Sustainable Development Goal 1: No Poverty (1975)

The basic objective of the existing study was to inspect the triangular association between economic growth, poverty, and income disparity in farming and non-farming communities across agro-climatic zones in Punjab province, Pakistan. The cross-sectional Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES) data and Poverty Equivalent Growth Rate (PEGR) methodology were applied from 2001–2002 to 2015–2016. Outcomes of the study found that in a short period, 2001–2002 to 2004–2005; 2004–2005 to 2005–2006; 2005–2006 to 2007–2008; 2007–2008 to 2010–2011; 2010–2011 to 2011–2012; 2011–2012 to 2013–2014; and 2013–2014 to 2015–2016, economic growth has presented hybrid (pro-poor and anti-poor) pattern across both communities of all agro-climatic zones of Punjab province in different periods. In the longer period of 2001–2002 to 2015–2016, economic growth has been pro-poor across both communities of all the zones apart from zone III (Cotton-Wheat Punjab); there is an anti-poor pattern of economic growth. Results for the decomposition of change in poverty further indicate that economic growth is a dominant factor in reducing poverty for all investigated zone. Moreover, a positive redistribution component reduces the beneficial impacts of economic growth for the poor more than for non-poor, that ultimately makes economic development patterns anti-poor in zone III. In the present study, we proposed two-fold policy implications. First, improve the living standard of households in each agro-climatic zone by increasing their incomes. Second, develop a precise taxation system that helps to reduce income disparities among upper-pro to lower-income groups. Full article

Public health and healthcare professionals perform a wide variety of services for their communities, and serve in important and often overlapping roles, particularly in rural communities. In this qualitative study, public health practitioners in Kansas were asked about their perceptions of barriers to public health and vulnerable people in their communities. Participants from across Kansas were interviewed via teleconferencing, telephone, or email, and emergent themes were identified using qualitative thematic analysis. While asked about public health specifically, during interviews, many participants discussed barriers to healthcare as well. The top barriers to effective public health practice identified in this study were funding, education, accessibility, and affordability. Others included politics, transportation, and the need to expand Medicare and Medicaid. The populations believed most vulnerable in their communities were community members living in poverty, elderly people, and other marginalized populations. Our findings suggest public health practitioners in Kansas observe a lack of understanding and knowledge in their communities about public health, along with the recognition that a lack of accessibility and affordability to health services are barriers to effective public health practice. Full article

Optimal use of Hierarchical Bayesian Model (HBM)-assembled aerosol optical depth (AOD)-PM_2.5 fused surfaces in epidemiologic studies requires homogeneous temporal and spatial fused surfaces. No analytical method is available to evaluate spatial heterogeneity. The temporal case-crossover design was modified to assess the spatial association between four experimental AOD-PM_2.5 fused surfaces and four respiratory–cardiovascular hospital events in 12 km² grids. The maximum number of adjacent lag grids with significant odds ratios (ORs) identified homogeneous spatial areas (HOSAs). The largest HOSA included five grids (lag grids 04; 720 km²) and the smallest HOSA contained two grids (lag grids 01; 288 km²). Emergency department asthma and inpatient asthma, myocardial infarction, and heart failure ORs were significantly higher in rural grids without air monitors than in urban grids with air monitors at lag grids 0, 1, and 01. Rural grids had higher AOD-PM_2.5 concentration levels, population density, and poverty percentages than urban grids. Warm season ORs were significantly higher than cold season ORs for all health outcomes at lag grids 0, 1, 01, and 04. The possibility of elevated fine and ultrafine PM and other demographic and environmental risk factors synergistically contributing to elevated respiratory–cardiovascular chronic diseases in persons residing in rural areas was discussed. Full article

Poverty statistics are conventionally compiled using data from socioeconomic surveys. This study examines an alternative approach to estimating poverty by investigating whether readily available geospatial data can accurately predict the spatial distribution of poverty in Thailand. In particular, the geospatial data examined in this study include the intensity of night-time light (NTL), land cover, vegetation index, land surface temperature, built-up areas, and points of interest. The study also compares the predictive performance of various econometric and machine-learning methods such as generalized least squares, neural network, random forest, and support-vector regression. Results suggest that the intensity of NTL and other variables that approximate population density are highly associated with the proportion of an area’s population that are living in poverty. The random forest technique yielded the highest level of prediction accuracy among the methods considered in this study, primarily due to its capability to fit complex association structures even with small-to-medium-sized datasets. This obtained result suggests the potential applications of using publicly accessible geospatial data and machine-learning methods for timely monitoring of the poverty distribution. Moving forward, additional studies are needed to improve the predictive power and investigate the temporal stability of the relationships observed. Full article

Human infections with gut protozoan parasites are neglected and not targeted by specific control initiatives, leading to a knowledge gap concerning their regional diversity and epidemiology. The present study aims to explore Giardia duodenalis genetic diversity and assess the epidemiologic scenario of subclinical infections in different Brazilian biogeographic regions. Cross-sectional surveys (n = 1334 subjects) were conducted in four municipalities in order to obtain fecal samples and socioenvironmental data. Microscopy of non-diarrheal feces and nucleotide sequencing of a β-giardin gene fragment were performed. From a total of 51 samples that could be sequenced, 27 (52.9%) β-giardin sequences were characterized as assemblage A and 24 (47.1%) as assemblage B. In the Amazon, assemblage B was the most frequently detected, predominantly BIII, and with two novel sub-assemblages. Assemblage A predominated in the extra-Amazon region, with five novel sub-assemblages. Prevalence reached 17.8% (64/360) in the Amazon, 8.8% (48/544) in the Atlantic Forest, 7.4% (22/299) in Cerrado and 2.3% (3/131) in the Semiarid. People living in poverty and extreme poverty presented significantly higher positivity rates. In conclusion, subclinical giardiasis is endemic in Brazilian communities in different biogeographic regions, presenting high genetic diversity and a heterogeneous genotypic distribution. Full article

While life expectancy is increasing due to scientific advancement, quality of life in aging depends, among other factors, on the nutritional status and socioeconomic status of older adults. To determine socioeconomic status and its association with nutritional status as a predictor of food insecurity among older adults in southern Ecuador, a cross-sectional study of 188 older adults in urban areas and 212 in rural areas was conducted. Nutritional status, food insecurity, and socioeconomic status were measured. Data were analyzed using SPSS v 15.0 for descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis. Of the older participants, 59% had malnutrition, the majority women, and 24.7% were in poverty. Underweight was associated with low socioeconomic status for adults between 65 and 74 years old (OR = 7.710; CI 95% = 1.691–35.147), while obesity was associated with low socioeconomic status and non-manual labor (OR = 3.048; CI 95% = 1.268–7.326). Over 80% of older adults living in homes without children younger than 18 and at low socioeconomic status had food insecurity. The prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity points to widespread nutritional problems, especially in rural areas, that are significantly associated with low socioeconomic status. This demonstrates the need for multidisciplinary programs and government policies that can contribute to reducing food insecurity among the highly vulnerable older population. Full article

We examine the future benefits of the Israeli privatized pension system, which is considered as a model of transition to funded pension systems worldwide. This research is based on an extensive database obtained from one of the largest traditional private funds in the market. The results paint a concerning picture regarding the adequacy of benefits and quality of life in old age. Israel’s radical privatized pension model signals a warning to other nations. We show that, even with high returns, most individuals cannot handle the magnitude of financial and labor risks accumulated during their career and retirement. We recommend more balanced government intervention as well as the use of risk-sharing mechanisms such as providing minimum pension guarantee and strengthening the unfunded social security pillar. Full article

