Food Safety and Consumer Behavior in India and Japan: Comparative Literature Review

研究ノー

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN A RURAL MATRILINEAL SOCIETY OF MEGHALAYA, INDIA

The present study was undertaken to ascertain whether rural women are empowered in a matrilineal society in India. In a state where traditional institutions function on the basis of local customs and conventions that are not codified and yet religiously followed, it is questionable to whether the women are essentially empowered. In such a scenario, one wonders if owning land is enough to empower a woman. The objective of this study is to check if whether land ownership empowers a woman and if it gives her decision-making power in the household. The study was conducted at one village from each of the two districts in Meghalaya- the East Khasi Hills and the West Khasi Hills. Fifty female respondents from each district were made to answer a structured questionnaire, after which four respondents had to be eliminated, as they were unmarried and eighteen respondents had to be dropped as they were either a widow or separated. Probit regression was then used to analyze the data. The results stated that women who inherited land were more likely to have a savings account and be a part of a socio-economic group. From this it can be concluded, that women who owned land through lineage were empowered, however the fact that they still consider their husbands to be the head of the family, makes us consider that there may be a psychological component to it

Challenges of Arabica Coffee Marketing: A Case Study in Kerinci Regency, Indonesia

Indonesia has several Arabica coffee varieties that are well known in the domestic and world markets. However, marketing challenges exist for the domestic market and few cooperatives are able to export. Arabica Coffee Kerinci, a cooperative that exports, is an exception; nevertheless, marketing challenges persist for this cooperative too. Our objectives are to examine a case study of a successful cooperative that focuses on the export market and to clarify the challenges remaining for Arabica coffee marketing. Descriptive statistics were employed to capture the complexities of these marketing challenges. Semi-structured interviews using simple random sampling were conducted with the cooperative’s leader and with 51 farmers. We find that the fundamental challenges are quality inconsistency, price fluctuations, lengthy and bureaucratic export administration, absence of bank loans, and lack of government support. We recommend the following key steps: (1) focusing on improvements in producing and maintaining superior quality that meets export standards and provides capital stimulus; and (2) through greater government and industry synergy, encouraging governments to provide support to farmers and cooperatives alike. Further, other Indonesian regions could adopt Arabica coffee for rural development. This study contributes by formulating a better understanding of the major challenges facing producers of agricultural commodities

Challenges of Arabica Coffee Marketing: A Case Study in Kerinci Regency, Indonesia

Indonesia has several Arabica coffee varieties that are well known in the domestic and world markets. However, marketing challenges exist for the domestic market and few cooperatives are able to export. Arabica Coffee Kerinci, a cooperative that exports, is an exception; nevertheless, marketing challenges persist for this cooperative too. Our objectives are to examine a case study of a successful cooperative that focuses on the export market and to clarify the challenges remaining for Arabica coffee marketing. Descriptive statistics were employed to capture the complexities of these marketing challenges. Semi-structured interviews using simple random sampling were conducted with the cooperative’s leader and with 51 farmers. We find that the fundamental challenges are quality inconsistency, price fluctuations, lengthy and bureaucratic export administration, absence of bank loans, and lack of government support. We recommend the following key steps: (1) focusing on improvements in producing and maintaining superior quality that meets export standards and provides capital stimulus; and (2) through greater government and industry synergy, encouraging governments to provide support to farmers and cooperatives alike. Further, other Indonesian regions could adopt Arabica coffee for rural development. This study contributes by formulating a better understanding of the major challenges facing producers of agricultural commodities

小口医療保険の潜在的需要者による属性評価の離散選択モデル分析 --カンボジア農村の事例

途上国における貧困緩和政策の一環として、貧困層向け小口医療保険の普及が試みられているが、参加率は依然として低いままである。本稿は、カンボジア農村における貧困層向け小口医療保険制度へ参加を促進するためには、どのように現行保険制度を改善すればいいのかを考察しようとしたものである。そのために、本稿では、農村住民を対象にした選択的実験を行うことにより収集したデータをコンジョイント法により分析し、設定した保険属性(保険料水準、診療を担当する医療機関の種類、医療サービスの水準、保険運営機関によるマネージメントの水準)の水準ごとの支払い意思額を推計した。分析の結果は、民間クリニックでの診療、歯科・眼科の外科的治療、慢性的疾病の長期的治療、国立病院での診療に対する需要が高いことが明らかになった。これらの分析結果は、小口医療保険に対する潜在的需要は高く、スキーム改善の方向次第では参加率が高まる可能性があることを示唆している。ただし、国立病院での診療を除くと、行政費用や医療技術上の問題があり、現実的な処方箋であるかに関してはさらなる研究が必要である