73 research outputs found
Supply & value chain analysis of onions in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is a developing country situated on Africaâs horn. Ethiopia ranks 173rd on United Nations human development index where the least developed country ranks 186. About 85%
of all Ethiopians are employed in agriculture. Onion is one of the basic ingredients in the Ethiopian cuisine and thus an important crop. Previous studies on fruits and vegetables in Ethiopia points at post-harvest losses between 15% and 70%. To estimate the losses for
onions in Ethiopia a supply and value chain analysis has been made. A literature review on supply chain management, value chain analysis, onion cultivation, and agricultural and logistical conditions in Ethiopia has been made in order to acquire a holistic view of the topic.
Interviews with aid from interpreters have been made to gather the necessary information from the chain actors. The chain actors have been identified and the losses at each level of the chain quantified and analyzed. The value chain for onions in Ethiopia has been researched to identify the different actors and their activities carried out when the onions move from producer to consumer. All expenses related to the activities in each step has been studied to find the value added and to calculate the profit for each actor. The complete chain consists of six actors; farmer, broker, transporter, wholesaler, retailer and consumer. The onions can reach the end-consumer without passing through all steps; broker, transporter and retailer are not always involved.
The conclusions from the supply chain analysis were:
- The total amount of losses in the chain is about 13% and most of these losses occur at the end of the chain at consumer level.
- The supply chain of onions is fragmented and thus not an integrated logistic system.
- The fragmentation of the chain causes a non-collaborative system, which in turn results in higher losses at the end of the chain.
The conclusions of the value chain analysis were:
- The use of fertilizers and pesticides has a major impact in the value chain but differs widely between the farmers. A more controlled and effective use can have positive
effect on both the economy and the environment for the farmer.
- The actor making the biggest profit is the wholesaler. The farmers have a higher profit per kg of onions, but the fact that they only get three harvests per year makes the
annual profit low. The wholesalers have (by far) the highest sale rate and the second highest profit per kg.
- The wholesalers are not following the tax-regulations. None of the wholesalers include 15% VAT as a standard procedure, which they should. VAT is only added when the
customers want a receipt. Only three of the nine wholesalers pay tax on their profit.
- Wastes from onion production at farmer level can be used to produce electricity corresponding to 5.7% of the total electricity consumption in Meki and Ziway.Etiopien Àr ett utvecklingsland som ligger pÄ Afrikas horn i nordöstra Afrika, Etiopien rankas pÄ 173:e platsen i FN:s index för mÀnsklig utveckling, dÀr det minst utvecklade landet rankas som nummer 186. Cirka 85 % av alla etiopier arbetar inom jordbruket. Lök Àr en basingrediens i det etiopiska köket och Àr dÀrför en viktig gröda för bönderna och befolkningen. Tidigare studier pÄ frukt och grönt i Etiopien pekar pÄ fysiska förluster mellan 15 % och 70 %. För att uppskatta de förluster som finns för lök i Etiopien har en analys pÄ Supply Chain och vÀrdekedjan gjorts. En litteraturstudie om Supply Chain Mangement, vÀrdekedjeanalys, lökodling, samt jordbruksförhÄllanden och logistiska förutsÀttningar i Etiopien har gjorts för att erhÄlla en helhetssyn pÄ Àmnet. Intervjuer med hjÀlp av tolkar har gjorts för att samla in den nödvÀndiga informationen frÄn aktörerna i kedjan. VÀrdekedjan för
lök i Etiopien har undersökts för att identifiera de olika aktörerna och deras aktiviteter som utförs för att löken ska komma frÄn producent till konsument. Alla utgifter kopplade till de olika aktiviteterna i varje steg har undersökts för att hitta vÀrdeförÀndringen och för att
berÀkna vinsten för varje aktör. De aktörer som finns i kedjan har identifierats och förlusterna pÄ varje nivÄ i kedjan kvantifierats och analyserats. Hela kedjan bestÄr av sex aktörer; jordbrukare, mÀklare, transportör, grossist, ÄterförsÀljare och konsument. Löken kan nÄ konsumenten utan att passera genom alla steg; mÀklare, transportör och ÄterförsÀljare anvÀnds inte alltid.
Slutsatserna frÄn Supply Chain Management analysen Àr:
- Den totala mÀngden fysiska förluster i kedjan Àr ca 13 % och de flesta av dessa förluster uppstÄr i slutet av kedjan pÄ konsumentnivÄ.
- Leveranskedjan av lök Àr fragmenterad och Àr inte ett integrerat logistiksystem.
- Uppdelningen av kedjan medför ett icke - samverkande system, vilket i sin tur leder till högre förluster i slutet av kedjan.