In sub-Saharan Africa, extreme poverty highlights the tension between development aid and the environment. Foreign aid is considered one of the most important factors affecting forest health in this region. Although many studies have empirically examined the effects of different kinds of foreign aid on forests, few have investigated the potential impact of agricultural aid. This study investigated the causal effects of agricultural aid on forests in Sierra Leone, a country that relies heavily on agricultural products. We constructed a fine-grained (16-day) indicator of forest growth from 2001 to 2015 by combining remotely sensed data of land cover and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. The high frequency of forest growth data enables us to trace the dynamic causal process. To reduce the confounding effects of heterogeneity, we applied a difference-in-difference design with data at the sub-national level to estimate the causal effect. This study provides robust empirical evidence that foreign agricultural aid harms forests both in the short term (i.e., 16 days) and long term (i.e., years) in Sierra Leone. Agricultural aid projects with agricultural development as their primary objective or aid projects without specific objectives lead to the highest levels of forest degradation. Full article

As part of the 2030 maternal and child health targets, Ethiopia strives for universal and equitable use of health services. We aimed to examine the association between household wealth, maternal education, and the interplay between these in utilization of maternal and child health services. Data emanating from the evaluation of the Optimizing of Health Extension Program intervention. Women in the reproductive age of 15 to 49 years and children aged 12–23 months were included in the study. We used logistic regression with marginal effects to examine the association between household wealth, women’s educational level, four or more antenatal care visits, skilled assistance at delivery, and full immunization of children. Further, we analyzed the interactions between household wealth and education on these outcomes. Household wealth was positively associated with skilled assistance at delivery and full child immunization. Women’s education had a positive association only with skilled assistance at delivery. Educated women had skilled attendance at delivery, especially in the better-off households. Our results show the importance of poverty alleviation and girls’ education for universal health coverage. Full article

Background: Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) may increase the risk of neonatal infections. To show the effects of PM2.5 on neonatal infections as well as the trends of the effect, we studied the burden measured by the age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and the age-standardized disability-adjusted life years rate (ASDR) and its trends with the socio-demographic index in 192 countries and regions from 1990 to 2019. Methods: This is a retrospective study that uses the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 database. The age-standardized mortality rate and age-standardized disability-adjusted life years rate are used to measure the burden of PM2.5-related neonatal infections in different countries and regions. The annual percentage changes and the average annual percentage changes are used to reflect the trends over the years (1990–2019) and are calculated using a Joinpoint model. The relationship of the socio-demographic index with the ASMR and ASDR is calculated and described using Gaussian process regression. Results: With the rapid increase in the global annual average of PM2.5, the global burden of PM2.5-related neonatal infections has increased since 1990, especially in early neonates, boys, and low-middle SDI regions. Globally, the ASMR and ASDR of PM2.5-related neonatal infections in 2019 were 0.21 (95% CI: 0.14, 0.31) and 19.06 (95% CI: 12.58, 27.52) per 100,000 people, respectively. From 1990 to 2019, the ASMR and ASDR increased by 72.58% and 73.30%, and their average annual percentage changes were 1.9 (95% CI: 1.3, 2.6) and 2.0 (95% CI: 1.3, 2.6), respectively. When the socio-demographic index was more than 0.60, it was negatively related to the burden of PM2.5-related neonatal infections. Surprisingly, the burden in low SDI regions was lower than it was in low-middle and middle SDI regions, while high-middle and high-SDI regions showed decreasing trends. Interpretation: Boys bore a higher PM2.5-related neonatal burden, with male fetuses being more likely to be affected by prenatal exposure to PM2.5 and having less of a biological survival advantage. Poverty was the root cause of the burden. Higher SDI countries devoted more resources to improving air quality, the coverage of medical services, the accessibility of institutional delivery, and timely referral to reduce the disease burden. The burden in low SDI regions was lower than that in low-middle and middle SDI regions. One reason was that the benefits of medical services were lower than the harm to health caused by environmental pollution in low-middle and middle SDI regions. Moreover, the underreporting of data is more serious in low SDI countries. Conclusions: In the past 30 years, the global burden of PM2.5-related neonatal infections has increased, especially in early neonates, boys, and low-middle SDI regions. The huge difference compared to higher SDI countries means that lower SDI countries have a long way to go to reduce the disease burden. Policy makers should appropriately allocate medical resources to boys and early newborns and pay more attention to data under-reporting in low SDI countries. In addition, it is very necessary to promulgate policies to prevent and control air pollution in countries with large and increasing exposure to PM2.5 pollution. Full article

Over the last six decades, significant progress has been made in studying poverty. Poverty research is an important issue for ensuring the sustainable development and governance of the world, especially the lower-income regions. More attention from multiple dimensions shall be paid to poverty research. However, apart from a few research publications, less research has investigated their citations using the most widely used approach for citation mapping—Scientometric analysis. Therefore, this research utilized 319 published papers on poverty research from 1964 to 20 February 2022, from the Scopus database to conduct bibliometric and social network analysis. The bibliometrix package in R and the VOSviewer program were used to perform data analysis and visualization. Theme mapping, trend themes, bibliometric coupling, and co-occurrence networks were utilized to discover potential study areas for existing and future trends. The findings reveal that poverty research has increased by 10.18% each year since 2006. Additionally, the results indicate the most influential sections of the research based on the most often mentioned subjects, papers, authors, and keywords. The findings indicate that future studies should focus on the poverty line, social policies, and living standards. The contributions of the paper may provide a reference to the understanding of poverty research through bibliometric analysis and promote poverty research in theory and practice. Full article

Individuals with disabilities are particularly vulnerable in conflict settings, and a high rate of psychopathology is well documented among persons with disabilities. The objective of this study was to explore the change in disability prevalence among IDPs in two settlement areas in central Sudan and the association between disability and psychological distress. In this one-year follow-up study, 1549 IDPs were interviewed twice using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) to investigate emotional distress. Disability was measured using the Washington Group Short Set. Households were randomly selected using the community health center as the starting point. All household members above eighteen years of age in the sampled households were interviewed. There is an increase in disability prevalence among internally displaced persons over time, associated with rural residency and poverty, low education, unemployment, IDP status, originating from western Sudan, young age, male gender, and being married. Disability was further found to be associated with psychological distress. Disability among displaced persons should be considered as a risk factor for increase in psychopathological disorders and is closely related to poverty. The study is limited to individual-level data and does not incorporate relevant environmental variables that may have influenced the changes in disability rates. Full article

There is urgent need for a new model to address the housing crisis in remote Australian Indigenous communities. Decades of major government expenditure have not significantly improved the endemic problems, which include homelessness, overcrowding, substandard dwellings, and unemployment. Between 2017–2020, Foundation for Indigenous Sustainable Health (FISH) worked with the remote Kimberley Aboriginal community, Bawoorrooga, by facilitating the co-design and co-build of a culturally and climatically appropriate home with community members. This housing model incorporates a program of education, health, governance, justice system programs, and land tenure reforms. Build features incorporate sustainable local/recycled materials and earth construction, and ‘Solar Passive Design’. The project faced challenges, including limited funding, extreme climate and remoteness, cultural barriers, and mental health issues. Nevertheless, the program was ultimately successful, producing a house which is culturally designed, climatically/thermally effective, comparatively cheap to build, and efficient to run. The project produced improvements in mental health, schooling outcomes, reduced youth incarceration, and other spheres of community development, including enterprise and community governance. Co-design and co-build projects are slower and more complex than the conventional model of external contracting, but the outcomes can be far superior across broad areas of social and emotional wellbeing, house quality and comfort, energy consumption, long-term maintenance, community physical and mental health, pride, and ownership. These factors are essential in breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty, trauma, and engagement with the justice system. This paper provides a narrative case study of the project and outlines the core principles applied and the lessons learned. Full article

