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Abstract Backgrounds Poverty is a complex and multifaceted global public health issue, particularly prevalent in Ethiopia, including the East Gojjam Zone. Previous studies on poverty have largely relied on unidimensional measures, providing limited evidence on multidimensional poverty (MP). Therefore, this study tried to assess the prevalence and identify the associated factors of MP among rural households in selected woredas of East Gojjam Zone, Northern Ethiopia. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the fall of 2020 in randomly selected woredas of East Gojjam zone, involving 770 rural households. Multistage cluster sampling was used, and data were collected through structured, interviewer-administered questionnaires covering eleven MP indicators. The global multidimensional poverty index (MPI) was applied to assess poverty status. The multivariable partial proportional odds model (PPOM) was employed to identify the associated factors of MP, and variables with a p-value

Abstract Even though small-scale irrigation (SSI) is a practical solution to address issues like poverty, food insecurity, and low farm production, its promise is often overlooked in Ethiopia. In the Demba Gofa District of southern Ethiopia, many rural households continued to rely primarily on rain-fed agriculture despite the possibility of irrigation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence the adoption of SSI in Demba Gofa and its effect on farm income. A cross-sectional explanatory research design with a mixed-methods approach was employed on a total of 369 households selected through a multistage sampling procedure. An econometric data analysis using the propensity score matching model was employed to evaluate the effect of small-scale participation on households' farm income. The analysis revealed that the gender of the household head, cultivated land area, market accessibility, livestock ownership, and credit service accessibility positively affect irrigation adoption. Households' irrigation adoption was negatively and significantly associated with the age of the household head and the distance of the farm from the irrigation site. Furthermore, households that did not adopt small-scale irrigation schemes lost 4831.77 ETB in farm revenue compared to those that did. Thus, the study advises the government to support the establishment of adequate, long canals and government-guaranteed credit services for smallholder farmers in order to boost household income and, consequently, food security. Agricultural agents ought to conduct routine evaluations of the canals' operation and offer farmers training to enhance their skills in the sustainable use of irrigation systems.

One way to fulfill the worldwide goal of clean energy outlined in SDG 7 is by adopting modern and alternative energy sources, specifically through electric cooking. Most rural households in developing countries, however, lack access to a clean and affordable energy source; thus, a significant part of the population relies on solid fuels. This study investigates the factors influencing households' willingness to pay for electricity services for cooking in rural areas of Southern Ethiopia, where access to clean and affordable energy is limited. A multi-stage cluster sampling design was used to select 571 households from six randomly chosen woredas (districts) in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples region. The results show that 45.53 percent of the respondents were willing to pay for electricity for cooking, with a mean WTP of 510.12 Birr, representing a 13.36 percent increase over the current average bill rate. Factors such as total family income, distance from the main road, type of cooking stove, and the number of power outages per day significantly influence households’ willingness to pay for electricity for cooking. Among other reforms, the electricity authority should improve the quality of electric service and access in rural areas. Given the relationship between the WTP for cooking with electricity and household income, it would benefit the government to consider providing subsidies for electricity supply to households with lower incomes.

An ongoing and global agenda is the food security policy debate in rural Ethiopia of households to enhance resilience at the individual and household level for tackling food insecurity. Therefore, this study investigated determinants of household resilience to food insecurity in rural dwellers of Mekiet District. A cross-sectional research design was conducted in two agro ecological zones of the Mekiet district, lowland, and midland, involving 228 respondents. The study employed a quantitative and qualitative approach, with multi-stage sampling techniques results employed to select sample households by using two-stage factor analysis. The result from factor analysis using the RIMA approach showed that the latent variables of adaptive capacity, asset, and social safety net have a positive value of (0.76), (0.51), and (0.77), respectively, and in the contrast, access to essential services has a negative load of (-0.61), and all variables were found to be statistically significant. All those loads were significant, with an absolute value of factor loadings greater than 0.364, which is recommended for a sample size of 200 and above. Those variables were also highly correlated with resilience capacity. The study recommended that resilience programs should be implemented at district, community, and household levels to enhance resilience to food insecurity.

The centralization of household waste disposal represents a significant stride toward achieving ecological viability in rural China. This initiative can substantially alleviate the grassroots government's burden of managing rural household waste. The proliferation and utilization of smartphones, a powerful tool that can expedite and reduce the cost of imparting environmental protection knowledge to producers, is a beacon of hope in the fight against waste. This article, utilizing Probit modeling and micro-survey data from 2126 agricultural households in China, examines the effect of smartphone usage on farmers' participation in centralized household waste disposal. The findings indicate that smartphone usage significantly enhances farmers' engagement in centralized domestic waste disposal, motivating them to participate actively. Notably, this finding persists even after robustness tests. Further heterogeneity analyses indicate that older and low-income populations exhibit a more pronounced level of engagement in centralized household waste disposal. This paper presents these findings and underscores the importance of the proposed policies to enhance farmers' consciousness regarding the environmental implications of smartphone usage. These policies are not just suggestions but urgent and necessary steps towards a more technologically advanced and efficient waste management system, and their implementation is crucial for the future of waste management.

IntroductionFood insecurity remains a global issue and a top national priority in Ethiopia. However, it continues to pose a serious challenge in rural areas. Therefore, this study investigated household resilience to food insecurity among rural residents in Mekiet district.MethodsA cross-sectional research design was used, focusing on two agroecological zones of Mekiet district—lowland and midland—involving 228 respondents. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Multistage sampling techniques were employed to select the sample households, and factor analysis was employed to analyze the data.Results and discussionThe results from the factor analysis using the TANGO approach showed that the latent variables of absorptive and adaptive capacities had factor loadings of 0.98 and 0.79, respectively. On the other hand, transformative capacity showed a negative loading (−0.78), with all variables being statistically significant. The mean household resilience capacity index was 0.51. The variables of absorptive and adaptive capacities were positively associated with household resilience capacity, while transformative capacity exhibited a strong negative association. All factor loadings were significant, exceeding the recommended absolute value of 0.364 for sample sizes of 200 or more. Additionally, these variables were also highly correlated with resilience capacity. The study recommends that resilience programs be implemented at district, community, and household levels to enhance resilience to food insecurity.

