Access to credit is vital for smallholder farmers, but gender disparities persist across the world. We study the determinants and gender disparities in agricultural credit access between female‐headed households (FHHs) and male‐headed households (MHHs) across five Sub‐Saharan African (SSA) countries: Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. We employed the probit and Oaxaca‐Blinder probit decomposition models on a random sample of over 18,000 households. Three primary results were found. First, socioeconomic, institutional, and location‐specific factors affect agricultural credit access, with some differences observed between FHHs and MHHs. Second, both rural FHHs and MHHs are more likely to access agricultural credit than their urban counterparts. Additionally, on average, 10.36% of MHHs are more likely to access agricultural credit than FHHs across the five countries. This gap varies considerably, with Nigeria exhibiting the largest disparity (19.64%) and Ivory Coast the smallest (2.15%). Importantly, a large portion (87.55%) of the gender gap is from unexplained/unobserved sources/effects, highlighting significant structural barriers faced by FHHs. Land ownership, age, and credit perceptions contribute to widening the gender gap, while equalizing location, socioeconomic status, trust, and past borrowing could reduce it. We recommend tailored agricultural credit programs that promote gender‐inclusive and sustainable agricultural development in SSA.

This study examined the relationship between family dynamics and student engagement in consumption of alcohol, smoking of cigarettes, and use of illicit drugs in Ghana, West Africa. Adolescents who reported that their parents consumed alcohol were more likely to do likewise. Parental consumption of alcohol increased the adolescent probability of doing the same irrespective of the gender. Adolescence is a formative period during which health risk behaviors may be learned and solidified. Policies and subsequent interventions to address health risk behaviors should not be limited to school setting. Parental engagement and monitoring outside of school significantly mediates the extent to which students engage in health risk behaviors.

The North Carolina hemp industry has fallen short of its projected success despite its potential economic benefits and opportunities for farmers. The floral hemp sector specifically has been struggling due to excessive production and decreasing prices. The objective of the research was to examine the experiences and obstacles faced by early adopters and stakeholders of the hemp industry in NC. Through structured focus group discussions and interviews, data were collected and analyzed to gain insight into the industry’s direction. The results revealed that many floral hemp farmers have abandoned the crop because of financial setbacks, leading to a reduced interest in cultivation compared to five years prior. The floral hemp industry’s rapid growth and decline have tempered farmers’ expectations of the crop’s potential. The findings will provide a foundation for further research into NC’s hemp production and economy, enabling the provision of necessary information and extension services for profitable hemp farming in the state.

Profitability remains elusive for many small-scale cattle farmers, as the high operational costs involved often require a larger herd to achieve a reasonable profit. This study uses key financial metrics and the Monte Carlo probabilistic simulation to evaluate the economic feasibility and viability of integrating cattle and mushroom production to enhance year-round profitability for small-scale ranchers. The study results illustrate a promising outlook for investing in the integration of cattle and mushroom production. This integrated system shows potential for generating significant returns with minimal risk over the long term. The Monte Carlo simulation indicates that combining mushroom farming with cattle farming could substantially decrease feed expenses, fertilizer costs for hay production, and overall operational expenditures, while also increasing revenue from mushroom sales.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the association of per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) concentrations and allostatic load (AL) by the county of birth and the length of time in the United States of America (U.S.), in a representative sample of U.S. adults. Methods: Data from the 2007–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used in this cross-sectional study on the U.S. adults aged 20 and older. The analysis was stratified by the length of time in the U.S. and by the county of birth. In all, the sample contained those who were US-born (n = 10,264), Mexico-born (n = 4018), other Spanish speaking country-born (n = 2989), and other not–Hispanic speaking country-born (n = 3911). Poisson models were used to assess the differences in AL and PFAS levels depending on country of birth and length of time in the U.S. Results: Estimates indicated that those born in Other non–Spanish speaking counties had the highest PFAS levels among the country of birth category in the database. Regarding length of time in the U.S., those born in Mexico had low PFAS levels when their length of time in the U.S. was short. The Mexico-born category presented the most at-risk high serum PFAS levels, with AL levels increasing by length of time in the U.S. (p-value < 0.001). Conclusion: This study found that PFAS concentrations increased by the length of time residing in the U.S. Those born in other non–Hispanic counties had the highest PFAS levels among all the categories. In general, AL and PFAS levels are mostly associated with the length of time in the U.S., with foreign-born individuals having increased levels of both the longer they stay.

Obesity poses lots of health risks in both developing and developed countries. One thing that remains unclear is the relationship between family income and weight gain. This paper explores the relationship between family income and Body Mass Index (BMI) given variations in individual choice towards basic consumption and life quality improvement consumption as income increases. We use a nationally representative longitudinal data from China, the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), to estimate the relationship between income and weight gain. We conduct both cross sectional and panel data analysis to study the causal effects of family income on weight development. Unlike other literature that found inverse relationship between prevalence of obesity and family income in developing countries, in this paper, we find that BMI will first increase with family income at a decreasing rate, and then decrease which suggests that the group of middle class may suffer the high risk of being overweight and obese.