Md. Mahmudul Alam

Climate change induced adaptation by paddy farmers in Malaysia

The climatic factors are changing very rapidly in Malaysia. For the farmers to adapt with the changes, government and other external agencies are providing several supports. But still there is a gap between farmers’ adaptability with climate change and current level of supports. This study uses descriptive statistics, ordinal regression, and percentile analysis to measure the level of farmers’ adaptability to climate change as a result of the various existing supports and encouragements provided by the government and other external agencies, and new supports expected by farmers. The data were collected through questionnaire survey on 198 paddy producing farmers in the area of Integrated Agricultural Development Area (IADA), North-West Selangor, Malaysia. The study found that among current types of supports provided by different agencies, only farmers’ accessibility in the market is statistically significant for influencing their current adaptability to climatic changes. Though 58.6% of the farmers agree that government supports are enough to cope properly with climate change, 12.1% of farmers are not able to cope with climate change with the current level of supports. Farmers’ expectations of several new supports has no statistically significant influences on their current adaptability with climatic changes, but their priority ranking for these expected supports will help policymakers to determine the future supports for climatic change adaptation for agriculture sustainability and livelihood sustainability under adverse climatic changes scenarios, especially for Malaysia.

Climate Change Adaptation Policy Guidelines for Agricultural Sector In Malaysia

Climate Projection shows the impacts of climate change on agricultural sustainability and relevant livelihood sustainability is vulnerable in Malaysia. Here mitigation is necessary but adapting to future risk is more important for immediate and long term action relating to the larger number of stakeholders in local scale. Generally adaptation policy has different levels and approaches that related with different challenges. Several countries have already prepared their adaptation approaches in their own way. Malaysia is on the way to develop its adaptation policy for last couple of years. This paper focuses on few guidelines that need to examine carefully while determining the climatic change adaptation approach for agricultural sector in Malaysia.

Paddy farmers’ adaptation practices to climatic vulnerabilities in Malaysia

The climatic factors in Malaysia have been changing very rapidly affecting agricultural productivity and farmers’ sustainable livelihood. Agriculture which depends heavily on climate is becoming increasingly vulnerable to risk and uncertainty. In order to face and manage the situation farmers are trying in various ways to adapt to these climatic vulnerabilities. This study analyses paddy farmers’ perception of climatic variations and vulnerabilities and focuses on the techniques they use to adapt to the situation. It uses primary data collected through a questionnaire survey on the paddy farmers in the Integrated Agricultural Development Area (IADA), North-West Selangor in Malaysia. Through a descriptive analysis of the data, the study finds that most farmers do not have a clear perception of the climatic changes and vulnerabilities. Farmers’ adaptation practices to the climatic vulnerability are mostly based on their common sense responses. It suggests that farmers need necessary training and support from the government and international agencies to make them able to effectively adapt to the climatic vulnerability and avert any adverse effect on their socioeconomic sustainability and national food security.

Agricultural Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climatic Changes In Malaysia: Review on Paddy Sector

Climate change has mixed impacts on agriculture and the impacts are different in terms of areas, periods and crops. The changing factors of climate have been exerting strong negative impacts on Malaysian agriculture, which is apprehended to result in shortages of water and other resources for long term, worsening soil condition, disease and pest outbreaks on crops and livestock, sea-level rise, and so on. Due to climate change, agricultural productivity and profitability is declining. Despite continuous increases of government subsidy, area of paddy plantation is decreasing and the adaption practices are ineffective. As climate change is universal and its existence is indefinite, the farmers need to adapt to and find ways to mitigate the damages of climatic variation in order to sustain agricultural productivity and attain food security for them.

