Palm Oil Trade and Production Toward Achieving Sustainable Development Goals: A Global Panel Regression Analysis

Palm oil is considered the most consumed edible oil in the world. An estimated 75% of overall palm oil production is destined for export with the total export value amounting to USD 28.2 billion in 2016. Currently, more research is needed to understand the associations between palm oil trade and production, and its environmental, social, and economic development aspects in accordance with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This research explores the possible associations between the key SDG indicators and palm oil trade and production. Statistical tools are employed in order to analyze the relationships between the key SDG indicators and palm oil trade and production. Random effects regression models were developed to identify the impacts of key SDG indicators on palm oil trade and production. The results showed that a reduction in the number of undernourished people significantly enhances the growth of palm oil imports, exports and production. An increase in agricultural employment significantly increases palm oil imports, exports, and production. Furthermore, it was found that temperature has a significant negative impact on palm oil trade and production. Recommendations for policy development toward sustainable palm oil trade in moving toward achievement of the SDGs are addressed to ensure a future for the sustainable growth of palm oil trade and production

Neighbourhood effects and social behaviour: the case of irrigated and rainfed farmeres in Bohol, the Philippines

Artefactual field experiments, spatial econometrics, and household survey are blended in a single study to investigate how the experience of collective irrigation management in the real world facilitates the spillover of social behaviour among neighbours. The dictator and public goods games are conducted among irrigated and non-irrigated rice farmers in the Philippines. The spillover effect is found only among irrigated farmers. In the public goods game, punishment through social disapproval reduces free-riding more effectively among irrigated farmers. These indicate that strengthened ties among neighbours are likely to induce the spillover of social norms together with an effective punishment mechanism

Neighbourhood effects and social behaviour: the case of irrigated and rainfed farmeres in Bohol, the Philippines

Artefactual field experiments, spatial econometrics, and household survey are blended in a single study to investigate how the experience of collective irrigation management in the real world facilitates the spillover of social behaviour among neighbours. The dictator and public goods games are conducted among irrigated and non-irrigated rice farmers in the Philippines. The spillover effect is found only among irrigated farmers. In the public goods game, punishment through social disapproval reduces free-riding more effectively among irrigated farmers. These indicate that strengthened ties among neighbours are likely to induce the spillover of social norms together with an effective punishment mechanism

Neighbourhood effects and social behaviour: the case of irrigated and rainfed farmeres in Bohol, the Philippines

Artefactual field experiments, spatial econometrics, and household survey are blended in a single study to investigate how the experience of collective irrigation management in the real world facilitates the spillover of social behaviour among neighbours. The dictator and public goods games are conducted among irrigated and non-irrigated rice farmers in the Philippines. The spillover effect is found only among irrigated farmers. In the public goods game, punishment through social disapproval reduces free-riding more effectively among irrigated farmers. These indicate that strengthened ties among neighbours are likely to induce the spillover of social norms together with an effective punishment mechanism

Are millets more effective in managing hyperlipidaemia and obesity than major cereal staples? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Millets are important staples across developing countries in Asia and Africa. A previous systematic review and meta-analysis showed that eating millets significantly controlled hyperlipidaemia and obesity by focusing on a comparison of pre- and post-intervention measurements. This study further provides meta-analysis of the effects of the consumption of millets on hyperlipidaemia and obesity by analysing millets against other staple grains using the difference-in-differences method, where the effects were computed on the Standardised Mean Difference scale. Thus, only studies that included a control group as well as the baseline were included. The results from twelve eligible studies on blood lipid profile show significant (p < 0.05) favourable effects of consuming millets compared to other staples (rice, wheat, and quinoa). Specifically, the effects on total cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were −0.44, −0.29, and −0.41, respectively (p < 0.05), while the effect on the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was +0.59 (p < 0.05). In addition, the effects on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and the body mass index were −0.60 and −0.29, respectively, with p = 0.06 each. While this study strengthens the evidence that the consumption of millets contributes to reducing the risks of hyperlipidaemia, and therefore cardiovascular diseases, more detailed and rigorous studies are recommended

Can millet consumption help manage hyperlipidemia and obesity?: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Many health benefits of millets (defined broadly to also include sorghum) have been advocated, including their roles in managing and preventing diabetes; however, the effects of millets on hyperlipidemia (high lipid levels) have been underrecognized. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to collate available evidence of the impacts of millets consumption on lipid profile, namely total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and very-low–density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C). The results from 19 studies showed that the consumption of millets for periods as short as 21 days to 4 months reduced levels of TC, triacylglycerol, LDL-C, and VLDL-C (p<0.01) by 8.0, 9.5, 10 and 9.0%, respectively. Four studies demonstrated that millets consumption brought TC and triacylglycerol levels to the normal levels (<200 and <150 mg/dl, respectively). Furthermore, upon consumption of millet-based meals, there was a 6.0% increase in the HDL-C 4.0 and 5.0% reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and 7.0% reduction in body mass index (BMI). This evidence, leads us to conclude that consumption of millets reduces hyperlipidemia and hence hypertension, and raises the levels of HDL-C (good cholesterol), which can be beneficial for managing the associated risk of developing hypertension and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases in future

