Smallholder orange farmer access to markets in Uganda

Orange ( Citrus sinensis L.) is a major dietary component globally, responsible for supplying nutrients and phytochemicals of biological and health influence such as minerals, vitamins, fiber, flavonoids, limonoids, and carotenoids and antioxidant. It accounts for more than 50% of the citrus fruits produced world-over. It is a popular fruit in sub-Saharan Africa, though its level of consumption per capita is by global standards very low. In Uganda, orange production is mostly concentrated in eastern and northern parts; mostly grown by small holder farmers who are plagued by a milliard of production and marketing constraints. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of institutional, infrastructural and socio-economic factors on smallholder access to orange markets in Uganda. The study was conducted in Kaberamaido, Kumi and Soroti Districts in eastern Uganda, using cross sectional data, during 2011-2012. Probit model results showed that the key institutional factor that affected smallholder access to markets was institutional belonging; the infrastructural factors entailed ownership of mobile phone and location of household; while age of household head, household size and output price constituted the socio-economic factors. Mobile phone, household size and age of household head elicited the highest effect on the probability for smallholder market access, and the magnitude of effect is shown by flexibilities of 0.5, -0.06 and 0.02, respectively. Tobit model estimates showed that market information, and household location constituted institutional and infrastructural factors affecting market access, respectively; while age of trees, output, output price and occupation of household head constituted the socio-economic factors. The critical factors that affect the extent of market access include location, market information, primary occupation of household head and quantity of output as shown by flexibilities of -0.6, 0.5, 0.5, and 0.03, respectively. Based on the Probit and Tobit model estimates, market information, mobile phone and quantity of outputs constitute critical institutional, infrastructural and socio-economic factors that affect smallholder market access. Therefore, opportunity for unlocking the potential for smallholders to access orange markets exists in boosting the level of output and facilitating linkage to markets.L\u2019orange ( Citrus sinensis L.) est un aliment majeur \ue0 l\u2019\ue9chelle mondiale, qui contient des nutriments et des compos\ue9s phytochimiques d\u2019influence biologique et sanitaire tels que les min\ue9raux, les vitamines, les fibres, les flavono\uefdes, les limono\uefdes et les carot\ue9no\uefdes et les antioxydants. Il comprend plus de 50% des fruits des agrumes qui sont\ua0cultiv\ue9s dans le monde. C\u2019est un fruit populaire en Afrique sub-saharienne, bien que son niveau de consommation par habitant soit tr\ue8s bas par rapport aux normes mondiales. En Ouganda, la production d\u2019orange est principalement concentr\ue9e dans l\u2019Est et le Nord de l\u2019Ouganda; principalement par de petits agriculteurs qui souffrent d\u2019un milliard de contraintes de production et de commercialisation. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019\ue9valuer l\u2019effet des facteurs institutionnels, infrastructurels et socio-\ue9conomiques sur l\u2019acc\ue8s des petits agriculteurs aux march\ue9s d\u2018orange en Ouganda. L\u2019\ue9tude a \ue9t\ue9 faite dans les districts de Kaberamaido, Kumi et Soroti dans l\u2019Est de l\u2019Ouganda \ue0 l\u2019aide de donn\ue9es transversales, au cours de la p\ue9riode 2011-2012. Les r\ue9sultats du mod\ue8le Probit ont montr\ue9 que le facteur institutionnel cl\ue9 qui affectait l\u2019acc\ue8s des petits agriculteurs aux march\ue9s \ue9tait l\u2019appartenance institutionnelle, les facteurs d\u2019infrastructure impliquaient la propri\ue9t\ue9 du t\ue9l\ue9phone portable et l\u2019emplacement du m\ue9nage, tandis que l\u2019\ue2ge du chef de m\ue9nage, la taille du m\ue9nage et le prix de production qui constituaient les facteurs socio-\ue9conomiques. Le t\ue9l\ue9phone portable, la taille du m\ue9nage et l\u2019\ue2ge du chef de m\ue9nage provoquent l\u2019effet le plus \ue9lev\ue9 sur la probabilit\ue9 d\u2019acc\ue8s au march\ue9 des petits agriculteurs et l\u2019immensit\ue9 de l\u2019effet est indiqu\ue9e par des flexibilit\ue9s de 0,5, -0,06 et 0,02, respectivement. Les estimations du mod\ue8le Tobit ont montr\ue9 que les informations sur le march\ue9 et l\u2019emplacement des m\ue9nages constituaient des facteurs institutionnels et infrastructurels affectant respectivement l\u2019acc\ue8s aux march\ue9s, tandis que l\u2019\ue2ge des arbres, la production, le prix de production et l\u2019occupation du chef de m\ue9nage constituaient les facteurs socio-\ue9conomiques. Les facteurs critiques qui affectent l\u2019\ue9tendue de l\u2019acc\ue8s au march\ue9 comprennent l\u2019emplacement, les informations sur le march\ue9, l\u2019occupation principale du chef de m\ue9nage et la quantit\ue9 de production, comme le montrent les flexibilit\ue9s de -0,6, 0,5, 0,5 et 0,03, respectivement. En se basant sur des estimations du mod\ue8le Probit et Tobit, les informations sur le march\ue9, le t\ue9l\ue9phone portable et la quantit\ue9 de production constituent des facteurs institutionnels, infrastructurels et socio-\ue9conomiques critiques qui affectent l\u2019acc\ue8s des petits exploitants aux march\ue9s. Par cons\ue9quent, il est possible de lib\ue9rer le potentiel des petits agriculteurs d\u2019acc\ue9der aux march\ue9s d\u2018orange en augmentant le niveau de production et en facilitant les liens avec les march\ue9s