Zhen Yuan,1,2 Fan Zhang,3 Zhiguang Li,1,2 Hua Wei1,2 1School of Economics and Management, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of China; 2Key Laboratory of Data Science & Innovative Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Philosophy and Social Sciences of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Finance, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhiguang Li; Hua Wei, Email lizhiguang0731@163.com; weihua@ahtcm.edu.cnBackground: A linchpin to realizing the internal circulation (referring to the domestic cycle of production, distribution and consumption) is reducing residents’ saving rate and expanding the domestic needs. However, rural residents in China demonstrate a strong propensity to save money.Methods: In light of practical characteristics of urban-rural health integration promoted in different places, the three-phase data (from 2014 to 2018) and the dual difference-in-differences model of the China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS) are used to empirically investigate the impact of urban-rural health insurance integration on rural household savings.Results: Research reveals that urban-rural health integration can reduce the health risks and medical risks facing rural households, thus weakening the motivation of precautionary savings. The analysis of heterogeneity reveals that the integration of urban-rural health insurance significantly influences the savings rates of households headed by older individuals, particularly women, with lower levels of educational attainment. Besides, the single-tier health insurance system can have a more significant impact, whereas the multi-tier insurance system may not significantly affect the savings rate.Conclusion: Based on the aforesaid research conclusions, this article believes that in order to reduce the savings rate of rural households and expand consumption, the health insurance system should be further improved.Keywords: urban-rural health insurance integration, rural household, savings rate, health risks, medical risks

Nowadays, women’s contribution to society through their social and human involvement at the household level in terms of education, care, and nutrition, as well as their added value to economic functioning, is increasingly recognized. However, most of the related research highlights the relative contributions of women and men. This paper proposes to analyze the link between women’s contribution to social, economic, and financial activities and the rural livelihood of the whole household farm. Based on a household survey that included a respondent section for women from over 285 families in the least rurally developed regions of Morocco, descriptive statistics and systemic analysis successively based on multiple factorial and clustering analyses were used to analyze the links between household adaptative capacity and women’s material and immaterial contributions. The results revealed that women play a crucial role in intergenerational knowledge transfer, which constitutes a critical factor in household capacities and reproduction, especially in the least endowed households. However, the women’s farm or off-farm activities did not guarantee their autonomy. So, the contribution of women to household farm livelihood through their know-how opens alternative pathways to reconsider their contribution to the overall goal of livelihood improvement.

Land management technology (LMT) adoption is one of Ethiopia's crucial strategies to combat soil depletion and promote agricultural production. However, there is scant information concerning the intensity, interdependent nature, and households' decision to adopt multiple LMTs. Thus, the purpose of this study is to identify factors influencing households' decisions to adopt multiple LMTs and the intensity and interdependency of the technologies in the Goyrie watershed of southern Ethiopia. The data was collected from 291 randomly selected household heads, focus group discussion participants, and key informant interview respondents. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and econometric methods like multivariate probit and ordered probit modeling, while the qualitative data was presented through content analysis. The result indicated that more than half of respondents (67 %) applied one or two LMTs. The highest complementary effects were observed in mixed soil bunds with desho grasses and manure applications. However, soil bunds and fanya-juu, manure application and agroforestry showed interchangeability with one another. Sex, education, family size, landholding size, access to development agents and credit institutions, training, and village membership increased the probability of adopting multiple LMTs, whereas age, land rent, and crop sharing discouraged the likelihood of households' decisions to adopt LMT. The results of the ordered probit model revealed that village membership and contact with extension agents highly encouraged the intensity of LMT adoptions. Thus, policymakers and planners should consider social, institutional, human asset, and technological related factors to increase adoption rates and intensity of land management technologies.

The Pan-Third Pole region comprises multiple nations affected by climate vulnerability and energy inequality, wherein promoting energy transitions in rural households would provide a path to combat climate change. Identifying the factors that drive rural household energy consumption and the transition is important. This study performed a micro-survey of 1060 rural households in five countries in the Pan-Third Pole region and empirically analyzed the relationships between off-farm income, energy consumption, and energy transitions. The off-farm income of rural households was found to have a significantly positive effect (p

This research analyzes the factors that affect resilience after natural disasters of 997 households in rural areas of Vietnam in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 by using logistic regression. The research results show that factors such as receiving timely warnings related to natural disasters, not taking measures to respond to natural disasters, and putting trust in the community will improve resilience after natural disasters. If the household head is of Kinh ethnicity and participates in community organizations, the response capacity whenever a disaster occurs is higher, and vice versa. Additionally, household heads not responding to natural disasters, instead receiving support from their relatives and friends and borrowing capital positively affect resilience capacity after one year since the disaster. In cases where Kinh women are household heads and join social communities, the resilience capacity after one year also increases. Besides, the research suggests some solutions to develop resilience capacity, which focus on the relationship between characteristics of households, household heads, and disaster response with the resilience capacity of rural households in Vietnam. Finally, this research proposes some suitable policies to improve resilience capacity in Vietnamese rural areas.

Part-time farming is a widespread phenomenon associated with the long-term global trend of urbanization, especially in China since its reform and opening-up in 1978. The shift of agricultural labor to non-agricultural sectors has significantly impacted cultivated land use activities, yet the connection between part-time farming and cultivated land use sustainability (CLS) remains understudied. Here, we construct an index system for assessing CLS that integrates ecological, economic, and social sustainability. Using survey data from seven Chinese villages across three provinces, we analyze the impact pattern and mechanism of part-time farming on CLS. We find the following: (1) The impact of part-time farming on CLS presents an inverted U-shape, peaking negatively at a 45% inflection point; (2) Spatial heterogeneity exists in the effect of part-time farming on CLS; (3) A household’s non-agricultural workforce size and the gender of the household head significantly moderate the link between part-time farming and CLS; (4) CLS strongly hinges on various factors including the household head’s health, other family members’ education levels, commercial insurance, and agricultural skills training. Our findings provide empirical insights into governing part-time farming for sustainable cultivated land use and, eventually, rural human–land system sustainability.

IntroductionThis study examines the determinants of energy sources among rural households in the forested regions of the Zagros Mountains in Iran.MethodsThe research focuses on 157 forest villages, categorized into three groups based on their access to different fuel sources: wood, kerosene and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and natural gas (NG). A survey was conducted among 346 rural households using a multi-stage stratified random sampling approach and a questionnaire.ResultsThe findings reveal that firewood plays a significant role in household energy patterns, particularly in remote areas. Income is identified as a crucial determinant of energy structure, but non-income socio-economic factors also strongly influence energy patterns. Moreover, commercial energy sources exhibit higher energy efficiency, resulting in reduced annual energy consumption compared to the use of firewood as the primary fuel.DiscussionThe study emphasizes the urgent need to address the reliance on low-efficiency energy sources to mitigate deforestation risks. In countries like Iran, where forest resources are limited, transitioning from firewood to higher efficiency fuels becomes imperative for forest conservation and sustainability. The implications of this research underscore the importance of considering both economic and social dimensions in energy planning and interventions, promoting accessible and affordable alternatives to traditional biomass fuels, and designing targeted policies to encourage the adoption of cleaner and more efficient energy sources in rural areas.

