Showing papers on "Subsistence agriculture published in 2021"
World Bank1, University of California, Berkeley2, Innovations for Poverty Action3, University of California, Davis4, Northwestern University5, Yale University6, Deakin University7, University of Basel8, Max Planck Society9, Research Institute of Industrial Economics10, Princeton University11, Stanford University12, Columbia University13, University of Washington14, University of Göttingen15, Harvard University16, Wageningen University and Research Centre17
TL;DR: House coping strategies and government assistance were insufficient to sustain precrisis living standards, resulting in widespread food insecurity and dire economic conditions even 3 months into the crisis.
Abstract: Despite numerous journalistic accounts, systematic quantitative evidence on economic conditions during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic remains scarce for most low- and middle-income countries, partly due to limitations of official economic statistics in environments with large informal sectors and subsistence agriculture. We assemble evidence from over 30,000 respondents in 16 original household surveys from nine countries in Africa (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone), Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Philippines), and Latin America (Colombia). We document declines in employment and income in all settings beginning March 2020. The share of households experiencing an income drop ranges from 8 to 87% (median, 68%). Household coping strategies and government assistance were insufficient to sustain precrisis living standards, resulting in widespread food insecurity and dire economic conditions even 3 months into the crisis. We discuss promising policy responses and speculate about the risk of persistent adverse effects, especially among children and other vulnerable groups.
253 citations
TL;DR: The observation of crisis over eight months unleashed by the pandemic clearly revealed that wage labourers, indigenous people, and women from marginalized groups and regions already vulnerable in food security and malnutrition suffered more due to COVID-19 as they lost both external support and the coping mechanisms.
94 citations
TL;DR: The expansion of monocultures across New World tropical landscapes threatens an Afrodescendant smallholder farming system that has long prioritized agrobiodiversity and agroecological practices as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The expansion of monocultures across New World tropical landscapes threatens an Afrodescendant smallholder farming system that has long prioritized agrobiodiversity and agroecological practices. Th...
68 citations
01 Sep 2021
TL;DR: In this paper, a review explores the beneficial traits and contributions of integrated crop-livestock systems to food security, social and economic benefits, and resilience, and proposes strategies to adopt ICLSs in low-, medium-, and high-income countries.
Abstract: Integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS) can be productive, sustainable, and climate-resilient agricultural systems compared to specialized and intensive systems. This review explores the beneficial traits and contributions of ICLS to food security, social and economic benefits, and resilience, and proposes strategies to adopt ICLSs in low-, medium-, and high-income countries. Currently, global food security faces two main challenges. First, one in nine people do not have sufficient protein and energy in their diet, of those 50% are smallholder subsistence farmers and 20% are landless families in the low-and medium-income countries (LMICs). Second, specialized intensive agricultural practices often cause soil and environmental degradation. ICLS is an agricultural practice that could play a significant role in mitigating these challenges. The diversified cropping systems in ICLS can improve the productivity of the principal crop as well as enhance food security through increasing nutritional indicators such as food consumption score and household dietary diversity especially for rural households. An ICLS, therefore, could be a key for achieving food and nutritional security and environmental sustainability both in short and long-terms. While ICLS practices have increased over time, there are still adoption challenges due to lack of investment, sustainable awareness, lack of skills by the producers, and market competition. In LMICs, successful implementation of ICLS requires organizational and/or institutional support to create new marketing opportunities and adoption of ICLS can be improved if government policies provide capital, markets, and educational services to subsistence farmers. These government policies can also increase the producer's knowledge, change farmer's attitudes and enhance trust in organic matter management for sustainable soil management. Therefore, agricultural scientists are challenged to provide fundamental and credible information to integrate crop and livestock production systems so that worldwide adoption of ICLS can be used to increase the agricultural production compatible with food and nutrition security.
39 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a first attempt to understand the immediate impact of COVID-19 and the sanitary measures taken by governments on farming systems in Central America and Mexico (CAM).
37 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined how subsistence farmers respond to extreme heat using microdata from Peruvian households and found that high temperatures reduce agricultural productivity, increase area planted, and change crop mix, and that farmers use input adjustments as a short-term mechanism to attenuate the effect of extreme heat on output.
