Catherine Namome | Human Sciences Research Council (original) (raw)
Conference Presentations by Catherine Namome
Objective Tobacco farming remains a contentious issue among policy makers, the industry and tobac... more Objective
Tobacco farming remains a contentious issue among policy makers, the industry and tobacco control lobbyists, although there is little knowledge about what influences growing of tobacco leaf at a household level. We examined, cross-sectionally, how the price and crop yield stimuli are related to the subsequent choice of tobacco farming.
Methods
A cross-sectional farm-based survey with a sample of 126 farm households (mean farm acreage 5) in the West Nile sub-region of Uganda were surveyed in 2014. We assessed the production (inputs and outputs) of tobacco and non-tobacco (coffee and cassava) crops, their farm expenditure and social demographic (household characteristics) covariates. Logit regression analyses including covariates tested whether price and yield effects were related to the choice of farming tobacco leaf when controlling for resources and household factors.
Results
The results show that prices and crop yields have a strong effect on the choice of farming tobacco leaf. Tobacco farmers are less likely to farm tobacco leaf if there is an increase in the price ratio of coffee to tobacco,-0.80, p<0.0001, although the effect of the yield ratio of coffee to tobacco was small and not significant. Similarly, the odds of farming tobacco leaf were low as the yield ratio of cassava to tobacco increased,-0.081 p<0.05. Household factors especially, family size, gender of the head of the household, are not strong predictors for the choice to grow tobacco leaf, although age and education level of heads of households did have a slight effect.
Conclusion
Tobacco farmers are sensitive to price and crop yield effects. Higher prices and yields of alternative crops decrease the likelihood of growing tobacco leaf. This result together with other findings confirm the view that tobacco farmers can switch to other crops if they are able to obtain a higher price or yield from their alternative crops.
Drafts by Catherine Namome
Globally, tobacco farming is under immense pressure due to public health concerns from tobacco us... more Globally, tobacco farming is under immense pressure due to public health concerns from tobacco use and its environmental effects from deforestation. These concerns have raised the need for alternative production systems. The premise of this paper is that, farmers need options given the pressure on tobacco farming, and productivity analysis has an important role to play in fostering this understanding of options. In agricultural terms, these options might be different crops to grow, that can play a similar role as tobacco leaf and yet have less detrimental impacts on public health and the environment. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to measure and compare the productivity of tobacco and other crop options using Data Envelopment Analysis approach. The results show that tobacco farms are more technically inefficient, with a mean technical efficiency score of 0.50, although they are scale efficient (mean 0.65). Alternative production systems have a mean technical efficiency score of 0.64 and a mean scale efficiency score of 0.51. Farmers' membership to cooperatives and their farming experiences improve technical efficiency in both tobacco and alternative production systems. Alternative farming systems have the potential to overcome technological constraints and achieve their highest attainable productivity through adoption of modern inputs. Therefore, given the inefficiencies and the pressure on tobacco farming, tobacco farmers can switch to viable alternative production systems.
Papers by Catherine Namome
Objective Tobacco farming remains a contentious issue among policy makers, the industry and tobac... more Objective Tobacco farming remains a contentious issue among policy makers, the industry and tobacco control lobbyists, although there is little knowledge about what influences growing of tobacco leaf at a household level. We examined, cross-sectionally, how the price and crop yield stimuli are related to the subsequent choice of tobacco farming. Methods A cross-sectional farm-based survey with a sample of 126 farm households (mean farm acreage 5) in the West Nile sub-region of Uganda were surveyed in 2014. We assessed the production (inputs and outputs) of tobacco and non-tobacco (coffee and cassava) crops, their farm expenditure and social demographic (household characteristics) covariates. Logit regression analyses including covariates tested whether price and yield effects were related to the choice of farming tobacco leaf when controlling for resources and household factors. Results The results show that prices and crop yields have a strong effect on the choice of farming tobacco leaf. Tobacco farmers are less likely to farm tobacco leaf if there is an increase in the price ratio of coffee to tobacco,-0.80, p<0.0001, although the effect of the yield ratio of coffee to tobacco was small and not significant. Similarly, the odds of farming tobacco leaf were low as the yield ratio of cassava to tobacco increased,-0.081 p<0.05. Household factors especially, family size, gender of the head of the household, are not strong predictors for the choice to grow tobacco leaf, although age and education level of heads of households did have a slight effect. Conclusion Tobacco farmers are sensitive to price and crop yield effects. Higher prices and yields of alternative crops decrease the likelihood of growing tobacco leaf. This result together with other findings confirm the view that tobacco farmers can switch to other crops if they are able to obtain a higher price or yield from their alternative crops.