Topicality. The production of labor-intensive agricultural products in the state is largely provided by small enterprises. They play an important role in food security, ensuring the employment of the rural population, and shaping the living environment in communities. Therefore, the research of the development of small forms of business in the agrarian sector of the economy during the period of war in Ukraine is relevant. Formulation of the problem. In the agrarian sector of the economy of Ukraine, the transformation of collective agricultural enterprises into market-type business entities took place. In large- and medium-sized agricultural enterprises, the concentration of production of less labor-intensive and export-oriented agricultural crops can be traced, and the number of employees in them continues to decrease. Therefore, determining the social and economic foundations of the development of small forms of business should be an important task of modern agrarian policy. The subject of research covers the theoretical and practical principles of the development of small forms of business in the agrarian sphere. The purpose of the work is to substantiate the social and economic directions of the development of small forms of business in the agrarian sector of the economy. Research methods: historical, systematic approach, abstract-logical, statistical-economic, calculation-constructive methods. Results of the work: the essence was summarized and the classification of types of small forms of management in the agrarian sector of the economy was carried out on the basis of organizational, legal and social and economic foundations of their development; the priority directions for the development of small forms of business to ensure employment and motivation of the rural population to formally conduct agribusiness are substantiated, taking into account their current economic condition; conceptual directions for improving the business economic activity of small businesses thanks to organizational and material support and infrastructural development of rural areas have been determined. Practical implementation: the formation of agrarian and regional policy at the macro- and meso-levels of the economy, the process of developing projects of state and local programs for the development of the agrarian sector of the economy and rural areas. Conclusions: organizational and financial and material support for the development of small forms of business in the agrarian sector of the economy will ensure a decrease in unemployment in the industry, will contribute to the development of the social and labor sphere in rural areas.

With agriculture being the main source of livelihood, migration has posed severe constraints, thus hampering the livelihood of many households. This research focused on the effects of migration on the livelihood of rural households in Nigeria. Descriptive statistics, Probit and Tobit regression models were the analytical tools employed. Most of the households were male-headed and two-thirds of the rural households had members who had migrated for at least six months. Internal migration was the predominant type of migration while rural households were found to have a low level of livelihood. Age, education, household size, type of employment, land access, type of dwelling, migrant status and physical assets were significant in determining livelihoods of rural households. Thus, lessening the rural-urban divide in the rural areas through public-private partnerships in terms of innovations to support and expand the livelihood possibilities of rural households at all levels of governance should be prioritized.

The surge in mining operations to meet the global demand for mineral resources adversely impacts ecosystem services and dependent households, but the issue barely attracts attention. This study evaluated the dynamics of mining-induced changes in the value of ecosystem services (ES) and the consequent economic and relational cost to rural households in the Ahafo region of Ghana. Face-to-face structured interviews with 200 householders were conducted in three mining communities. We determined relational values in the landscape through focus group discussion and the economic cost of the ecosystem services lost by applying replacement and contingency cost estimations. Old-growth forests, degraded forests, teak plantations, cultivated land, wetlands, and grassland were ecosystems identified in the mining landscape. The most valued ecosystem was old-growth forest, while the least was grassland. Provisioning service was the most valued ES, while supporting service was the least. Provisioning ES was rated the most impacted by the mine, whereas cultural services were the least affected. Mining activities caused a significant loss of 14 ecosystem services (including crops, livestock, capture fisheries, wild food, bush meat, biomass fuel, and freshwater) that were of priority to the communities. The affected households experienced relatively high monthly economic costs, approximating $300 per household, from the loss of priority ecosystem services. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed connections between ecosystem services valuation and the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. There was a perceived mine-adverse effect on the relational values of the people relating to cultural identity, sovereignty, symbolic value, security, subsistence and livelihood, sense of place, social cohesion, social memory, female emotional/mental health, and womanhood training opportunities. Actors in the mining industry should consider policies and management interventions that will limit ecosystem services loss, widely ascertain ecosystem benefits, and comprehensively mitigate the impact of their loss on households.

Abstract Background Beekeeping activity is carried out in most parts of Ethiopia. However, despite the favorable agro-ecology for beekeeping practices and the high number of bee colonies the country is endowed with, the level of beekeeping adoption is low. Methods This study was conducted to identify determinants of the decision to adopt beekeeping, and the intensity of adoption by using a cross-sectional data collected from 772 rural households in Northwest Ethiopia. Stratified random sampling method was used to select the households, and the data were collected using a questionnaire. To achieve the objectives, Heckman two-stage sample selection model was used. Results The result of the first step Heckman model revealed that age and educational level of the household head, household size, extension visits, training, incentive, home consumption of honey, major economic activities of the household, perception towards better hives, distance to the nearest marketplace, the number of years the household stayed in the village, and location were the significant variables influencing rural households’ beekeeping adoption decision. The second step Heckman model revealed that livestock holding of a household head, number of extension visits, credit use, presence of honey bee pests, whether a household is engaged in swarm catching practices, and major economic activities of a household head were the variables that influence the intensity of beekeeping adoption significantly. Conclusions The findings of the study can be used to make evidence-based policy interventions to improve beekeeping adoption and the intensity of beekeeping adoption by rural households, which could also help to improve their livelihoods.

The rent-free farmland transfer that exists widely in China’s rural areas is a topic worthy of attention. Particularly, the regional heterogeneity of its occurrences implies regional cultural heterogeneities. Using local dialects to proxy regional cultural features, this study applies econometric methods to examine the impacts of dialect diversity on rent-free farmland transfers. It also considers possible mechanisms through a mediation analysis, based on a combined two-year rural household survey dataset from the Guangdong and Jiangxi Provinces in 2015 and 2016. Robust estimation results reveal that dialect diversity increases the probability of rent-free farmland transfers at the household and village levels. According to the mediation analysis, dialect diversity influences villages’ farmland abandonment, rural farmland market development, and the flexibility of farmland transfer contracts, which further affects rent-free farmland transfer. Rent-free farmland transfer depends on social trust and contracts’ self-fulfilling advantages. Therefore, cultural and traditional factors should be taken into consideration, which would form beneficial interactions between the selections of rural farmland institutional arrangement and land rights policy implementations.

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) contributes to promoting green and low-carbon transformation in rural areas. In order to better guide rural households to invest in BIPV projects and promote the goal of “carbon neutrality” in China’s building sector, this study integrates the theory of planned behavior (TPB), the social cognitive theory (SCT), and the PEST analysis framework. It constructs a theoretical model from the perspective of “External Factors-Internal Psychology-Investment Intention” to investigate rural households’ investment intentions toward BIPV projects and their influencing factors. Basic data were collected from 488 valid questionnaires from rural households in Henan Province, and the theoretical model was empirically tested using structural equation modeling. The results show that the model constructed from both internal and external factors effectively explains rural households’ investment intentions (II) toward BIPV projects (R2 = 0.89), with investment attitude (IA) being the strongest psychological motivation leading to their II. All four external factors—policy, economic, social, and technological—positively influence II with diminishing effects. Additionally, the policy factor has the most significant effect on IA, while the economic factor has a more prominent effect on perceived behavioral control (PBC), and the technological factor has a relatively weaker effect on the two psychological factors. Furthermore, the four external factors indirectly influence investment intentions through the two psychological factors of IA and PBC, with the mediating effect of IA being higher than PBC. Based on the findings, this study proposes effective suggestions to enhance rural households’ investment intentions toward BIPV projects.

