: net profit, net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR). Finally, with a regression model, the trend of the behavior of the quantity and cost of Cape gooseberry exports from Colombia to Europe and Spain is estimated.FindingsThe production and export of organic cape gooseberry is profitable for indigenous communities in post-conflict areas, favored by a special price on the European market and by the use of family labor in cultivation, which improves the profitability of the product. Because of these factors, it is likely to become an alternative to partially replace illicit crops in post-conflict areas.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was carried out in conflict areas, so conducting interviews in that territory put the integrity of the researchers at risk.Originality/valueStudies known about organic cape gooseberry production reveal the benefits of the fruit for human health, but not the viability of production and export to Spain. This study demonstrates the financial viability of the production and export of cape gooseberry grown by indigenous people and therefore constitutes an alternative for substituting illicit crops.

Indigenous Family Labor in Agroforestry Systems in the Context of Global Transformations: The Case of the Inga and Camëntsá Communities in Putumayo, Colombia

The Camëntsá and Inga indigenous communities still rely on agroforestry systems for their livelihood attainment, although globalization effects have also reached their settlements. Agroforestry systems, especially home gardens, are experiencing reduced size and species diversity and therefore gradually disappearing. This research aims to determine the indigenous family labor contribution to agroforestry systems as a strategy to secure their livelihoods. The methods include a census, household survey, interviews with key informants, and direct observation. Family labor contributes to reducing production costs in agroforestry systems. Three groups of households were identified from the cluster analysis to determine the family labor contribution: smaller, medium-sized, and larger farms. The smaller farms register better economic indicators compared to the other two groups. In addition, they show a positive cost–benefit ratio and profitability, which is explained by lower production costs compared to the gross income generated. Although larger farms have higher gross revenues, these households also assume higher production costs and incur higher input costs. Medium-sized farms face the worst scenario. There is a relationship between the use of family labor and the achievement of livelihoods related to economic indicators and biodiversity and the variety of species harvested on farms and used for self-consumption. Family labor helps to ensure local food security and generate income.

“We would be dead in the water without our social media!”: Women using entrepreneurial bricolage to mitigate drought impacts in rural Australia

ABSTRACT It is widely understood that climate change transforms rural communities’ economic activities that have historically relied on farming through off-farm income for economic stability and mitigation. Entrepreneurship has become a central feature of the diversification of rural labor, but there is still a need to document how rural women operationalize entrepreneurship in their communities. We use three narrative interviews to examine how settler farming women in the Murweh and Paroo Shires of outback Queensland in Australia have mitigated the devastating financial impact of the most recent drought through the lens of entrepreneurial bricolage for off-farm income. The findings, generated through grounded theory, highlight the complexity of entrepreneurial bricolage processes through women’s use of networking (digital and communal), learning digital technologies, repurposing of resources and places, and use of family labor. The paper contributes theoretically to place-based, gendered and context-specific understandings of drought mitigation, through identifying how entrepreneurial bricolage is employed.

Does Small-Scale Livestock Production Use a High Technological Level to Survive? Evidence from Dairy Production in Northeast-ern Michoacán, Mexico.

Simple SummarySmall-scale dairy production is a activity in rural areas, as it generates daily income and contributes to food security. In Mexico, from the 1980s, economic policies were promoted that led to the modernisation and concentration of milk production, which caused many small-scale production units to disappear and reduce their contribution to the national supply. Some researchers report that the production units that survived were those that specialised and incorporated a high level of technology. The objective of this work was to identify the technological level and socioeconomic conditions of dairy production units in the northeastern region of Michoacán, Mexico, in order to know the strategies that have allowed them to survive. Through statistical analysis, four groups of farms with different levels of technology were identified. The clusters that predominate in this region use a low level of technology and have low productivity, finding their strengths in the diversification of activities they carry out and the use of family labour. Public policies should be directed, for each cluster, in a differentiated manner, prioritising the strengthening of the aspects that have kept them going in the present, rather than the incorporation of a high technological level in their production units.The objective of this study was to identify the technological level used by dairy farmers in the northeastern region of Michoacán, Mexico, through a characterisation of small-scale dairy production units, as well as to learn about the socioeconomic conditions that have enabled them to survive in the current context. A semi-structured interview was applied to 114 production units, chosen by stratified random sampling. The interview included technological, production and socioeconomic aspects. Twenty-eight variables were initially explored and 12 were used for multivariate analysis, which included Principal Component Analysis, Hierarchical Cluster Analysis and K-means Cluster. The characterisation carried out showed that the production units that predominate in northeastern Michoacán have survived with a low technological level, having as strengths the diversification of their activities and the use of family labour. On the contrary, production units with a high technological level and high productivity are few and less diversified. This shows the need to generate differentiated public policies for each cluster, aimed at strengthening the aspects that have allowed them to survive and guaranteeing a market for their production, before promoting the use of technologies.

