Rural Nonfarm Employment and Incomes in the Himalayas

Nonfarm activities generate on average about 60 percent of rural households incomes in the Himalayas. This paper analyzes the determinants of participation in nonfarm activities and of nonfarm incomes across rural households. A unique data set collected in the Himalayan region of India allows us to deal with the heterogeneity of rural nonfarm activities by using aggregations into categories that are useful both analytically and for policy purposes. We conduct an empirical inquiry that reveals that education plays a major role in accessing more remunerative nonfarm employment. Other household assets and characteristics such as land, social status, and geographical location also play a role.Nonfarm employment, Rural households, Incomes, education, India

Rural Nonfarm Employment and Incomes in the Eastern Himalayas

Nonfarm activities generate on average about 60 percent of rural households? incomes in the eastern Himalayan region of India. This paper analyzes the determinants of participation in nonfarm activities and of nonfarm incomes across rural households. We present and explore an analytical framework that yields different activity choices as optimal solutions to a simple utility maximization problem. A unique data set collected in the eastern Himalayas allows us to closely examine the implications of the analytical framework. We conduct an empirical inquiry that reveals that education plays a major role in accessing more remunerative nonfarm employment. Other household assets and characteristics such as land, social status, geographical location, and credit access also play a role

Changing Paradigm of Indo-Japan Relations - Opportunities and Challenges

Indias growing economic strength in recent years has seen it adapting its foreign policy to increase its global influence and status and to meet the challenges of the 21st century. In the past few years, New Delhi has expanded its strategic vision, most noticeably in Asia, and has broadened the definition of its security interests. As a result, India-Japan relations have undergone a paradigmatic shift which has seen an attempt to build a strategic and global partnership between the two countries. India and Japan share a special relationship as fellow democracies without hegemonic interests and with a similar propensity to seek peaceful resolution of conflicts and greater economic engagement in the Asian continent. This paper puts forward the argument that while there are certainly problems of communication and distance between the two countries, the changing international order including most notably, the rise of China will see the two countries increasingly thrown together on a variety of issues, some of which have been identified in the present work. Current and future economic and population dynamics in both the countries mean that India-Japan relations will continue to improve not just politically but also in economic terms.India, Japan, trade, FDI, ODA

Choice of savings instruments among rural women maize farmers: evidence from Uganda

Households in developing countries employ a wide range of mechanisms for making cash and in-kind (goods and services) savings which are either formal or informal. Yet, literature on how choices about appropriate savings instruments are made remains scanty. We examine the patterns and choice of these saving instruments using household data from women farmers in eastern Uganda. In particular, the paper focuses on the choice between formal cash saving instruments like commercial banks, village savings and loans associations (VSLAs) and savings at home. A multinomial logit model was applied to identify and quantify the effects of socio-economic factors on farmers’ choice of different savings instruments. The results reveal that financial capital and socio-economic factors such as age, education, farm size, and level of maize commercialisation were the critical drivers of women maize farmers’ choices of saving in informal and formal instruments

Commercialization of agriculture in the Himalayas

Increased market integration and commercialization of traditional agriculture in the Himalayas is part of a development strategy towards growth and better standard of living. More than 97 percent households depend upon agricultural and allied activities for livelihood which constitutes 30 percent of the household income. Given the importance of commercialization of agriculture to improve the productivity, per capita income and thereby the standard of living in the Himalayas, we examine the factors affecting the commercialization of agriculture on the basis of primary survey data. The results reveal that the land size, gender of the household head, livestock assets, ethnicity, education and location are important determinants of commercialization. Although commercialization of agriculture is considered as stimulated private-sector activity, public policy is essential to facilitate driving forces viz., trade and market reforms, rural infrastructure, and the institutional framework for legal and contractual arrangements between farmers and processors.Agriculture, Agricultural policy, Rural societies, Market, Household, India, Himalaya, Commercialization, Rural, Poverty, Production

Performance of financial institutions in Bhutan

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a small landlocked country in South Asia, located in the eastern Himalayas, and bordered by India and China. Bhutan is a small and fragile economy with a population of about 687,000. Nevertheless, its banking system plays an essential role in the growth and development of the country. This paper analyzes the financial performance, the development and growth of bank and non-bank financial institutions of Bhutan for the period 1999-2008 using both traditional and data envelopment analysis (DEA). The DEA analysis shows that financial institutions in are efficient and Bhutan National Bank has been the most efficient one. Overall, the paper finds that the ROE of the financial institutions in Bhutan are comparable to the international banks.Bhutan, Financial institutions, Performance, Deposit, Net income

