Entrepreneurship in subsistence setting: Evidence from facilitated entrepreneurship program in Nepal

Entrepreneurship development programs are becoming growingly popular intervention for poverty alleviation around the world. Entrepreneurship development ensures both the capability development of the poor for immediate income opportunity and investment in the production sector for long run economic sustainability and development. However there is very little knowledge about entrepreneurship phenomenon in subsistence setting. The objective of this thesis is to contribute to the knowledge of facilitated entrepreneurship programs in subsistence setting by identifying the factors affecting entrepreneurship process in that context and also the potential bottlenecks of such programs. The literature review of this thesis presents detailed study of various theories on entrepreneurship and juxtaposes them in relationship to the subsistence setting of Nepal in order to build a theoretical framework based on which detailed analysis of the finding is done. Entrepreneurship is reviewed from the perspective of economic theories, Psychological/personality trait theories, contextualized theories and subsistence setting variables. The research is conducted as a case study of the facilitated entrepreneurship development program in Nepal called Micro-Enterprise Development Program (MEDEP). Within the bigger case of MEDEP, its district level units and program subunits and entrepreneurs serve as subcases. The data is mainly collected from the semi structured interviews with the entrepreneurs and relevant stakeholders from MEDEP. The data is analyzed based on the theoretical framework developed from the literature review. The theoretical framework maps the entrepreneurship ecosystem into five levels: Subsistence entrepreneur, subsistence enterprise, developing economic environment, diverse social, cultural and political environment, and difficult and diverse geography and ecology. The research shows that there are multiple factors at different levels of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in subsistence setting that affect the process of entrepreneurship. At the level of entrepreneur it is the need, capability and motivation that affect entrepreneurship process. At enterprise level the affecting factors are technology, management and business differentiation. At the level of economic environment it is the micro and macro-economic factors and access to finances that affect. Traditional and indigenous knowledge, lack of entrepreneurial tradition, and vulnerable political situation and migration at the subsistence setting affect at the level of social-cultural-political environment of entrepreneurship ecosystem. The geographical and ecological factors play both as a barrier and opportunity in the ecosystem. Major bottlenecks of the facilitated entrepreneurship program are dependency syndrome, scale up hindrances, and lack of proper centralized marketing and branding

Effect of Arsenic (III) on the Denitrification Process

A sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was operated to develop denitrifying bacteria that had a mean specific denitrification rate of 0.11 g NO₃⁻-N/gVSS/day. Another system (an anaerobic digester) was operated to generate volatile fatty acids (VFAs) with the effluent concentration being measured to be 5655 ± 876 mg/L as acetic acid. Using the denitrifying biomass developed in the SBR and VFAs generated in the digester as an external carbon source, a series of denitrification batch tests were conducted. The denitrification batch reactors were spiked with NO₃⁻- N (to get a C:N ratio of 3.0) and different arsenite concentrations to quantify the effect of arsenite on the denitrification rate. A steady deterioration in the ability of the biomass to denitrify under increasing arsenite concentrations was observed, with the mean specific denitrification rate dropping from 0.183 g NO₃⁻-N/gVSS/day at an arsenite concentration of 5 mg/L, to 0.047 g NO₃⁻-N/gVSS/day at a concentration of 25 mg/L

Yarsagumba Collection and Marketing: a Key Income Source of People in Api Nampa Conservation Area, Darchula, Nepal

Yarsagumba the Himalayan gold rush is the major part of the economy of the himalayan people in the Darchula distict. Our study was conducted in Khandeshwori region of the the Darchula district to quantify the contribution of Yarsagumba on the total household income of the harvester and to reveal the problems releated to its harvesting and selling. Income from Yarshagumba accounted upto 68% in this region. Geo-physical problems were observed most during collection along with significant conflicts and lower productivity. Price variation is the major market problem of those Yarshagumba harvesting peoples. Social factors like family size, adult members and educational factors have significant impact in total collection and income. The highest price obtained was Rs.18408.33, average price was Rs.15308.33 and the lowest price was Rs. 10205. Benefit to cost or expenses (BC) ratio found in research area was 5.13. Having sharp eye vision school children were taken for the collection and have to leave school for time. Although the data is emerging on medicinal use and market of Yarshagumba little systematic research has explored village level harvesting practice and socioeconomic impacts, especially in this region of Nepal

Effects of Row Spacings and Varieties on Grain Yield and Economics of Maize

Maize is the second most important crop of Nepal. The yield of the crop is low due to lack of appropriate plant density for the varieties. The field experiment was carried out to study the effect of different row spacings on different maize varieties at Deupur, Lamahi municipality of the dang district in province No. 5, Nepal during the rainy season from June to September, 2018. Four levels of spacings (boardcasting and three row spacings of 45, 60 and 75 cm) and two maize varieties (Rampur Composite and Arun-2) were evaluated using randomized complete block design with three replications. The highest grain yield was found in Rampur Composite and Arun-2 while they were planted with row spacing of 60 cm with plant to plant spacing of 25 cm. The highest grain yield, cob length, cob circumference, number of rows per cob, thousand grain weight  were reported when maize was planted in the  row spacing 60×25cm. Among the maize varieties, Rampur Composite produced the highest grain yield, cob length, cob circumference, number of rows per cob as compared to Arun-2. This study suggested that maize production can be maximized by cultivating maize varieties with row spacing of 60 cm with plant to plant spacing of 25 cm