Machine Learning for Price Prediction for Agricultural Products

Family farms play a role in economic development. Limited in terms of land, water and capital resources, family farming is essentially characterized by its use of family labour. Family farms must choose which agricultural products to produce; however, they do not have the necessary tools for optimizing their decisions. Knowing which products will have the best prices at harvest is important to farmers. At this point, machine learning technology has been used to solve classification and prediction problems, such as price prediction. This work aims to review the literature in this area related to price prediction for agricultural products and seeks to identify the research paradigms employed, the type of research used, the most commonly used algorithms and techniques for evaluation, and the agricultural products used in these predictions. The results show that the mostly commonly used research paradigm is positivism, the research is quantitative and longitudinal in nature and neural networks are the most commonly used algorithms.

Women, Migration and Textile Work in West Yorkshire, 1800–1851

Between the late eighteenth and mid-nineteenth century, the West Yorkshire woollen industry was one of the heartbeats of the Industrial Revolution and British prosperity on the international stage. At least until the 1830 s, much of this woollen cloth production was undertaken in a domestic or small workshop context and with a significant use of family labour. The communities that were at the heart of this industry thickened and grew. At the same time they retained a remarkable contemporary reputation for insularity and a distrust of strangers. This reputation sits at odds with the certainty that migration into, out of and around these manufacturing districts was significant. My article seeks to reconcile these two observations. Employing a large scale family reconstitution based upon parish registers, nonconformist registers, and census data (in turn linked to poor law accounts, landholding data, apprenticeship registers, manor court documents, family papers and antiquarian publications), the article argues that migrant women are the key to resolving the two different perspectives. For themselves, husbands, daughters, sons, grandchildren, brothers and sisters, the work, connections and cultural and economic networking of migrant women facilitated the integration of ‘strangers’ in these dynamic areas of proto-industrial production.

The implications of herd entrustment practice for the sustainable use of cattle genetic resources in the (agro)-pastoral systems of West Africa: A case study from Benin

West African (agro)-pastoralists have been increasingly using extra-household labour for the management of their cattle herds. This paper seeks to identify the factors influencing cattle owners’ decision to entrust their animals and to analyse the effects of the entrustment practice on the management and sustainable use of the animal genetic diversity within herds. Two hundred and eleven cattle farmers, including absentee-owners (n = 90) who entrusted their animals to professional herders, and owner-managers (n = 121) who look themselves after their cattle, were randomly selected and surveyed in Boukombe district in northwest Benin, the origin of the West African shorthorn Somba cattle breed. Households' socio-economic data and information on herds’ characteristics and management practices were collected using semi-structured questionnaires. The binary logistic regression technique was used to predict the adoption of entrustment by a given farmer in function of his herd’s and household's socio-economic characteristics. Effective population sizes and inbreeding rates for the communal non-entrusted and entrusted Somba populations were estimated and compared. The results revealed that the mode of acquisition of the initial stock, the total livestock units owned and the farmer’s ethnicity were the most important determinants of entrustment. The Somba indigenous cattle breed was threatened in entrusted herds by indiscriminate cross-breeding with Zebus. However, the non-entrusted population appeared to be more exposed to high inbreeding risks. While entrustment represents a good alternative for the efficient use of family labour, adequate strategies are needed to support this practice and encourage herd managers to adopt improved husbandry practices and sound breeding strategies.

The use of family labor in beef cattle cultivation (case in women farmer groups receiving beef cattle assistance in Bengkulu)

Beef cattle cultivation is a side job for farmers which is carried out by family labor and the incomes are used to finance various needs of the farmers’ family. This study aims to determine the use of family labor in beef cattle cultivation and the use of livestock sales. The research was carried out from October 2020 to April 2021 in two Women Farmers Groups (WFG) in Bengkulu City and Seluma Regency who received beef cattle assistance from the government. Data were analyzed descriptively. The results showed that in general, beef cattle cultivation was carried out jointly by man and women farmers with a labor allocation of 39.59%. In intensive farming, farmers are more dominant in cultivation activities amounting to 46.25%, while in semi-intensive farming women farmers are more dominant in cultivation activities (41.06%). The income from the sale of livestock are mainly used for children's education expenses and buying vehicles (91.67% each), building or renovating houses (87.50%), and buying feeder cattle (79.17%). For the development of beef cattle in farmer group, it is necessary to consider the cultivation system before determining the target of recipient of the program. The development by WFG is more suitable for semi-intensive cultivation systems.

Technological and socio-economic analysis of the local production system of the pink Zaragoza bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in the Caribbean of Colombia

The objective of this study was to characterize the Zaragoza pink bean production system in the Colombian Caribbean from the technical and economic point of view. A survey was randomly applied to 32 farmers in producing areas. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, measurements of central tendency and contingency tables. The economic return calculations were made using a production cost pattern and economic profitability analysis techniques. The results showed that the average experience in cultivation is 12 years; the average age of the farmers is 48 years; the predominant type of tenure is property in 63% of the sample; and the mode of the area devoted to this crop is 0.5 ha. The use of family labor predominates in 65% of cases. 90% of the production is destined for the market, 8% is destined for self-consumption, and 2% is for seeds. Production costs correspond to 1,437 USD/ha, the average production is 1,700 kg ha-1, and the average sale price was 0.886 USD/kg, which generates a cost benefit ratio of 1.43% in three months of the productive cycle, from sowing to postharvest. This crop is profitable and stable inasmuch as its yields recover costs and generate profits for producers.