Cameroon’s semi-arid zone (northern and far northern regions) is an important part of the local ecosystem that is vulnerable to climate change. This vulnerability raises concerns about rural households’ well-being. Adapting to this vulnerability could mitigate some of the negative effects, agricultural shocks, and catastrophic risks associated with agricultural ecosystem destruction. Thus, the goal of this paper is to assess the impact of climate change adaptation strategies on rural households’ sorghum productivity in Cameroon’s semi-arid zone. On 721 households’ secondary data, we used the endogenous switching regression model and the matching method. The results show that adopting adaptation strategies increases sorghum productivity in adapted households by approximately 21,99% more than in non-adapted households. In the absence of coping strategies, these households will lose 11,22% of their sorghum productivity. The importance of these findings adds to the debate about the need to implement climate change adaptation programmes and policies that address the concerns of all households.

Saving is an important factor in households’ welfare in developing countries. However, most studies have focused on urban areas and at the macroeconomic level. Consequently, such studies mask the reality of rural households, which constitute a large proportion in Ethiopia. Hence, this study aims at analyzing the factors that influence the probability of saving participation at the household level in the Libokemkem District. We employed a systematic random sampling technique to select a total of 157 household heads in three kebeles in Libokemkem District, Ethiopia. We used structured questionnaires to collect data from the sampled households. We then analyzed the data using a logistic regression model. The results of the study show that family size, farm land, education status, credit access and frequency of extension contact are the determinant factors for saving participation among rural households. We recommend that the Ethiopian Ministry of Economic and Finance should strengthen the existing credit services and create awareness campaigns for the communities to enhance rural saving participation.

Energy poverty is one of the three major crises of the global energy system. It tends to deepen as a result of the imbalance between supply and demand, energy transition and financial factors, especially in rural areas of developing countries. This paper took rural household energy poverty as the subject and collected 27 Chinese papers and 44 English papers from Google Scholar, Sci-hub, CNKI and other academic websites in the academic field on the definition, identification methods, influencing factors and governance countermeasures of energy poverty. It focused on analyzing the influence of income level, geographic location, urban–rural differences, demographic characteristics and other factors on energy poverty, as well as the profound impact of energy poverty on the population’s health, the population’s economic status, social equity, welfare of the population, the national economic development, etc. It finally landed on the government’s countermeasures to govern energy poverty so as to provide references for solving the problem of energy poverty by systematically sorting out the literature.

The Czech Republic ranks among the countries with a strong tradition of home food self-provisioning. In this article, we focused our attention specifically to the traditional and frequently neglected phenomenon of rural self-provisioning while newly introducing a data-based analysis of the phenomenon in two areas, i.e., suburbs and peripheries of the South Moravian region. Unlike the research carried out in the CR or EU to date, our survey aims exclusively at the analysis of households with access to land, which allow a more detailed scrutiny of growing a wide range of commodities, the attitudes to it and its perspectives. The results of the field study carried out in 178 rural households in two types of South Moravian regions (suburban and peripheral) from 2017 show the regional differences in food self-provisioning. They also contribute to a better understanding of a phenomenon whose variability within a rural territory is quite known a little. Even though the suburban and peripheral regions have very comparable natural conditions and opportunities of growing crops (a similar type of estate, nearly the same size of the gardens surveyed), we can observe rather remarkable differences, especially in the extent of the areas being farmed and in the scale of breeding domesticated animals (work demanding activities). Compared to that, only negligible differences were found in growing commodities demanding less work (fruit and tomato growing). The identified differences in attitudes to self-provisioning in the observed regions (depending on the varied types of population in the regions) allow for analysing the perspectives of particular self-provisioning activities both in South Moravia and the CR on the whole.

This study was conducted to examine rural household livelihood strategies and diet diversification in North Shewa Administrative Zone (NSAZ), Central Ethiopia. A total of 372 family heads took part in the study. They were selected through multistage sampling procedure. Data collection took place from February to March 2020 using Questionnaire, Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) plus Key Informant Interviews (KIIs).The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA and binary logistic regression model. The finding showed that rural households who diversified their livelihood strategies by combining agriculture with at least one of the activities outside agriculture make up only about 31.20% of the respondents. Out of eight baskets of food items (legumes, nuts and seeds; cereals; vegetables; fruits; milk and milk products; oils and fats; eggs and meat) considered to calculate Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS), only 22.60% of the sampled households consumed ≥4 baskets of food items within a 24 h recall period. The remaining 77.40% of the studied households consumed

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has severely affected all sectors of the economy, and the impacts are expected to last-long. One major impact is that migrants return to their original households in rural communities due to loss of jobs. Since rural communities are highly dependent on forest and agriculture for livelihoods, an influx of return migrants likely increases the consumption of forest products and intensifies the agriculture practices, increasing the pressure on forest resources. Based on in-person interview of 215 in 2018 before the pandemic and a phone interview of the same 215 rural households in 2021 at the peak of the pandemic in Kavrepalanchowk district in Nepal, this study addresses the following research questions: (1) Does COVID-19 exert differential impacts among the socio-economic groups? (2) How do return migrants affect the rural land use? (3) Do return migrants put additional pressure on forests resources? The rare before-and-after dataset provide a precious opportunity to assess the COVID-19 impacts on the livelihoods of rural households in the community forestry landscape in the Middle Hills of Nepal. We found that the impacts of COVID-19 were severe on the households with larger family size, those belonging to the marginalized caste groups, having lower number of livestock, low wellbeing index, those who rely on daily wage-based occupation, with low level of education, and the households with return migrants. A significant number of migrants were found to return to their village of origin. As a result, there was a decrease in abandoned land and an increase in the livestock number and forest product use. These findings provide timely insights for the post-pandemic recovery efforts in better targeting needy household with limited resource in the community forestry landscape in the Middle Hills of Nepal.

The present research aimed to evaluate the economic and environmental sustainability of livestock farms in inland areas of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park (Southern Italy) and the convenience and possibility of activating forms of local economies. The study involved three types of grazing husbandries: one with only sheep and goats; one with only cattle; and one mixed, namely with cattle, sheep and goats. The profitability of the analyzed farms was compared through their gross profit and the net income of the farmer. To evaluate the convenience of the farms under study to activate forms of a short supply chain, the transformation value of the milk was used as the reference parameter. The environmental impact per farm and per adult bovine unit was assessed through the LCA methodology. The economic analysis showed that the survival of the analyzed farms is essentially linked to public subsidies, which in some cases represent more than 75% of the total output. Family enterprise plays a fundamental role in management decisions, in the size of animal breeding, and in investment decisions. Referring to environmental impacts, the analysis showed a lower sustainability of cattle farming, mainly due to the higher methane emissions during enteric fermentation. Despite all this, the ecosystem services provided by these semi-extensive farms in inland areas are significant, and therefore economic and environmental analyses should take them into account to enhance them and encourage farmers to remain in these often marginal areas.