Abstract: This paper examines how subsistence farmers respond to extreme heat Using microdata from Peruvian households, we find that high temperatures reduce agricultural productivity, increase area planted, and change crop mix These findings are consistent with farmers using input adjustments as a short-term mechanism to attenuate the effect of extreme heat on output This response seems to complement other coping strategies, such as selling livestock, but exacerbates the drop in yields, a standard measure of agricultural productivity Using our estimates, we show that accounting for land adjustments is important to quantify damages associated with climate change
37 citations
01 Feb 2021
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluate the impact of certification on village-level well-being across Indonesia by applying counterfactual analysis to multidimensional government poverty data and find that certification was associated with reduced poverty in villages with primarily market-based livelihoods, but not in those in which subsistence livelihoods were dominant before switching to oil palm.
Abstract: The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil has emerged as the leading sustainability certification system to tackle socioenvironmental issues associated with the oil palm industry. However, the effectiveness of certification by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil in achieving its socioeconomic objectives remains uncertain. We evaluate the impact of certification on village-level well-being across Indonesia by applying counterfactual analysis to multidimensional government poverty data. We compare poverty across 36,311 villages between 2000 and 2018, tracking changes from before oil palm plantations were first established to several years after plantations were certified. Certification was associated with reduced poverty in villages with primarily market-based livelihoods, but not in those in which subsistence livelihoods were dominant before switching to oil palm. We highlight the importance of baseline village livelihood systems in shaping local impacts of agricultural certification and assert that oil palm certification in certain village contexts may require additional resources to ensure socioeconomic objectives are realized. A study of over 36,000 villages in Indonesia shows that palm oil eco-certification reduces poverty in market-oriented villages but increases it in subsistence villages.
37 citations
11 Mar 2021
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs), especially those who govern, manage and conserve their lands and waters.
Abstract: We report on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs), especially those who govern, manage and conserve their lands and waters. We explore the themes of access and use of natural resources, solidarity, decision-making, the role of governments and IPLCs in managing COVID-19, and the uptake of traditional medicine. These themes are explored through a global online survey in English, Spanish and French. We collected and analysed 133 surveys from 40 countries, using SenseMaker®, a software that enables analysis of micronarratives based on how respondents classify their own stories. We explore the themes further through case studies from Benin, Fiji, France, Gabon, Guyana, Guatemala, India and Madagascar, highlighting challenges and opportunities in how IPLCs responded to COVID-19. Our study underscores the importance of selfempowerment and recognition of IPLC rights, which allows them to use traditional medicines, meet subsistence requirements during lockdowns, help community members and neighbours to sustain livelihoods, and to govern, defend and conserve their territories. We propose key actions to support IPLCs navigate future pandemics while protecting their lands and waters.
30 citations
TL;DR: This paper reviewed the available literature on farmers' reports of climate-driven crop changes and found that small-scale farmers tend to adopt water-demanding crops, even in areas where models predict that reduced rainfall will reduce yields.
30 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors employed cross-sectional survey research design has to examine the extent of livelihood vulnerability of 384 randomly selected smallholder farmers from three agroecologies which was supplemented by interviews.
27 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relationship between market access and the dietary diversity and food security for smallholder households in the Yayu area of southwestern Ethiopia in early 2018 and found that households located far from market centers consumed not only less diverse foods but also spend less on food consumption than households located close to market centers.
Abstract: Market access influences the dietary diversity and food security for smallholder households in many ways. In Ethiopia, most smallholders are subsistence farmers who have poor access to markets. This study used primary data from a household survey to examine the relationship between market access and the dietary diversity and food security for 324 smallholder households in the Yayu area of southwestern Ethiopia in early 2018. Multivariate regression analysis showed that households located far from market centers consumed not only less diverse foods but also spend less on food consumption than households located close to market centers. The correlation between market access and food security measured by Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) did not reach statistical significance, nor did the impact of market access on household consumption and dietary diversity through income. Rather, greater market access appeared to encourage smallholder households to rely on market purchases more than their own production to improve the diversity of household consumption. A direct action to improve the market accessibility would be investments in infrastructure to expand rural road connectivity, which would reduce transaction costs and benefit the welfare of smallholder farmers and communities.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors conducted a Rapid Appraisal that consisted of four mostly gender-disaggregated smallholder farmer workshops (102 participants), a household survey (65 participants), key-informant interviews (16 informants), and four transect walks.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on the potential of subsistence marketplaces, given their enormous market potential, but their potential is untapped because subsistence consumers face extreme cost and time constraints.