Influence of protein concentration and coagulation temperature on rennet-induced gelation characteristics and curd microstructure

peer-reviewedThis study characterized the coagulation properties and defined the cutting window (CW; time between storage modulus values of 35 and 70 Pa) using rheometry for milk standardized to 4, 5, or 6% protein and set at 28, 32, or 36°C. Milks were standardized to a protein-to-fat ratio of approximately 1 by blending ultrafiltration retentate, skim milk, and whole milk. The internal curd microstructure for selected curd samples was analyzed with transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Lowering the coagulation temperature caused longer rennet coagulation time and time to reach storage modulus of 35 Pa, translating into a wider CW. It also led to a lower maximum curd-firming rate (MCFR) with lower firmness at 40 min at a given protein level. Increasing protein levels resulted in the opposite effect, although without an effect on rennet coagulation time at a given temperature. On coagulation at 28°C, milk with 5% protein resulted in a similar MCFR (∼4 Pa/min) and CW (∼8.25 min) compared with milk with 4% protein at 32°C, which reflects more standard conditions, whereas increasing milk to 6% protein resulted in more than doubling of the curd-firming rate (MCFR = 9.20 Pa/min) and a shorter CW (4.60 min). Gels set at 28°C had lower levels of rearrangement of protein network after 40 min compared with those set at 36°C. Protein levels, on the other hand, had no influence on the levels of protein network rearrangement, as indicated by loss tangent values. The internal structure of curd particles, as investigated by both scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, appeared to have less cross-linking and smaller casein aggregates when coagulated at 28°C compared with 36°C, whereas varying protein levels did not show a marked effect on aggregate formation. Overall, this study showed a marked interactive effect between coagulation temperature and protein standardization of milk on coagulation properties, which subsequently requires adjustment of the CW during cheesemaking. Lowering of the coagulation temperature greatly altered the curd microstructure, with a tendency for less syneresis during cutting. Further research is required to quantify the changes in syneresis and in fat and protein losses to whey due to changes in the microstructure of curd particles arising from the different coagulation conditions applied to the protein-fortified milk

Prioritizing and estimating hydropower project construction risks: a case study of Nyadi hydropower project

Some of the major risk factors identified in NHP are: i) Over-break in tunnel excavation, ii) Unknown subsurface conditions of geology/ ground contours, iii) Civil disorder/ terrorism, iv) Equipment failure, and v) Unavailability of resources/equipment on time. Similarly, work packages involving tunneling works possessed higher relative risks. These included construction of headrace tunnel, tailrace tunnel, penstock tunnel and underground powerhouse. This is because of the fact that tunneling projects are sensitive to even slight disturbances. Tunneling process is a serial type of production system. Therefore, in such a system the possibility for changing the workplace location is limited, except when there are many tunnel adits

Leisure activities and well-being in residential care: Voices of older Adults in New Zealand.

This doctoral thesis contributes to gerontology research by investigating the leisure experiences of older adults living in residential care in New Zealand. There is a need to understand how frail residents experience their leisure in their everyday world. The New Zealand strategies for active and successful ageing focus on community-dwelling seniors rather than on those in residential care. These policy initiatives ignore the leisure practices of the increasing numbers of older adults who require long-term residential care. A few international studies have attempted to highlight the importance of leisure participation among older adults living in residential care, but the information on the New Zealand context is scant. Through a phenomenological approach, this thesis provides clarity to poorly understood leisure experiences. This thesis, which was informed by an integrated theoretical approach (constructs adapted from six major ageing theories), provides insight into leisure experiences and sources of satisfaction for older adults living in residential care. In a supplementary finding, it also sheds light on their adaptation to the conditions they encounter in residential care. Data were collected through triangulating participation observation, in-depth interviews, and key informant interviews. This involved six residential care facilities (two large, two medium, and two small). I spent one day of observation in each residential care facility, then conducted semi-structured interviews with a total of twenty-four residents and ten key informants. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Together the residents and staff provide insights on the importance of leisure activities during adjustment, and the benefits of and barriers to participation, satisfaction, and well-being. The study also revealed the diverse and complex needs of older adults after their transition to residential care. Given their unique life histories and circumstances, the interests and abilities of residents vary, a fact that seems to be largely ignored in the development of leisure activities in these facilities. Loss of identity and challenges of adaptation were the results of frailty, losses and feeling of institutionalisation. The adjustment processes were influenced by residents’ leisure participation. The finding elucidates the significant impact of leisure activities in residents’ lives. Lack of leisure opportunities resulted in enforced idleness. From residents’ point of view, barriers to implementing leisure activities include the mismatch between their interests and abilities and the activities on offer, facilities’ lack of resources, and deteriorating health/functional status, which resulted in passivity among the residents. Activities tailored to residents’ abilities and interests are an important part of person-centred care because of the many benefits associated with participation. Older adults with active participation in both self-led and offered activities experienced numerous benefits such as feelings of contribution and achievement, sense of belonging and connection, socialisation, companionship, pleasure, enjoyment, and relaxation. The main barriers to participation reported by both residents and staff were residents’ health condition, lack of budget for activities, shortage of staff, and lack of social network. The key to satisfaction was developing identity through meaningful engagement in the activities of their interest. This study acknowledges the importance of leisure activities and highlights the importance of person-centred care in meeting the diverse needs and enhancing the well-being of older adults in residential care