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• 31. [Article] Three essays on food security, food assistance, and migration

  This dissertation's three essays explore the determinants of food insecurity for rural farm households, the influence of rainfall variability and long-run changes in rainfall levels on the migration decisions ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Three essays on food security, food assistance, and migration Author: Lewin, Paul A. This dissertation's three essays explore the determinants of food insecurity for rural farm households, the influence of rainfall variability and long-run changes in rainfall levels on the migration decisions of working-age household heads, and the distributional impacts in core and periphery regions of food assistance to households in the hinterland. The first essay examines how socio-economic characteristics of households, local conditions, and public programs are associated with the probability that a farm household in rural Malawi is food insecure. The statistical analysis uses nationally representative data for 7,965 randomly-selected households interviewed during 2004/05 for the second Malawi Integrated Household Survey (IHS-2). Regressions are estimated separately for households in the north, center, and south of Malawi to account for spatial heterogeneity. Results of a Probit regression model reveal that households are less likely to be food insecure if they have more cultivated land per capita, receive agricultural field assistance, reside in a community with an irrigation scheme, and are headed by an individual with a high school degree. Factors that positively correlate with a household's food insecurity are number of household members and distance to markets. The second essay uses nationally representative data from Malawi's 2004/05 Integrated Household Survey (IHS-2) to examine whether rainfall conditions influence a rural worker’s decision to make a long-term move to an urban or another rural area. Results of a Full Information Maximum Likelihood regression model reveal that (1) rainfall shocks constrain migration, most likely by making it difficult for prospective migrants to cover costs of migration, (2) migrants choose to move to communities where rainfall variability is lower, and (3) rainfall shocks have larger negative effects on the earnings of recent migrants than on long-time residents’ earnings. The third essay examines how benefits from food assistance programs to needy households spillover between areas and among household income groups in the United States. We study the effect of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the Portland Oregon metro Core and its Periphery trade area, using a Multiregional Input- Output (MRIO) model based on a Social Accounting Matrix (SAM). The analysis captures direct, indirect and induced effects of SNAP on each region and spillover effects on the other region. SNAP benefits to the lower income household classes in each region are traced to their effects on the local economy in each region, and to the effects on household income by income class. The analysis finds that (1) the economic impact on the Portland Core from a given level of SNAP benefits to households in the Periphery is greater than the economic impact in the Periphery from the same level of SNAP benefits to households in the Core; (2) high-income households benefit more than low-income households from the indirect and induced economic impact of SNAP. Title: Three essays on food security, food assistance, and migration Author: Lewin, Paul A. This dissertation's three essays explore the determinants of food insecurity for rural farm households, the influence of rainfall variability and long-run changes in rainfall levels on the migration decisions of working-age household heads, and the distributional impacts in core and periphery regions of food assistance to households in the hinterland. The first essay examines how socio-economic characteristics of households, local conditions, and public programs are associated with the probability that a farm household in rural Malawi is food insecure. The statistical analysis uses nationally representative data for 7,965 randomly-selected households interviewed during 2004/05 for the second Malawi Integrated Household Survey (IHS-2). Regressions are estimated separately for households in the north, center, and south of Malawi to account for spatial heterogeneity. Results of a Probit regression model reveal that households are less likely to be food insecure if they have more cultivated land per capita, receive agricultural field assistance, reside in a community with an irrigation scheme, and are headed by an individual with a high school degree. Factors that positively correlate with a household's food insecurity are number of household members and distance to markets. The second essay uses nationally representative data from Malawi's 2004/05 Integrated Household Survey (IHS-2) to examine whether rainfall conditions influence a rural worker’s decision to make a long-term move to an urban or another rural area. Results of a Full Information Maximum Likelihood regression model reveal that (1) rainfall shocks constrain migration, most likely by making it difficult for prospective migrants to cover costs of migration, (2) migrants choose to move to communities where rainfall variability is lower, and (3) rainfall shocks have larger negative effects on the earnings of recent migrants than on long-time residents’ earnings. The third essay examines how benefits from food assistance programs to needy households spillover between areas and among household income groups in the United States. We study the effect of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the Portland Oregon metro Core and its Periphery trade area, using a Multiregional Input- Output (MRIO) model based on a Social Accounting Matrix (SAM). The analysis captures direct, indirect and induced effects of SNAP on each region and spillover effects on the other region. SNAP benefits to the lower income household classes in each region are traced to their effects on the local economy in each region, and to the effects on household income by income class. The analysis finds that (1) the economic impact on the Portland Core from a given level of SNAP benefits to households in the Periphery is greater than the economic impact in the Periphery from the same level of SNAP benefits to households in the Core; (2) high-income households benefit more than low-income households from the indirect and induced economic impact of SNAP. Close

