AJAD Volume 14 Issue No. 1 June 2017

The food price crisis that occurred in the mid-2000s and the global financial crisis that transpired in 2008 had an enduring impact on developing and emerging countries where investment growth rates have declined sharply. Food insecurity has also become an important concern. Using a food security assessment model, an analysis of the medium- to long-term repercussions of the food price and global financial crises on ASEAN food security revealed that the effects of the food price crisis are expected to be more negative than those of the global financial crisis. When a financial crisis occurs in the USA and Europe, investment flows to emerging markets, suggesting that countries like Lao PDR, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam benefit from it. However, when a global financial crisis occurs, other ASEAN countries like Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines are negatively affected.

Using data from 5,601 rice farmers in Eastern India, this study examined the role of gender, risk, and time preferences in farmers' rice variety selection in Eastern India. The determinants of the following were estimated: farmers' rice variety selection according to variety type (i.e., modern [non-hybrid], stress-tolerant, hybrid, and traditional), and farmers' main reasons (i.e., yield potential, taste/cooking quality, marketability/affordability, and stress tolerance) for choosing a rice variety. A multivariate probit model was employed to identify the factors that influence farmers' decision-making, since some farmers choose to mix rice varieties from multiple categories. The results revealed that female farmers, who are more risk-averse, usually choose rice varieties based on cooking quality (e.g., good taste, high cooking quality, and good straw quality) and stress tolerance. They are less likely to select hybrid rice, and also less likely to base their decision on market-oriented reasons, compared to male farmers. Certain rice varieties released many decades ago remain popular among farmers because of multiple preferred attributes. The preference model is useful in understanding why some varieties are more popular than others, among female and male farmers. 

There is strong evidence to suggest that climate change has affected and will continue to affect the occurrence, distribution, and prevalence of livestock diseases in Nepal. This study investigated how climate change has affected the livestock population in Mustang District. The outbreak of new diseases, changes in disease patterns, increase in cases of external and internal parasites, decrease in the availability of forage and fodder, and deterioration of pasture land were the major climate change effects observed. The number of livestock has decreased, resulting in declining income from livestockrelated activities of Jomsom and Kagbeni, two Village Development Committees in the Mustang District where people are seeking alternative occupations. The results revealed that some signs of climate change were experienced by rural communities in the study sites, such as an increasing number of warm days and a decreasing number of cold days. The different measures that people have adopted to lessen the impacts of climate change on the livestock population were also identified.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in India seeks to provide a specified number of days of employment at a specified wage rate to interested rural households, and ensures equal wages between male and female workers. MGNREGS will benefit wage seekers directly by providing assured employment and pay, which will enhance their purchasing power; and indirectly by increasing the rural market wage rate. The nature of work of some employment opportunities under MGNREGS will likely improve the infrastructure at both community and individual levels, mostly of small-scale and marginal farmers, which is expected to improve the income levels of the poor. Using evidence from Andhra Pradesh before its bifurcation, the present study sought to determine if MGNREGS promotes inclusive growth. The empirical study used both primary and secondary data. The analyses reveal that MGNREGS promotes inclusive growth by augmenting openmarket wages, reducing gender wage differentials, increasing the proportion of Scheduled Castes among the participating households, improving the employment and income levels of wage seekers, and deriving substantial benefits compared to government expenditure on the Scheme.

This study examines financial capacity of various types of rice farming households in the Mekong Delta. Household financial capacity was elicited and quantified through interviews with 449 households practicing rice-based farming systems in four agro-ecological zones of the Mekong Delta. Household net income, long-standing debt, and savings represent the three key parameters of household financial capacity. Analysis of farm size classes revealed that financial capacity was weak, especially among households with farms that were less than one hectare. Agricultural production was the primary component of household net income. The level of diversity of non-rice crops did not contribute significantly to increased household income. Net household income was positively correlated with farm size, land use circle (i.e., number of crops in a field), and non-farm activities. Mean household savings accounted for 27 percent of total net household income, and mean long-term debt was 11 percent of household savings. The low financial capacity of rice-based farming households introduces substantial challenges for Mekong Delta farmers to recover production costs caused by irregular weather patterns associated with climate change.

This study used a supply response model to determine factors affecting maize supply in Vietnam. It estimated response coefficients from semi-annual time-series data for the period 1986-2011. Using three criteria, it chose the rational expectation hypothesis supply response model (Model I) with the separated price expectation formation hypothesis according to the information set at time (t-1) to estimate the supply response model for maize. Farmers used the available information set to form their expected price. Estimated parameters’ results in Model I indicate that the farmers' supply had a positive response to the expected price of maize, but was negative to that of cassava. This means that maize and cassava are close substitutes in the supply response models. Maize production also positively responds to the amount of fertilizer per hectare, maize area, one-period lagged investment, irrigation, trend variable, and agricultural extension policy.

Recommended policies include: enhancement of the judicious use of fertilizers and possible establishment of local factories; increase in maize area by changing the crop structure and multiple cropping with long-term industrial trees like perennials and fruit trees; improvement of the irrigation system in two deltas and in high production regions; increase in government support to farmers; increase in government spending on research and development of new maize varieties; and improvement of the extension system to provide farmers the needed market and technological information.

Facilitators of participatory approaches to community development in agricultural and natural resource management settings frequently encounter dilemmas due to embedded social and power structures that potentially interfere with achieving desired outcomes. These dilemmas underscore the need for better facilitation structures and techniques to mediate the complexity of disagreements. This paper reviews the literature on selecting and applying participatory facilitation methods in Asia, focused on South and Southeast Asia. The analysis acknowledges critics of participation and identifies elements for involving marginalized communities when using participatory approaches to increase the likelihood of successful outcomes.