In order to alleviate ecological environmental degradation and to enhance sustainable rural household livelihoods, the Shaanxi government of China launched a disaster mitigation program: the disaster avoidance resettlement. Measuring household livelihood vulnerability and further assessing its influence, hold the key to strengthening livelihood adaptation in the context of disaster resettlement. Taking Ankang—in southern Shaanxi Province, China—as an example, this article explores the impact mechanism of household livelihood vulnerability on adaptation strategies through a multinominal logistic regression model in which 657 rural questionnaires were employed. In order to provide more integrated empirical evidence, we draw lessons from the livelihood of the previously proposed vulnerability framework, which has three dimensions: the degree of sensitivity, exposure, and adaptive capacity. The adaptive strategies were divided into pure farming, non-agricultural, and diversified adaptation types according to the types of income sources. The results indicated that livelihood vulnerability varies with different resettlement characteristics. In terms of adaptive strategy types, the vulnerability of pure farming households was the largest. This article found that the relocated households who had a lower sensitivity preferred the non-farming livelihood adaptation strategy. Local households with a high adaptive ability preferred to implement diversified adaptation strategies. The weaker the social support network of the relocated households, the more likely they were to choose off-farm adaptation strategies. Our research results are robust and have broader implications in terms of promoting rural household diversifications of adaptation strategies and reducing livelihood vulnerability.

A survey was conducted to provide information on weed types, control strategies, and their estimated costs to smallholder rubber outgrowers in Western Ghana. A total of 80 farmers with rubber trees aged 1–4 years were randomly selected for the study. This represents 10.2% of the total number of farmers (783) who fall within this target group in the districts. The results show that smallholder rubber plantation farmers are dealing with diverse weed species, most of which are reported as global weeds. Chromolaena odorata, Scleria boivinii, and Mimosa pudica were the most reported species. Manual weeding and application of herbicides are the major control methods adopted by the farmers in the study area with a small percentage (16%) also using cover cropping. The two major control methods cost farmers an estimated average amount of Ghc 618.24 ± 26.25 (US $140.51 ± 5.91) for one-time weed control per hectare. The average estimated cost of one-time manual weeding per hectare was higher than that of herbicide application per hectare. This estimated amount is only a fraction of the total economic cost of weeds to the farmers. The farmers are likely to spend more if, for example, the costs of yield loss due to weeds are captured. The study thus indicates that the cost of weed management is high for rubber outgrowers and essentially farmers are investing heavily in weed management to keep weed competition on-plantation relatively low. Given that the core objective of rubber growing is to maximize profits, this study recommends the application of herbicides to control weeds in rubber plantations since average estimated cost of herbicide application per hectare was lower than one-time manual weeding per hectare. This recommendation should, however, be weighed against the possible environmental impact of herbicides, which was not assessed in this study.

For farmers, the more fragile the state of the ecology becomes, the more their awareness of the need for environmental protection grows. China’s Grain for Green Project (G.G.P.) policy of returning farmland to forests and grassland, as an external shock to the environment, has sparked people’s ecological aspirations. Many people have noticed the phenomenon of ecosystem degradation and overlapping poverty. Analyzing the environmental and income changes brought about by the G.G.P., and this study considers farmers’ self-selection problems due to their lack of subjective thinking regarding this initiative. Our study aims to fill this gap by using a forest–grass model to assess the level of farmers’ ecological aspirations in ecologically vulnerable areas of Xinjiang, China. This article is based on aspiration theory and a theoretical model assessing the economic impact of ecological aspiration on the G.G.P. in China. The results show that farmers’ ecological aspirations can increase their enthusiasm to participate in the G.G.P. Under counterfactual conditions, participation in the G.G.P. initially reduces farmers’ total income to a certain extent; however, in the long run, it can significantly increase the total income of farmers. When the intermediary effect is used to analyze the economic effect of ecological aspiration on returning farmland to forest, it is found that farmers’ ecological aspirations affect household income by influencing income expectations. Our findings have essential practical implications and provide an important reference for consolidating poverty alleviation efforts and effectively promoting rural revitalization. In addition, the results suggest a way to achieve the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, and it is necessary for building environmental-friendly regions.

Kenyan households, as in many rural areas in developing countries, suffer frequently from effects of shocks. Yet, they have limited access to effective coping strategies. Vulnerable households end up resorting to ineffective coping strategies such as distressed sales of farmland. Distress land sales limit household productive capacity and increase vulnerability to future shocks, thus entrenching poverty. Using a nationally representative data collected in two waves, we examine the circumstances under which rural households in Kenya sell farmland following shocks. We find that specific shock characteristics, household characteristics and the household social and physical environments are associated with distress sales of farmland. The likelihood of selling farmland was higher for idiosyncratic shocks and those that resulted in higher monetary and material losses. The likelihood of engaging in distress land sales was also higher in households with older heads, with more land holding, where land markets existed and in households that depended on social safety nets. The likelihood of distress sales was however lower in households with more educated heads, more livestock value and access to all-weather roads. These findings are thereafter discussed in the Kenyan context, and policy suggestions are offered for building rural households’ resilience to shocks.

This research generates specific, contextualized identification of existing poverty status and poverty causing factors in Enda-mohoni woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Agroecology based cluster sampling technique was employed to select 154 household heads. Logit model was used to analyze household poverty status and FGT poverty index estimation model for poverty incidence analysis. The poverty analysis found a 30.9% headcount ratio, 4.4% poverty gap ratio, and 1% poverty severity. Furthermore, the result of the logistic regression revealed that among the explanatory variables used in the model, family size and agroecological location of the household head were found to positively influence HHs' poverty status at (P

The article studies the peculiarities of functioning of rural households, the substantiation of strategic scenarios for their development and the development of an effective mechanism for strengthening their role in the formation of agri-food resources of Ukraine. Taking into account the current state of the agricultural sector and real conditions of rural households existence, several alternative ways of their development are defned: individual (independent) development; integration of rural households with agricultural and processing enterprises; cooperation with other rural households and with small businesses. The analysis of the structure of agricultural production in terms of rural households that can be consumer oriented, consumer – production oriented and production oriented allows us to conclude that a long-term development of rural households will lead to a change in their commodity proposal. The results of the design analysis of the average growth rates of all three resource components showed: the average annual growth rate of labour remuneration - 24.3%; average annual growth rate of fnancial assistance - 21.5%; average annual growth rate of rural household income - 14.6%; the average annual growth rate of total revenues (resources) - 18.7%. Having used the statistical package "STATGRAPHICS",we analyzed the tendencies of decrease of incomes share of rural households from own labor and capital; as well as growth of incomes from hired labor. Having used the ARIMA model, we made a forecast until 2025, and found that the share of population incomes from rural households will decrease to 20.2%. However, the decrease in income from own labor and capital should be offset by an increase in income from remuneration of labor received in the real sector of the economy. In addition, the share of gross output of households in the total gross output of agriculture is calculated. The Brown model (exponential smoothing model) with the parameter alpha = 0.3639 was used for the forecast. According to the results of calculations, it can be concluded that in the future the share of gross agricultural output will decrease and may reach 35.7% by 2025. Today it is also obvious that production oriented rural household, in conditions of increase of marketability level and effective mechanisms for the sale of manufactured products, can be the base for the development of entrepreneurship in agricultural production. This can be created through the organization of a system of purchasing manufactured products from the population, or through the organization of a system of consumer cooperation. Based on this, we believe that the development of land mortgage lending is important to meet fnancial resources needs of small agricultural producers in Ukraine, to achieve maximum economic effect from the realization of land potential, and as a result, to reduce risks in agricultural production. The mechanism for solving this problem, to our opinion, is the creation of mortgage funds of entity at the state level or at the level of united territorial communities.