• 32. [Article] Flying Under the Radar: An Exploratory Assessment of Portland’s Burmese Refugee Parent Needs

  War and persecution have devastating consequences, and the United States (U.S.) has a time-honored commitment to providing refuge to those most afflicted. Over the last four decades, the U.S. has provided ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Flying Under the Radar: An Exploratory Assessment of Portland’s Burmese Refugee Parent Needs Author: Thogmartin, Asia A. War and persecution have devastating consequences, and the United States (U.S.) has a time-honored commitment to providing refuge to those most afflicted. Over the last four decades, the U.S. has provided sanctuary to more than 3.2 million refugees through its resettlement programs (U.S. Department of State, 2015a). Burma’s long-standing civil war has made it one of the major contributors to the U.S. resettled refugee population (South & Jolliffe, 2015; U.S. Department of State, 2015a; 2016d, n.d.-a). Because of the vast differences between U.S. and Burmese people and their lived experiences, Burmese refugees as a group are potentially more vulnerable to resettlement-related stressors. The stressors of resettlement are especially amplified for refugee parents (e.g., Berry, 2005; Dumbrill, 2009; Renzaho & Vignievic, 2011). Refugee parents face challenges that go beyond the difficulties faced by non-refugee, native parents, in part because refugee parents are faced with increased familial conflict as a result of resettlement challenges (Atwell, Gifford, &McDonald-Wilmsen, 2009; Reed, Fazel, Jones, Panter-Brick, & Stein, 2012). The purpose of this study is therefore to identify the needs of Portland’s Burmese refugee parents, both from the perspective of Burmese refugee parents and the perspectives of Portland-based social service providers. Using a life course perspective, the main research questions of this study are: (a) What are the most prevalent Burmese refugee parent needs, as perceived by Burmese refugee parents? (b) Do these perceived needs vary based on refugee participant age? (c) What are the needs of Burmese refugee parents according to U.S. social systems representatives? This study uses primary and secondary data in the form of in-depth, one-on-one interviews gathered between 2015 and 2017. Burmese refugee parents (N = 32) and local social service providers (N= 10) shared stories and experiences reflecting challenges and needs faced by refugees living in the Portland metro area. Social service providers shared stories from a professional perspective. Each provider was a representative from one of five social domains namely, education, employment, health care, safety and security, and social networks. Overall, the findings of this study highlight the fact that Burmese refugee parents and social service providers view the needs of the Burmese refugee community differently. Most notable are differences between the relative importance of what refugees need in theory versus in practice. Findings also suggest there are differences in the needs of Burmese refugees based on age, such that indicate there is a need for programs designed with age in mind. The information gathered from social service representatives in this study can be used by various organizations in the design of resettlement programs that work to effectively fulfill U.S. commitments to refugees. Title: Flying Under the Radar: An Exploratory Assessment of Portland’s Burmese Refugee Parent Needs Author: Thogmartin, Asia A. War and persecution have devastating consequences, and the United States (U.S.) has a time-honored commitment to providing refuge to those most afflicted. Over the last four decades, the U.S. has provided sanctuary to more than 3.2 million refugees through its resettlement programs (U.S. Department of State, 2015a). Burma’s long-standing civil war has made it one of the major contributors to the U.S. resettled refugee population (South & Jolliffe, 2015; U.S. Department of State, 2015a; 2016d, n.d.-a). Because of the vast differences between U.S. and Burmese people and their lived experiences, Burmese refugees as a group are potentially more vulnerable to resettlement-related stressors. The stressors of resettlement are especially amplified for refugee parents (e.g., Berry, 2005; Dumbrill, 2009; Renzaho & Vignievic, 2011). Refugee parents face challenges that go beyond the difficulties faced by non-refugee, native parents, in part because refugee parents are faced with increased familial conflict as a result of resettlement challenges (Atwell, Gifford, &McDonald-Wilmsen, 2009; Reed, Fazel, Jones, Panter-Brick, & Stein, 2012). The purpose of this study is therefore to identify the needs of Portland’s Burmese refugee parents, both from the perspective of Burmese refugee parents and the perspectives of Portland-based social service providers. Using a life course perspective, the main research questions of this study are: (a) What are the most prevalent Burmese refugee parent needs, as perceived by Burmese refugee parents? (b) Do these perceived needs vary based on refugee participant age? (c) What are the needs of Burmese refugee parents according to U.S. social systems representatives? This study uses primary and secondary data in the form of in-depth, one-on-one interviews gathered between 2015 and 2017. Burmese refugee parents (N = 32) and local social service providers (N= 10) shared stories and experiences reflecting challenges and needs faced by refugees living in the Portland metro area. Social service providers shared stories from a professional perspective. Each provider was a representative from one of five social domains namely, education, employment, health care, safety and security, and social networks. Overall, the findings of this study highlight the fact that Burmese refugee parents and social service providers view the needs of the Burmese refugee community differently. Most notable are differences between the relative importance of what refugees need in theory versus in practice. Findings also suggest there are differences in the needs of Burmese refugees based on age, such that indicate there is a need for programs designed with age in mind. The information gathered from social service representatives in this study can be used by various organizations in the design of resettlement programs that work to effectively fulfill U.S. commitments to refugees. Close

