Factors influencing migration and settlement of pastoralists in Nairobi City, Kenya

Pastoralism is globally recognized as the backbone of the economy in the vast arid and semi-arid rangelands. Despite its enormous economic contribution, the system is facing a myriad of challenges, among them, land use and land tenure changes, resulting in diminished grazing land. Accompanying such changes is the conversion of traditional grazing lands into other uses such as settlements, with urbanization being one of the key drivers of pastoral system dynamics. Understanding such dynamics in the face of compounding factors such as frequent droughts linked to climate change is key in guiding policy formulation and interventions aimed at achieving a sustainable pastoral production system. This study investigated factors determining migration and settlement of pastoralists in Nairobi City of Kenya. Data was collected through a snowball sampling approach using semi-structured household questionnaires, focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) in five Sub-counties of Nairobi City County. A total of 144 household interviews, 6 FGDs and 16 KIIs were conducted to elucidate drivers of urban pastoralism, opportunities and challenges encountered by pastoralists in the city. A binary logistic regression model was used to analyse the determinants of their migration. Results show that search for pasture and water resources, and alternative markets especially during droughts, are the main reasons for pastoralists’ migration to the city. In addition, educated herders were found to be more likely to migrate to the city as they pursue wage employment. Whereas these findings revealed that migration to the city exposes pastoralists to diverse livelihood opportunities, they are equally faced by a number of challenges - mainly road accidents involving livestock, frequent land displacements to pave way for development of real estates, and livestock poisoning from sewage and garbage wastes. There is a need for policy and regulatory interventions to recognize pastoralism alongside other forms of urban farming and addressing challenges facing sustainable pastoral production.

Innovative strategies for managing swine welfare during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iowa

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic on March 11, 2020 by the World Health Organization and its impact on animal agriculture in the United States was undeniable. By April, COVID-19 resulted in the simultaneous closure or reduced operations of many meat processing plants in the upper Midwest, leading to supply chain disruptions. In Iowa, the leading pork production and processing state, these disruptions caused producer uncertainty, confusion, and stress, including time-sensitive challenges for maintaining animal care. The Iowa Resource Coordination Center (IRCC) was quickly created and launched from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS). The IRCC included public representation from the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA), Iowa Pork Industry Center (IPIC), and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, and private partners including producers, veterinarians, and technical specialists. Supporting swine welfare, the IRCC provided information on management strategies, dietary alterations to slow pig growth, alternative markets, on-farm euthanasia, and mass depopulation under veterinary oversight. In a crisis, Iowa created a model that reacted to producers’ pragmatic, mental and emotional needs. This model could be quickly replicated with an introduction of a foreign animal disease.

13 Innovative Strategies for Managing Swine Welfare During Natural Disasters

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organization. By April 2020, COVID-19 resulted in the simultaneous closure or reduced operations of many processing plants in the upper Midwest, which quickly resulted in supply chain disruptions. Iowa is the leading pork production and processing state, and these disruptions caused producer uncertainty, confusion, and stress, including time-sensitive challenges for maintaining animal care. The Resource Coordination Center (RCC) was quickly created and launched from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. The RCC had strategic collaborations with public representation from the Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Pork Industry Center, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, and private partners through producers, veterinarians, and technical specialists. The RCC’s mission was four-fold: (1) implement appropriate actions to ensure the health and safety of RCC members, stakeholders, and the public, (2) evaluate and reassess appropriate actions as needed for continuity of pork production operations, (3) provide information to pork producers during supply chain disruptions, and (4) maintain a safe and abundant pork supply for consumers. The command structure included Incident Commanders, Command Staff, and four Section Chiefs whom worked with their respective experts. Sections covered (1) operations, (2) planning, (3) logistics, and (4) finance and administration. As it related to animal welfare, the RCC provided information on management decisions, dietary alterations to slow pig growth, pig movement to increase living space, alternative markets, on-farm euthanasia and mass depopulation. Veterinary oversight was continually maintained. A manual was created to provide up-to-date information to inform producer decisions and aid. Although originally created for swine, the RCC also assisted poultry, cattle and sheep producers. In a crisis, Iowa created a model that reacted to producer’s pragmatic and emotional needs. This model could be replicated for any emergency by other states.