The article studies the peculiarities of functioning of rural households, the substantiation of strategic scenarios for their development and the development of an effective mechanism for strengthening their role in the formation of agri-food resources of Ukraine. Taking into account the current state of the agricultural sector and real conditions of rural households existence, several alternative ways of their development are defned: individual (independent) development; integration of rural households with agricultural and processing enterprises; cooperation with other rural households and with small businesses. The analysis of the structure of agricultural production in terms of rural households that can be consumer oriented, consumer – production oriented and production oriented allows us to conclude that a long-term development of rural households will lead to a change in their commodity proposal. The results of the design analysis of the average growth rates of all three resource components showed: the average annual growth rate of labour remuneration - 24.3%; average annual growth rate of fnancial assistance - 21.5%; average annual growth rate of rural household income - 14.6%; the average annual growth rate of total revenues (resources) - 18.7%. Having used the statistical package "STATGRAPHICS",we analyzed the tendencies of decrease of incomes share of rural households from own labor and capital; as well as growth of incomes from hired labor. Having used the ARIMA model, we made a forecast until 2025, and found that the share of population incomes from rural households will decrease to 20.2%. However, the decrease in income from own labor and capital should be offset by an increase in income from remuneration of labor received in the real sector of the economy. In addition, the share of gross output of households in the total gross output of agriculture is calculated. The Brown model (exponential smoothing model) with the parameter alpha = 0.3639 was used for the forecast. According to the results of calculations, it can be concluded that in the future the share of gross agricultural output will decrease and may reach 35.7% by 2025. Today it is also obvious that production oriented rural household, in conditions of increase of marketability level and effective mechanisms for the sale of manufactured products, can be the base for the development of entrepreneurship in agricultural production. This can be created through the organization of a system of purchasing manufactured products from the population, or through the organization of a system of consumer cooperation. Based on this, we believe that the development of land mortgage lending is important to meet fnancial resources needs of small agricultural producers in Ukraine, to achieve maximum economic effect from the realization of land potential, and as a result, to reduce risks in agricultural production. The mechanism for solving this problem, to our opinion, is the creation of mortgage funds of entity at the state level or at the level of united territorial communities.

The transportation service subsidy is intended to ease the burden of students from low-income families by helping with their need for mobility. The local government provides a transportation service expenditure budget annually to pay for the transportation services they require. Theoretically, the subsidy benefits the poor, although a study on the evaluation of the transportation service subsidy program is still needed to ascertain whether the program beneficiaries benefit from the program. This study used a survey method, and it deepened by the in-depth interviews conducted with 98 respondents. It used to obtain supporting information to pair with the survey results. The critical findings from this study are that the subsidy program has increased the rate of savings in terms of transportation service spending, and it has also reduced the burden of food expenditure among the poor. Better access to education services among the program recipient students reduced traffic congestion, and the enthusiasm for learning within low-income family students are also benefits. Another benefit is that the public transport drivers involved in the program get sustainable income certainty. The income of the recipient community groups has increased moderately compared to the non-recipient groups. However, saving on transportation spending does not contribute significantly to the burden of food expenditure for low-income families. The reason for this is that the free transportation subsidies received by the poor are minimal in terms of the frequency of coupon use. This study concludes that free transport subsidies in the short term can alleviate the burden on the poor, and in the long run, they can improve the welfare of the poor.

This paper explores how broadband infrastructure affects rural household carbon dioxide emissions (HCE). Based on the Environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis, a quasi-natural experiment of a “Broadband Village” (B&V) in China is conducted. Panel data from 9,790 rural households were collected as part of the China Family Finance Survey (CHFS). The consumer lifestyle approach was used to calculate HCE and a Difference-in-Differences (DID) model was used to analyze the impact of a B and V pilot project on rural HCE. The results of DID model showed that B and V significantly increases rural HCE, with an influencing coefficient 1.7. Subsequently, Threshold Model was utilized to examine the nonlinear relationship between household broadband penetration and rural HCE. The results revealed the threshold effect between rural household broadband penetration and rural HCE. Namely, the growth effect of B and V to rural HCE would be much weaker, if rural household broadband penetration goes above a threshold level, 31.32%. Our analysis provides important insights for policymakers to formulate digital village and income redistribution policies to support rural carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reductions.

Belgorod Region is one of the main agro-industrial regions of Russia. The volume of production in the livestock sector in 2022 amounted to 203 billion rubles. Most often, livestock farms are located near agricultural land with plant crops, which increases the risk of contamination of the latter with various toxicants. The purpose of this work was to study and assess the contamination with heavy metal ions and toxic chemicals of the soils of agricultural lands and nearby reservoirs in the Prokhorovsky district of the Belgorod region. Watercress (Lepidium sativum) and crustaceans (Daphnia magna Straus) are bioindicators.

Heterogeneous land development opportunities induced by spatial regulation produce different advantages in areas, which undoubtedly differentiates farmers’ employment. The aim of this study was to quantitatively examine its impact. We selected Moshui Lake City Park (urban development planning area), Sino-French Eco-City (industrial development planning area), and Chenhu International Wetland (ecological protection planning area) as its principal research areas. These regions are all located in Wuhan city, Hubei province, China. After obtaining 907 valid responses from rural households, the Tobit model was adopted to identify the impact of land development opportunities on farmers’ nonfarm employment. The results show that, first, industrial development opportunity (IDO) and urban development opportunity (UDO) provide more job security than the reference group, which is ecological development opportunity (EDO), with the estimated coefficients of IDO and UDO being 0.325 and 0.944, respectively. However, a negative correlation was found between UDO and farmers’ employment selection and income. Second, heterogeneity analysis reveals that the promotion effect of land development opportunities on farmers’ employment is more significant for low- and middle-income, low-quantity, and high-quality households. Finally, further analysis shows that IDO can promote employment for all age groups, but UDO inhibits the elderly labor force from getting employed. These findings provide evidence-based insights which can enable the government to formulate land value-added distribution systems that promote balanced development between regions and stakeholders.