A medical anthropology research study was conducted in 2015 at the First Aid and Reception Center (CPSA) on the island of Lampedusa (Italy) as part of a larger health project carried out by the National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP) in Rome. The study investigated the health conditions of migrants at the moment of their departure and on arrival, their migration journey, and their life plans and expectations for the future. The ethnographic method adopted for the study was based on participant observation and on data collection by means of a semi-structured interview (51 items simultaneously translated by cultural mediators into Tigrinya, Arabic, English, and French). Interviewed were 112 adults (82 men and 30 women) from the Gulf of Guinea and the Horn of Africa. The cooccurrence of forced migration and economic concerns was confirmed; violence and torture were constants throughout the migration journey in 81% of cases. Ethnographic data detailed the timing, countries, settings, perpetrators, and types of violence endured. A combination of qualitative and quantitative findings can both facilitate the identification of fragile health conditions and support clinicians in the diagnostic, therapeutic, and rehabilitation pathways. These data illustrate the importance and feasibility of multidisciplinary collaboration even in emergency contexts. Full article

More than one in five children in New Zealand live in food poverty, meaning that they live without access to sufficient wholesome food for good health. Evidence suggests that Māori mothers are more likely to experience food insecurity due to inequities in income, education, employment, and housing security. The aim of the study was to explore the perspectives, experiences, and strategies employed by Māori mothers to meet food access needs for their whānau. In-depth unstructured interviews were conducted with twenty Māori mothers living in Kaitaia in the far north of New Zealand who had at least one child aged two years or younger. An inductive approach was undertaken to allow findings to emerge from the data. Interviews investigated dietary habits and routines, methods of food procurement, nutrition knowledge, skills, and perceptions towards healthy food. Recorded interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis using NVivo was undertaken to identify, analyse, and report themes. Three key themes were identified. Firstly, ensuring whānau are fed using inexpensive but less nutritious foods, they reported missing meals, and feeding tamariki was prioritised. Secondly, accessing food from multiple avenues is a time-consuming journey. Participants reported accessing food grants and food banks to ensure adequate food for the household, which required time and effort, increasing stress and anxiety. Finally, the need to cope with the unexpected and unplanned, such as health and housing issues, influenced food access needs. Being well-connected to whānau, community groups, support services, and online digital access was pivotal for Māori mothers to meet whānau food needs. Māori mothers placed priority on ensuring that their whānau were fed, despite understanding healthy food choices, cost, and taste of food were driving factors in food purchase decisions. Connections were key to navigating multiple avenues to access food and cope with unexpected and unplanned circumstances. Full article

To address the problem of subjectivity in determining the poverty-returning risk among registered poor households, a method of monitoring and analyzing the poverty-returning risk among households based on BP neural network and natural breaks method was constructed. In the case of Yunyang District, Hubei Province, based on the data of the poverty alleviation and development system, we constructed a monitoring system for the poverty-returning risk for the registered poor households. The spatial distribution pattern of households under the poverty-returning risk was analyzed from two scales of district and township, respectively, by combining Geographic Information Science, and the influence degree of indicators on the poverty-returning risk using mean impact value (MIV). The results show that: (1) The spatial distribution of the poverty-returning risk among the registered poor households in the study area basically coincides with the local natural poverty-causing factors and the degree of social and economic development. (2) The Poverty-Returning Risk Index for each township represents a globally strong spatial dependence with a Moran’s I coefficient of 0.352. (3) The past poverty identification status of registered poor households is the main factor to reduce the poverty-returning risk, and the past policy should remain unchanged for a period of time. (4) Improving the quality of education within households and focusing on helping households with older average age can further reduce the poverty-returning risk. Full article

Legumes are usually used as cover crops to improve soil quality due to the biological nitrogen fixation that occurs due to the interaction of legumes and rhizobia. This symbiosis can be used to recover degraded soils using legumes as pioneer plants. In this work, we screened for bacteria that improve the legume–rhizobia interaction in nutrient-poor soils. Fourteen phosphate solubilizer-strains were isolated, showing at least three out of the five tested plant growth promoting properties. Furthermore, cellulase, protease, pectinase, and chitinase activities were detected in three of the isolated strains. Pseudomonas sp. L1, Chryseobacterium soli L2, and Priestia megaterium L3 were selected to inoculate seeds and plants of Medicago sativa using a nutrient-poor soil as substrate under greenhouse conditions. The effects of the three bacteria individually and in consortium showed more vigorous plants with increased numbers of nodules and a higher nitrogen content than non-inoculated plants. Moreover, bacterial inoculation increased plants’ antioxidant activities and improved their development in nutrient-poor soils, suggesting an important role in the stress mechanisms of plants. In conclusion, the selected strains are nodulation-enhancing rhizobacteria that improve leguminous plants growth and nodulation in nutrient-poor soils and could be used by sustainable agriculture to promote plants’ development in degraded soils. Full article

Poverty vulnerability is an important indicator to achieve sustainable development of farmers out of poverty in China. Based on the data of China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) 2018, we research the impact and mechanism of Internet use on the poverty vulnerability of farmers in the context of the Internet plus strategy. The study found that under the poverty line of US $1.9 and US $3.1, vulnerable farmers accounted for 9.48% and 33.88% of the total sample, respectively. The use of the Internet can significantly reduce the poverty vulnerability of farmers. After using instrumental variables to overcome endogenous problems, and using the PSM method for robustness testing, the research conclusions are still valid. The mechanism shows that the use of the Internet reduces the level of poverty vulnerability by increasing income levels, enhancing the ability of farmers to obtain information, and promoting non-agricultural employment. Therefore, in the process of establishing and improving the long-term mechanism for poverty governance, it is necessary to fully promote the integration of the Internet and poverty vulnerabilities to further realize the long-term effectiveness and stability of poverty governance. Therefore, in the process of establishing and improving the long-term mechanism of poverty governance, we should first promote the full coverage of Internet infrastructure. Second, the government should improve the digital literacy of farmers. Third, the goal of the Internet plus strategy in the process of poverty control should be precise. Full article

Effective recovery of rural tourism in the post-COVID-19 era could consolidate achievements in poverty alleviation and promote rural revitalization in China. In order to explore the factors influencing the rural tourism recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, this explorative–qualitative study chose Tianxi village in Hunan province of China as a typical case, as it has been officially selected as one of the key national villages for developing rural tourism. It was found that the process of rural tourism recovery in the post-COVID-19 era consists substantially of the development and evolutionary resilience in rural tourism. In the proposed theoretical model, the governance capability of local governments, robustness of rural social networks, activeness of rural talent, innovativeness of development mechanisms, and persistence of resilience cultivation are all essential factors throughout this process. Evolutionary resilience of rural tourism could enable destinations to manage unpredictable crises and even to seize novel development opportunities. Full article

