Land degradation, declining soil fertility, and erosion continue to plague agricultural production in many developing countries. In response to these farm production constraints and environmental ...challenges, a range of soil conservation technologies and practices have been developed and disseminated to tackle soil nutrient and fertility declines. However, evidence on the association between soil conservation, farm performance, and smallholder welfare is scarce. In this study, we examine the relationship between soil conservation, farm performance, and welfare outcomes of smallholder cassava farmers in Thailand. We use a farm household survey of 602 cassava growers and apply a doubly robust multivalued treatment effect estimator to estimate the relationship between soil conservation, farm performance, and welfare as well as the observable characteristics associated with the use of soil conservation practices. We observe a positive association between the use of soil conservation practices and cassava yields which is most likely associated with higher‐income streams. Similar insights are also observed for other welfare outcomes such as asset accumulation, including livestock which represents rural wealth to a considerable extent. The positive association between soil conservation and livestock ownership hints at some form of rural diversification. Given these insights, our analysis supports and gives credence to initiatives that promote the adoption of soil conservation as they are not only pro‐poor but also environmentally friendly with significant concerns for ecological safeguards.
Introduction. The Colombian Altillanura is going through a process of transformation, marked by the expansion of its agricultural border. In the region, it is being implemented a research agenda that ...seeks to develop and validate promising technologies for the improvement of productivity and sustainability of agricultural production systems. Economic evaluation plays an important role in prioritizing activities, allocating resources, and guiding agricultural research towards rural development objectives. Objective. The objective of this work was to implement an ex-ante economic evaluation to estimate the results and potential impacts of the new promising L23 rice line improved for the Colombian Altillanura. Materials and methods. The impact was measured on the L23 rice genotype, which was developed as a collaboration between the Colombian Corporation of Agricultural Research (AGROSAVIA) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), for the Colombian Altillanura. The ex-ante evaluation combined a partial budgets analysis with information from experimental tests and economic surpluses model. Results. The two methodological approaches were consistent and showed that with the adoption of the L23 genotype at least 29.7%, a probability of 17.1 % could be achieved for rice producers in the Altillanura due to the expected increase in crop yield. However, a sensitivity analysis of the assumptions warns that a low potential level of adoption along with nonsignificant changes in yield would make the research and development of the new genotype economically unfeasible. Conclusion. For the research, development and, introduction of the L23 rice genotype to be profitable, it is required a diffusion process that allows the reproduction of the seed and facilitates the access to producers, so that they can reach higher levels of adoption.
Introducción. La Altillanura colombiana atraviesa por un proceso de transformación, marcado por la expansión de su frontera agrícola. En la región, se está implementando una agenda de investigación que busca desarrollar y validar tecnologías promisorias para el mejoramiento de la productividad y la sostenibilidad de los sistemas de producción agropecuarios. La evaluación económica juega un papel importante en priorizar actividades, asignar recursos y guiar la investigación agrícola hacia objetivos de desarrollo rural. Objetivo. El objetivo de este trabajo fue implementar una evaluación económica ex-ante para estimar los resultados e impactos potenciales de la nueva línea promisoria de arroz L23 desarrollada para la Altillanura colombiana. Materiales y métodos. El impacto se midió en el genotipo de arroz L23, desarrollado en colaboración por la Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria (AGROSAVIA) y el Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT), para la Altillanura colombiana. La evaluación ex-ante efectuada combinó un análisis de presupuestos parciales con información de pruebas experimentales y un modelo de excedentes económicos. Resultados. Los dos enfoques metodológicos fueron consistentes y mostraron que con la adopción del genotipo L23, en al menos 29,7 %, se podría conseguir una rentabilidad del 17,1 % para los productores de arroz de la Altillanura, debido al aumento esperado del rendimiento en el cultivo. Sin embargo, un análisis de sensibilidad de los supuestos, alerta que un bajo nivel potencial de adopción junto a cambios no significativos en rendimiento convertiría la investigación y desarrollo del nuevo genotipo en no factible a nivel económico. Conclusión. Para que la investigación, desarrollo e introducción del genotipo de arroz L23 sea rentable, se requiere un proceso de diseminación que permita la reproducción de la semilla y facilite el acceso a los productores, para que así puedan alcanzar mayores niveles de adopción.
Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivation in Colombia has increased exponentially since 2006 (over 41-fold in relation to 2020), driven by a favorable export market. It is a particularly promising crop ...for creating livelihood opportunities in the region, especially for vulnerable populations such as victims of forced displacement and single mothers. Basil cultivation can foster economic empowerment, strengthen the community social fabric, and support sustainable development. Based on previous studies, Valle del Cauca has suitable soil and climatic conditions for this crop, making it one of the country's most promising regions for its cultivation.
Our study aimed to create a model to identify biophysically suitable zones in Valle del Cauca for basil cultivation.
We used a variety of techniques for our model. First, we conducted a comprehensive literature review to identify the criteria for the biophysical suitability model. We then used a multi-criteria analysis methodology to evaluate the weight of each criterion, indicating its relative importance for the crop. We subsequently applied the Suitable Crop Location Index (SCLI) using spatial analysis techniques to generate a suitability map, illustrating the most suitable areas for basil cultivation. Lastly, we conducted a sensitivity analysis to identify the critical factors and the model's stability. We used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools that integrated fuzzy suitability functions and aptitude criteria weighting, drawing on the Analytical Hierarchical Process. Our model explored a primary and a secondary scenario to assess the suitable areas in the event of average and 75% rainfall exceedance.
Our study model identified the southern part of the department as the most suitable for basil production, particularly the municipalities of Cali and Jamundí. These areas, currently used primarily for sugarcane cultivation, offer 161,052 ha of suitable land (categorized as good and very good), accounting for 5% of the territory studied.
While the model could be further refined by considering the socioeconomic and ecosystem information, this study provides valuable information for decision-makers, producer associations, and organizations interested in promoting, investing in, and establishing basil production as a commercially viable crop, by facilitating the identification of the most suitable cultivation areas for its production.
•We identify and prioritize the key biophysical factors for optimal basil development in Valle del Cauca, Colombia•Southern Valle del Cauca, notably Cali and Jamundí, offers 161,052 ha of prime land for basil production.•Confirm the department's suitability and potential for basil cultivation using our model.•We provide essential insights to decision-makers, producers, and organizations for effectively promoting this crop.
Women’s contribution in agriculture is often not recognized, and this limits thedesign of policies for targeting gender equality. The most recent body of literaturehas provided lessons about the role ...of women and its importance to improveagricultural productivity. However, these studies show that women’s contributionin agriculture is heterogeneous and context specific. Furthermore, there is a lackof evidence in Latin America about women’s roles and even less for specific cropslike rice in Ecuador, which is considered to be a male-dominated crop. Our studyconfirms previous qualitative study results that demonstrate the importance ofwomen in rice production. Households, where women participate in the decisionprocess to select rice varieties, are more likely to adopt modern varieties. In addition,in households that adopt improved varieties, women’s participation in the decisionabout which variety to plant, is correlated with a larger land area sown in thosevarieties than in households without female participation. These conclusions cansupport the dialogue and design of policies that aim to improve the rice sector andincrease gender equality
La contribución de la mujer a la agricultura no es usualmente reconocida, lo queha limitado en ocasiones el diseño de políticas que incrementen la igualdad degénero. La literatura más reciente ha aportado evidencia sobre el rol de las mujeresy su importancia para mejorar la productividad agrícola. Sin embargo, estos estudios muestran que la contribución de la mujer a la agricultura es heterogénea y contextoespecífico. Además, la evidencia en Latinoamérica es reducida y, más aún, en el cultivodel arroz en Ecuador, que se considera un cultivo dominado por hombres. Este estudiodesarrolla un análisis cuantitativo, cuyos resultados confirman la importancia de lamujer en la producción de arroz, lo que también fue reportado en estudios cualitativosprevios. Los hogares en los cuales la mujer participa en la toma de decisiones tienenmayor probabilidad de adoptar variedades modernas de arroz. Asimismo, dentro delos hogares que deciden usar variedades modernas, la participación de las mujeresen la selección de estas variedades implica la siembra de una superficie mayor. Loshallazgos del artículo aportan al diálogo y al diseño de políticas que buscan modernizarel sector arrocero e incrementar la igualdad de género.
