Adapting the Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index (WELI) data collection tool to user demand.
Presented by Immaculate Omondi during an online webinar held on 19 September, 2022.
The WEAI Tool and Feed the Future Ethiopia Findingsessp2
The document discusses findings from applying the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) to data collected in Ethiopia through the Feed the Future initiative. Some key results include:
- At midline, the percentage of disempowered women declined from 78.1% to 73.3%, and average inadequacy scores also declined. However, contributions to disempowerment from the leadership and time domains remained high.
- Comparison of women and men found that both experienced similar contributors to disempowerment, though percentages were higher for women.
- Major interventions through Feed the Future focused on increasing women's participation in cooperatives, business training, and entrepreneurship programs. However, continued
Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture and Nutritional Outcomes in Ethiopiaessp2
1) The study examines the impact of women's empowerment in agriculture on nutritional outcomes in Ethiopia using data from 5 regions.
2) It finds that women in Ethiopia have relatively low empowerment levels compared to other countries, with the largest contributions to disempowerment coming from leadership, time, and resource domains.
3) Regression analysis shows that women's empowerment, as measured by the WEAI index, has a positive impact on children's dietary diversity and stunting as well as women's dietary diversity. Having more say in credit decisions and income also leads to better nutritional outcomes.
Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture and Nutritional Outcomes in Ethiopiaessp2
- Women's empowerment in agriculture is linked to improved nutritional outcomes for children and women in rural Ethiopia. Increasing women's decision making power over credit, income, and workloads saw reductions in child stunting and underweight as well as higher dietary diversity scores for women.
- While women in Ethiopia showed relatively low empowerment levels compared to other countries, interventions to further increase women's agency in agriculture can not only engage them more, but also positively impact nutrition. Empowering women is beneficial and has multidimensional returns including better nutrition.
Women’s Empowerment in Fisheries and Aquaculture Index (WEFI): Guidance NotesWorldFish
Presentation by WorldFish's Affiliated Researcher and KIT Royal Tropical Institute's Agricultural Development Economist, Froukje Kruijssen, and Consultant, Katie Sproule, on 'Women’s Empowerment in Fisheries and Aquaculture Index (WEFI): Guidance Notes' in December 2021.
The Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI)IFPRI Gender
This document discusses measuring women's empowerment in agriculture through the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI). It provides an overview of the WEAI and its evolution over time. Specifically, it introduces the project-level WEAI (pro-WEAI) which was developed to better measure empowerment at the individual project level. The pro-WEAI uses quantitative surveys and qualitative protocols to assess empowerment across different domains. The document discusses applying the pro-WEAI to measure empowerment among beneficiaries of Malawi's ATVET for Women program, which provides agricultural training to farming couples.
The WEAI Tool and Feed the Future Ethiopia Findingsessp2
The document discusses findings from applying the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) to data collected in Ethiopia through the Feed the Future initiative. Some key results include:
- At midline, the percentage of disempowered women declined from 78.1% to 73.3%, and average inadequacy scores also declined. However, contributions to disempowerment from the leadership and time domains remained high.
- Comparison of women and men found that both experienced similar contributors to disempowerment, though percentages were higher for women.
- Major interventions through Feed the Future focused on increasing women's participation in cooperatives, business training, and entrepreneurship programs. However, continued
Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture and Nutritional Outcomes in Ethiopiaessp2
1) The study examines the impact of women's empowerment in agriculture on nutritional outcomes in Ethiopia using data from 5 regions.
2) It finds that women in Ethiopia have relatively low empowerment levels compared to other countries, with the largest contributions to disempowerment coming from leadership, time, and resource domains.
3) Regression analysis shows that women's empowerment, as measured by the WEAI index, has a positive impact on children's dietary diversity and stunting as well as women's dietary diversity. Having more say in credit decisions and income also leads to better nutritional outcomes.
Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture and Nutritional Outcomes in Ethiopiaessp2
- Women's empowerment in agriculture is linked to improved nutritional outcomes for children and women in rural Ethiopia. Increasing women's decision making power over credit, income, and workloads saw reductions in child stunting and underweight as well as higher dietary diversity scores for women.
- While women in Ethiopia showed relatively low empowerment levels compared to other countries, interventions to further increase women's agency in agriculture can not only engage them more, but also positively impact nutrition. Empowering women is beneficial and has multidimensional returns including better nutrition.