Liquidity – Profitability Trade-Off on the Example of Companies Listed on Main and Alternative New Connect Markets on Warsaw Stock Exchange

The goal of this paper is related to the liquidity and profitability relationship analysis and their maxima assessment in the companies listed in the main and alternative markets of Warsaw Stock Exchange. The trade-off between maximum profitability and liquidity is the result of value maximization and bankruptcy prevention strategies and this approach is expected to be similar in all listed companies due to investors’ expectation. It has been found that there is no difference in management goals in the markets taken into consideration and companies in both research samples maximize profitability within a conservative approach to the liquidity. The maximum liquidity, on the other hand, is determined with a similar level of profitability as measured by ROE on the main market of WSE and NewConnect.

Consumers' Opinions and Expectations of an “Ideal Chicken Farm” and Their Willingness to Purchase a Whole Chicken From This Farm

As poultry production and consumption have increased in the last decade, so have consumers' concerns about intensified production methods and the impacts they have on animal welfare. At the same time, poultry consumption has increased and enjoys great popularity. Also, a shift in consumers' consumption behavior can be observed as nowadays most consumers purchase chicken cuts, especially breast filets, rather than whole animals, mostly due to convenience and taste. Although consumer concerns have increased, market shares of alternative poultry products, i.e., those that are produced under higher standards compared to conventional products, remain comparably low. One of the main reasons are the large differences in prices. The higher prices for alternative chicken products such as organic result partly from increased production costs on farm level. Besides, consumer preferences for chicken cuts intensify cost differences. While alternative chicken breasts (e.g., organically produced) might be valued by some consumers, other cuts such as wings or thighs are not and are therefore sent into the conventional market. In these cases, the breasts need to remunerate all additional costs. Analyzing consumers' concerns about production methods and learning about consumers' obstacles to buy whole chickens might offer farmers greater possibilities to succeed in alternative markets. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to gain insights into consumers' chicken consumption behaviors, how consumers imagine an ideal chicken farm and whether they would be willing to purchase a whole chicken from this ideal farm. Three focus group discussions (total n = 30) with German consumers were held online in June 2020. The results show that participants associate the ideal chicken farm with four main characteristics: good husbandry system, positive economic impact for the farmer, high transparency, and proximate location of the farm in the same geographical region. However, willingness to purchase a whole chicken, even from the ideal farm, remains low due to mainly convenience reasons and daily routines.

Investor Sentiment In The Financial Market: A Survey

Many techniques like technical analysis, fundamental analysis, neural networks etc are used to forecast market behavior but none of these methods has been consistently acceptable forecasting tool. This thesis surveys more than 200 related published articles that study investor sentiment techniques as derived and applied to forecasting equity, debt and alternative markets. From the literatures, it shows that the application of investor sentiment for evaluating market behavior is gaining wide acceptance. Changes in investor sentiment can trigger changes in the valuation and pricing of assets, therefore offering the ability to forecasting market directions more accurately than other techniques. This study is the most comprehensive survey on investor sentiment techniques and its impact on forecasting a panel of assets in the equity, debt, derivative and other alternative investment markets. It examines forecasting as it affects sentiment, investor sentiment, it influence on market returns, news analytics and its use as profit and risk management tool.