Slutsatserna av analysen av vÀrdekedjan Àr:
- AnvÀndningen av gödningsmedel och bekÀmpningsmedel har stor inverkan i vÀrdekedjan men skiljer sig stort mellan bönderna. En mer kontrollerad och effektiv anvÀndning kan ge positiva effekter pÄ bÄde ekonomin och miljön för jordbrukarna.
- Den aktör som gör störst vinst pÄ löken Àr grossiten. Jordbrukarna fÄr den högsta vinsten per kilo producerad lök, men det faktum att de bara fÄr tre skördar per Är gör
den Ärliga vinsten lÄg. Grossisterna har överlÀgset störst försÀljningsgrad och nÀst högst vinst per kg
- Grossisterna följer inte skattereglerna. Ingen av grossisterna inkluderade 15 % i mervÀrdesskatt som standardförfarande, vilket de borde. MervÀrdesskatt lÀggs bara pÄ nÀr kunderna krÀver kvitto. Endast tre av de nio grossisterna betalar vinstskatt.
- Restprodukter frÄn lökproduktionen hos jordbrukarna kan anvÀndas till att producera el motsvarande 5,7 % av den totala elanvÀndningen i Meki och Ziway
Cognitive performance trends among European older adults: exploring variations across cohorts, gender, and educational levels (2007-2017).
peer reviewed[en] BACKGROUND: This study explores recent cohort trends in cognitive performance among older Europeans from 2007 to 2017, addressing three key questions: (1) Did cognitive performance improve universally and across the performance distribution during this period? (2) Did these improvements occur across educational levels and for both men and women? (3) Can established risk factors explain these performance gains?
METHODS: Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) across 12 European countries, we assessed immediate recall, delayed recall, and verbal fluency in individuals aged 60 to 94 in both 2007 and 2017 (nâ=â32 773). Differences between the two time points were estimated with linear mixed effects regression models and quantile regression.
RESULTS: Cognitive performance improved in all age groups, across educational levels, and for both men and women between 2007 and 2017. Notably, improvements were more pronounced at the upper end of the performance distribution for delayed recall and verbal fluency. Education explained approximately 20% of the observed improvements. Risk factors did not explain the observed improvements.
CONCLUSIONS: European cohorts of both younger-old and older adults continue to exhibit improvements in cognitive performance. Variation in the size of the cohort improvements across the performance distributions in delayed recall and in verbal fluency may contribute to growing inequalities in cognitive outcomes. Future research should further investigate the potential heterogeneity in cognitive performance gains.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable.10. Reduced inequalities3. Good health and well-bein
Are there educational disparities in health and functioning among the oldest old? : Evidence from the Nordic countries
With the ageing of the population and recent pressures on important welfare state arrangements, updated knowledge on the linkage between socioeconomic status and health in old age is pertinent for shedding light on emerging patterns of health inequalities in the Nordic countries. This study examined self-rated health (SRH), mobility and activities of daily living (ADL) according to level of education in the three oldest old age groups 75â84, 85â94, and 95+, in four Nordic countries. Altogether, 6132 individuals from Danish Longitudinal Study of Ageing, Norwegian Life Course, Ageing and Generation study, Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old, the 5-Country Oldest Old (Sweden) and Vitality 90â+âStudy were analysed. First, associations of education level with SRH, mobility, and ADL were estimated for each individual study by means of age- and gender-adjusted logistic regression. Second, results from individual studies were synthesized in a meta-analysis. Older adults with higher education level were more likely to report good SRH, and they were more often independent in mobility and ADL than those with basic education when all age groups were combined. In mobility and ADL, differences between education groups remained stable across the age groups but for SRH, differences seemed to be weaker in older ages. With only a few exceptions, in all age groups, individuals with higher education had more favourable health and functioning than those with basic education. This study shows remarkable persistence of health and functioning inequalities in the Nordic countries throughout later life
Use of healthcare services and assistive devices among centenarians: results of the cross-sectional, international5-COOP study.
To measure the use of healthcare services and assistive devices by centenarians in five countries.
Cross-sectional study using a survey questionnaire.
Community-dwelling and institutionalised centenarians living in Japan, France, Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark.
1253 participants aged 100 or in their 100th year of life, of whom 1004 (80.1%) were female and 596 (47.6%) lived in institutions.
Recent use of medical visits, nursing care at home, home-delivered meals, acute care hospital stays overnight, professional assessments such as sight tests, mobility aids and other assistive devices. A set of national healthcare system indicators was collected to help interpret differences between countries.