Households in rural Ecuador face several challenges. One of them is the severe deprivation that reaches alarming percentages in the countryside. Unequal distribution and limited assets constrain ...households from improving their economic conditions. These factors induce households to overexploit natural resources. Poor households engage in a variety of livelihood strategies. Livelihood strategies are characterized by the allocation of assets (natural, physical, financial, public, social and human), income-earning activities (on farm, off farm), and outcomes (food, income, security). Together these determine the well-being attained by an individual or households. We used data collected by INIAP as part of the SANREM-CRSP project to identify livelihood strategies, their determinants, and well-being implications of adopting a particular livelihood. These data were from a comprehensive survey of 286 households collected during September and November, 2006. Livelihood strategies for the Chimbo watershed were identified using qualitative and quantitative methods. The methods provide similar results and identified four main livelihoods: households engaged in diversified activities, agricultural markets, non-farm activities, and agricultural wage work. Most households are engaged in agricultural markets followed by households in diversified activities. Households engaged in agricultural markets own higher amounts of natural and physical resources, while households engaged in non-farm activities have, on average, more human capital. Households participating in agricultural wage work are mainly from the down-stream watershed and posses less natural, physical and human assets. Factors influencing the selection of livelihood strategies were examined using a multinomial logit model. Variables such as access to irrigation, amount of farm surface and value of physical assets were statistically significant determinants of livelihood selection. Households with higher endowments of natural and physical assets are more likely to engage in agricultural markets and less likely to participate in non-farm activities. Secondary education tends to decrease participation in the agricultural sector while increasing engagement in non-farm activities. Several geographic variables like watershed location, altitude, and distance to rivers and cities are statistically significant determinants of livelihood strategies. The well-being associated with each livelihood strategy was estimated using least squares corrected for selection bias. Since participation in each livelihood is endogenously selected it was necessary to correct for selection. We use the Dubin- McFadden (1984) correction, based on the multinomial logit model. In our models of well-being few variables were statistically significant; this may be due to data limitations. Credit is statistically significant and has a positive effect on wellbeing. A similar positive effect is shown by education but the variable is not statistically significant. An odd result was found in the coefficient of irrigation access. This coefficient appears to decrease household well-being for those engaged in agricultural markets. This result is hard to explain, as we would expect that irrigation would be positively associated with well-being. The lack of access to water in irrigation systems in the region (noted by many respondents) might explain this negative effect. Most households that access irrigation do not have enough water, and access to irrigation does not provide the advantages that it might otherwise. The selection models were used to estimate the amount of well-being that households currently engaged in other livelihoods might receive if they selected a different livelihood. For example, what level of wellbeing would be attained by households currently engaged in agricultural markets if they instead engaged in non-farm activities. Results indicate that most households might achieve higher well-being if they engaged in non-farm activities. However households that want to engage in this sector require special skills or assets that are not easy to obtain; thus there are constraining barriers to diversification in the watershed. Several policy changes were simulated to determine their impacts on livelihood choice and household well-being. First a policy change that provides wider education to households in the region was assumed, with more education livelihood strategy selection moves towards the non-farm sector and away from agricultural wage work. These changes generate positive effects on household well-being. The second policy change was creating wider access to irrigation. This change moves livelihood strategies towards agricultural production and away from diversification and non-farm activities, and it had the effect of decreasing household well-being. This was unexpected but it is explained by the negative coefficient of irrigation access in the well-being model. These two policy changes were made to variables that are not statistically significant determinants in the well-being models but were highly significant determinants of livelihood strategies. The third and final policy was wider access to formal credit. Although credit is not a variable that affects the selection of livelihood strategies, it has an important effect on well-being. This policy change generates the highest increment in average well-being. However even though credit is available, if it is not used for productive purposes, it might represent an unnecessary cost for the households instead of being beneficial.