Impact of regular consumption of millets on fasting and post-prandial blood glucose level: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Millets have a low Glycemic Index and are thus expected to help reduce concentration of Fasting and Post-Prandial Blood Sugar (FBS and PPBS) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), which can potentially help the management of type 2 diabetes. This study conducts a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of millets consumption on FBS, PPBS, and HbA1c levels in comparison to major staple diets using the difference-in-differences (DID) method, where the effect size was computed on the Standardized Mean Difference scale. Among twelve eligible articles, ten were used in the meta-analysis to assess the effects on FBS levels, while five were used to assess the effects on PPBS levels. The results show significant effects on FBS (p <  0.01) and PPBS (p <  0.05) levels with the effect size of −0.71 and −0.42, respectively. There were 11.8% (p =  0.001) and 15.1% (p =  0.012) reductions in FBS and PPBS level respectively observed in the millet consuming group whereas the comparator group did not have significant reductions in either indicator. On the other hand, the effects on HbA1c levels were insignificant, presumably due to the small sample size where only two studies were undertaken over 90 days, which warrants further research. The findings corroborate the evidence that millets can contribute to managing FBS and PPBS levels better than major staple diets, implying that millets consumption helps reduce the risk of type 2 diabete

Is farmer-to-farmer extension effective? The impact of training on technology adoption and rice farming productivity in Tanzania

Agricultural training is a potentially effective method to diffuse relevant new technologies to increase productivity and alleviate rural poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, since it is prohibitively expensive to provide direct training to all the farmers in SSA, it is critically important to examine the extent to which technologies taught to a small number of farmers disseminate to non-trained farmers. This paper investigates the technology dissemination pathways among smallholder rice producers within a rural irrigation scheme in Tanzania. As an innovative feature, we compare the performance of three categories of farmers: key farmers, who receive intensive pre-season training at a local training center; intermediate farmers, who are trained by the key farmers; and other ordinary farmers. By collecting and analyzing a unique five-year household-level panel data set, we estimate difference-in-differences models to assess how the gap in performance evolve as the technologies spill over from the trained farmers to the ordinary farmers. To disentangle the technology spillover process, we also examine the extent to which social and geographical network with the key and intermediate farmers influences the adoption of technologies by the ordinary farmers, by incorporating social relationship variables into spatial econometric models. We found that the ordinary farmers who were a relative or residential neighbor of a key or intermediate farmer were more likely to adopt new technologies than those who were not. As a result, while the key farmers’ technology adoption rates rose immediately after the training, those of the non-trained ordinary farmers caught up belatedly. As the technologies disseminated, the paddy yield of the key farmers increased from 3.1 to 5.3 tons per hectare, while the yield of the ordinary farmers increased from 2.6 to 3.7 tons per hectare. Our results suggest the effectiveness and practical potential of farmer-to-farmer extension programs for smallholders in SSA as a cost effective alternative to the conventional farmer training approach

Calcium from finger millet—a systematic review and meta-analysis on calcium retention, bone resorption, and in vitro bioavailability

Calcium deficiency during child growth leads to osteoporosis in later stages of life. Finger millet is one of the calcium dense foods, with three times the level of calcium than milk, and the only cereal that contains high calcium content which is consistent across different varieties (364 � 58 mg/100 g). Thus, finger millet has potential for addressing calcium deficiency naturally. This study aimed to determine the retention and impact of finger millet calcium on bone turnover through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Three human studies were eligible for systematic review. Of these, only two were eligible for meta-analysis to assess the retention of calcium in children of 9 to 12 years. One study on bone turnover markers was not used in the meta-analysis as at least two studies are required to conduct meta-analysis. Due to the lack of complete data only four studies were eligible for meta-analysis to assess the in vitro bioavailability of calcium from unprocessed and a range of different types of processed finger millet. The result shows that there was significant retention (p < 0.05) of 23.4 � 2.9% calcium from finger-millet-based diet which could help bone accretion during child growth if finger-millet-based diet is consumed. The bone turnover marker study shows that the resorption of calcium reduced by 28% and 47% among peri and post-menopausal women respectively after feeding the nutria mixed grain ball. However, there is no significant change in bone formation marker. Depending on the type of processing, calcium bioavailability either increased or decreased. One in vitro study showed that calcium bioavailability from finger millet was 28.6% when boiled, whereas three studies on processing show that certain processing can double the calcium bioavailability to 61.4%. Irrespective of the type of processing, finger millets contribute to high calcium retention and extremely high bioavailable calcium and could be useful for healthy growth and in dealing with complications related to calcium deficiency