Land resources are important for millions of rural households in China. With the land tenure system reform and the trend of nonfarm employment, land transfer affects household income and consumption diversity significantly. Utilizing the data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) 2018, this study investigated the effects of land transfer on Chinese rural households’ consumption diversity, measured by the Simpson index. In order to mitigate the endogeneity problems caused by reverse causality and selection bias between farmers’ household land transfer decisions and consumption behavior, we employed the propensity score matching (PSM) method and instrumental variable (IV) method. Besides, the Shannon index was also used to measure consumption diversity for the robustness test. The results showed that the rural households who have transferred others’ land in would decrease their consumption diversity, while the households who have transferred their land out would increase their consumption diversity. Heterogeneity analysis showed that land transfer had different degrees of impact on rural households with different income groups and was more significant for low-income households. Specifically, compared with higher-income households, both the promotion effect of land transfer out and the inhibitory effect of land transfer on consumption diversity were more obvious for lower-income households.

Abstract Background Food insecurity is a pressing social and public health issue that varies in degree and impact on individuals and social groups, requiring immediate attention for policymakers and decision-makers. This study was conducted to identify the prevalence and associated factors of food insecurity of rural households particularly in the Shebel Berenta and Machakel districts of East Gojjam zone. Methods A cross-sectional study design was conducted, in the fall of March 2017 among 504 households. Households are selected using a systematic sampling technique through multistage cluster sampling technique (two stage cluster sampling). The data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire covering a range of topics including 18 core food security modules (CFSM) question series, socioeconomic, demographic and related variables. Multivariable Partial proportional odds model (PPOM) was employed to identify the factors associated with food insecurity in rural households. Result Of a total of 504 households considered in the study, 54 (10.71%) were highly food secure, 75 (14.88%) were marginally food secure, 157 (31.15%) were low food secure, and 218 (43.25%) were severely food insecure. District (Machakel) (AOR = 3.28 95% CI: 1.73, 6.24), household head education status, illiterate (AOR = 113.4, 95% CI:7.02,1832.02), read and write (AOR = 169.29, 95%CI:11.64, 2461.39), and elementary completed (AOR = 119.75,95%CI:8.43,1700.74), agro-ecological zone, Woina Dega (AOR = 0.0021,95% CI: 0.00009,0.0514), Dega (AOR = 0.0323, 95%CI: 0.002, 0.5209), family size (AOR = 1.18, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.36), landholding (AOR = 0.767, 95% CI: 0.605, 0.972), TLU (AOR = 0.151, 95% CI: 0.0716, 0.3189), access to toilet (no) (AOR = 7.63, 95% CI: 1.459, 39.78), practicing irrigation (yes) (AOR = 0.121, 95% CI: 0.037, 0.38), loan (no) (AOR = 2.83, 95% CI:1.36, 5.89), access to energy, government electric (AOR = 0.468, 95% CI: 0.23, 0.94), solar panels (AOR = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.25, 0.79), soil fertility, moderate (AOR = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.87), fertile (AOR = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.032, 0.72) were significant associated food insecurity factors in the study area. Conclusion In this study, a high prevalence of food insecurity and various associated food insecurity factors have been identified in the study area. Thus, the concerned stockholders should intervene in food insecure households via different irrigation practices and by considering household size, community-based household head education, and landholding in hectare.

Purpose- In recent decades, several activities have been carried out in the form of development projects to develop rural settlements in Iran. One of the most important of these is the implementation of the guide plans. This plan, with its various actions, has caused widespread changes in various dimensions of rural life. The present study investigated the effects of this project on the changes in the lifestyle of the rural community in the central district of Darab county. Design/methodology/approach- The present research is descriptive in terms of describing the characteristics of the society studied and analytical in terms of investigating the relationship between the actions level of guide plans and the lifestyle. In this respect, the required field data are provided using observations, interviews, and questionnaires. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, spatial analysis and SAW model, and Expert Choice, SPSS and ArcGIS software are used. Findings- The results of the research confirmed that there are significant differences between the level of changes in different dimensions of lifestyle, and the greatest changes are in the style of construction. On the other hand, the results of a Pearson correlation showed a positive relationship between the actions level of all executive components of the guide plans with a modernization level of the villagers’ lifestyle. Based on the results of the linear regression test, it was found that approximately 41% of the total changes in modernization can be predicted through the action level of the guide plan. Research limitations / implications- Owing to the different effects of the guide plans on lifestyle changes in different age groups and genders, the attention of researchers to the needs of different villagers is necessary. Practical implications- It is imperative to pay more attention to the efficiency of the environment being built in order to respond appropriately to the lifestyles of the present and future generations and more attention is required on the part of designers and conductors of guide plans to create a suitable platform for the development of communication technology in the villages, which will create a variety of changes in the modernization of the lifestyle of the households residing in them. Originality/value- This research will be important to provide guidance for good feedback, and to make plans for problems. Because it can take positive steps in making future projects as good as possible and such an approach will be effective to recognize prior strategies and design future policies.

Aim/purpose – The prevalence of poverty among Nigerian households and limited social safety nets predispose the country to health shock. Health shocks are associated with adverse economic consequences: they raise medical expenditure and reduce household consumption. The household responds with informal coping mechanism to smoothen consumption. The coping strategies are limited to household asset endowment and access to credit facility. This study examines the effect of health shock on changes in household consumption and investigates the coping strategies employed in the face of health shock.

This study evaluates the benefits that rural households in India derive from dedicated solar microgrid service systems. A case study was conducted in Lakshmipura-Jharla, Rajasthan, a village in western India with significant potential for producing solar energy. In 2013, a private investor set up a solar microgrid in the village and distributed energy-efficient appliances. Its goal was to give poor households access to modern energy services. The study data were collected through a survey conducted among randomly selected households in the village. The survey found that such an electricity provision service had multidimensional benefits: flexible use of the energy service, more effective time allocation among women, more study time for students, improved indoor air quality, and safer public places. Given the initial unmet demand for modern energy in the village, technological interventions supported by policy has helped to expand consumption possibilities and new demand for services has emerged. The household-level frontier rebound effect is estimated to be more than 100%, reflecting a one-and-a-half times increase in the demand for illumination services among rural households. Frontier rebound effect estimates help quantify the benefits of solar microgrids and energy-efficient appliances for households in rural areas...

Background: The health effects of heavy solid fuel use in winter in rural China are of concern. The effects of air pollution resulting from domestic solid fuel combustion in rural households on rural homemakers’ biomarkers were revealed in this study. Methods: In total, 75 female homemakers from rural areas of Guanzhong Basin, the Fenwei Plain, People’s Republic of China, were randomly selected and divided into three groups (biomass users, coal users, and nonusers of solid fuel user [control group]). The differences in biological indicators, including 8-hydrox-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), interlukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in urine samples as well as blood pressure (BP, including systolic BP [SBP] and diastolic BP [DBP]) and heart rate (HR) among the groups in winter and summer were investigated using statistical analysis. Results: IL-6, 8-OHdG, HR, SBP, and DBP were significantly higher in winter than in summer (P

The aim of this research is to identify factors affecting the propensity of rural households to save, on the example of 100 entities in Central Pomerania, based on pilot studies (direct questionnaire technique) using the logistic regression model. The study assumes that the dependent variable is the occurrence of savings in the household in 2018. The selection of independent variables for the logistic regression model was made on the basis of literature studies. The results of the analysis confirmed that statistically significant parameters for the variables were: average monthly net income per one person in the household, diversification of the income sources and the share of expenses on food and non-alcoholic beverages in total household consumption expenditure. The first two parameters increase the probability of saving by rural households of Central Pomerania. The last of these parameters reduces the chance of deferring consumption through savings.