Desertification has become one of the most pronounced ecological disasters, affecting arid and semi-arid areas of Nigeria. This phenomenon is more pronounced in the northern region, particularly the eleven frontline states of Nigeria, sharing borders with the Niger Republic. This has been attributed to a range of natural and anthropogenic factors. Rampant felling of trees for fuelwood, unsustainable agriculture, overgrazing, coupled with unfavourable climatic conditions are among the key factors that aggravate the desertification phenomenon. This study applied geospatial analysis to explore land use/land cover changes and detect major conversions from ecologically active land covers to sand dunes. Results indicate that areas covered by sand dunes (a major indicator of desertification) have doubled over the 25 years under consideration (1990 to 2015). Even though 0.71 km² of dunes was converted to vegetation, indicative of the success of various international, national, local and individual afforestation efforts, conversely about 10.1 km² of vegetation were converted to sand dunes, implying around 14 times more deforestation compared to afforestation. On average, our results revealed that the sand dune in the study area is progressing at a mean annual rate of 15.2 km² annually. The land cover conversion within the 25-year study period was from vegetated land to farmlands. Comparing the progression of a sand dune with climate records of the study area and examining the relationship between indicators of climate change and desertification suggested a mismatch between both processes, as increasing rainfall and lower temperatures observed in 1994, 2005, 2012, and 2014 did not translate into positive feedbacks for desertification in the study area. Likewise, the mean annual Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from 2000 to 2015 shows a deviation between vegetation peaks, mean temperatures and rainfall. On average, our results reveal that the sand dune is progressing at a mean annual rate of about 15.2 km² in the study area. Based on this study’s land cover change, trend and conversion assessment, visual reconciliation of climate records of land cover data, statistical analysis, observations from ground-truthing, as well as previous literature, it can be inferred that desertification in Nigeria is less a function of climate change, but more a product of human activities driven by poverty, population growth and failed government policies. Further projections by this study also reveal a high probability of more farmlands being converted to sand dunes by the years 2030 and 2045 if current practices prevail. Full article

The livelihood sustainability of rural residents has attracted a great deal of attention across the globe, especially in remote mountain areas. In this study, we interviewed 696 householders who were randomly selected from ‘Changtang’ (also called ‘North Tibet’), Tibetan Autonomous Region, China. Under the sustainable livelihood index (SLI) framework, we evaluated the livelihood sustainability of herder households and examined the differences between low- and high-sustainability groups. Our findings revealed the following: (1) The livelihood sustainability of all herder households was generally low; low-sustainability households accounted for 87.07% of the samples. (2) Social, human, and physical capitals accounted for 81.6% of the variance in the SLI of herder households. Less physical capital was the main reason for a lower SLI. (3) Compared with high-SLI households, low-SLI families were characterized by having a higher dependency on natural resources, fewer fixed assets, weaker personal ability, and less participation in social organizations. Moreover, low-sustainability households were more vulnerable to medical expenses. Our study suggests that policymakers should pay closer attention to skills training, promote livelihood diversification, and strengthen social capital security. These actions are recommended for global poverty reduction and to promote the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Full article

Studies on communities along railroads are relevant because of the impacts of operations on their socioeconomic and environmental conditions. The objective of this paper was to examine 32 communities affected by the Carajas railroad between 2010 and 2017. The socioeconomic and environmental dimensions involved an examination of 17 indicators and a qualitative analysis of Google Earth images, respectively. We applied appropriate statistical tests for data analysis. The results showed that urban communities have better socioeconomic conditions (higher incomes and less poverty) than rural ones; and that those in Maranhão are in a less sustainable situation (poor socioeconomic indicators and significant changes in land cover). The communities near the railroad showed higher variation in socio-environmental conditions. We conclude that socioeconomic and satellite images data analysis can help increase the resilience and sustainability of communities in risk situations. The latter include people with few financial resources, poor housing conditions, and living in areas with significant land cover changes because they provide fundamental data and information that can guide action through the formulation and execution of public policies or decision-making by other agents, such as private companies. Therefore, policymakers, managers, and other stakeholders should focus on community-scale deficiencies, especially in identified priority communities. Full article

Yams (Dioscorea spp.) possess the potential to contribute to food security and poverty alleviation in DR Congo; however, yam production is limited by several constraints, including the lack of yam improvement programs to address challenges relating to yield improvement, resistance to foliar diseases, and post-harvest tuber quality. Identification of a superior genotype for these traits and reservoirs of genes for improvement would guide yams’ improvement. This study aims to evaluate and identify landraces with superior performance for farmers and consumers. We evaluated 191 accessions from six yam species, and significant variation in the performances was observed at p < 0.05. Accessions of D. alata were superior for tuber oxidative browning (−0.01), D. cayenensis for high yield potential (29 t/ha), D. bulbifera for yam mosaic virus (YMV) tolerance (AUDPC = 3.88), and D. rotundata for tuber dry matter content (37%). A high genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation (>40) was observed for tuber yield, number of tubers per plots, tuber flesh oxidative browning, and tuber flesh texture. High broad-sense heritability estimates (>60) were similarly observed for all the assessed parameters except number of tubers per plot. Tuber size was identified as the best predictor for tuber yield (b = 2.64, p < 0.001) and tuber dry matter content (b = 2.21, p < 0.001). The study identified twenty stable landrace accessions from three Dioscorea species (D. alata (7); D. cayenensis (2); D. rotundata (11)). These accessions combined high yield potential, high tuber dry matter, high tolerance to YMV and YAD, and low tuber flesh oxidation. The accessions could be considered for the establishment of a yam improvement program in DR Congo. Full article

Poverty data are usually collected through on-the-ground household-based socioeconomic surveys. Unfortunately, data collection with such conventional methods is expensive, laborious, and time-consuming. Additional information that can describe poverty with better granularity in scope and at lower cost, taking less time to update, is needed to address the limitations of the currently existing official poverty data. Numerous studies have suggested that the poverty proxy indicators are related to economic spatial concentration, infrastructure distribution, land cover, air pollution, and accessibility. However, the existing studies that integrate these potentials by utilizing multi-source remote sensing and geospatial big data are still limited, especially for identifying granular poverty in East Java, Indonesia. Through analysis, we found that the variables that represent the poverty of East Java in 2020 are night-time light intensity (NTL), built-up index (BUI), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), point-of-interest (POI) density, and POI distance. In this study, we built a relative spatial poverty index (RSPI) to indicate the spatial poverty distribution at 1.5 km × 1.5 km grids by overlaying those variables, using a multi-scenario weighted sum model. It was found that the use of multi-source remote sensing and big data overlays has good potential to identify poverty using the geographic approach. The obtained RSPI is strongly correlated (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.71 (p-value = $5.97\times {10}^{-7}$) and Spearman rank correlation coefficient = 0.77 (p-value = $1.58\times {10}^{-8}$) to the official poverty data, with the best root mean square error (RMSE) of 3.18%. The evaluation of RSPI shows that areas with high RSPI scores are geographically deprived and tend to be sparsely populated with more inadequate accessibility, and vice versa. The advantage of RSPI is that it is better at identifying poverty from a geographical perspective; hence, it can be used to overcome spatial poverty traps. Full article