Master of Science
LTRA-3 (Watershed-based NRM for Small-scale Agriculture)
Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2008.
Title from electronic submission form. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references.
To evaluate disease-free survival of cervical conization prior to radical hysterectomy in patients with stage IB1 cervical cancer (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2009).
...A multicenter retrospective observational cohort study was conducted including patients from the Surgery in Cervical Cancer Comparing Different Surgical Aproaches in Stage IB1 Cervical Cancer (SUCCOR) database with FIGO 2009 IB1 cervical carcinoma treated with radical hysterectomy between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2014. We used propensity score matching to minimize the potential allocation biases arising from the retrospective design. Patients who underwent conization but were similar for other measured characteristics were matched 1:1 to patients from the non-cone group using a caliper width ≤0.2 standard deviations of the logit odds of the estimated propensity score.
We obtained a weighted cohort of 374 patients (187 patients with prior conization and 187 non-conization patients). We found a 65% reduction in the risk of relapse for patients who had cervical conization prior to radical hysterectomy (hazard ratio (HR) 0.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.16 to 0.75, p=0.007) and a 75% reduction in the risk of death for the same sample (HR 0.25, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.90, p=0.033). In addition, patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery without prior conization had a 5.63 times higher chance of relapse compared with those who had an open approach and previous conization (HR 5.63, 95% CI 1.64 to 19.3, p=0.006). Patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery with prior conization and those who underwent open surgery without prior conization showed no differences in relapse rates compared with those who underwent open surgery with prior cone biopsy (reference) (HR 1.94, 95% CI 0.49 to 7.76, p=0.349 and HR 2.94, 95% CI 0.80 to 10.86, p=0.106 respectively).
In this retrospective study, patients undergoing cervical conization before radical hysterectomy had a significantly lower risk of relapse and death.
A 68-year-old woman was treated with an autogenous particulated bone graft from the anterior part of the mandible to elevate the right maxillary sinus floor, which was next to the alveolar ridge of ...an edentulous area, to facilitate dental implant placement. A rigid plate for anchorage was placed into the zygomatic bone. The maxillary right canine and the premolars were moved distally 6 months after the implant was placed and osteointegration of the bone graft had occurred. The Class II relationship was corrected. After tooth movement, the patient underwent multislice computed tomography to determine the mineral density of the bone graft and compare it with the opposite side of the maxilla. The mineral density showed values above normal for the posterior segment of the maxilla. Although the patient was taking bisphosphonate for treatment of osteoporosis, no related complications were noted during treatment.
The growth of Protestantism in Brazil has been associated with changes in mortality and health-related outcomes. Recent research has suggested that affiliation with Protestant churches may positively ...influence their members' well-being by: 1) providing moral directives, 2) creating formal or informal sanctions, and 3) promoting social networks and support. This article uses data from the 1996 and 2006 Brazilian Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) and Cox's proportional hazard models to examine the relationship between infant mortality and mothers' religious involvement. Unadjusted results show that differences in the hazard ratios of infant mortality by mothers' religious involvement are considerable and statistically significant. When one controls demographic and socioeconomic variables in the 1996 DHS, the baseline relationship disappears, supporting the hypothesis of selectivity. Results using the 2006 DHS are somewhat different and suggest that the association between religious involvement and infant mortality was stronger in Brazil in 2006 than in 1996. This research should encourage future studies on religious involvement and health-related outcomes in Brazil. This topic deserves further consideration from Brazilian demographers not simply because this country has undergone enormous changes in its religious landscape over recent decades, but also because religion can affect believers' lifestyles and behaviors, and this can indirectly influence their health and well-being.
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