Investor Sentiment In The Financial Market: A Survey

Many techniques like technical analysis, fundamental analysis, neural networks etc are used to forecast market behavior but none of these methods has been consistently acceptable forecasting tool. This thesis surveys more than 200 related published articles that study investor sentiment techniques as derived and applied to forecasting equity, debt and alternative markets. From the literatures, it shows that the application of investor sentiment for evaluating market behavior is gaining wide acceptance. Changes in investor sentiment can trigger changes in the valuation and pricing of assets, therefore offering the ability to forecasting market directions more accurately than other techniques. This study is the most comprehensive survey on investor sentiment techniques and its impact on forecasting a panel of assets in the equity, debt, derivative and other alternative investment markets. It examines forecasting as it affects sentiment, investor sentiment, it influence on market returns, news analytics and its use as profit and risk management tool.

Iran’s turn to the East: assessment of the Caucasian and Central-Asian policy of Ebrahim Raisi’s administration

The article considers the Caucasian and Central-Asian policy of the new administration of Ebrahim Raisi in Iran. It’s already clear that the Eurasian region has become a priority of Iran’s diplomacy, and President Raisi has been demonstrating these changes during the first year at the helm. The author uses comparative methodology to outline the differences from the previous administration’s policy. The research methodology is based on the theory of the constructivist school of international relations which focuses on the ideological level and analysis of actors during the decision-making process. The purpose of the research is to study the changes in international politics which have already made the new administration follow the new approach focusing on the Eurasian policy.  The author believes that the reasons for such a transformation are: 1) Tehran’s will to reconsider the central role of nuclear treatments as a core of its foreign policy; 2) the economic crisis in the country which makes Iran’s politicians search for alternative markets and partners; 3) an aspiration to escape the international isolation, and the importance of Eurasian bilateral and intergovernmental relations; 4) the change of threats perception by Tehran caused by the recent events in the Caucasus and Afghanistan. The author supposes that the combined impact of these factors has made Raisi’s administration consider Eurasia as Iran’s foreign policy priority, and if this trend continues, we’ll see a more balanced approach in the future, unlike the previous periods, when relations with the West and events in the Middle East defined the central line of Iran’s policy.   

Analysing Opportunities for India in Global Value Chains in Post COVID-19 Era

In recent years, trade in intermediate goods has increased manifold with the emergence of global value chains (GVCs). China has emerged as one of the leading countries in the whole GVC network; many countries, including the USA, are heavily dependent on China for the intermediates in the manufacturing sector. The outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns in many countries, including China, have disrupted the supply in GVCs. This situation has led to the search for alternative markets for intermediates for the sustainable-production process. This study looks at how India can be an alternative avenue for the USA in place of China in the GVC network. It investigates the extent of participation of the countries under study in the GVCs and the gains resulting from it. The main focus of the research is to determine the emerging opportunities for India in GVCs, through correlating the USA industries which are vulnerable to disruption in GVCs as caused by China to those industries of India in which India enjoys a comparative advantage. The analysis reveals that in the ‘textiles, wearing apparel, leather and related products’ and ‘chemicals and non-metallic mineral products’ industries, India could be a replacement of China for the USA. JEL Codes: F10, F13, F15

Taiwan — A Potential Economic Partner of South Asia

Taiwan is a major hub of the global supply chains and one of the leading investors not only in China but also in other Southeast Asian markets. Although high trade complementary, bilateral trade between South Asia and Taiwan is only about US$ 9 billion, investment has only picked up recently. The computable general equilibrium (CGE) analysis indicates a substantial economic benefit of bilateral tariffs elimination between Taiwan and its South Asian partners. Taiwan has a substantial comparative advantage in producing high tech manufacturing goods while in South Asian’s main strength is in the resource-based agricultural and light manufacturing sector. Taiwan has been maintained a liberalized trade regime with minimal import tariffs and non-tariff measures (NTM) over the decades. As South Asia is booming, and Taiwan is seeking alternative markets and investments opportunities, it is time to deepen a bilateral economic relationship. South Asia is a market of 1.5 billion people with an emerging middle class along with substantial cheaper labor forces, made an ideal place for investment. A comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) with a preferential trade and investment agreement would be useful to attract Taiwanese multinationals and seamless trade between South Asia and Taiwan.