Climate change adaptation policy in Malaysia: Issues for agricultural sector

Malaysia is one of the highly vulnerable countries due to climatic changes. Here the changes in climate factors cause adverse impacts on agricultural sustainability and relevant livelihood sustainability. To adapt to these changes a prudent adaptation policy is very important. Several countries follow different adaptation policy based on their localized socioeconomic and geographical status. While defining its adaptation policy, Malaysia also needs to consider several crucial factors. This study discusses issues relevant to the farmers’ adaptation to climate change in Malaysia and also provides few recommendations that will help policy makers to prepare the agricultural adaptation policy for climate change

Socio-demographic predictors and average annual rates of caesarean section in Bangladesh between 2004 and 2014

Background Globally the rates of caesarean section (CS) have steadily increased in recent decades. This rise is not fully accounted for by increases in clinical factors which indicate the need for CS. We investigated the socio-demographic predictors of CS and the average annual rates of CS in Bangladesh between 2004 and 2014. Methods Data were derived from four waves of nationally representative Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) conducted between 2004 and 2014. Rate of change analysis was used to calculate the average annual rate of increase in CS from 2004 to 2014, by socio-demographic categories. Multi-level logistic regression was used to identify the socio-demographic predictors of CS in a cross-sectional analysis of the 2014 BDHS data. Result CS rates increased from 3.5% in 2004 to 23% in 2014. The average annual rate of increase in CS was higher among women of advanced maternal age (≥35 years), urban areas, and relatively high socio-economic status; with higher education, and who regularly accessed antenatal services. The multi-level logistic regression model indicated that lower (≤19) and advanced maternal age (≥35), urban location, relatively high socio-economic status, higher education, birth of few children (≤2), antenatal healthcare visits, overweight or obese were the key factors associated with increased utilization of CS. Underweight was a protective factor for CS. Conclusion The use of CS has increased considerably in Bangladesh over the survey years. This rising trend and the risk of having CS vary significantly across regions and socio-economic status. Very high use of CS among women of relatively high socio-economic status and substantial urban-rural difference call for public awareness and practice guideline enforcement aimed at optimizing the use of CS.

Relationship between good governance and integrity system: Empirical study on the public sector of Malaysia

Purpose - This study aims to measure the relationship between the current practice status of good governance and that of integrity in the public sector of Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach - This study collected primary data based on a set of questionnaire surveys among heads of 109 departments and agencies under 24 federal ministries, including the Prime Minister Department in Malaysia. The data were analyzed under descriptive statistics, ordinal regression and structural equation model. Furthermore, standard diagnostic tests were also conducted to check the reliability of the data and models. Findings - Among the factors of good governance, practices of strategic planning, audit and fraud control have statistically significant positive relationship with the practices of integrity in the public sector of Malaysia. Moreover, the practices of strategic alliance and fraud control significantly contribute to determine the integrity practices in the public sector of Malaysia. Therefore, the practices of strategic alliance, strategic planning, audit and fraud control must be given significant attention to improve the integrity system. Originality/value - This study is an attempt to measure the relationship between the current practice status of good governance and that of integrity in the public sector of Malaysia. The findings of the study will help policymakers improve the reliability and efficiency of the public sector in Malaysia and in other countries.

Enhancement of the Accountability of Public Sectors through Integrity System, Internal Control System and Leadership Practices: A Review Study☆

Abstract Currently, governance in public administration has become a global issue as a result of the continuous stream of governance failures, fraud, inefficiency, corruption, and poor internal control and financial management. Public sectors worldwide are now under pressure to justify the sources and utilizations of public resources as well as improving the performance in their services delivery. Now it is considered as public rights to monitor the transparency and efficiency of public administration. To ensure good governance, understanding the way to improve accountability in public sector is very essential. Therefore, to enhance the accountability in the public sector, based on the literature review this study discusses on the organizational internal factors that has influences on accountability; integrity system, internal control system and leadership qualities. This study could assist policy makers to establish more accountability among different departments and agencies of government.

Questioning Bangladesh's Microcredit

Microlending is widely seen as a development program that has worked for the worlds poor. But there has been inadequate study of the results. The authors undertook a pilot study in Bangladesh, and their results are deeply disappointing. A high proportion of loans are taken for consumption, not investment, and make little contribution to the creation of jobs.

Effect of Policy Reforms on Market Efficiency: Evidence from Dhaka Stock Exchange

The paper tries to find evidence supporting the impact of continuous policy reforms on the market efficiency on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE). Different policies formed/reformed from 1994 to 2005 were categorized in eleven groups depending on their time of issue and subject matter. To get the result, both nonparametric test (Kolmogrov-Smirnov normality test and run test) and parametric test (autocorrelation test, autoregression) have been performed. Analyses were done for each policy group, and it is found that formed/reformed policies for DSE during the study period failed to improve the market efficiency even in the weak form level.