• 33. [Article] Improving the Supply Chain of Tilapia Industry of the Philippines

  This is part of the IIFET Special Session on Markets and Value Chains for Small Aquaculture & Fisheries Enterprises with a Focus on Gender that took place on 17 July 2012 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania in ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Improving the Supply Chain of Tilapia Industry of the Philippines Author: Jamandre, Wilfred, Hatch, Upton, Borski, Russell, Bolivar, Remedios This is part of the IIFET Special Session on Markets and Value Chains for Small Aquaculture & Fisheries Enterprises with a Focus on Gender that took place on 17 July 2012 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania in conjunction with 16th IIFET Conference. The complete proceedings of this special session are available (http://aquafishcrsp.oregonstate.edu/Documents/Uploads/FileManager/IIFET%202012%20CRSP%20Session%20Proceedings%20Final_small.pdf) through the Aquaculture & Fisheries Collaborative Research Support Program gender web site, (http://aquafishcrsp.oregonstate.edu/Gender/). Title: Improving the Supply Chain of Tilapia Industry of the Philippines Author: Jamandre, Wilfred, Hatch, Upton, Borski, Russell, Bolivar, Remedios This is part of the IIFET Special Session on Markets and Value Chains for Small Aquaculture & Fisheries Enterprises with a Focus on Gender that took place on 17 July 2012 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania in conjunction with 16th IIFET Conference. The complete proceedings of this special session are available (http://aquafishcrsp.oregonstate.edu/Documents/Uploads/FileManager/IIFET%202012%20CRSP%20Session%20Proceedings%20Final_small.pdf) through the Aquaculture & Fisheries Collaborative Research Support Program gender web site, (http://aquafishcrsp.oregonstate.edu/Gender/). Close