This dissertation describes a study undertaken in Limpopo Province and is based on the GPAP proje... more This dissertation describes a study undertaken in Limpopo Province and is based on the GPAP project which was created under the auspices of LIMPAST through an established working partnership of ARC-GCI and LDA extension services. The study aimed at analysing the impact of the Grain Production Advancement Project on farmers' production efficiency; and to determine factors that could have possibly affected the implementation of improved maize cultivars and essential maize production practices at farmer level. In essence, two important phenomena of the study are addressed: train-the-trainer, and also train the farmer. Through the GPAP project, farmer groups were formed and capacitated. Extension officers seconded to the project were also capacitated to implement the project through On-farm trials, Demonstrations and Farmer Field Schools.
On a personal note, my heartfelt thanks go out to my friends and family. This thesis would not ha... more On a personal note, my heartfelt thanks go out to my friends and family. This thesis would not have been possible without your unwavering emotional and physical support. Thanks especially to my brothers, David, Chris, Andy and Robert, Patu and to my sisters Susan (with Martha Namirembe (niece), and Mark Ssali (nephew)), Olive, Sarah, Caro, and Gida for all of their emotional support. Thanks to my friends Jane, Sharon, Patrick and Sophia. I thank my parents, Mr. Edward Takhuli and Mrs. Miriam Takhuli, whose love and support helped me to reach this day. Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Cuthbert. You have been my rock every step of the way. Words cannot fully express what your support has meant to me. Over and above, I want to thank my Heavenly Father for the abilities and strengths that He provided me to persevere in this journey. To Him all the Glory is given! v Once people have been made to realise the crippling mutilations imposed by an objectivist framework-once the veil of ambiguities covering up these mutilations has been definitely dissolved-many fresh minds will turn to the task of reinterpreting the world….
Continued fractions are used to give an alternate proof of e x/y is irrational.
To date, research on organic farming and certification has focused on the production and trade po... more To date, research on organic farming and certification has focused on the production and trade possibilities of the industry. Farmers‟ opinions are underrepresented and this study endeavours to capture their opinions. In this study, the economic problem is to investigate the low participation of farmers in certified organic farming, highlight the economic benefits which are normally not clearly defined, as well as study the often complicated and frustrating certification process. The main objective is to investigate the determinants, which affect the smallholder farmer‟s participation, and to analyse farmers‟ perceptions of certified organic farming in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The specific focus was on the participation of smallholder farmers in certified organic farming. The dependent variable was participation as measured by a farmer‟s decision to either certify their farm or not. The independent variables included factors that make up farmer and farm characteristics,...
This dissertation describes a study undertaken in Limpopo Province and is based on the GPAP proje... more This dissertation describes a study undertaken in Limpopo Province and is based on the GPAP project which was created under the auspices of LIMPAST through an established working partnership of ARC-GCI and LDA extension services. The study aimed at analysing the impact of the Grain Production Advancement Project on farmers' production efficiency; and to determine factors that could have possibly affected the implementation of improved maize cultivars and essential maize production practices at farmer level. In essence, two important phenomena of the study are addressed: train-the-trainer, and also train the farmer. Through the GPAP project, farmer groups were formed and capacitated. Extension officers seconded to the project were also capacitated to implement the project through On-farm trials, Demonstrations and Farmer Field Schools.
SN Social Sciences
This study examined the influence of access to and frequent use of information and communication ... more This study examined the influence of access to and frequent use of information and communication technology (ICT) in school and home settings on achievement in mathematics for Grades 8 and 9 African students. A large-scale international database, that of the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study was used and hierarchical linear models were employed to examine school-and studentlevel variables. Findings showed that student access to ICT during a lesson was significant and a positive predictor for student learning outcomes in mathematics, while teacher integration of ICT into pedagogy as a mediating factor had a negative association. Student-level ICT predictors, for example access to ICT at home, had a positive association with student learning outcomes in mathematics, while intensity of student ICT use was a negative predictor; this applied even after controlling for age, gender, and educational resources at home.
