Anke Niehof

Socio-Cultural Dispositions and Wellbeing of the Women Left Behind: A Case of Migrant Households in Nepal.

The concept of wellbeing is gaining popularity in the study of quality of life and cultural significance of living. The paper aims to contribute to our understanding of objective and subjective wellbeing by exploring the perceptions of women left behind by out-migrating husbands on their quality of life in a transnational social field. The paper uses both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Its primary focus is on the life stories of the four women left behind by their migrant husbands, complementing by quantitative data obtained from a survey among 277 households. Taking an example from Nepal’s eastern terai, the paper shows that additional income from remittances has increased the objective wellbeing of the women left behind, but it may not have increased their subjective wellbeing. Hence, it is concluded that improved objective wellbeing of a woman does not necessarily translate into her (improved) subjective wellbeing. The subjective experiences are rather complex, multi-faceted and context specific depending on the family situation, socio-cultural disposition and prior economic situation of the actors involved.

Shifting perceptions of food security and land in the context of labour out-migration in rural Nepal

This paper presents the results of a survey of the livelihoods of people living in the eastern part of the subtropical plains of Nepal, known as the terai. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used in the survey and further data were obtained through focus group discussions, in-depth interviews with key informants and participant observations. Changes were recorded both in the perception of agricultural and residential land for a secure living and the meaning given to food security. The principal drivers causing these changes were voluntary out-migration for remunerative employment, urbanization and the reluctance of members of the younger generation to farm, which they regard as a “dirty job”. In consequence, people’s livelihood practices and access to food are gradually shifting from an agriculture-based economy to an economy that is based on other sources of income, including remittances from out-migrants. This development threatens not only the role of agriculture in rural livelihoods but also the food security of the country.

Household production of sorghum beer in Benin: technological and socio-economic aspects

This study evaluated the sorghum brewing microenterprises in Benin with emphasis on the beer quality, the social significance of the product as well as the income generated. Tchoukoutou, the Benin opaque sorghum beer, has important social functions as it fosters the cooperative spirit and remains an ancestral beverage widely used for traditional ceremonies. The manufacturing process consists of malting (soaking, germination and sun drying), brewing (mashing, boiling, filtration) and fermentation. The beer is sour with a pH of 3.2 and contains a relatively high but variable level of solids and crude protein. Most of the consumers appreciate an opaque, sour and pink-coloured beer. The consumers related many of the beer properties to health effects. Participants can link the perceived qualities of the beer to the grains functional properties, and this leads to the classification of the farmers sorghum as varieties of top, medium and low quality for brewing. The profits from tchoukoutou production range from 2365 to 17212fcfa per month (1euro=656fcfa) for the producers, depending on beer yield and quantity of raw grain transformed. The generated income is used for household needs and part of it is invested in childrens education.

Effects of HIV/AIDS on the livelihood of banana-farming households in Central Kenya

This paper explores the effects of HIV/AIDS on the livelihoods of banana-farming households in Maragua district, Central Kenya. It is based on the results of a field study carried out during 2004–2005. The study applied the sustainable livelihood approach, using both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. A survey was conducted among 254 farming households: 75 HIV/AIDS-affected households and 179 non-affected households. It was found that the people attribute the spread of HIV/AIDS in the area to rural-urban migration and hopelessness and despair due to lack of employment, especially among the youth. HIV/AIDS-affected households are mostly female-headed, have a significantly higher dependency ratio and experience labour shortage despite their larger size. A significant number of affected households have stopped growing labour-intensive cash crops and shifted to producing food crops. Management in banana farming has declined among these households. Affected households do not sell land to cater for household needs such as medical expenses and school fees, but use their savings or sell livestock instead. Additionally, leasing land and migration are important livelihood strategies of HIV/AIDS-affected households. Altogether the picture of HIV/AIDS effects on the livelihoods of bananafarming households is one of mixed evidence.

