Irrigation Development as an Instrument for Economic Growth in Saskatchewan: An Economic Impact Analysis

Allocation decisions in Saskatchewan of water are needed because of the limited nature of the resource in the province. Timely allocation of water can impact crop production, and through that economic development in the province, which may result through the value of the improved crop production as well as the economic linkages within the economy. Irrigation can be seen as a tool for economic growth as it decreases the reliance on natural factors which are critical for crop production in the province. The provincial government has committed, among its various agricultural initiatives, to develop tools to reach economic development goals. A study of the economic importance of irrigation in Saskatchewan is important to understand its contribution provincially and regionally as a possible tool for this economic development. The economic impacts of irrigation extend beyond farm-level impacts and understanding how it contributes to the entire economy at a provincial and regional level is information needed by decision makers. The purpose of this study is to provide the contributions of the irrigation sector on the provincial and regional economy. The Saskatchewan Irrigation Impact Analyzer (SIIA) model was built as a part of this study. The SIIA was based on a regionalized rectangular input-output model of the irrigation sector. Base data for the model were obtained from Statistics Canada Transaction Tables for 2011. The model was regionalized into: The Lake Diefenbaker Development Area (LDDA) and the other regions of Saskatchewan. The original data for agriculture production were disaggregated into irrigated and dryland production, each further disaggregated to crop and livestock production sectors. The model was further augmented with an employment model. Two scenarios of irrigation development were tested in the study: First, irrigation development that occurred during 2011-2016; Second, new irrigation development through infill expansion. In addition, the marginal contribution of the irrigation activity on the lake Diefenbaker Development Area region was also undertaken, which required a survey of producers. The study found that the total economic impacts of irrigation development during 2011-2016, enabling an additional 8,472 acres of irrigated production, amounted to $200.83 million in output (sales) generating$86.60 million in GDP contributions at market prices. This resulted in 1,179 full-time equivalent (FTE) employment years and $62.48 million in household income contributions. These estimates are based on a simulation of irrigation over a twenty-year period. With respect to potential irrigation expansion, the study found that if the 32,250-remaining infill-acres (that have been identified as offering irrigation potential) were to be developed and under production for a twenty-year period, the total economic impacts to the province of Saskatchewan would be$603.70 million in output (sales) responsible for 2,908 FTE employment years. This would amount to $181.12 million in household income contributions and$240.89 million in gross domestic product (GDP) contributions at market prices, at 2011 dollars. The study also found that regionally, irrigation provides an impetus for economic development. During the 2011 year, the marginal contribution of irrigation production, over and above the alternative of dryland production, was created through purchases of higher amounts of farm inputs, as well as spending of additional household income. These two avenues resulted in total economic impacts of $116.53 million in output (sales) which generated$78.47 million in GDP contributions at market prices. In the region, $58.72 million in household income gains also were incurred as a result of the 1,323 FTE employment years generated. The study found the economic impacts of irrigation, currently and potentially, to be extensive in each scenario and offering considerable regional impacts over and above the dryland production alternatives

NAVIGATING BETWEEN ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS IDENTITY: HERITAGE LANGUAGE MAINTENANCE AMONG YOUNG AUSTRALIANS OF INDONESIAN ORIGIN

For ethnic minority groups, speaking a heritage language signifies belonging to their country of origin and enriches the dominant culture. The acculturation of major ethnic groups in Australia – Greek, Italian, Chinese, Indian and Vietnamese – has been frequently studied, but a minor one like Indonesian has not. Through semi-structured interviews at various places and observations at cultural events, the study explores the contextual use, meaning and perceived benefits of Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language) among Indonesian families and how this practice influences the young participants’ (18-26 years old) identification with Indonesia, the origin country of their parents, and Australia, their current culture of settlement. The findings suggest that Bahasa Indonesia serves as a marker of ethnic and religious identity glued in family socialization. Parents believe that not only does the language signify their Indonesian ethnic identity, but also provides a means for socializing family values, and is beneficial for educational purposes and future career opportunities. However, parents face a dilemma whether to focus on ethnic or religious identity in socializing the use of Bahasa Indonesia. Interestingly, most young participants demonstrate a more global worldview by embracing both Indonesian and Australian values. How religious identity relates to more global worldview should be addressed more comprehensively in future studies