With development, people around the world have become wealthier and live longer. At the same time, development can lead to growing inequalities within and between nations. This paper analyses inequalities related to disability and how they vary across countries by development level. Using internationally comparable data on disability inequalities in 40 countries, we assess disability inequalities through the use of regression analyses with a variety of development measures. Results support the hypothesis only partially: disability inequalities related to education, employment, and multidimensional poverty are found to be significantly larger in countries at higher levels of development. However, this is not the case for rates of access to water, sanitation, clean fuel, electricity, housing, and assets. These results, overall, hold when using different development and outcome indicators, and when focusing on specific subgroups of the population. The potential implications of these findings are discussed. Further research is needed to understand, for education and employment, the factors and processes that contribute to larger disability inequalities in countries at higher levels of development and what strategies might be pursued to reduce them. Full article

(1) Background: The aim of the study was to analyse the structure of registered fatal violent crimes against children under 5 years of age and to identify the main characteristics and risk factors of fatal violence against children in order to discuss the possibilities and limits of prevention of these crimes. (2) Methods: Mixed-method design: 1. retrospective statistical analysis of data extracted from Czech statistics about crime. 2. qualitative analysis of autopsy reports and construction of serial case study. The data were pooled from two different sources: 1. Statistics about crime against children aged 0 to 5 (n = 512). 2. Autopsy reports (n = 52) of children up to the age of five. (3) Results: The following indicators and risk factors were identified: mental disorder or cognitive deficits in parents, parents’ immaturity, poor parenting skills, inadequate parenting practices, absence of a deep emotional bond with the mother, lack of parents’ interest in catering to the children’s needs, parents’ addiction, an unprotected, hazardous environment and surroundings, household falling apart, incidence of suspected domestic violence, incidence of multiple bruises and untreated injuries, aggressively dominant parents, poverty, absence of adequate health care, medical neglect of a child, poor health of the child and failure to thrive. (4) Conclusions: The task for the state is to make effective use of all accessible mechanisms to improve the situation in families. Particularly in the context of the newly emerging situation of increasing uncontrolled violence in families in the context of the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, this demand is more than urgent. Close attention should be paid to children who are not registered with pediatricians and fail to attend regular medical examinations. It is also vital to follow families in which violence has already been suspected in the past. Full article

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of 2015 identify poverty, growth, and inequality as three key areas of intervention towards the UN 2030 Agenda for human well-being and sustainability. Herein, the predominant objectives are: (a) To determine the poverty groups by quintiles through the cattle income in households of small milk producers; (b) To characterize rural livelihoods by using capital theory; and (c) To assess the perception of climate change (CC) and the willingness to accept adaptation as well as mitigation measures. The current study was performed in communities that are located in the Ecuadorian Andes, where some 178 surveys were conducted with indigenous Kichwa and mestizo heads of households. From the total net income determined, five groups were organized. The Lorenz curve was applied as a general indicator of the relative inequality, as well as the Gini coefficient (G). On the basis of the theory of capital, the human, social, natural, physical, and financial characteristics were determined, and seven variables were considered to evaluate the perception and willingness to accept mitigation and adaptation actions of the given quintiles. The result of the Gini coefficient was 0.52, which indicates that the poorest 20% of the population only receives 3.40% of the income, while the richest 20% of the quintile obtain about 54% of the total income. It is evident that most producers know little about CC, but that they are willing to receive strengthening programs. Therefore, it is essential to establish strategic guidelines from public policy in order to reduce inequality and to improve the social welfare of producers, with a transversal axis in the strengthening of the capacities on the impact, mitigation, and adaptation to CC, as well as the provision of several tools, such as access to climate information. Full article

Understanding the spatial distribution characteristics of protected areas is the basis to balance the conservation and regional development. With the increasing number and area of protected areas, China has also made decisive progress in the fight against poverty. However, the spatial distribution characteristics of various types of protected areas in poor counties in China are still unclear and lacking further analysis on the differences compared to non-poor counties. Here, we first integrated the spatial distribution data of 8133 protected areas in China and overlaid them with 832 poor counties. Then we explored the spatial distribution characteristics of protected areas and the relationship with socio-economic and natural environment in poor and non-poor counties. The results showed that the area coverage of nature reserves in poor counties in China was significantly higher than that in non-poor counties (p < 0.001), while the area coverage of natural parks in non-poor counties was significantly higher than that in poor counties (p < 0.05). The area coverages of protected areas in poor counties in Northeast (p < 0.05), Southwest (p < 0.001), Central (p < 0.05), and East China (p < 0.01) were significantly higher than that in non-poor counties. Furthermore, the area coverage of nature reserves in poor counties was significantly positively correlated with mean elevation (p < 0.001), and the area coverage of natural parks in non-poor counties was significantly positively correlated with road network density (p < 0.05) and negatively correlated with the proportion of farmland (p < 0.001). This study can provide a reference to help China and other similar countries in the establishment of protected area systems to balance the conservation and poverty eradication for regional sustainable development. Full article

Smallholder farmers across rural landscapes remain trapped in a vicious cycle of endemic poverty where interconnected challenges limit their ability to improve their livelihoods. Our study of smallholder farmers’ relationships with suppliers and several stakeholders across the Tanzanian rural agro-input supply chain offers an extended perspective on the persistence of endemic poverty and broadens the discussion on the future of sustainable food production and smallholder livelihoods. Through interviews and focus groups, we use a grounded theory methodology to develop a systemic approach to understanding the complexities of this landscape as related to smallholder agro-input sourcing activities. Our causal loop diagram framework provides a unique perspective on the poverty trap experienced by smallholder farmers in this context. Our findings may be useful in targeting practical and sustainable directions towards overcoming the poverty trap, ultimately enabling smallholders to increase wealth and improve their livelihoods through sustainable practices. Full article

Evaluating the influence of livelihood capital on livelihood strategies remains an unexplored strategy intended to cultivate the level of livelihood capital, enhance livelihood strategies, combine the achievements regarding a reduction in poverty, and attain everlasting poverty mitigation, along with endorsing sustainable livelihoods. Based on the survey data of 508 farmers within poverty-stricken areas of Southwest China, the entropy method was primarily used for measuring the level of farmers’ livelihood capital. Moreover, the logistic regression model was used to empirically analyze the impact of livelihood capital on the choice and transformation of livelihood strategies. The results showed the following: (1) The five categories of livelihood capital values were generally not high. The value of physical capital was the highest (0.4279), while the value of financial capital was the lowest (0.2018). (2) Physical capital, alongside natural capital, has a positive influence on the pure agriculture livelihood strategy, while human, social, and financial capital have a positive impact on the non-agriculture livelihood strategy. Excluding financial capital, the remaining types of capital have a positive impact on the part-time agriculture livelihood strategy. (3) Decisive factors are used to promote transformation from pure agriculture to part-time agriculture, mostly comprising social network support and family labor force, among other indicators. The important factors used to promote transformation from pure agriculture to non-agriculture are mainly labor education level and social network support, among other indicators. Finally, on the basis of the above findings, policy sanctions are proposed from the observations of livelihood capital and livelihood strategies. Full article