Women’s Empowerment in Fisheries and Aquaculture Index (WEFI): Guidance NotesWorldFish
Presentation by WorldFish's Affiliated Researcher and KIT Royal Tropical Institute's Agricultural Development Economist, Froukje Kruijssen, and Consultant, Katie Sproule, on 'Women’s Empowerment in Fisheries and Aquaculture Index (WEFI): Guidance Notes' in December 2021.
The Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI)IFPRI Gender
This document discusses measuring women's empowerment in agriculture through the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI). It provides an overview of the WEAI and its evolution over time. Specifically, it introduces the project-level WEAI (pro-WEAI) which was developed to better measure empowerment at the individual project level. The pro-WEAI uses quantitative surveys and qualitative protocols to assess empowerment across different domains. The document discusses applying the pro-WEAI to measure empowerment among beneficiaries of Malawi's ATVET for Women program, which provides agricultural training to farming couples.
The Gender, Agriculture & Assets Project Phase 2 (GAAP2) seeks to understand how agricultural development projects impact women's empowerment. It develops a Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) tailored for projects (pro-WEAI) through testing core empowerment indicators. Thirteen to fifteen agricultural projects in Africa and South Asia will pilot customized pro-WEAI modules to evaluate impacts on women. Results will identify effective strategies for empowering women and inform the design of future empowering programs.
Evaluating the impacts of livestock microcredit and value chain programs on w...ILRI
This study evaluated the impacts of livestock microcredit and value chain programs on women's empowerment in Kenya using the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI). The study examined three case studies involving livestock value chains and microcredit programs. It found that different interventions contributed differently to women's empowerment, with some interventions empowering women from both female- and male-headed households equally while others disempowered women from male-headed households. The study also found that women's self-perceptions of their empowerment did not always match the measurements from the WEAI, highlighting a need to better align empowerment indicators used by researchers with those used by women themselves.
The Abbreviated Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (A-WEAI)IFPRI-WEAI
Hazel Malapit of IFPRI talks about the development of the A-WEAI: what modifications were tested and why, some key findings from the second pilot, and the rationale for which changes were ultimately adopted.
Agnes Quisumbing
SPECIAL EVENT
A Decade of the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI): Lessons from Using Empowerment Metrics
Co-Organized by IFPRI, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)
FEB 16, 2022 - 9:30 TO 11:00AM EST
The document describes various survey tools that can be used to collect time use data, which is important for analyzing gender dynamics and the impact of programs on workload. It discusses why collecting time use data is useful, important considerations for sampling design and instrument selection. It provides examples of how the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) and the Nepal Suaahara Project have adapted time use modules. Key lessons include balancing detail in time diaries with respondent burden, validating recall data, and how results can provide insights on workload, time costs of programs, and nutrition outcomes.
"Partnering for Impact: IFPRI-European Research Collaboration for Improved Food and Nutrition Security" presentation by Ruth Meinzen-Dick, IFPRI, 25 November 2013 in Brussels, Belgium.
The Abbreviated WEAI (A-WEAI) - GAAP2 Inception WorkshopIFPRI Gender
An inception workshop for the Gender, Agriculture & Assets Project Phase 2 (GAAP2): Developing Project-Level Indicators to Measure Women’s Empowerment was held in January 2016.
In this presentation Hazel Malapit of IFPRI introduces the Abbreviated WEAI (A-WEAI).
Nurturing connections: advancing gender equality for improved nutrition and l...CGIAR
This presentation was given by Ramona Ridolfi (Hellen Keller International), as part of the Annual Scientific Conference hosted by the University of Canberra and co-sponsored by the University of Canberra, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and CGIAR Collaborative Platform for Gender Research. The event took place on April 2-4, 2019 in Canberra, Australia.
Read more: https://www.canberra.edu.au/research/faculty-research-centres/aisc/seeds-of-change and https://gender.cgiar.org/annual-conference-2019
The Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index – What have we learned?IFPRI-PIM
This document summarizes efforts to improve the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) by discussing various studies and initiatives. It provides an overview of the different versions of the WEAI (original, abbreviated, project-specific, and value chain-specific) and how the index is constructed. It also shares key findings from applying the WEAI in multiple countries, such as workload and access to credit being common constraints. Additionally, it discusses preliminary results from a Philippines pilot that identify workload and group membership as top disempowerment factors. The document demonstrates how the WEAI can inform programming to empower women, using Bangladesh's ANGeL project as an example.
The document summarizes the baseline results of a study on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Gender Linkages (ANGeL) project in Bangladesh. Key findings include: 1) Rice dominates agricultural production and diets; 2) Women's empowerment is low, with only 31% empowered; 3) The project will test combinations of agricultural, nutrition and gender interventions to identify the most effective for scaling up nationwide.