Stigma in payday borrowing: a service ecosystems approach

PurposeThis study aims to explore stigma in payday borrowing by investigating how the stigma associated with using such a service may spill over and affect other people, entities and relationships beyond the user within a service ecosystem.Design/methodology/approachIn-depth interviews exploring consumers’ lived experiences and stigma were combined with publicly available reports from key stakeholders within the payday loan (PDL) industry to create a qualitative, text-based data set. The transcripts and reports were then analysed following thematic protocols.FindingsAnalysis reveals that the stigma associated with using a stigmatised service spills over, affecting not only the borrower but other actors within the service ecosystem. The analysis uncovers three important interactions that spilled over between the actors within the stigmatised service ecosystem (SSE), which can be damaging, enabling or concealed.Research limitations/implicationsThis study introduces and explores the concept of “SSEs” and investigates the impact of stigma beyond the dyadic relationships between service providers and users to consider the actors within the wider ecosystem. The findings reframe existing understandings about stigma, as this study finds that stigmatised services can play both a positive (enabling) and a negative (damaging) role within an ecosystem, and this study uncovers the role of stigma concealments and how they can affect relationships and value co-creation among different actors.Practical implicationsThis study provides evidence for more robust policies for addressing stigma in different SSEs by mapping the effects of stigma spillover and its effects on the borrower and other actors.Originality/valueThis study contributes to reframing marketing priorities by extending existing work on consumer stigma by showing how the stigma of a PDL may spill over and affect other actors within a service ecosystem. Significantly, the interactions between the actors may have positive as well as negative outcomes

Exploring the Development of Pre-Service Teachers\u27 Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Integrating Computational Thinking and Robotics into the Classroom

This paper presents an introductory computational thinking (CT) module that can be implemented into teacher education curricula. The researchers examined how the integration of CT and robotics instruction into an undergraduate instructional technology course influenced pre-service teachers\u27 understanding of CT and robotics and their attitudes towards adopting these tools in their future classrooms. The online module was developed as a result of a collaboration between computer science and education faculty from two universities. A total of 93 students participated in the study. The course was delivered during the spring, summer, and fall semesters of 2020 via distance learning at a large public university located in Florida. Data for this study were collected using a pre-and post-test survey that was created with Qualtrics software. This paper describes how the CT and robotics concepts were taught and examines the influence of the instruction on participants\u27 knowledge and attitudes of CT and robotics and their integration into the classroom

Raising the Bar with Professional Development in the Use of Distance Learning Tools

Abstract: Strategic plans to increase online student enrollment and distance learning (DL) enrollment are driving professional development centers to change their approach to faculty preparation for designing, developing, and facilitating online courses. As it takes approximately three to five years to achieve change in teaching attitudes toward technology (Hall & Hord, 2014), understanding factors that influence faculty adoption of technology, their self-efficacy, and attitudes toward technology becomes indispensable. This paper describes a study that explored how different professional development (PD) options affect faculty self-efficacy and attitudes toward adopting distance learning tools for online instruction. The authors welcome a discussion on this topic and to share preliminary data collection

Reducing car kilometres 20% by 2030: public perceptions

This report examines public perceptions towards the Scottish Government commitment to a 20% reduction in car journey distance by 2030. It details findings from six two-hour focus groups conducted virtually with members of the public from across Scotland

The Effect of Bone Quality on Treatment of Intertrochanteric Fractures with Helical Blade Versus Lag Screw Fixation in Cephalomedulary Nails

Introduction. The specific aim of this retrospective study was to determine whether bone quality has any effect on the complication rates or overall survivorship between helical blades and lag screws in cephalomedullary nails used for intertrochanteric hip fractures. Methods. Clinical charts and radiographic studies of patients between Jan 2012 through July 2019 were reviewed. Radiographic images (pre-, intra-, and post-operative) were reviewed to evaluate fracture fixation type, fracture reduction grade, and post-operative complications. DEXA scan results (T-score) and serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) isoenzyme activity values were collected to evaluate patient bone quality. Results. 303 (helical: 197, screw: 106) cases were included. Complications were found in 31 helical blade cases (16%) and 23 lag screw cases (22%). No statistically significant difference was detected when comparing complication rates to patient bone quality between these two groups. These two groups had similar one-year implant survivorship with respect to T-score, the low ALP level group, and normal ALP level group. The helical blade had higher implant survivorship compared to lag screw in five-year survival rate with respect to osteoporotic group, high ALP level group, and normal ALP level group. (Osteoporotic: 77% vs 69%, High ALP: 73% vs 67%, normal ALP: 70% vs 64%). Conclusions. Similar complication rates were observed between helical blade and lag screw constructs in cephalomedullary femoral nails when accounting for patient bone quality. However, the bone quality had positive influence on the initial post-operative fracture reduction grade, and the five-year implant survivorship