China’s logging ban policy has profoundly transformed the forestry industry, creating substantial impacts for forestry-worker households. Empirical evidence is needed to examine whether and how severe the transition policy produces vulnerability and relative poverty for the affected households. This paper samples forestry-worker households from the Greater Khingan Mountains state-owned forest region as the study subjects to evaluate their household vulnerabilities with the LVI approach proposed by IPCC. This study computes the relative poverty scores of the families and further identifies the relationships between the selected household’s socio-economic factors and the estimated vulnerability and poverty scores with OLS regression. This study derives a sleuth of valuable points. (1) The majority of the forestry-worker households have had to suffer downsized, vulnerable livelihoods with escalated relative poverty due to the policy’s impact. (2) Poverty closely connects with vulnerability, where the more impoverished the household, the more vulnerable it is. Poverty is, however, not the only factor affecting household vulnerability. Other factors, particularly of public and social-financial factors, are interconnected with poverty and, thus, compound the vulnerability issue. (3) Factors, e.g., family size, age and gender of household head, bank deposits, and life and job satisfaction, which are typically very beneficial for improving family vulnerability and poverty. (4) Regular financial assistance programs, particularly the commonly-trusted one-off household compensation program, might not provide solid support for addressing long-term household vulnerability and poverty. This study contributes to a broader understanding of household vulnerability and relative poverty for improved policy and program development addressing forestry workers and household vulnerabilities. Full article

The link between climate change and growing poverty levels makes communities more vulnerable to catastrophes, reducing community resilience to disaster consequences. Development practitioners, planners, and researchers must find novel techniques to build community resilience in the face of an ever-growing hazard in such a circumstance with a spectrum of risk and catastrophe. As a result, the focus of this study was on how school systems, as significant social institutions, might effectively minimize disaster risk in communities. People’s standards, beliefs, and behaviors are greatly influenced by societal institutions. After the family, the school is the second most significant socializing institution, in charge of shaping people’s attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, specialized skills, and values in order to ensure social conformity. The prospect of using school systems to increase catastrophe risk reduction in poor areas of Greece was specifically addressed in this study. The study confirmed that the school curriculum has a positive and significant relationship with disaster risk management. Many advantages are realized, according to the research, if catastrophe risk mitigation is made a priority in Greece’s educational systems. Learning about ideas such as civil protection and incorporating disaster risk management into school curricula are both viewed as vital in enhancing disaster risk management. Full article

Previous studies on individual-level variables have improved our knowledge base of oral health service use. However, environmental or contextual variables are also important in understanding oral health disparities in racial and ethnic neighborhoods. Based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework, this study examines the geographic availability of oral health providers in Washing-ton DC, U.S.A. Census tract-level data were drawn from the American Community Survey, joined with tract-level shapefiles, and overlaid with the geographic location of dental services throughout the city. Visual maps, descriptive statistics, and spatial lag regression models showed that census tracts with higher concentrations of African Americans were significantly farther from their nearest oral health providers (r = 0.19, p < 0.001), after controlling for neighborhood poverty rate, median age, and gender. Such findings confirm that in urban areas with highly di-verse populations such as Washington DC, racial disparities in oral health care access are signifi-cant. The study highlights that identifying neighborhoods with limited oral health care providers should be a priority in diminishing racial disparities in oral health service access. Improving access to racial/ethnic minority communities, especially African American neighborhoods, will require changes in health policies and programs, workforce development, resource allocation, community outreach, and educational programs. Full article

Over-reliance on hired jobs in the public and private sectors of the Nigerian economy has discouraged most graduates from becoming entrepreneurs. This leads to unemployment, poverty and low economic growth that breed insecurity. Drawing from the formative perspective, this study analyzed the mediating role of self-efficacy (SELF) and the moderating effect of entrepreneurial support (ENTSP) in relation to individual-level entrepreneurial orientation (ILEO; innovativeness, risk taking and proactiveness) and venture creation (VC) among Nigerian graduates. A reflective/formative type II method was applied to test the model’s relationships using 291 survey responses. The result of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) reveals that the indirect relationship between ILEO and VC through SELF was positive and significant but negatively moderated by ENTSP, implying that not all instances of ILEO will result in VC through SELF because ILEO can directly lead to VC. The finding also indicates ENTSP did not have an impact on strengthening the relationship between SELF and VC. A limitation lies in the chosen method that weakens the generalizability of the result, but future studies considering a longitudinal survey are suggested. This study extends the entrepreneurial orientation model to enhance the venture creation literature theoretically and practically. We recommend intervention agencies to initiate effective ENTSP covering financial, non-financial and incubation services required to boost VC activities. Full article

Building fabric retrofitting is an important first step in improving building energy efficiency. The United Kingdom’s (UK) housing stock is one of the most inefficient in Europe, and Northern Ireland has the second-highest level of fuel poverty in the UK. This Northern Irish case study developed three fabric retrofit scenarios that estimate potential demand reductions, CO₂ emissions removals and retrofit costs. The first scenario reduces domestic demand by 10% and removes 6% of domestic emissions. The second scenario is more ambitious than the first, and results in an 18% reduction in demand and 12% of emissions removed. The third scenario proposes fabric retrofitting to PassivHaus standard and results in a 42% reduction in demand and 27% of emissions removed. Furthermore, retrofit schemes can provide up to approximately 350,000 jobs annually between 2022 and 2050 for the Northern Irish population. This study demonstrates how fabric retrofit scenarios can be streamlined to the unique features of a housing stock. It shows that fabric retrofit research is important for the formulation of energy efficiency policy and emphasises that domestic sector retrofitting will yield socioeconomic and environmental benefits locally and internationally. Full article

Farmers’ poverty has long been of global concern, mainly in poor rather than affluent areas. The goal of this paper is to better understand the range of poverty in the context of regional differentiation and to enrich knowledge on farmers’ poverty in affluent areas and areas with good natural conditions. A questionnaire survey of poor farmers in the major grain-producing area of Changchun, Northeast China was conducted. Farmers’ poverty was studied from income poverty and multidimensional poverty by intertwining qualitative and quantitative methods. The results indicate that low education levels and poor physical health were most prevalent in poor farmers, followed by income poverty and low living standards. Governmental policies and the macroeconomic situation in the agricultural sector, non-agricultural employment, aging, cultivated land, and family size correlated closely with farmers’ poverty. The macro changes in policies and global trade liberalization in the agricultural sector impacted farmers’ income through the prices of agricultural products and subsidies and influenced the effect of cultivated land. For poor farmers, the effect of employment opportunities in villages was more significant than in urban areas. Aging remains a challenge for farmers’ poverty now and in the future. Full article

Prickly pear (Rosa roxburghii Tratt), a shrub mainly distributed in South China, is an economically essential plant for helping the local people out of poverty. To efficiently provide sufficient nutrients to the plant in the soil for the ecological cultivation of prickly pear, we studied the aerobic composting of a prickly pear litter with three agents, including AC (Bacillus natto, Bacillus sp., Actinomycetes sp., Saccharomyces sp., Trichoderma sp., Azotobacter sp., and Lactobacillus sp.), BC (Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillaceae sp., Bacillus licheniformis, Saccharomyces sp., and Enterococcus faecalis), and CC (Bacillus sp., Actinomycetes sp., Lactobacillaceae sp., Saccharomyces sp., and Trichoderma sp.) and a control without microbial agents. The results show that the physicochemical and microbial traits of three resultant prickly pear composts were different after the inoculation with AC, BC, or CC. The pH values of three composts ranged from 8.0 to 8.5, and their conductivity values were between 1.6 and 1.9 mS/cm. The seed germination index of all three composts exceeded 70%. The contents of volatile solids and organic matter of the three composts both decreased significantly. The BC maximally increased the total N (18%) of the compost, whereas the CC maximally increased the total P (48%) and total K (38%) contents. Contents of available P and available K of the three composts increased significantly, and the available N content in compost after BC inoculation increased by 16%. The physicochemical features showed that three composts were non-hazardous to plants, and the microbial agents improved nutrient availability. The richness, Chao1, and Shannon index in the bacterial communities of three composts increased significantly. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes bacterium became dominant in the three composts, whereas at the family level, Microscillaceae and A4b (phylum Chloroflexi) became the dominant groups. Abundant cellulose-degrading bacteria existed at the dominant phylum level, which promoted fiber degradation in composts. Organic matter and the available N content regulated the composting bacterium. The inoculants enhanced the efficiency of composting: agents B and C were more suitable exogenous inoculants for the composting of a prickly pear litter. Full article