Analysis of citrus value chain in eastern Uganda

Citrus farming is a smallholder enterprise in Eastern Uganda that has been prioritised and has received significant strategic support from government. However, farmers are variably engaging and benefiting from it probably due to existing inefficiencies in the value chain. This study aimed at analysing the citrus value chain, to identify factors affecting its performance, to foster citrus market competitiveness. The study involved citrus farming households, input suppliers, processors and traders. Cross sectional data were obtained and analysed using value chain mapping and gross margin analysis techniques. Results showed that farmers produce citrus using traditional technologies, including use of informally distributed planting materials with limited chemicals and irrigation. Value addition is limited and processing is still a critical missing link, thus fruits are commonly sold fresh. Generally, the value chain is not well coordinated and there is lack of trust among actors. Nevertheless, gross margin analysis shows that citrus farming is a profitable venture, which can lead to improvement in smallholder farm incomes and gainful employment in some segments of the value chain. Thus, citrus value chain upgrading opportunities lie within provision of quality planting materials, processing for value addition, and establishment of commodity innovation platforms.La production des agrumes est une entreprise de petits exploitants \ue0 l\u2019Est d\u2019Ouganda qui a \ue9t\ue9 prioritis\ue9e et a re\ue7u de soutien strat\ue9gique de la part du Gouvernement. N\ue9anmoins, les producteurs sont variablement engag\ue9s et en b\ue9n\ue9ficient probablement du fait de l\u2019inefficacit\ue9 de la cha\ueene de valeur. Cette \ue9tude a pour objectif d\u2019analyser la valeur de cha\ueene de l\u2019agrume pour identifier les facteurs affectant sa performance pour accroitre la comp\ue9titivit\ue9 du march\ue9 des agrumes. Cette \ue9tude a impliqu\ue9 les exploitants agricoles, les fournisseurs d\u2019intrants, les transformateurs et les commer\ue7ants. Les donn\ue9es transversales ont \ue9t\ue9 obtenues et analys\ue9es en utilisant la sch\ue9matisation de la cha\ueene de valeur et les techniques d\u2019analyse des marges brutes. Les r\ue9sultats ont montr\ue9 que les exploitants produisent les agrumes en utilisant les technologies traditionnelles, y compris l\u2019usage des mat\ue9riels de plantation traditionnellement distribu\ue9s avec un usage limit\ue9 des produits chimiques et d\u2019irrigation. La valeur ajout\ue9e est limit\ue9e et la transformation demeure un maillon critique manquant, donc les fruits sont couramment vendus frais. G\ue9n\ue9ralement, la cha\ueene de valeur n\u2019est pas bien coordonn\ue9e et il y a un manque de confiance parmi les acteurs. N\ue9anmoins, les r\ue9sultats de l\u2019analyse des marges brutes montrent que la production des agrumes est une op\ue9ration rentable, qui peut conduire \ue0 l\u2019am\ue9lioration des revenus des petits producteurs et un emploi r\ue9mun\ue9rateur dans certains segments de la cha\ueene de valeur. Par cons\ue9quent, la cha\ueene de valeur des agrumes donne lieu \ue0 des possibilit\ue9s de perfectionnement dans la fourniture des mat\ue9riels de plantation de qualit\ue9, la transformation pour de la valeur ajout\ue9e, et la mise en place des plateformes d\u2019innovation de la commodit\ue9

Using a community-based definition of poverty for targeting poor households for premium subsidies in the context of a community health insurance in Burkina Faso