This document discusses developing a Women's Empowerment Measure for National Statistical Systems (WEMNS) to monitor progress on women's empowerment and gender equality goals. It summarizes lessons learned from prior empowerment metrics like the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI). A proposed process for developing WEMNS includes consulting stakeholders, drafting a short questionnaire, validating it through cognitive interviews and surveys, and disseminating the validated short form for monitoring at the national level. The goal is to establish an empowerment metric that national statistical systems can feasibly measure as part of their regular data collection.
Impact evaluation of innovation platforms to increase dairy production: A cas...ILRI
Presented by Shanker Subedi, Jean-Joseph Cadilhon, Ravichandran Thanammal and Nils Teufel at the 8th International Conference of Asian Society of Agricultural Economists (ASAE) on Viability of Small Farmers in Asia 2014, Saver, Bangladesh, 15-17 August 2014
WEAI Seminar for IFPRI Malawi June 12, 2019 IFPRIMaSSP
The document discusses the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), which measures women's empowerment and inclusion in the agricultural sector. It provides an overview of the evolution of the WEAI, including the development of a project-level version (pro-WEAI) to better measure outcomes of specific agricultural development programs. The document also summarizes key learnings from quantitative analyses showing relationships between women's empowerment and nutrition outcomes, as well as lessons from qualitative research validating and contextualizing pro-WEAI findings.
Small ruminant keepers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices towards peste des ...ILRI
Presentation by Guy Ilboudo, Abel Sènabgè Biguezoton, Cheick Abou Kounta Sidibé, Modou Moustapha Lo, Zoë Campbell and Michel Dione at the 6th Peste des Petits Ruminants Global Research and Expertise Networks (PPR-GREN) annual meeting, Bengaluru, India, 28–30 November 2023.
The Gender, Agriculture & Assets Project Phase 2 (GAAP2) seeks to understand how agricultural development projects impact women's empowerment. It develops a Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) tailored for projects (pro-WEAI) through testing core empowerment indicators. Thirteen to fifteen agricultural projects in Africa and South Asia will pilot customized pro-WEAI modules to evaluate impacts on women. Results will identify effective strategies for empowering women and inform the design of future empowering programs.
Evaluating the impacts of livestock microcredit and value chain programs on w...ILRI
This study evaluated the impacts of livestock microcredit and value chain programs on women's empowerment in Kenya using the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI). The study examined three case studies involving livestock value chains and microcredit programs. It found that different interventions contributed differently to women's empowerment, with some interventions empowering women from both female- and male-headed households equally while others disempowered women from male-headed households. The study also found that women's self-perceptions of their empowerment did not always match the measurements from the WEAI, highlighting a need to better align empowerment indicators used by researchers with those used by women themselves.
The Abbreviated Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (A-WEAI)IFPRI-WEAI
Hazel Malapit of IFPRI talks about the development of the A-WEAI: what modifications were tested and why, some key findings from the second pilot, and the rationale for which changes were ultimately adopted.
Agnes Quisumbing
SPECIAL EVENT
A Decade of the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI): Lessons from Using Empowerment Metrics
Co-Organized by IFPRI, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)
FEB 16, 2022 - 9:30 TO 11:00AM EST
The document describes various survey tools that can be used to collect time use data, which is important for analyzing gender dynamics and the impact of programs on workload. It discusses why collecting time use data is useful, important considerations for sampling design and instrument selection. It provides examples of how the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) and the Nepal Suaahara Project have adapted time use modules. Key lessons include balancing detail in time diaries with respondent burden, validating recall data, and how results can provide insights on workload, time costs of programs, and nutrition outcomes.
"Partnering for Impact: IFPRI-European Research Collaboration for Improved Food and Nutrition Security" presentation by Ruth Meinzen-Dick, IFPRI, 25 November 2013 in Brussels, Belgium.
The Abbreviated WEAI (A-WEAI) - GAAP2 Inception WorkshopIFPRI Gender
An inception workshop for the Gender, Agriculture & Assets Project Phase 2 (GAAP2): Developing Project-Level Indicators to Measure Women’s Empowerment was held in January 2016.
In this presentation Hazel Malapit of IFPRI introduces the Abbreviated WEAI (A-WEAI).
Nurturing connections: advancing gender equality for improved nutrition and l...CGIAR
This presentation was given by Ramona Ridolfi (Hellen Keller International), as part of the Annual Scientific Conference hosted by the University of Canberra and co-sponsored by the University of Canberra, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and CGIAR Collaborative Platform for Gender Research. The event took place on April 2-4, 2019 in Canberra, Australia.