Rural family differentiation is an important perspective to analyze farmers’ behavior and poverty. Based on the data of 1673 farm households from rural field survey in 2019 in Hubei Province of China, this paper examines the main influencing factors of farm household differentiation on farm household poverty vulnerability from the perspective of the sustainable livelihoods of farm households. On this basis, the contribution of each influencing factor to farm household poverty vulnerability is analysed using the regression decomposition method. The results of the study show that the variables of farm household differentiation have a significant impact on poverty vulnerability, and the net household income per capita, which reflect the vertical differentiation of farm households, and the proportion of non-farm labor, which reflects the horizontal differentiation of farm households. Both have a significant negative impact on the poverty vulnerability of farm households. The regression decomposition method shows that the proportion of non-farm labor force, which reflects the horizontal differentiation of farm households, has the highest contribution to the poverty vulnerability of farm households. Human capital, natural capital, social capital, and physical capital also influence the poverty vulnerability of farm households to a certain extent. Full article

The shadow economy is a significant factor in impoverishing the economies of countries and unequal operating and competitive conditions distort the market economy system, as opaque parallel activities impoverish socially responsible business units. The biomass energy sector faces this risk because the biomass supply chain is not yet fully secure and balanced. The study conducted by the authors showed that the manifestations of the shadow economy in the biomass energy sector are possible in the biomass production and transportation sub-sectors. Lack of digitization and poor resource management can lead to the problem of misuse of resources, which has non-transparent economic activities. The evaluation methodology developed by the authors allows to investigate the directions of shadow economy in the biomass energy sector and to measure the possible extent of such activities. The measurements were made in order to compare the official activities of enterprises with the factors attributable to the shadow economy. This is also due to the lack of innovation and digital solutions. The application of innovative solutions would help to reduce the size of the shadow economy, which would increase the income of regions and the state, and reduce the level of poverty. Full article

The pandemic’s lockdown has made physical inactivity unavoidable, forcing many people to work from home and increasing the sedentary nature of their lifestyle. The link between spatial and socio-environmental dynamics and people’s levels of physical activity is critical for promoting healthy lifestyles and improving population health. Most studies on physical activity or sedentary behaviors have focused on the built environment, with less attention to social and natural environments. We illustrate the spatial distribution of physical inactivity using the space scan statistic to supplement choropleth maps of physical inactivity prevalence in Chicago, IL, USA. In addition, we employ geographically weighted regression (GWR) to address spatial non-stationarity of physical inactivity prevalence in Chicago per census tract. Lastly, we compare GWR to the traditional ordinary least squares (OLS) model to assess the effect of spatial dependency in the data. The findings indicate that, while access to green space, bike lanes, and living in a diverse environment, as well as poverty, unsafety, and disability, are associated with a lack of interest in physical activities, limited language proficiency is not a predictor of an inactive lifestyle. Our findings suggest that physical activity is related to socioeconomic and environmental factors, which may help guide future physical activity behavior research and intervention decisions, particularly in identifying vulnerable areas and people. Full article

The Science, Research, and Innovation Plan 2023–2027 (SRI Plan) is a national policy that will support researchers to steer Thailand towards a more sustainable path. In contrast to most existing policies, which focus on poverty reduction through economic growth schemes, and national security, Thailand Science, Research, and Innovation (TSRI) aims at balancing the social, economic, and environmental aspects of the SRI Plan. While the TSRI has been incorporating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into its policies, it realized that there is the need to cater for diverse lives across Thailand. This research aims to support the TSRI in drafting a more inclusive SRI Plan, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak. Through the SDGs’ lens, the researchers collaborated with regional investigators to examine the area-specific needs across six regions of Thailand. Given the COVID-19 constraints, the horizon scanning and modified Delphi technique were used to collect data from April 2020 to April 2021. The results obtained from the participants unveiled that, while several issues are shared, each region ranked mostly different issues as their development concerns. The TSRI stands to benefit from these insights by drafting a region-specific national research plan. Regarding the shared concerns, the economic slowdown was ranked as one of the most grievous matters concerning the regions. Interestingly, through the interlinkage approach highlighted by the SDGs, the participants associated this economic problem with other issues unique to their regions, such as multidimensional poverty, loss of tourists due to the global pandemic, and drug-related crimes. Unfortunately, the relevant authorities usually treat these problems as being separate issues. A silos-dominant administrative system, combined with rigid regulations, prevents efficient cooperation. In addition to the economic issues, waste management and water-related problems due to climate change were ranked as significant concerns. Lastly, the participants also viewed injustice and the lack of good governance as drawbacks to sustainable development. From these results, it is evident that TSRI can draft a more inclusive SRI Plan to support research for sustainable development through the SDGs’ lens. Indeed, the Plan would reflect a more balanced view of regional needs than those formulated through the usual technocratic techniques. Full article

This paper investigates the presence of a causal relationship between energy poverty and income poverty in the EU Member States through a Panel Vector Autoregressive specification, and controlled with a set of explanatory variables collected from the Eurostat energy database and the OECD environment database for 2007–2018. Deepening the nexus between energy poverty and income poverty is a relevant issue for tailoring policies to tackle poverty and improve the well-being of citizens, supporting the policy makers in the allocation of planned funds provided by the Recovery plan, “Next Generation EU”. The results of the panel VAR model estimation and Dumitrescu and Hurlin test suggest that there will be no change in the long-run equilibrium when income poverty remains constant. Moreover, the reduction in energy poverty is expected to have a positive effect in terms of overall economic poverty reduction. Finally, there is evidence that substituting fossil fuels with renewables helps to reduce energy poverty and widespread poverty due to the leverage effect on economic development as well as to support the achievement of some of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals addressed by United Nations. Full article

The implementation of water and sanitation safety plans (WSSP) has the potential of greatly improving the challenge of resource-limited drinking-water supplies. However, the most effective tool to make WSSP successful is understanding of the factors that contribute to hindering the implementation of these plans, specifically in rural communities. This study therefore aimed at assessing the status of basic services and determining the factors that contribute to hampering the process of WSSP in rural communities. A survey was conducted between March 2020 and March 2021 in rural communities of the Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The overall results indicate that poverty, unemployment, lack of access to purified water, and inadequate sanitation facilities have resulted in waterborne diseases reported within the communities and have a major impact in hindering WSSP. Other barriers observed are inequality regarding financial power, absent and degrading water and sanitation infrastructures, and lack of protection and maintenance of natural water sources. Therefore, there is a need for community members to be educated on proper behavior and perceptions towards sanitation, including working hand-in-hand with different stakeholders, men and women from communities, and different cultures and religions to overcome these barriers, so that human disease associated with water supply, wastewater reuse, and sanitation in rural communities can be alleviated. Full article