Background: One of the biggest challenges in subsidizing premiums of poor households for community health insurance is the identification and selection of these households. Generally, poverty assessments in developing countries are based on monetary terms. The household is regarded as poor if its income or consumption is lower than a predefined poverty cut-off. These measures fail to recognize the multi-dimensional character of poverty, ignoring community members? perception and understanding of poverty, leaving them voiceless and powerless in the identification process. Realizing this, the steering committee of Nouna's health insurance devised a method to involve community members to better define `perceived? poverty, using this as a key element for the poor selection. The community-identified poor were then used to effectively target premium subsidies for the insurance scheme. Methods: The study was conducted in the Nouna's Health District located in northwest Burkina Faso. Participants in each village were selected to take part in focus-group discussions (FGD) organized in 41 villages and 7 sectors of Nouna's town to discuss criteria and perceptions of poverty. The discussions were audio recorded, transcribed and analyzed in French using the software NVivo 9. Results: From the FGD on poverty and the subjective definitions and perceptions of the community members, we found that poverty was mainly seen as scarcity of basic needs, vulnerability, deprivation of capacities, powerlessness, voicelessness, indecent living conditions, and absence of social capital and community networks for support in times of need. Criteria and poverty groups as described by community members can be used to identify poor who can then be targeted for subsidies. Conclusion: Policies targeting the poorest require the establishment of effective selection strategies. These policies are well-conditioned by proper identification of the poor people. Community perceptions and criteria of poverty are grounded in reality, to better appreciate the issue. It is crucial to take these perceptions into account in undertaking community development actions which target the poor. For most community-based health insurance schemes with limited financial resources, using a community-based definition of poverty in the targeting of the poorest might be a less costly alternative

Towards an understanding of regional disparities in social inequities in maternal health in Malawi

BACKGROUND: Improving maternal health remains a major challenge facing Malawi because at 984 deaths per 100,000 live births, the maternal mortality ratio is among the highest in the world. Although the health status of women in child-bearing age groups is low in all the three regions of Malawi, there are marked regional differences in several health indicators. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the degree of socio-economic inequities in maternal health in Malawi both at regional and national levels. METHODS: Using data from a sample of 4,276 women from the Malawi Second Integrated Household Survey of 2004 who reported giving birth up to two years preceding the survey, deliveries attended by skilled health personnel and access to prenatal care services were used to analyze socio-economic inequities in maternal health. Household income, from which household socio-economic status was derived, was proxed by real annual household expenditure. Concentration indices were then calculated for the two indicators for the whole sample, as well as for each of the three regions of Malawi. The proportion of household income that is spent on health was also considered to ascertain whether the poor spend a larger proportion of their income on health than the non-poor. RESULTS: There is no evidence that the poor spend a higher proportion of their income on health than the non-poor. We found very high rates of utilization of antenatal care services with no income-related inequality in its utilization both at regional and national levels. There are socioeconomic inequalities in the deliveries by skilled health personnel. The pro-rich inequalities in the medically attended deliveries are highest in the central region followed by the north and lowest in the southern region, with traditional birth attendants still playing an important role in handling deliveries. CONCLUSIONS: The free government medical services appear to be effective in ensuring that the poor do not spend a higher proportion of their income on health than the non-poor. However, there is a wide mismatch between utilization of antenatal care services and skilled attendance at childbirth

Educated Mothers, Well-Fed and Healthy Children? Assessing the Impact of the 1980 School Reform on Dietary Diversity and Nutrition Outcomes of Zimbabwean Children

© 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group We scrutinise the causal influence of schooling on child dietary diversity and nutrition in Zimbabwe using the exogenous variability in schooling prompted by the 1980 education policy, a natural trial fitting a fuzzy regression discontinuity design. We established that a one-year of learning promotes dietary diversity and nutrition even after accounting for plausible mediating factors. Also, education is more liable to impact dietary practices and nutrition through improvements in health knowledge, literacy, wealth and prenatal care utilisation. These findings suggest that promoting schooling access to girls in resource-poor nations might have far-reaching implications on feeding practices and consequently child nutrition

On selection of an appropriate logistic model to determine the risk factors of childhood stunting in Bangladesh

Stunting is the core measure of child health inequalities as it reveals multiple dimensions of child health and development status. The main focus of this study is to show the procedure of selecting the most appropriate logistic regression model for stunting by developing and comparing several plausible models, which ultimately helps to identify the predictors of childhood stunting in bangladesh. This study utilizes child anthropometric data collected in the 2014 bangladesh demographic and health survey. Valid height-for-age anthropometric indices were available for a total of 6,931 children aged 0–59 months, of which about 36% were stunted. Ordinary logistic, survey logistic, marginal logistic, and random intercept logistic regression models were developed assuming independence, sampling design, cluster effect, and hierarchy of the data. Based on a number of model selection criteria, random intercept logistic model is found the most appropriate for the studied children. A number of child, mother, household, regional, and community-level variables were included in the model specification. The factors that increased the odds of stunting are children older than 11 months, short birth interval, recent morbidity of children, lower maternal education, young maternity, lower maternal body mass index, poor household wealth, urban residential place, and living in sylhet division. Findings of this study recommend to utilize an appropriate logistic model considering the issues relevant to the data, particularly sampling design and clustering for determining the risk factors of childhood stunting in bangladesh