Abstract: Multinational companies increasingly focus on subsistence marketplaces, given their enormous market potential. Nevertheless, their potential is untapped because subsistence consumers face extreme c...
01 Jan 2021
TL;DR: In this paper, an expanded theory of Social Change, Cultural Evolution, and Human Development predicts that, during a period of increasing survival threat and decreasing prosperity, humans will shift toward the psychology and behavior typical of the small-scale, collectivistic, and rural subsistence ecologies in which we evolved.
Abstract: What is the effect of a life-threatening pandemic at the societal level? An expanded Theory of Social Change, Cultural Evolution, and Human Development predicts that, during a period of increasing survival threat and decreasing prosperity, humans will shift toward the psychology and behavior typical of the small-scale, collectivistic, and rural subsistence ecologies in which we evolved In particular, subjective mortality salience, engagement in subsistence activities, and collectivism will all increase, while the aspiration to be wealthy will decrease Because coronavirus has forced unprecedented proportions of human activity online, we tested hypotheses derived from the theory by analyzing big data samples for 70 days before and 70 days after the coronavirus pandemic stimulated President Trump to declare a national emergency Google searches were used for an exploratory study;the exploratory study was followed by three independent replications on Twitter, internet forums, and blogs Across all four internet platforms, terms related to subjective mortality salience, engagement in subsistence activities, and collectivism showed massive increases These findings, coupled with prior research testing this theory, indicate that humans may have an evolutionarily conditioned response to the level of death and availability of material resources in society More specifically, humans may shift their behavior and psychology toward that found in subsistence ecologies under conditions of high mortality and low prosperity or, conversely, toward behavior and psychology found in modern commercial ecologies under conditions of low mortality and high prosperity
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors assess the implications of plantations on food security and gender equality in Cameroon and Ghana, and argue that the current all-encompassing framework of SDG-2, whereby support for small-scale production appears to coexist with the promotion of corporate-led agricultural investments, tends to create a vague interpretation of food security, even when capitalist motives override the interests of rural working men and women.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed farm households' perception of climate change, the determinants of choice of the number of adopted practices, and correlation between the most used climate-smart strategies in subsistence agriculture.
Abstract: Climate change (CC) effects on agriculture development and households' vulnerability are widely recognized. Being aware of the induced effects of climatic risks, farmers have adopted adaptation strategies to build resilience. Analyzes the determinants of choice of adaptation strategies using binary models can lead to an estimation bias, since the number of adopted strategies may be correlated. This paper analyzes farm households' perception of CC, the determinants of choice of the number of adopted practices, and correlation between the most used climate-smart strategies in subsistence agriculture. Zero-inflated Poisson regression and multivariate analysis are employed using data collected from 704 farm households in Northern Togo. Households' minimum consumption needs, gender, land, access to credit and extension services are the main determinants of the choice of the number of adopted strategies. The use of resistance and high yielding varieties, crops and livestock integration, soil and water conservation practice, the use of organic fertilizer, and adjustment of sowing time are the most adopted farming practices. A strong complementarity between the adopted practices for agriculture development was found. Factors that influence households' choice of adaptation strategies include gender, household location, education level, family size, and allocated labor. Institutional factors including market access, access to credit, and extension services are also key determinants in promoting the use of climate-smart practices that are environmentally friendly.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate farmers' adaptation strategies to combat climate change in drought prone areas and identify their determinants based on a survey of 480 farmers from northwestern Bangladesh and find that the likelihood of undertaking climate change adaptation strategies are significantly and positively influenced by education, subsistence pressure, income from livestock and poultry, extension services, involvement in organizations and the use of ICT in farming.
