Smallholder Farmers' Willingness to Pay for Improved Access to Irrigation Water Supply in Egypt

The agriculture sector in Egypt is heavily dependent on the River Nile's water. However, the country is facing a severe water scarcity problem, affecting crop yields, farmers' income, food security, and the environment. To address this issue, recent irrigation projects require farmers to contribute financially to enhance the financial sustainability of the projects, improve water management practices, distribute the benefits more equitably, and increase the efficiency of water use. This study examined smallholder farmers' willingness to pay (WTP) for improved access to irrigation water supply, which has not been studied before in Egypt. A survey of 313 smallholder farmers was conducted using a double-bounded dichotomous choice contingent valuation method in the Nile Delta region's Fayoum province. The interval regression model was used to estimate the determinants of farmers' WTP and their mean WTP. The results indicated that farmers are willing to pay a significant amount of around 1230 Egyptian pounds (409 SEK) per feddan (roughly 0.42 hectares) per year for improved irrigation water supply. Factors such as attitudes towards improved irrigation supply, efficient irrigation practices and adoption of new technologies, and average income from agriculture have a significant positive influence on WTP. On the other hand, access to loans has a significant negative impact on WTP. The results have substantial implications for policymakers and other stakeholders as they provide a better understanding of the smallholder farmers' behavior, who play an important role in water use and agriculture production in Egypt. Furthermore, it offers realistic estimates to design and implement well-structured water pricing in the country

Feto-maternal outcomes of pregnancies in women with SLE: Experience from a tertiary care center of Asia

Objective: We aim to quantify the risk of maternal and fetal complications in patients with SLE in order to identify the impact of SLE on pregnancy and of pregnancy on SLE.Methods: This retrospective record review study was conducted in Aga khan university hospital, Karachi, from Jan 1998 to Dec 2019. All pregnant patients with SLE diagnosed and delivered during this time were included in the study. Categorical variables were analyzed by using chi-square test and fisher exact test. Whereas quantitative point estimate was estimated as mean and SD. We matched the data and computed crude odds ratio of pre-eclamptic patients with respect to age of conception, gravida, and body mass index in both case and control group.Results: The SLE disease activity was monitored during pregnancy under SLEDAI-2K Scoring system. The patients with mild (25.6%) and moderate (25.6%) disease activity were prevalent and most antenatal patients (51.7%) had flare up in third trimester. Adverse maternal outcomes include pre-eclampsia (28.8%), eclampsia (3.2%), cesarean section (57.6%), and thrombocytopenia (9.6%), whereas perinatal outcomes includes intrauterine growth retardation (24%), preterm birth \u3c34 weeks (19.2%) and \u3c37 weeks (63.2%), APGAR Score \u3c 7 at 1 min (5.6%), and neonatal death (5.6%) found to be statistically significant in between two groups There were more high-risk patients (42) with positive IgG (88%), IgM (83.3%), and lupus anticoagulant (33.3%) as compared to low-risk APS group.Conclusion: Planned pregnancy and less severe disease flares during pregnancy is associated with more favorable feto-maternal outcomes