There was considerable variability in the healthcare services and assistive devices used by centenarians depending on their country and whether they were community-dwelling or institutionalised. In contrast to the relatively homogeneous rates of hospitalisation in the past year (around 20%), community-dwelling centenarians reported widely ranging rates of medical visits in the past 3 months (at least one visit, from 32.2% in Japan to 86.6% in France). The proportion of community-dwellers using a mobility device to get around indoors (either a walking aid or a wheelchair) ranged from 48.3% in Japan to 79.2% in Sweden. Participants living in institutions and reporting the use of a mobility device ranged from 78.6% in Japan to 98.2% in Denmark.
Our findings suggest major differences in care received by centenarians across countries. Some may result from the characteristics of national healthcare systems, especially types of healthcare insurance coverage and the amounts of specific resources available. However, unexplored factors also seem to be at stake and may be partly related to personal health and cultural differences
The Rule of Law: Measurement and Deep Roots
This paper does three things. First, based on a limited number of theoretically established dimensions, it proposes a new de facto indicator for the rule of law. It is the first such indicator to take the quality of legal norms explicitly into account. Second, using this indicator we shed new light on the relationship between the rule of law and the political system of a country. Presidential governments tend to score significantly lower on the rule of law indicator than parliamentary ones. Many presidential democracies are even outperformed by dictatorships. The observation that political systems hardly predetermine the rule of law level raises the question why the authority of law differs across societies in its capacity to constrain the behavior of public officials. Third, because of this question, we investigate the roots of the rule of law. As theory on this specific question is scarce and the rule of law is closely associated with income levels, we draw on a topical literature that deals with the fundamental causes of economic development. Our findings suggest that specific determinants of long-run development operate via the rule of law, whereas others are not related to the rule of law at all. Our empirical evidence does, however, support not only the âprimacy of institutionsâ view, but also the important role that human capital, which European settlers brought to their colonies, played in historical economic development
Ecological filtering shapes the impacts of agricultural deforestation on biodiversity
Funding: This project was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 32122057 and 3198810 to FH) and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant 2022YFF0802300 to FH), and received further support from Tsinghua University Initiative Scientific Research Program (Grant 20223080017 to LY).The biodiversity impacts of agricultural deforestation vary widely across regions. Previous efforts to explain this variation have focused exclusively on the landscape features and management regimes of agricultural systems, neglecting the potentially critical role of ecological filtering in shaping deforestation tolerance of extant species assemblages at large geographical scales via selection for functional traits. Here we provide a large-scale test of this role using a global database of species abundance ratios between matched agricultural and native forest sites that comprises 71 avian assemblages reported in 44 primary studies, and a companion database of 10 functional traits for all 2,647 species involved. Using meta-analytic, phylogenetic and multivariate methods, we show that beyond agricultural features, filtering by the extent of natural environmental variability and the severity of historical anthropogenic deforestation shapes the varying deforestation impacts across species assemblages. For assemblages under greater environmental variabilityâproxied by drier and more seasonal climates under a greater disturbance regimeâand longer deforestation histories, filtering has attenuated the negative impacts of current deforestation by selecting for functional traits linked to stronger deforestation tolerance. Our study provides a previously largely missing piece of knowledge in understanding and managing the biodiversity consequences of deforestation by agricultural deforestation.Peer reviewe
Blood on the tracks : Life-course perspectives on health inequalities in later life
The overall aim of the thesis was to explore social inequalities in: a) mortality during mid-life, b) health in later life, and c) old-age mortality, from a life-course perspective. The studies are based on longitudinal Swedish survey and registry data. The results from Study I showed substantial inequalities in health, based on social class and gender, among older adults (aged 55+). Moreover, the magnitude of these inequalities did not change during the period 1991-2002. The results from Study II revealed social inequalities in cognitive functioning among the oldest old (aged 77+). Social turbulence and social class during childhood, education and social class in adulthood were all independently associated with level of cognitive functioning in later life. In Study III, social inequalities in mortality during mid-life (i.e., between ages 25 and 69) were explored. The results showed that childhood living conditions were associated with marital status and social class in adulthood and that, in turn, these conditions were associated with mid-life mortality. Thus, the results suggested that childhood disadvantage may serve as a stepping stone to a hazardous life-course trajectory. Study IV explored the association between income in mid-life, income during retirement and old-age mortality (i.e., mortality during retirement). The results showed that both income during mid-life and income during retirement were associated with old-age mortality. Mutually adjusted models showed that income in mid-life was more important for womenâs mortality and that income during retirement was more important for menâs. Thus, the results of the present thesis suggest that there are substantial social inequalities in the likelihood of reaching old age, as well as in health and mortality among older adults. These inequalities are shaped by differential exposures throughout the life-course that affect health in later life both through direct effects and through processes of accumulation.At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript
Trends in the social class inequalities in disability and self-rated health : Repeated cross-sectional surveys from Finland and Sweden 2001-2018
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