Proceedings of the 32nd International Academic Conference, Geneva, 2017
Objective: Tobacco farming is important amongst smallholder farm households, and controversial wi... more Objective: Tobacco farming is important amongst smallholder farm households, and controversial within policy circles and tobacco control lobbyists. There is little knowledge about why farmers farm tobacco. We examined, cross-sectionally, why farmers grow tobacco and tested whether price and yield stimuli of tobacco and non-tobacco crops would influence the choice of farming tobacco. Methods: A cross-sectional based survey with a sample of 126 farm households (mean farm acreage 5) in the West Nile sub-region of Uganda were surveyed in 2014. We assessed the structure of their land system, access to finance, input use, production and farm expenditure of tobacco and non-tobacco crops. Regression analyses tested whether price and crop yield ratios, controlling for resources were related to the choice of growing tobacco. Results: Tobacco farmers are less likely to farm tobacco leaf if there is an increase in the price ratio of coffee to tobacco,-0.800 p<0.0001, although the effect of the yield ratio of coffee to tobacco was small and not significant. Similarly, the chances of farming tobacco leaf were low as the yield ratio of cassava to tobacco increased,-0.081 p<0.05. It is evident that uptake of tobacco farming is not strongly influenced by household factors especially, household size, gender of the head of the household, although age and education level of the head of households did have a slight influence on the decision to grow tobacco. Conclusion: Data from this study indicate that tobacco farmers are price and yield sensitive, and this result together with other findings confirm the view that tobacco farmers can switch to other crops if they are able to obtain a higher price for their alternative crops.
South African Journal of Science
An important component of an individual’s scientific literacy is a positive attitude towards scie... more An important component of an individual’s scientific literacy is a positive attitude towards science. However, emphasis is too often placed on achievement scores rather than attitude. While individuals’ relative levels of problem-solving skills, inherent aptitudes for the subject matter and teaching practices are conveyed through achievement scores, attitudes to science convey individuals’ emotional evaluation of the subject. Attitudes have a strong impact on behaviour: through either facilitating the learning process or hindering it. Furthermore, attitudes towards science reflect the culture which exists within a school, as well as the wider social context within which learning takes place. As a result, understanding attitudes is a key component of the interpretation of achievement results. We used data from 12 514 Grade 9 students in South Africa who participated in the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study to investigate students’ self-efficacy in science. Mu...
Objective Tobacco farming remains a contentious issue among policy makers, the industry and tobac... more Objective
Tobacco farming remains a contentious issue among policy makers, the industry and tobacco control lobbyists, although there is little knowledge about what influences growing of tobacco leaf at a household level. We examined, cross-sectionally, how the price and crop yield stimuli are related to the subsequent choice of tobacco farming.
Methods
A cross-sectional farm-based survey with a sample of 126 farm households (mean farm acreage 5) in the West Nile sub-region of Uganda were surveyed in 2014. We assessed the production (inputs and outputs) of tobacco and non-tobacco (coffee and cassava) crops, their farm expenditure and social demographic (household characteristics) covariates. Logit regression analyses including covariates tested whether price and yield effects were related to the choice of farming tobacco leaf when controlling for resources and household factors.
Results
The results show that prices and crop yields have a strong effect on the choice of farming tobacco leaf. Tobacco farmers are less likely to farm tobacco leaf if there is an increase in the price ratio of coffee to tobacco,-0.80, p<0.0001, although the effect of the yield ratio of coffee to tobacco was small and not significant. Similarly, the odds of farming tobacco leaf were low as the yield ratio of cassava to tobacco increased,-0.081 p<0.05. Household factors especially, family size, gender of the head of the household, are not strong predictors for the choice to grow tobacco leaf, although age and education level of heads of households did have a slight effect.
Conclusion
Tobacco farmers are sensitive to price and crop yield effects. Higher prices and yields of alternative crops decrease the likelihood of growing tobacco leaf. This result together with other findings confirm the view that tobacco farmers can switch to other crops if they are able to obtain a higher price or yield from their alternative crops.