The Role of Agricultural Extension in Cocoa Production and Livelihood of Farmers in Meme Division, Cameroon

Agriculture is important not only for its supply of food but also for its provision of raw materials. Cocoa is a lucrative cash crop grown in kumba, Meme Division of Cameroon. Given the importance of the crop to farm communities and the economy of Cameroon, agricultural extension has key roles to enhance production through information dissemination and adoption of innovations. This survey thus assess the role of agricultural extension in cocoa production and the livelihood of farmers in Meme Division. Through simple random sampling technique, 137 farmers were selected from the population of 210 registered cocoa farmers in the study area. A questionnaire made up of open and close ended questions was the instrument for primary data collection. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS and results revealed that 90% of the farmers were married men and 60% were of the age 35-49 years. Also, 74% of the respondents had been into cocoa farming for more than 10 years, signifying that their livelihood depend on it. A low level of education is observed with 55% of them attaining only primary education. Moreover, 64% are small farm holders with 68% acknowledging use of family labor for production activities. Results further show that agricultural extension plays an essential role in cocoa production as 92% affirmed that extension provided information, knowledge and technical skills for capacity building and empowerment using Farmers Field School (FFS) and Farmers Business School (FBS) approaches. To 96%, extension initiates diffusion and adoption of innovations and organizes credits and market linkages (87%). Another 89%, were confirmative that extension liaise projects under the Program for the Improvement of Competitiveness of Family Agro-Pastoral Farms (with French acronym ACEFA) to accompany the farmers. Conclusively, extension service delivery empowers and ensures livelihood of farmers.

Determinants of Household Economic Sustainability of Members of Agricultural Cooperatives in West Shoa Zone, Oromia Regional State

The study analyzed is the of determinants of Household Economic Sustainability of Members in Agricultural Cooperatives in West Shoa Zone, Oromia Regional State. The study units and the sampled respondents were 1112 and 294 respectively. The study units were selected purposively. To address the objective of this study, both qualitative and quantitative data were used. For the data analysis SPSS (version 20) was used. Based on this, the outcome of the study showed that (62.6%) were economically unsustainable; at 95% confidence level. Large family size, inefficient use of family labor, less saving habit, less members’ education and training were found to be determinants of household economic sustainability.

Characterizing shrimp-farm production intensity in Thailand: Beyond technical indices

This study examines shrimp farmer behaviour in relation to production intensity along the eastern coast of the Gulf of Thailand, and its embeddedness in the wider socio-economic context of shrimp farming households. The integrative agent-centred (IAC) framework was used as a basis for designing a structured survey to collect semi-quantitative data for a range of explanatory variables that potentially drive shrimp farmer behaviour. The results show that shrimp farming intensity is associated with a combination of technical (e.g. farm area, pond size, stocking density and production), economic (shrimp selling price, production costs and farm revenue), social (e.g. farm operating years, the use of family labour, engagement in shrimp farming and with other shrimp farmers), and ecological factors (e.g. farmer reliance on natural pond productivity, and constraints brought about by environmental change and fluctuations in productive areas). In addition, the results indicate that a number of external and internal socio-economic factors are related to the decision to adopt a certain level of production intensity, including training received on farming practices, access to technical equipment, proportion of total income from shrimp farming, season-specific changes in production, risk perception, and subjective culture (social norms and roles). This study therefore illustrates that levels of shrimp farming intensity are in fact an indicator of a diversity of socio-economic conditions and behavioural choices, which need to be targeted by sustainability policies differentially and beyond the technical sphere. In showing this, we conclude that national standards aimed at achieving aquaculture sustainability should be designed to reflect the diversity needed to support such a diverse sector, and should be adjustable to better represent different socio-economic contexts.

Survival Analysis for the Adjustment Phase Following Investment in Swiss Dairy Sheds

We analysed the adjustment phase following a dairy shed investment. On the basis of farm observations from both the Swiss Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) and a database of government-supported investments from 2003 through 2014, we focused on the imputed profit, the farm income minus opportunity costs for family labour and family capital. After investment, the analysed farms needed three years to return to the same profit level as that before the investment (median value). A Cox proportional-hazards model (survival analysis) showed that the probability of reattaining the imputed profit increased with equity capital. A reduction of the probability was related to a high imputed profit, a high off-farm income, high expenses for purchased animals and, in particular, a greater use of family labour before the investment. We conclude that the use of family labour after investment should be addressed more thoroughly during the planning process prior to an investment.