Abstract: Drought introduces a different set of risks and adaptation strategies as compared to flood, river erosion and other natural hazards. This paper attempts to investigate farmers' adaptation strategies to combat climate change in drought prone areas and identify their determinants based on a survey of 480 farmers from northwestern Bangladesh. Farmers commonly practicing six technology-based strategies and one labour/family-based strategy with 80% adapting two or more adaptation strategies. Although synergy exists between selected strategies, competition also exist between rice- and non-rice based strategies. The likelihood of undertaking climate change adaptation strategies are significantly and positively influenced by education, subsistence pressure, income from livestock and poultry, extension services, involvement in organizations and the use of ICT in farming. Adaptation probability inversely related with increasing women participation in agricultural labour force. Recommendations include strengthening extension services and promoting use of ICT in farming, incorporation of climatic information in education, easing and facilitating farmers’ access to institutions and promotion of livestock rearing to combat climate change induced challenges on farming in drought prone areas.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present the results of the systematic archaeobotanical investigation at Karuo, a third millennium BC site in eastern Tibet, and argue that millet cultivation was possibly practiced at the site and that it was likely an important aspect of the economy from 2700 to 2100 cal. BC.
Abstract: Over the past years, archaeobotanical studies have clarified much of the process of dispersal and adaptation of crops across Asia. However, the development of farming systems that could function in the high-altitude environments of Tibet requires more in-depth consideration. In this article, we present the results of the systematic archaeobotanical investigation at Karuo, a third millennium BC site in eastern Tibet. We argue that millet cultivation was possibly practiced at the site and that it was likely an important aspect of the economy from 2700 to 2100 cal. BC. The role of millet in the cultivation system might have declined after the mid-second millennium BC, during which time wheat—a grain originating in southwest Asia—appeared at the site. In addition to farming, evidence of foraging, hunting, and fishing are present suggesting a diverse subsistence strategy. The diversification of human diets may have contributed to the long-term occupation of the site. Taking a broad regional perspective into account, the diverse spectrum of subsistence strategy engaged by Karuo people provides new insights into the understanding of early lifeways on the Tibetan Plateau.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify the effects of COVID-19 and associated measures to curb the spread of the disease on farming production systems, the coping mechanisms adopted by farmers, and explore their longer-term plans for adaptation.
Abstract: Emerging information on the interactions between the COVID-19 pandemic and global food systems have highlighted how the pandemic is accentuating food crises across Africa. Less clear, however, are how the impacts differ between farming systems. Drawing on 50 key informant interviews with farmers, village leaders and extension officers in South Africa and Tanzania, we identify the effects of COVID-19 and associated measures to curb the spread of the disease on farming production systems, the coping mechanisms adopted by farmers, and explore their longer-term plans for adaptation. We focus on a diverse range of production systems, from small-scale mixed farming systems in Tanzania to large-scale corporate farms in South Africa. Our findings highlight how COVID-19 restrictions have interrupted the supply chains of agricultural inputs and commodities, increasing the storage time for produce, decreasing income and purchasing power, and reducing labour availability. Farmers’ responses were heterogeneous, with highly diverse small-scale farming systems and those less engaged with international markets least affected by the associated COVID-19 measures. Large-scale farmers were most able to access capital to buffer short-term impacts, whereas smaller-scale farms shared labour, diversified to subsistence produce and sold assets. However, compounded shocks, such as recent extreme climate events, limited the available coping options, particularly for smaller-scale and emerging farmers. The study highlights the need to understand the characteristics of farm systems to better equip and support farmers, particularly in contexts of uncertainty. We propose that policy actions should focus on (i) providing temporary relief and social support and protection to financially vulnerable stakeholders, (ii) job assurance for farmworkers and engaging an alternative workforce in farming, (iii) investing in farming infrastructure, such as storage facilities, digital communication tools and extension services, and (iv) supporting diversified agroecological farming systems.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an agroecological strategy for sustainable food production and pollinator conservation in food-producing WBHs, and recognize native pollinators as internal inputs that cannot be replaced by IA technological packages and support the development of agro-ecological and biodiversity restorative practices to protect biodiversity.
Abstract: Industrial agriculture (IA) has been recognized among the main drivers of biodiversity loss, climate change, and native pollinator decline. Here we summarize the known negative effects of IA on pollinator biodiversity and illustrate these problems by considering the case of Chile, a “world biodiversity hotspot” (WBH) where food exports account for a considerable share of the economy in this country. Most of Chile’s WBH area is currently being replaced by IA at a fast pace, threatening local biodiversity. We present an agroecological strategy for sustainable food production and pollinator conservation in food-producing WBHs. In this we recognize native pollinators as internal inputs that cannot be replaced by IA technological packages and support the development of agroecological and biodiversity restorative practices to protect biodiversity. We suggest four fundamental pillars for food production change based on: (1) sharing the land, restoring and protecting; (2) ecological intensification; (3) localized knowledge, research, and technological development; and (4) territorial planning and implementation of socio-agroecological policies. This approach does not need modification of native pollination services that sustain the world with food and basic subsistence goods, but a paradigm change where the interdependency of nature and human wellbeing must be recognized for ensuring the world’s food security and sovereignty.
