Accounting for Neighborhood Influence in Estimating Factors Determining the Adoption of Improved Agricultural Technologies

Researchers have traditionally applied censored regression models to estimate factors influencing farmers' decisions to adopt improved technologies for the design of appropriate intervention strategies. The standard Tobit model, commonly used, assumes spatial homogeneity implicitly but the potential for the presence of spatial heterogeneity (spatial autocorrelation or dependence) is high due to neighborhood influence among farmers. Ignoring spatial autocorrelation (if it exists) would result in biased estimates and all inferences based on the model will be incorrect. On the other hand, if spatial dependence is ignored the regression estimates would be inefficient and inferences based on t and F statistics misleading. To account for neighborhood influence, this study applied a spatial Tobit model to assess the factors determining the adoption of improved maize varieties in southern Africa using data collected from 300 randomly selected farm households in the Manica, Sussundenga and Chokwe districts of Mozambique during the 2003/04 crop season. Model diagnosis confirmed the spatial Tobit model as a better fit than the standard Tobit model. The estimated results suggest that farm size, access to credit, yield and cost of seed significantly influence maize variety adoption at less than 1% error probability while age of household head and distance to market influence adoption decisions at 5% error probability. The marginal effect analysis showed that convincing farmers that a given improved maize variety would give a unit more yield than the local one would increase adoption rate by 18% and intensity of use by 10%. Given that improved maize seeds are relatively more expensive than local ones, making credit accessible to farmers would increase adoption and intensity of use of improved maize varieties by 24% (15% being the probability of adoption and 8% the intensity of 2 use of the varieties). On the other hand, increasing seed price by a unit over the local variety would decrease the adoption rate by 12% and area under the improved variety by 6%. Targeting younger farmers with extension messages or making markets accessible to farmers would marginally increase the adoption and use intensity of improved maize varieties by only 0.4%. These results suggest that increasing field demonstrations to show farmers the yield advantage of improved varieties over local ones in Mozambique are essential in improving the uptake of improved varieties, which may be enhanced by making credit available to farmers to address the high improved seed costs. Alternatively, assuring farmers of competitive output markets through marketing innovations would enhance improved maize variety adoptions decisions. It may be concluded that the significance of the paper is its demonstration of the need to include spatial dependency in technology adoption models where neighborhood influences are suspected. Such an approach would give more credence to the results and limit the errors in suggesting areas to emphasize in individual or group targeting. The results thus have implications beyond the study area. Furthermore, the paper contributes to the scanty literature on the application of spatial econometrics in agricultural technology adoption modeling.Farm Management,

Improving Livability Using Green and Active Modes: A Traffic Stress Level Analysis of Transit, Bicycle, and Pedestrian Access and Mobility

Understanding the relative attractiveness of alternatives to driving is vitally important toward lowering driving rates and, by extension, vehicle miles traveled (VMT), traffic congestion, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, etc. The relative effectiveness of automobile alternatives (i.e., buses, bicycling, and walking) depends on how well streets are designed to work for these respective modes in terms of safety, comfort and cost, which can sometimes pit their relative effectiveness against each other. In this report, the level of traffic stress (LTS) criteria previously developed by two of the authors was used to determine how the streets functioned for these auto alternative modes. The quality and extent of the transit service area was measured using a total travel time metric over the LTS network. The model developed in this study was applied to two transit routes in Oakland, California, and Denver, Colorado

A PROBIT ANALYSIS OF WOMEN FARMERS’ ACCESS TO FARM LAND AND CREDIT IN THE NORTHERN PROVINCE

Northern Province is predominantly a rural region where agriculture is the dominant sector and plays an important role in the provincial economy. Women are the majority of the poor living in these rural areas and depend heavily on farming. But their agricultural productivity is below potential as they don’t have access to productive assets such as land and credit. This study based on a farm survey undertaken in the seven districts in the former Lebowa homeland in the Northern Province, attempts to identify factors which determine women farmers’s access to more farming land and credit facilities. The results show that most of the women are not satisfied with the size of the land which they own and they have never used farming credit. The probit analysis results show that productivity of the staple crop (maize), more off-farm income and access to credit are the strong determinants of the desire to increase, the size of the farming land. Access to credit is influenced by the first two variables above and farmers membership to agricultural development projects. Better access to and security for farm land, targeted credit and agricultural support services are crucial in improving the quality of women farmers in the province.Agricultural Finance, Land Economics/Use,

