69 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Gender differences in use and preferences of agricultural information sources in Pakistan
Purpose: Rural advisory services ensure agricultural information is
disseminated to rural populations, yet they are less accessible to
women. This research provides insight on gender differences in
information access by investigating frequency of use and
preference of agricultural information sources by gender in a rural
setting, differentiated according to literacy and age.
Design/Methodology/approach: This study interviewed 401
male/female individuals in farm households in Jhang and
Bahawalpur district of Punjab, Pakistan in 2016.
Findings: Men and women farmers’ use and preferences in
accessing information sources are extremely different. Women
hardly use sources for agricultural information, and value
interpersonal communication from informal sources. In contrast,
men use and value official agencies more. Radio, surprisingly, was
very rarely used, contradicting previous findings of research
elsewhere. Age and literacy affect differences between women
more than it does between men, particularly for convenient
locations to access information. Practical implications The study
identified and refined major gender differences regarding use and
preference for agricultural information in relation to age and
literacy, and helps to articulate options to improve gender
equality of access to agricultural information in Pakistan.
Theoretical implications: The focus and outcomes regarding
gender intersecting with age and literacy in agricultural
information access imply the need for more refined socioeconomic
models, discerning and interrelating gender and other
social dimensions beyond the standard of male-headed households.
Originality/value: This paper adds to the growing body of evidence
on information access according to gender, highlighting the need to
investigate deeper socio-cultural issues around age and literacy
Recommended from our members
Farmer experience of pluralistic agricultural extension, Malawi
Purpose: Malawi’s current extension policy supports pluralism and advocates responsiveness to farmer demand. We investigate whether smallholder farmers’ experience supports the assumption that access to multiple service providers leads to extension and advisory services that respond to the needs of farmers.
Design/methodology/approach: Within a case study approach, two villages were purposively selected for in-depth qualitative analysis of available services and farmers’ experiences. Focus group discussions were held separately with male and female farmers in each village, followed by semi-structured interviews with 12 key informants selected through snowball sampling. Transcripts were analysed by themes and summaries of themes were made from cross case analysis.
Findings: Farmers appreciate having access to a variety of sources of technical advice and enterprise specific technology. However, most service providers continue to dominate and dictate what they will offer. Market access remains a challenge, as providers still emphasize pushing a
particular technology to increase farm productivity rather than addressing farmers’ expressed needs. Although farmers work in groups, providers do not seek to strengthen these to enable active interaction and to link them to input and produce markets. This limits farmers’ capacity to continue with innovations after service providers pull out. Poor coordination between providers limits exploitation of potential synergies amongst actors.
Practical implications: Services providers can adapt their approach to engage farmers in discussion of their needs
and work collaboratively to address them. At a system level, institutions that have a coordination function can play a more dynamic role in brokering interaction between
providers and farmers to ensure coverage and responsiveness.
Originality/value: The study provides a new farmer perspective on the implementation of extension reforms
Recommended from our members
Antioxidants inhibit low density lipoprotein oxidation less at lysosomal pH: a possible explanation as to why the clinical trials of antioxidants might have failed
Oxidised low density lipoprotein (LDL) was considered to be important in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, but the large clinical trials of antioxidants, including the first one using probucol (the PQRST Trial), failed to show benefit and have cast doubt on the importance of oxidised LDL. We have shown previously that LDL oxidation can be catalysed by iron in the lysosomes of macrophages. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the effectiveness of antioxidants in preventing LDL oxidation at lysosomal pH and also establish the possible mechanism of oxidation. Probucol did not effectively inhibit the oxidation of LDL at lysosomal pH, as measured by conjugated dienes or oxidised cholesteryl esters or tryptophan residues in isolated LDL or by ceroid formation in the lysosomes of macrophage-like cells, in marked contrast to its highly effective inhibition of LDL oxidation at pH 7.4. LDL oxidation at lysosomal pH was inhibited very effectively for long periods by N,N'-diphenyl-1,4-phenylenediamine, which is more hydrophobic than probucol and has been shown by others to inhibit atherosclerosis in rabbits, and by cysteamine, which is a hydrophilic antioxidant that accumulates in lysosomes. Iron-induced LDL oxidation might be due to the formation of the superoxide radical, which protonates at lysosomal pH to form the much more reactive, hydrophobic hydroperoxyl radical, which can enter LDL and reach its core. Probucol resides mainly in the surface monolayer of LDL and would not effectively scavenge hydroperoxyl radicals in the core of LDL. This might explain why probucol failed to protect against atherosclerosis in various clinical trials. The oxidised LDL hypothesis of atherosclerosis now needs to be re-evaluated using different and more effective antioxidants that protect against the lysosomal oxidation of LDL
Recommended from our members
A Multi-Actor Literature Review on Alternative and Sustainable Food Systems for the Promotion of Cereal Biodiversity
Organic and low-input food systems are emerging worldwide in answer to the sustainability crisis of the conventional agri-food sector. “Alternative” systems are based on local, decentralized approaches to production and processing, regarding quality and health, and short supply-chains for products with strong local identities. Diversity is deeply embedded in these food systems, from the agrobiodiversity grown in farmers’ fields, which improves resilience and adaptation, to diverse approaches, contexts and actors in food manufacturing and marketing. Diversity thus becomes a cross-sectoral issue which acknowledges consumers’ demand for healthy products. In the framework of the European project “CERERE, CEreal REnaissance in Rural Europe: embedding diversity in organic and low-input food systems”, the paper aims at reviewing recent research on alternative and sustainable food systems by adopting an innovative and participatory multi-actor approach; this has involved ten practitioners and twenty-two researchers from across Europe and a variety of technical backgrounds in the paper and analysis stages. The participatory approach is the main innovation and distinctive feature of this literature review. Partners selected indeed what they perceived as most relevant in order to facilitate a transition towards more sustainable and diversity based cereal systems and food chains. This includes issues related to alternative food networks, formal and informal institutional settings, grass root initiatives, consumer involvement and, finally, knowledge exchange and sustainability. The review provides an overview of recent research that is relevant to CERERE partners as well as to anyone interested in alternative and sustainable food systems. The main objective of this paper was indeed to present a narrative of studies, which can form the foundation for future applied research to promote alternative methods of cereal production in Europe.Peer reviewe
Advances in Natural Language Processing
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 413
Revue Bulag (Bulletin de Linguistique Appliquée et Générale)
1 numéro par an (avec comité de lecture international)La revue du Centre de Recherche Lucien Tesnière est le BULAG, (Revue Internationale avec comité de lecture, distribuée dans le monde entier). Elle est ouverte aux chercheurs qui veulent publier leurs articles sur un thème déterminé chaque année
- …