TL;DR: As the effects of climate change intensify, subsistence farmers in Ghana are expected to face increased food insecurity due to their reliance on rainfed agriculture as mentioned in this paper, and young women within households, young women...
Abstract: As the effects of climate change intensify, subsistence farmers in Ghana are expected to face increased food insecurity, due to their reliance on rainfed agriculture. Within households, young women...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compare the resilience of subsistence agriculture and community-based tourism in the Andes during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting that the least vulnerable pluriactive strategies were those that included subsistence agriculture.
Abstract: In the Andes, the diversification of economic activities among the peasant population is common practice. However, it is not a uniform strategy: as new employment and economic possibilities have emerged, the disparity of pluriactive strategies has multiplied. Based on a particular case study (Amantani Island, Lake Titicaca), where community‐based tourism has developed strongly, we will compare the resilience of these strategies. The COVID‐19 pandemic, which paralysed economic activities, highlighted that the least vulnerable pluriactive strategies were those that included subsistence agriculture. In fact, this is something that the peasant population itself perceives: although the role of this type of agriculture in the family economy is decreasing, most households still invest time and capital to increase their family's agricultural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Agrarian Change is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a new dataset of prices and wages for Spain and propose a new way of measuring the cost of bare-bones subsistence, which transforms the scale and chronology of the divergence between Northwestern Europe and Spain.
Abstract:
This paper suggests an alternative view of Europe’s Little Divergence in real wages. It presents a new dataset of prices and wages for Spain and proposes a new way of measuring the cost of bare-bones subsistence. The substitution of brown-bread prices for grain prices in the baskets transforms the scale and chronology of the divergence between North-western Europe and Spain. The results show that it began later and that unskilled subsistence wages in London and Amsterdam were significantly lower than those calculated by the canonical model, which would nuance the “high-wage” hypothesis.
TL;DR: In this article, Raghunathrao Jagadale et al. explored how subsistence consumers construct their quality-of-life (QOL) from the perspective of chronotope and futurization.
Abstract: Correspondence Sujit Raghunathrao Jagadale, Faculty of Marketing, Xavier University Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar, India. Email: sujit@xub.edu.in Abstract In the poverty-ridden settings in neo-liberal India, we explore how subsistence consumers construct their quality-of-life (QOL). Drawing on the concepts of chronotope and futurization, we posit two additional dimensions of subsistence consumers' construction of QOL namely, chronotopefication and futurization. Our findings suggest that chronotopefication and futurization are defining processes of subsistence consumers' construction of QOL perceptions; their sacrifices, efforts, and costs, however painful they may be, would be perceived as QOL enhancing from the prism of chronotopefication and futurization; and subsistence consumers chronotopize and futurize QOL for the whole extended household within the intergenerational temporal space by focusing on stable input–outcome pathways. Based on the evidence, we propose QOL as chronotopefication and futurization framework (QOL-CFF). The framework suggests that subsistence consumers construct QOL as chronotope building, futurized and having a symbolic effect. They consider current agonies as a foundation for future building.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the determinants of participation in non-farm activities and effect on household income and found that there is a decline in the likelihood of households headed by aged people, who tend to rely on subsistence farming to engage in alternative non-agrarian activities.
Abstract: Undertaking non-agrarian income-generating activities to reduce overreliance on agriculture, production failures, and income fluctuations is a household-amenable, self-insurance mechanism, which provides employment opportunities and capital investment. This article examines the determinants of participation in non-farm activities and effect on household income. Heckman two-step procedure was used to analyze a three-wave survey data set captured from 3866 households. Crop failures, insufficient intake of food, household consumption expenditure, gender, family size, literacy, health status, farm animals holding, access to credit, total hired labor, cooperative membership and agricultural extension services were factors influencing household involvement in non-farm work. Furthermore, the findings establish that there is a decline in the likelihood of households headed by aged people, who tend to rely on subsistence farming to engage in alternative non-agrarian activities. The results of the analyses support the non-separability hypothesis of non-farm activities and household income; this implies that engaging in non-agricultural activities has a direct positive effect on household income. The omnipresence of non-agrarian income generating activities in agro-ecoregions requires inclusive rural development policies that focus beyond agriculture based on the recognition of the rural economic heterogeneity.