Globally, tobacco farming is under immense pressure due to public health concerns from tobacco us... more Globally, tobacco farming is under immense pressure due to public health concerns from tobacco use and its environmental effects from deforestation. These concerns have raised the need for alternative production systems. The premise of this paper is that, farmers need options given the pressure on tobacco farming, and productivity analysis has an important role to play in fostering this understanding of options. In agricultural terms, these options might be different crops to grow, that can play a similar role as tobacco leaf and yet have less detrimental impacts on public health and the environment. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to measure and compare the productivity of tobacco and other crop options using Data Envelopment Analysis approach. The results show that tobacco farms are more technically inefficient, with a mean technical efficiency score of 0.50, although they are scale efficient (mean 0.65). Alternative production systems have a mean technical efficiency score of 0.64 and a mean scale efficiency score of 0.51. Farmers' membership to cooperatives and their farming experiences improve technical efficiency in both tobacco and alternative production systems. Alternative farming systems have the potential to overcome technological constraints and achieve their highest attainable productivity through adoption of modern inputs. Therefore, given the inefficiencies and the pressure on tobacco farming, tobacco farmers can switch to viable alternative production systems.
Objective Tobacco farming remains a contentious issue among policy makers, the industry and tobac... more Objective Tobacco farming remains a contentious issue among policy makers, the industry and tobacco control lobbyists, although there is little knowledge about what influences growing of tobacco leaf at a household level. We examined, cross-sectionally, how the price and crop yield stimuli are related to the subsequent choice of tobacco farming. Methods A cross-sectional farm-based survey with a sample of 126 farm households (mean farm acreage 5) in the West Nile sub-region of Uganda were surveyed in 2014. We assessed the production (inputs and outputs) of tobacco and non-tobacco (coffee and cassava) crops, their farm expenditure and social demographic (household characteristics) covariates. Logit regression analyses including covariates tested whether price and yield effects were related to the choice of farming tobacco leaf when controlling for resources and household factors. Results The results show that prices and crop yields have a strong effect on the choice of farming tobacco leaf. Tobacco farmers are less likely to farm tobacco leaf if there is an increase in the price ratio of coffee to tobacco,-0.80, p<0.0001, although the effect of the yield ratio of coffee to tobacco was small and not significant. Similarly, the odds of farming tobacco leaf were low as the yield ratio of cassava to tobacco increased,-0.081 p<0.05. Household factors especially, family size, gender of the head of the household, are not strong predictors for the choice to grow tobacco leaf, although age and education level of heads of households did have a slight effect. Conclusion Tobacco farmers are sensitive to price and crop yield effects. Higher prices and yields of alternative crops decrease the likelihood of growing tobacco leaf. This result together with other findings confirm the view that tobacco farmers can switch to other crops if they are able to obtain a higher price or yield from their alternative crops.
This dissertation describes a study undertaken in Limpopo Province and is based on the GPAP proje... more This dissertation describes a study undertaken in Limpopo Province and is based on the GPAP project which was created under the auspices of LIMPAST through an established working partnership of ARC-GCI and LDA extension services. The study aimed at analysing the impact of the Grain Production Advancement Project on farmers' production efficiency; and to determine factors that could have possibly affected the implementation of improved maize cultivars and essential maize production practices at farmer level. In essence, two important phenomena of the study are addressed: train-the-trainer, and also train the farmer. Through the GPAP project, farmer groups were formed and capacitated. Extension officers seconded to the project were also capacitated to implement the project through On-farm trials, Demonstrations and Farmer Field Schools.
On a personal note, my heartfelt thanks go out to my friends and family. This thesis would not ha... more On a personal note, my heartfelt thanks go out to my friends and family. This thesis would not have been possible without your unwavering emotional and physical support. Thanks especially to my brothers, David, Chris, Andy and Robert, Patu and to my sisters Susan (with Martha Namirembe (niece), and Mark Ssali (nephew)), Olive, Sarah, Caro, and Gida for all of their emotional support. Thanks to my friends Jane, Sharon, Patrick and Sophia. I thank my parents, Mr. Edward Takhuli and Mrs. Miriam Takhuli, whose love and support helped me to reach this day. Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Cuthbert. You have been my rock every step of the way. Words cannot fully express what your support has meant to me. Over and above, I want to thank my Heavenly Father for the abilities and strengths that He provided me to persevere in this journey. To Him all the Glory is given! v Once people have been made to realise the crippling mutilations imposed by an objectivist framework-once the veil of ambiguities covering up these mutilations has been definitely dissolved-many fresh minds will turn to the task of reinterpreting the world….
Continued fractions are used to give an alternate proof of e x/y is irrational.
