109 research outputs found
Current status and future needs of vision care in Ceylon
Current status and future needs of vision care in Ceylo
Banking on Uncertainty: The Effects of Institutional Quality on Commercial and Consumer Credit in Russian Regions
Accompanying the recent credit market developments in Russia, banks have shifted their portfolios to a higher proportion of retail lending relative to commercial credit. This paper offers a microeconomic approach to explain this phenomenon, unsatisfactorily addressed in the literature. It focuses on the role of institutions in the rapid increase of individual lending. Using oblast level data from the Central Bank of Russia, it develops a model of lending decisions and uses time fixed effects to estimate the correlation between variations in institutional quality and increased loans to individuals
Which options fit best? Operationalizing the socio-ecological niche concept
Article Purchased; Published: 1st August 2016The large diversity of farms and farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa calls for agricultural improvement options that are adapted to the context in which smallholder farmers operate. The socio-ecological niche concept incorporates the agro-ecological, socio-cultural, economic and institutional dimensions and the multiple levels of this context in order to identify which options fit best. In this paper, we illustrate how farming systems analysis, following the DEED cycle of Describe, Explain, Explore and Design, and embedding co-learning amongst researchers, farmers and other stakeholders, helps to operationalize the socio-ecological niche concept. Examples illustrate how farm typologies, detailed farm characterization and on-farm experimental work, in combination with modelling and participatory approaches inform the matching of options to the context at regional, village, farm and field level. Recommendation domains at these gradually finer levels form the basis for gradually more detailed baskets of options from which farmers and other stakeholders may choose, test and adjust to their specific needs. Tailored options identified through the DEED cycle proof to be more relevant, feasible and performant as compared to
blanket recommendations in terms of both researcher and farmer-identified criteria. As part of DEED, on-farm experiments are particularly useful in revealing constraints and risks faced by farmers. We show that targeting options to the niches in which they perform best, helps to reduce this risk. Whereas the conclusions of our work about the potential for improving smallholders’ livelihoods are often sobering, farming systems analysis allows substantiating the limitations of technological options, thus highlighting the need for enabling policies and institutions that may improve the larger-scale context and increase the uptake potential of options
Exploring options for sustainable intensification in different farming system types of four Africa RISING countries
Sustainable intensification is proposed as a promising way to increase the productivity of
agricultural systems while reducing pressure on ecosystems, safeguarding equitable relations
among societal groups, and supporting the economic viability of households, enterprises, and
communities. In sub-Saharan Africa, the identification and dissemination of options for
sustainable intensification is hampered by the large diversity within and between farming
systems, and their complexity arising from the interactions among different farm components
and external factors. This study therefore uses an integrated farming systems approach to identify
and assess context-specific improvements that can then be implemented and tested on-farm to
foster experiential learning and facilitate adoption.
We conducted a farming systems analysis for nine Africa RISING intervention sites across four
countries, based on rapid and detailed farm characterizations, followed by model-supported
diagnosis, and exploration of options for sustainable intensification. Farm diversity was
described and analyzed by means of typologies and cross-site comparisons.
Identified constraints varied depending on site and farming system type, but commonly included
low input availability, climatic variability, poor soil fertility, sub-optimal livestock feeding,
biotic stresses, and poor access to training and technical advice, all impairing farm productivity,
returns to labor and capital inputs, income generation and food security. We investigated entry
points that tackle the above constraints by exploring alternative farm configurations,
technologies and practices for representative farms. By assessing potential impact of these
changes on indicators beyond productivity, trade-offs were identified and assessed, for instance
between profitability and household food self-sufficiency, and between nitrogen availability for
crop uptake and increased nutrient losses. Taking a systems perspective during the entry point
evaluation allowed differentiating potential effects on indicators at the field level versus the farm
and household level. The exploration of options for specific farming system types now enables
more targeted testing of promising innovations with farmers in the second project phase
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