Haniza Khalid

Farmers’ perceptions, awareness, attitudes and adaption behaviour towards climate change

ABSTRACT Using responses from a questionnaire survey conducted on a sample of 400 rice farmers from Kedah in Malaysia, this article examines rice farmers’ perception, awareness, attitudes and adaptation behaviours towards mitigating climate change. The data collected was analysed using structural equation modelling. The findings of this study show that 84% of the respondents perceive a decrease in rainfall, while 75% perceive an increase in temperature over the last 10–15 years due to climate change. The study also finds a significant and positive association between farmers’ perception of climate change, awareness (AWN), attitudes (ATT) and adaptation behaviour (ADB). Furthermore, the results reveal that awareness and attitudes play a mediating role between perception and adaptation behaviour. The findings could be useful to public and private organizations in learning more about farmers’ perceptions and adaptation behaviour in developing a policy framework to reduce adverse effects of climate change.

Spatial heterogeneity and spatial bias analyses in hedonic price models: some practical considerations

Abstract A great number of contemporary studies are incorporating explicit consideration of spatial effects in the estimation of hedonic price functions. At the most basic level, interactive spatial regime models are employed to detect the presence of spatial heterogeneity in datasets. A full-scale spatial analysis would include determination and adjustments for spatial lag and spatial error dependences. However, there is still plenty of room for future research to help unravel the numerous modelling and practical issues associated with a comprehensive spatial examination, such as the specification of the spatial dependence structure or functional ‘neighbourhoods’. Another important issue relates to the use of spatial multipliers to filter spatial bias particularly in models which use log-transformed variables. Estimation of a hedonic price function using Malaysian dataset of agricultural land sale values indicates spatial disaggregation and spatial dependence. However, diagnostic tests and actual estimation of spatial models do not always provide unambiguous conclusions while predicted errors do not vary all that much from those generated by simpler models. Despite the conceptual appeal of spatial analyses, the inefficiency attributable to spatial biases may not be large enough to cause critical errors in policy decisions.

The Role of Regulatory System in Ensuring Halal Compliance Among Poultry Firm Operators in Malaysia

Halal food compliance is a fundamental issue which has constantly plagued Muslim consumers, thus becomes a major challenge for Malaysia as a leader in the development of global halal market. This study explores the roles of a regulatory system in securing halal compliance in poultry slaughtering and processing businesses. Halal compliance describes the ability of the businesses to act according to halal requirements as outlined by the halal authority. Their level of compliance depends on the effectiveness of the enforcement efforts. It is generally assumed that high level of enforcement will result in high level of compliance. However, enforcement involves costs in terms of monetary, human capital and time. This study provides a review of the regulatory system in the poultry industry practised in Malaysia and explores common problems faced by the authorities in enforcing halal compliance among poultry slaughtering and processing businesses. A content analysis approach was employed to gather adequate data for the purpose of this study. The results show that securing halal compliance requires collective efforts and coordination between the regulatory bodies involved in the industry. This study provides better understanding of control mechanism in halal industry in general, which helps in securing halal authenticity and subsequently halal integrity throughout food supply chains as envisioned in the Halal Industrial Master Plan (HIMP).