The aim of this research is to identify factors affecting the propensity of rural households to save, on the example of 100 entities in Central Pomerania, based on pilot studies (direct questionnaire technique) using the logistic regression model. The study assumes that the dependent variable is the occurrence of savings in the household in 2018. The selection of independent variables for the logistic regression model was made on the basis of literature studies. The results of the analysis confirmed that statistically significant parameters for the variables were: average monthly net income per one person in the household, diversification of the income sources and the share of expenses on food and non-alcoholic beverages in total household consumption expenditure. The first two parameters increase the probability of saving by rural households of Central Pomerania. The last of these parameters reduces the chance of deferring consumption through savings.

The study examined the effects of households' livelihood diversification strategies on food insecurity in rural Northeastern Nigeria. In order to realise the objectives of the study, primary data were obtained from 444 farmers with the aid of structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Tobit regression model, Cost of Calorie Function and ANOVA were used to analyse the data. The findings showed that farmers adopted five livelihood strategies of which Cropping, Poultry and Livestock Keeping (CPL) was predominant, accounting for 37.39% of respondents. However, 7.43% of the households practising Cropping, Fishing, Livestock keeping and Off-farm (CFLO) had the highest surplus and least shortfall indices of 0.75 and 0.20 respectively; implying that food secure households in this category exceeded daily RDA of 2250kcal of energy/adult equivalent/day by 75%; but food insecure households fell short of same by 20%. Head count ratio indicated that 58% and 42% of individuals in this category are food secure and food insecure respectively. Thus, a significant relationship between households' food insecurity and livelihood diversification strategies is established.

Food waste is a burden on society in terms of the money wasted. There is limited information on the determinants of food waste and the amount lost to food waste by households as most previous studies were on post-harvest losses. Hence, determinants of food waste among households in Kogi West Senatorial District, Kogi State Nigeria were investigated. A three-stage sampling technique was used to select the respondents, while a structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using Tobit regression and an equality test. The study revealed that food waste was higher in male headed households. The average monthly food waste proportion among urban households was significantly higher than that of rural households. The estimated amounts lost to food waste per month were ₦2103 and ₦5530 for the rural and urban households, respectively. These represented 7.2% and 13.1% of the total expenditure on food per month for rural and urban households, respectively. Among rural households, leftovers of food and lack of proper storage were the main reasons for food waste, while leftovers of food and preparation of food more than needed were the reasons for food waste among urban households. The sex of respondents, work experience, and monthly income influenced the proportion of food waste among rural households, while the dependency ratio, monthly income, and monthly food expenditure were the determinants of proportion of food waste among the urban households. Non-Governmental Organization efforts through sensitization campaigns focused on the need to reduce food waste, especially among urban households, would help to reduce the financial burden of food waste on households.

Electricity is one of the basic necessity for people. The provision of micro-scale solar electricity is needed to increase public access to electricity that can improve capacity of household members. The aim of community engagement program is to increase farmers' household access to electricity are carried out to provide financial, economic and socio-cultural benefits. Based on the theory, the community engagement tailored to the population interest, and community-based organizations must be involved in any engagement initiative. There are six major components of a community engagement are collaboration, accessibility, accountability, education, principles, and organizational capacity. This community service through participatory methods (need assessment by Group Interview, independent interview and Participatory Rapid Group Interview). Community preparation methods were carried out through village consultation approaches, and participatory education. While the transfer of knowledge to mobilize and organize the community was done through adult education, learning by doing, and on site training. This program was carried out in Kampung Baru Village, Katingan Kuala District, Katingan Regency, Central Kalimantan. This village was chosen considering that it has the potential to be developed as a food crop producing region. The beneficiaries were selected from families with poor criteria, the physical condition of the house was almost uninhabitable and had school-age children. Successful activities are carried out: 1) training in solar electricity management 2) Establishing an Agent of Change, with diverse expertise to reach the achievement of the program's ultimate goals. 3) Networking, with various parties for ease of implementation, and program sustainability. 4) Participation of Stakeholders: knowing and accepting development programs; involved in all socialization, training and guidance activities; 5) There is awareness to optimize the utilization of local resources. 7) Installing solar electricity in 40 farmer households. Almost all community included in the program said that they received the benefit from the lighting provided. By the empowerment program in the form of micro-scale solar electricity lighting, 96% of children are increasingly diligent in learning because there is more time at night.

Public infrastructures: roads, agricultural extension services, electricity, ICT, protected water sources, irrigation, formal education centers, and formal health centers are essential for human-being in diversifying their livelihood strategies. The general objective of this study is to examine the possible effect of rural public infrastructures on the rural households’ livelihood strategies. The empirical assessments elsewhere in Ethiopia and the circumstances on the rural livelihood in association with public infrastructures have conferred the paucity of sociological research. This study used the pragmatist research philosophy that advocates ontological and epistemological mixes in an effort to minimize the gaps noted on the empirical knowledge. Accordingly, the research strategy employs the triangulation of quantitative and qualitative approaches. As mirror to the methodological triangulation, the analysis has followed a mixed design that combines descriptive and inferential techniques with the themes emerging through qualitative explorations. Cross-tabulation descriptive statistics and binary and multinomial logistic regression were employed. Consequently, the findings of the research revealed that public infrastructures have a significant influence on livelihood diversification strategies. Specifically, there were significant associations whereby households who have access to assume infrastructures did more likely engage in mixed livelihood diversification strategies than households who don’t have access to respective rural public infrastructures. The findings from qualitative data also emphasize indispensability of given public infrastructures for diversification of livelihood strategies. Thus, by including cultural elements of local people, responsible bodies should increase the required resources for the purpose of upgrading and managing public infrastructures particularly on all-weather roads.

Abstract This study evaluated determinants of food insecurity in the rural farm households of the Teleyayen sub-watershed in Ethiopia. The study used a multistage sampling procedure to select 215 sample households involving a combination of purposive and random sampling. Data were collected using structured survey questionnaire, focus group discussion (FGD), and key informant interviews. Independent sample t test, chi-square, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were employed to analyze the data. It was found that 20.9 and 79.1% of the sample households are food secure and food insecure, respectively. The majority of the food insecure households were younger household heads, who own less than 1 ha of farmlands. On average, male-headed households were more food secure than female-headed households. The result of the binary logistic regression revealed that shortage of farmland, poverty, recurrent drought and climate change, shortage of rainfall, and land degradation are determining factors for such food insecurity. However, the gender of household head, policy support, land redistribution, farmland topography, soil fertility, and erosion do not show any significant influence.