To date, research on organic farming and certification has focused on the production and trade po... more To date, research on organic farming and certification has focused on the production and trade possibilities of the industry. Farmers‟ opinions are underrepresented and this study endeavours to capture their opinions. In this study, the economic problem is to investigate the low participation of farmers in certified organic farming, highlight the economic benefits which are normally not clearly defined, as well as study the often complicated and frustrating certification process. The main objective is to investigate the determinants, which affect the smallholder farmer‟s participation, and to analyse farmers‟ perceptions of certified organic farming in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The specific focus was on the participation of smallholder farmers in certified organic farming. The dependent variable was participation as measured by a farmer‟s decision to either certify their farm or not. The independent variables included factors that make up farmer and farm characteristics,...
This dissertation describes a study undertaken in Limpopo Province and is based on the GPAP proje... more This dissertation describes a study undertaken in Limpopo Province and is based on the GPAP project which was created under the auspices of LIMPAST through an established working partnership of ARC-GCI and LDA extension services. The study aimed at analysing the impact of the Grain Production Advancement Project on farmers' production efficiency; and to determine factors that could have possibly affected the implementation of improved maize cultivars and essential maize production practices at farmer level. In essence, two important phenomena of the study are addressed: train-the-trainer, and also train the farmer. Through the GPAP project, farmer groups were formed and capacitated. Extension officers seconded to the project were also capacitated to implement the project through On-farm trials, Demonstrations and Farmer Field Schools.
SN Social Sciences
This study examined the influence of access to and frequent use of information and communication ... more This study examined the influence of access to and frequent use of information and communication technology (ICT) in school and home settings on achievement in mathematics for Grades 8 and 9 African students. A large-scale international database, that of the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study was used and hierarchical linear models were employed to examine school-and studentlevel variables. Findings showed that student access to ICT during a lesson was significant and a positive predictor for student learning outcomes in mathematics, while teacher integration of ICT into pedagogy as a mediating factor had a negative association. Student-level ICT predictors, for example access to ICT at home, had a positive association with student learning outcomes in mathematics, while intensity of student ICT use was a negative predictor; this applied even after controlling for age, gender, and educational resources at home.
Proceedings of the 32nd International Academic Conference, Geneva, 2017
Objective: Tobacco farming is important amongst smallholder farm households, and controversial wi... more Objective: Tobacco farming is important amongst smallholder farm households, and controversial within policy circles and tobacco control lobbyists. There is little knowledge about why farmers farm tobacco. We examined, cross-sectionally, why farmers grow tobacco and tested whether price and yield stimuli of tobacco and non-tobacco crops would influence the choice of farming tobacco. Methods: A cross-sectional based survey with a sample of 126 farm households (mean farm acreage 5) in the West Nile sub-region of Uganda were surveyed in 2014. We assessed the structure of their land system, access to finance, input use, production and farm expenditure of tobacco and non-tobacco crops. Regression analyses tested whether price and crop yield ratios, controlling for resources were related to the choice of growing tobacco. Results: Tobacco farmers are less likely to farm tobacco leaf if there is an increase in the price ratio of coffee to tobacco,-0.800 p<0.0001, although the effect of the yield ratio of coffee to tobacco was small and not significant. Similarly, the chances of farming tobacco leaf were low as the yield ratio of cassava to tobacco increased,-0.081 p<0.05. It is evident that uptake of tobacco farming is not strongly influenced by household factors especially, household size, gender of the head of the household, although age and education level of the head of households did have a slight influence on the decision to grow tobacco. Conclusion: Data from this study indicate that tobacco farmers are price and yield sensitive, and this result together with other findings confirm the view that tobacco farmers can switch to other crops if they are able to obtain a higher price for their alternative crops.
South African Journal of Science
An important component of an individual’s scientific literacy is a positive attitude towards scie... more An important component of an individual’s scientific literacy is a positive attitude towards science. However, emphasis is too often placed on achievement scores rather than attitude. While individuals’ relative levels of problem-solving skills, inherent aptitudes for the subject matter and teaching practices are conveyed through achievement scores, attitudes to science convey individuals’ emotional evaluation of the subject. Attitudes have a strong impact on behaviour: through either facilitating the learning process or hindering it. Furthermore, attitudes towards science reflect the culture which exists within a school, as well as the wider social context within which learning takes place. As a result, understanding attitudes is a key component of the interpretation of achievement results. We used data from 12 514 Grade 9 students in South Africa who participated in the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study to investigate students’ self-efficacy in science. Mu...