Key words: Rural development, non-farm activities, household income, Heckman Two-Step model, Ethiopia.
TL;DR: In this article, Geenen argues that by self-generating the livelihoods they expected their resource-rich soil to bring forth, these artisanal diggers take advantage of the urbanized mineral deposits and write their own narrative of capitalism.
Abstract: The relationship between urbanization and mining is a precarious one; the latter often expands at the expense of the former. The incautious urban planning of a mining city in southeastern DR Congo, however, has opened up opportunities for residents with artisanal mining skills. Since the city is constructed on top of mineral deposits, the residents are able to dig ore in their own backyards to draw their subsistence. Based upon archival and ethnographic research, Geenen argues that, by self-generating the livelihoods they expected their resource-rich soil to bring forth, these artisanal diggers take advantage of the urbanized mineral deposits and write their own narrative of capitalism.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used satellite images, censuses, and field data to estimate food production in Oaxaca, Mexico and developed a household typology to compare nutritional self-sufficiency levels between the different household types, showing that households that obtained most of their income from off-farm activities had the lowest nutritional selfsufficiency.
Abstract: Around 30% of global food is produced by smallholder farmers, yet they constitute the most food-insecure group. In Mexico, food self-sufficiency is declining. Rural policies in the country have stimulated the production of cash crops to the detriment of the traditional intercropping system, the milpa. Such a decline may have negative consequences for the food security of subsistence farmers. This study aimed to assess changes in nutritional self-sufficiency over the last 30 years and the role of milpa systems in food security for two communities in the highlands of Oaxaca, Mexico. The study used satellite images, censuses, and field data to estimate food production. Three cropping systems, monoculture of maize, monoculture of common bean, and the milpa were compared in terms of nutrients and vitamins produced. Furthermore, a household typology was developed for each community to contrast nutritional self-sufficiency levels between the different household types. Results showed that the milpa produced more volume of food per area compared to the other systems. The milpa also produced all the nutrients and vitamins (except for B12) required to feed at least 2 persons ha-1. Monocultures of maize lacked vitamins A, B9, B12, and C, and the common bean lacked vitamins A, B12, and C. While farmers recognized the importance of the milpa, they preferred monocultures due to the reduced labor demands of this system. Households that obtained most of their income from off-farm activities had the lowest nutritional self-sufficiency. Enhancing nutritional self-sufficiency through crop diversification has the potential to not only improve the nutrition of subsistence farmers, but also to enhance ecosystem service provision, promote biodiversity conservation and restoration, and improve resilience to climate change.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider quality of (work) life rather than mere economic subsistence in determining living wages, but it remains unclear how increased quality of life (QL) can improve living wages.
Abstract: Recent efforts to consider quality of (work) life rather than mere economic subsistence in determining living wages have received increasing attention. However, it remains unclear how increased inc...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the association of women's participation in decision-making with both production and consumption diversity, and found that women's involvement in decision making is associated with higher diversity both in terms of consumption and production, but it does not modify the magnitude of the association between production and dietary diversity.
Abstract: Considering that rural poor are mostly subsistence farmers, it seems plausible that production diversity could lead to better nutrition for these farmers. The association between production and dietary diversity is complex, and this complexity demands rigorous empirical analyses and more attention to gendered aspects of intra-household decision-making. We employ panel data analyses of 363 Ethiopian smallholders surveyed in 2014 and 2016 to test for this phenomenon, and to explore the association of women’s participation in decision-making with both production and consumption diversity. Results show that, diversification can be a strategy to improve the diets, but only of rural poor who have limited non-farm income, who are distant to the markets and mostly subsistence oriented. Moreover, female participation in decision-making associates with higher diversity both in terms of production and consumption, but it does not modify the magnitude of the association between production and dietary diversity. Our analyses contribute to the enriching literature on the linkage between production diversification and dietary diversity. We study this complex relationship in-depth and show that the gendered aspect of intra-household decision-making is an important covariate for both production diversity and dietary quality.