Etic and emic perspectives on HIV/AIDS impacts on rural livelihoods and agricultural practice in Sub-Saharan Africa

Using an HIV/AIDS lens in looking at developments in rural livelihoods and agricultural practice reveals a diversity of critical impacts of the epidemic. Still, in most of the countries hardest-hit by HIV/ AIDS the agricultural sector lacks adequate policies and programmes to deal with the crisis. This paper examines the results of research about HIV/AIDS impacts on rural livelihoods and agricultural practice in Sub-Saharan Africa that was carried out during the past five years. Most of the researchers concerned are affiliated with Wageningen University. A number of them contributed as authors to the present special issue. In the review and synthesis presented in this paper both an etic and an emic perspective are used. The etic picture is one of mixed evidence regarding the livelihood effects of HIV/AIDS. Eliciting the views of people living with HIV/AIDS (the emic perspective) revealed continuity between notions of health of the human body and health of crops and the natural environment. This is particularly relevant for the practice and language of extension services and the effectiveness of approaches used by organizations – governmental and non-governmental – that try to mitigate the impacts the epidemic has on farmers and rural livelihoods.

Technological and social change in a Madurese fishing village (1978-2004)

This article is about recent changes in Pasean, a fishing village on the north coast of the island of Madura, Indonesia (see maps). The village has been described in detail in several publications based on research carried out in the area during 1977-1979, and a short visit in 1982. In May-August 2004, we did fieldwork for a restudy. In this article we report our findings on the changes in Pasean during the past 26 years. The article starts with a description of general changes. The second part deals more specifically with changes in Pasean’s fishing economy. Attention is paid to technological innovations, fishing methods, and trading patterns both within and outside fishery. A number of socio-economic changes, such as those in the division of labour and catches, are demonstrably related to the introduction of new technologies in fishery, but other social changes are less clearly technology-driven. An example of the latter is the klotok, a new type of perahu, the introduction of which was facilitated by the altered social circumstances and individualistic life-style of Pasean fishermen.

Changing families and their lifestyles

Changing families and their lifestyles , Changing families and their lifestyles , کتابخانه مرکزی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی ایران

Determinants and Adequacy of Food Consumption of Children in La Trinidad, the Philippines

In the Philippines, vitamin A and vitamin C deficiencies, particularly among children, is a pressing health problem. This article reports the results of a research project that aimed at gaining insight into the factors in the household context that influence food intake of children and the role these factors play in vitamin A and vitamin C deficiencies. The research was carried out in La Trinidad, an urban area in the Philippines, where sufficient nutritious foods proved to be available. The results show that household income has only a minor impact on nutritional status. The nutritional status of children seems to be primarily influenced by their food preferences and the level of parental control on their food intake.

Can Third-party Help Improve Data Quality in Research Interviews? A Natural Experiment in a Hard-to-Study Population

In some survey research settings, it may be not attainable or optimal to interview individual respondents without involving bystanders or third parties in the interview. Due to complex living circumstances or group culture, respondents may be helped by others in answering questions. However, this involvement of third parties raises questions about data quality and poses a challenge to the data collection process. Recognizing this, a natural field experiment was embedded in an urban resettlement study in the Philippines that allowed for spontaneous third-party help during certain parts of the interview. Using an event history calendar, data were gathered on numbers (of household-related transitions), names (of community leaders), and dates (years of public services). Quality of data was assessed and compared for the “with help” and “without help” conditions. The results showed that third-party help did not negatively affect data quality but rather improved it for most issues.

Agricultural Technology Extension and Adoption in China: A Case from Kaizuo Township, Guizhou Province

This article describes agricultural technology extension, access to channels of information and adoption of agricultural technology in rural Guizhou, China. It addresses the questions of whether the agricultural technology extension process matches the needs of the villagers and whether in using extension services and adopting technologies there are differences between older and younger cohorts of farming households. Few farming households can get formal extension services and their main channels of information are neighbours, relatives and friends. Older cohort households like to learn by experience, while younger ones like to use written materials. There also appear to be differences in the ways women and men adopt technologies. Technology delivery and farming households’ needs are not well matched. Finally, the migration context has an influence on the suitability of technologies and the feasibility of applying them.