Performance of financial institutions in Bhutan

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a small landlocked country in South Asia, located in the eastern Himalayas, and bordered by India and China. Bhutan is a small and fragile economy with a population of about 687,000. Nevertheless, its banking system plays an essential role in the growth and development of the country. This paper analyzes the financial performance, the development and growth of bank and non-bank financial institutions of Bhutan for the period 1999-2008 using both traditional and data envelopment analysis (DEA). The DEA analysis shows that financial institutions in are efficient and Bhutan National Bank has been the most efficient one. Overall, the paper finds that the ROE of the financial institutions in Bhutan are comparable to the international banks

Commercialization of agriculture in the Himalayas

Increased market integration and commercialization of traditional agriculture in the Himalayas is part of a development strategy towards growth and better standard of living. More than 97 percent households depend upon agricultural and allied activities for livelihood which constitutes 30 percent of the household income. Given the importance of commercialization of agriculture to improve the productivity, per capita income and thereby the standard of living in the Himalayas, we examine the factors affecting the commercialization of agriculture on the basis of primary survey data. The results reveal that the land size, gender of the household head, livestock assets, ethnicity, education and location are important determinants of commercialization. Although commercialization of agriculture is considered as stimulated private-sector activity, public policy is essential to facilitate driving forces viz., trade and market reforms, rural infrastructure, and the institutional framework for legal and contractual arrangements between farmers and processors

Prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension among the adults in South Asia: A multinomial logit model

Hypertension has been the most common non-communicable disease in low and middle-income countries for the past two decades, increasing cardiovascular and renal disease risk. Urbanization, aging, dietary and lifestyle changes, high illiteracy rates, poor access to health facilities, poverty, high costs of drugs, and social stress have contributed to an increase in the prevalence of hypertension in developing countries. Nonetheless, little is known about the comprehensive risk factors associated with prehypertension and hypertension among economically active adult populations of South Asia, such as India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. This paper uses the Demographic and Health Survey data of 637,396 individuals from India (2019–21), 8,924 from Nepal (2016), and 8,613 from Bangladesh (2017–18) to examine the prevalence and driver of prehypertension and hypertension. We analyze the prevalence of prehypertension because it leads to hypertension and is directly related to cardiovascular disease, and many people live with it for prolonged periods without realizing it. The paper finds, among other things, that the prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension among adults (18–49 years) is 43.2 and 14.9% in India, 35.1% and 19.8% in Bangladesh, and 25.2% and 13.8% in Nepal, respectively. Better educated, wealthy individuals living in urban areas of developing economies in the South Asian region are more likely to have prehypertension and hypertension. The paper suggests the urgent need to launch preventive programs to reduce prehypertension before it develops to be hypertension as a precautionary measure. Thus, such measures shall help to prevent hypertension, thereby improving the overall wellbeing of individuals and families

Smart precision agriculture but resource constrained farmers: Is service provision a potential solution? Farmer's willingness to pay for laser-land leveling services in Nepal

Farmers commonly split large, undulating crop fields, even those at similar elevation range or contour, into a patchwork of small sub-plots in plane areas of Nepal. Specifically, to ensure irrigation or rainwater throughout their cultivated rice or wheat growing areas, structures like bunds, dikes, and ditches are commonly built. These structures not only require significant labor hours to build but also incur loss of some portion of productive crop areas. Laser-land leveling (LLL) is one of the precision technologies that can prevent these area losses, save labor costs, and enhance water utilization. However, purchase of LLL system requires significant capital which could be beyond the access of low resource farmers. In this study, we examined the potential of LLL adoption in a form of service provision or fee-for-service basis among farmers in Nepal. Using an appropriate contingent valuation that maintains efficient estimation and consistent response, we found that Nepali farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for LLL services averages 1,550 Nepalese Rupees per hour. However, WTP is heterogeneous across farm size—top quantile farmers with relatively higher land acreages have 47% higher WTP for LLL than bottom quantile farmers. Additionally, our interval regression results show positive association of WTP with low irrigation access and with the opportunity cost of land area occupied by bunds and dikes. The results suggest for service provision support programs in LLL adoption to enhance market development of this precision technology in Nepal, specifically focusing land holders with low irrigation access in plane areas