As one of China’s key poverty-reduction initiatives, poverty alleviation relocation (PAR) unavoidably results in the reshaping of neighboring social networks. This study equally focused on the changes in the scope of social interaction and in the intergroup social support of the two primary stakeholders of PAR in a rural–rural relocation context: the migrant and local groups. In 2019 and 2021, two surveys were conducted in four different types of resettlements: centralized, adjacent, enclave, and infill. To provide decision makers with broad references for sustainable PAR planning, the social changes were compared by groups, types, and years. In general, the migrant group had more significant scope expansion or narrowing in social interaction than the local group, and they were more willing to seek intergroup social support. Specifically, the centralized type was the superior choice since it was well-expanded and group-balanced; the adjacent type was also a good choice in the long term because of its rapid improvement in the later phase; the enclave type should be a last resort because of its persistently negative impact; and the infill type was a good option in the short term, as it rarely improved in the later stage. Furthermore, the personal socioeconomic attributes associated with the above social changes, claims laid to the spaces, and economic benefits and limitations were explored for a more comprehensive understanding. Full article

As the smallest livelihood unit in rural areas, farmers often face multiple risks. Rational responses to livelihood risks not only prevent households from falling into poverty, but also improve the sustainability of family livelihoods. This is essential to the sustainable development of rural areas. This paper takes the region located in the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China as an example, using household survey data to analyze farmers’ livelihood risk coping strategies and their key factors through a binary logistic model. The results show that 92.80% of farmers face the shock of multiple livelihood risks. The main livelihood risks of farmers are family capacity building risk, health risk and social risk. When faced with multiple livelihood risks, farmers have the strongest preference to give priority to health risks, followed by family capacity building risks and social risks. Among them, farmers’ health risk coping preferences are stronger in farming areas than those in purely pastoral and farming-pastoral areas. There are differences in the factors for farmers’ preferences for coping with different livelihood risks. Human capital is a key factor for health risk coping preferences. Human capital and social capital are key factors for social risk coping preferences. Social capital is a key factor for family capacity building risk coping preferences. Finally, this paper puts forward countermeasures and suggestions to provide reference for farmers rationally coping with livelihood risks. Full article

Ecological poverty alleviation is a discursive and policy system with rich theoretical implications, comprehensive policy tools and multiple practical approaches, constituting an important dimension of contemporary Chinese poverty alleviation theory and practice, or a complete case of eco-innovation. Promoting green development, establishing ecological public-welfare compensation mechanisms and organizing ecological relocation are the three major modes or paths of implementing this policy. It is undoubtedly a historic success on the one hand and has still great potential for self-adjustment or self-transformation on the other from a perspective of eco-civilization progress or sustainability. Full article

Recent studies uncover the lack of symmetry in COVID-19-related economic shock distributions among households. Thus, questions arise about the appropriateness of diverse risk-coping mechanisms by households. We add to this strand of research by focusing on households running a business. In particular, we analyze the role of basic legal aspects of running a business by individuals, specifically a legal form of business activity in shaping COVID-19-related business risk perception. We posit that the different legal forms allow for different risk-coping mechanisms. We incorporate analysis of variance (ANOVA) on data obtained via a survey distributed among households running a business in Poland, a country where the pandemic threatens poverty-reducing growth. We confirm that between the groups of households running a business in various legal forms, there are statistically significant differences regarding the impact of COVID-19. Thus, we conclude that the choice of business legal form affects vulnerability to COVID-19-related interruptions among households running a business. Full article

Integration of environmental, economic, and social approaches to development is crucial to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Global evidence reflects that this integration is often imbalanced, with development policies and programs in many low- and middle-income countries placing greater emphasis on economic needs than environmental vulnerabilities. Drawing on qualitative research undertaken in mid-2021, this article explores how limited integration of environmental, economic, and social aspects has affected the development of Rohingya refugee adolescents who were forcibly displaced from Myanmar to the Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh. Cox’s Bazar is one of the most climate-vulnerable areas in Bangladesh and is subject to extreme rainfall, landslides, and flash floods. The article highlights the ways in which Rohingya adolescents are highly vulnerable to both the direct and indirect consequences of these environmental conditions due to poverty, and inadequate housing infrastructure and water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities. It discusses the ways in which these environmental challenges intersect with socioeconomic disadvantage, especially limited education, skills development, and livelihood opportunities for young people, which are in turn compounded by limited voice and agency, and a dearth of security and protection measures. For some Rohingya adolescent girls and boys, the findings suggests that these multi-dimensional vulnerabilities place them at risk of exploitation by traffickers, smugglers, extremist groups, and criminals. The article concludes by highlighting the importance of explicitly integrating environmental aspects into policy and programs that support Rohingya adolescents to develop their full capabilities, and encouraging their meaningful participation in policy dialogues and accountability processes. Full article

The 9-valent human papillomavirus (9-vHPV) vaccine uptake rate among adolescents has improved over the years; however, little is known about the adherence to the recommended dosing schedule. This study examines the prevalence and factors associated with adherence to the recommended 9vHPV vaccination dosing schedule among adolescents aged 13 to 17 years. The cross-sectional study was conducted using the 2019–2020 National Immunization Survey-Teen. The parents of 34,619 adolescents were included in our analyses. The overall up-to-date (UTD) prevalence was 57.1%. The UTD prevalence was 60.0% among females and 54.2% among males. Adolescents aged 16 years had the highest UTD prevalence of 63.0%. The UTD prevalence was 61.6% among Hispanics and 54.7% among non-Hispanic Whites. Overall, compared to females, males had 14% lower odds of UTD. The odds of UTD were 1.91 times, 2.08 times, and 1.98 times higher among adolescents aged 15–17 years, respectively, compared to those aged 13 years. Moreover, region, poverty, insurance status, mothers’ educational level, and provider recommendation were associated with UTD. Our findings show that adherence to the recommended 9vHPV vaccine schedule is low in the US. Targeted public health efforts are needed to improve the rates of adherence to the recommended 9vHPV dose schedule. Full article

Economic growth is a priority in many developing countries in the drive to eradicate inequality and poverty, but elevated levels of economic growth are regarded as inimical to climate preservation and sustainability. The continuing depletion of natural resources and industrial pollution has led to increasing global pressure and government policies aimed at reducing climate deterioration. Advocates of ’strong sustainability’ are concentrated in the economically developed world, while developing countries have a greater need for economic growth and advocate weaker forms of sustainability where economic development, the promotion of employment and eradication of poverty take precedence over climate preservation concerns. Extant internationalization literature does not provide an integrated model of sustainable internationalization. (i.e., the relative emphasis of human and natural capital in contextual and universal factors in the internationalization process of developing and developed countries). To address this underexplored research gap, a cross-sectional, non-probabilistic convenience sample of South African SMEs using a mixed methods approach, and a secondary data eclectic analysis of developed and developing countries’ SME internationalization using a comparative multiple-case design, were adopted in this study. Findings indicate that both contextual and universal factors are prominent in developing and developed countries’ internationalization. The findings also suggest that developing countries initially focus on unsustainable contextual factors and later move on to embracing sustainable universal factors in their internationalization. This paper provides a conceptual model to describe the relative importance of contextual vis-à-vis universal factors in the sustainability of SMEs’ development as they pass through the various stages of internationalization over time. Full article