Low-Stress Bicycling and Network Connectivity

For a bicycling network to attract the widest possible segment of the population, its most fundamental attribute should be low-stress connectivity, that is, providing routes between people’s origins and destinations that do not require cyclists to use links that exceed their tolerance for traffic stress, and that do not involve an undue level of detour. The objective of this study is to develop measures of low-stress connectivity that can be used to evaluate and guide bicycle network planning. We propose a set of criteria by which road segments can be classified into four levels of traffic stress (LTS). LTS 1 is suitable for children; LTS 2, based on Dutch bikeway design criteria, represents the traffic stress that most adults will tolerate; LTS 3 and 4 represent greater levels of stress. As a case study, every street in San Jose, California, was classified by LTS. Maps in which only bicycle-friendly links are displayed reveal a city divided into islands within which low-stress bicycling is possible, but separated from one another by barriers that can be crossed only by using high-stress links. Two points in the network are said to be connected at a given level of traffic stress if the subnetwork of links that do not exceed the specified level of stress connects them with a path whose length does not exceed a detour criterion (25% longer than the most direct path). For the network as a whole, we demonstrate two measures of connectivity that can be applied for a given level of traffic stress. One is “percent trips connected,” defined as the fraction of trips in the regional trip table that can be made without exceeding a specified level of stress and without excessive detour. This study used the home-to-work trip table, though in principle any trip table, including all trips, could be used. The second is “percent nodes connected,” a cruder measure that does not require a regional trip table, but measures the fraction of nodes in the street network (mostly street intersections) that are connected to each other. Because traffic analysis zones (TAZs) are too coarse a geographic unit for evaluating connectivity by bicycle, we also demonstrate a method of disaggregating the trip table from the TAZ level to census blocks. For any given TAZ, origins in the home-to-work trip table are allocated in proportion to population, while destinations are allocated based on land-use data. In the base case, the fraction of work trips up to six miles long that are connected at LTS 2 is 4.7%, providing a plausible explanation for the city’s low bicycling share. We show that this figure would almost triple if a proposed slate of improvements, totaling 32 miles in length but with strategically placed segments that provide low-stress connectivity across barriers, were implemented

Workshop 1 - Intro to BlockChain

Workshop 1 Intro to BlockChai

Appraisal of Community Awareness towards WAJIB Approach: the Case of Dodola District, West-Arsi, Ethiopia

This study was intended at examining awareness of forest dwellers towards WAJIB approach and identifying problems hindering their participation in joint forest and wildlife resources management. Data were generated through PRA and household survey. The data obtained were analyzed using thematic narrative and descriptive statistics. The findings indicated that majority of forest dwellers (77%) have no adequate awareness about the objectives of WAJIB approach and the role of their participation in joint forest and wildlife management. The results also indicated that, currently, failure to enforce legal instruments, doubt about WAJIB continuity and human population increase within forest blocks are among the major problems hindering forest dwellers participation in co-management activities. Thus, improving their awareness by training and capacity building programs, supporting them with enabling legal and policy tools might advance sustainability of the scheme. Keywords: Participation, Sustainability, WAJIB (forest dwellers association-in local language

Willingness to Join Community-Based Health Insurance and Factors Affect It Among Households of Selected Districts of West Shoa Zone, Ethiopia: A Community Based Cross Sectional Study

Back ground: CBHI is a kind of insurance for informal sectors through which the members contribute some amount of money to protect themselves against the high costs of seeking medical care and treatment for illness. The catastrophic nature of health care financing mechanism for the poor and often rural population has been a source of concern in the low and middle income countries . The aim of this study was to assess the household's willingness to join CBHI and factors affecting households to join community based health insurance. .Methodology: A community based cross sectional study was conducted in randomly selected districts of West Shoa Zone from January 25 to February 20, 2016.   A sample of 292 head of the house holds  were selected using simple random sampling technique from which data were collected by trained data collectors using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. The collected data were entered into SPSS version 20 for analysis .Descriptive statistics and bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. Result: All of the 292 sampled head of the households   participated in the study  making the response rate of 100 %. About 71% of the respondents were willing to join the scheme. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, age of the head of the house holds ,    head of the household, the household's family size and having a person age 65 and above in the family,  presence of chronic illness among the house holds  , households  concern for covering the health care cost and means of getting money for health care payment  were found to be the  predictors of the households' WTJ the CBHIs .Conclusion: In the study  the households   willingness  to join community based health insurance was  considered to be high. Therefore, scaling the scheme will be beneficial in the study areas. Keywords: Community based health insurance, Willingness to join, West Shoa Zone, Ethiopia DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/65-03 Publication date: August 31st 201

Evaluation of Local Community Participation in Joint Forest and Wildlife Resources Management: the case of Dodola-WAJIB, West-Arsi, Ethiopia

Currently, participatory approach has been advocated as a key instrument to achieve sustainable use of natural resources like forest and wildlife. Likewise, the current Ethiopian government has shown the political will to involve local communities in rural development projects giving special focus for forest and wildlife enterprises. However, the extent of residents’ involvement in making decision is unclear. This study was aimed at examining the place forest dwellers have in co-management activities and level of their participation to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the enterprise for sustainable use of forest and wildlife resources in Dodola-WAJIB. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Qualitative data were generated from WAJIB executive committee members, forest block leaders, ordinary WAJIB members, youths and experts via focus group discussion, key informant interview, formal interview, and field observation. Quantitative data were gathered from randomly selected one hundred and thirty three WAJIB members through household survey. Related documents were analyzed to produce secondary data. The data obtained via both (qualitative and quantitative) techniques were analyzed by using thematic narrative and descriptive statistics. Findings showed that participation of the forest dwellers in joint forest and wildlife management activities is generally low. It was found out that the level of forest dwellers participation in co-management activities is the highest (55.08%) at implementation phase and the lowest (25.57%) at planning stage. Generally, the extent of involvement and empowerment on the part of the local community is more limited to consultation; hence, it needs fundamental shift in the approach to conservation and participation of forest dwellers. Keywords: Empowerment, Forest Dwellers, Participatory approach

Wind Resource Potential Assessment and Implication for Climate Change Mitigation: The Case of Bale Zone, South Eastern Ethiopia

Wind power assessments as well as forecast of wind energy production potential are key issues in the wind energy industry. One of the necessary conditions for the development of wind power generation is to choose the optimal site. Alternative energy plays a great role for climate change mitigation, environmental protection and sustainable development. The objective of this study was to assess the distribution of wind resource based on WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model and its implication on climate change mitigation in Bale zone, south eastern Ethiopia. In this study, one year wind speed and wind direction at 6- hour intervals at a height of 10, 50 and 100 m were used. The data source is National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). In addition observational wind speed and wind direction data from National Meteorological Agency (NMA) of Ethiopia from ground based stations were used. The analysis result of the NCEP and NMA data by downscaling the model to 20 km by 20 km spatial resolution enabled to map the wind resource potential sites of Bale Zone applicable for wind mill installation. This study showed that most of the Bale zone areas have significant wind power potential to augment its current power generation. The analysis result revealed that wind resource potential is high during summer than winter season.  Have a potential of installed 10,329MW wind capacity in Bale zone. If this potential wind resource will installed, so far environment as an estimation of about more than 5 thousand hectare of forest land per year would be preserved, and subsequently, equivalent amount of about 66,294 of CO2 would be stored per year. Keywords: Wind speed; Wind direction; Wind power; WRF model; Bale zone DOI: 10.7176/JETP/11-1-01 Publication date: January 31st 202

MAIZE BREEDING RESEARCH IN EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA: CURRENT STATUS AND IMPACTS OF PAST INVESTMENTS MADE BY THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS, 1966-97

This report documents the impacts of international maize breeding research in eastern and southern Africa. It draws on information from a comprehensive 1998/99 survey of public and private maize breeding and seed production organizations active in the region. In many countries of eastern and southern Africa, policy reforms introduced in the 1980s and 1990s encouraged private sector participation in the maize seed industry. The private sector now supplies most of the maize seed in the region, spends more on research, and generates a larger number of maize releases than the public sector. Hybrids dominate varietal releases and seed sales, a trend that may negatively affect subsistence-oriented farmers who lack resources to buy fresh seed every season. Although farmers' adoption of improved maize varies throughout the region, it has increased steadily. Survey data show that CIMMYT's maize breeding program has had significant impacts in eastern and southern Africa, especially in recent years. Of the maize varieties released in the region since 1990, 31% (55% if South Africa is excluded) were developed using CIMMYT breeding materials. In 1996, more than 1.6 million hectares in eastern and southern Africa were planted to varieties developed using CIMMYT germplasm. The varietal release data and adoption data indicate growing demand for CIMMYT breeding materials from both public and private breeding programs, as well as growing acceptance by farmers of varieties developed using those materials.Agribusiness,