Read more: https://www.canberra.edu.au/research/faculty-research-centres/aisc/seeds-of-change and https://gender.cgiar.org/annual-conference-2019
The Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index – What have we learned?IFPRI-PIM
This document summarizes efforts to improve the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) by discussing various studies and initiatives. It provides an overview of the different versions of the WEAI (original, abbreviated, project-specific, and value chain-specific) and how the index is constructed. It also shares key findings from applying the WEAI in multiple countries, such as workload and access to credit being common constraints. Additionally, it discusses preliminary results from a Philippines pilot that identify workload and group membership as top disempowerment factors. The document demonstrates how the WEAI can inform programming to empower women, using Bangladesh's ANGeL project as an example.
The document summarizes the baseline results of a study on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Gender Linkages (ANGeL) project in Bangladesh. Key findings include: 1) Rice dominates agricultural production and diets; 2) Women's empowerment is low, with only 31% empowered; 3) The project will test combinations of agricultural, nutrition and gender interventions to identify the most effective for scaling up nationwide.
This document discusses developing a Women's Empowerment Measure for National Statistical Systems (WEMNS) to monitor progress on women's empowerment and gender equality goals. It summarizes lessons learned from prior empowerment metrics like the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI). A proposed process for developing WEMNS includes consulting stakeholders, drafting a short questionnaire, validating it through cognitive interviews and surveys, and disseminating the validated short form for monitoring at the national level. The goal is to establish an empowerment metric that national statistical systems can feasibly measure as part of their regular data collection.
Impact evaluation of innovation platforms to increase dairy production: A cas...ILRI
Presented by Shanker Subedi, Jean-Joseph Cadilhon, Ravichandran Thanammal and Nils Teufel at the 8th International Conference of Asian Society of Agricultural Economists (ASAE) on Viability of Small Farmers in Asia 2014, Saver, Bangladesh, 15-17 August 2014
WEAI Seminar for IFPRI Malawi June 12, 2019 IFPRIMaSSP
The document discusses the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), which measures women's empowerment and inclusion in the agricultural sector. It provides an overview of the evolution of the WEAI, including the development of a project-level version (pro-WEAI) to better measure outcomes of specific agricultural development programs. The document also summarizes key learnings from quantitative analyses showing relationships between women's empowerment and nutrition outcomes, as well as lessons from qualitative research validating and contextualizing pro-WEAI findings.
Small ruminant keepers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices towards peste des ...ILRI
Presentation by Guy Ilboudo, Abel Sènabgè Biguezoton, Cheick Abou Kounta Sidibé, Modou Moustapha Lo, Zoë Campbell and Michel Dione at the 6th Peste des Petits Ruminants Global Research and Expertise Networks (PPR-GREN) annual meeting, Bengaluru, India, 28–30 November 2023.
Small ruminant keepers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices towards peste des ...ILRI
Poster by Guy Ilboudo, Abel Sènabgè Biguezoton, Cheick Abou Kounta Sidibé, Modou Moustapha Lo, Zoë Campbell and Michel Dione presented at the 6th Peste des Petits Ruminants Global Research and Expertise Networks (PPR-GREN) annual meeting, Bengaluru, India, 29 November 2023.
A training, certification and marketing scheme for informal dairy vendors in ...ILRI
Presentation by Silvia Alonso, Jef L. Leroy, Emmanuel Muunda, Moira Donahue Angel, Emily Kilonzi, Giordano Palloni, Gideon Kiarie, Paula Dominguez-Salas and Delia Grace at the Micronutrient Forum 6th Global Conference, The Hague, Netherlands, 16 October 2023.
Milk safety and child nutrition impacts of the MoreMilk training, certificati...ILRI
Poster by Silvia Alonso, Emmanuel Muunda, Moira Donahue Angel, Emily Kilonzi, Giordano Palloni, Gideon Kiarie, Paula Dominguez-Salas, Delia Grace and Jef L. Leroy presented at the Micronutrient Forum 6th Global Conference, The Hague, Netherlands, 16 October 2023.
Preventing the next pandemic: a 12-slide primer on emerging zoonotic diseasesILRI
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive functioning. Exercise causes chemical changes in the brain that may help boost feelings of calmness, happiness and focus.
Preventing preventable diseases: a 12-slide primer on foodborne diseaseILRI
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive functioning. Exercise causes chemical changes in the brain that may help protect against mental illness and improve symptoms for those who already suffer from conditions like anxiety and depression.
Preventing a post-antibiotic era: a 12-slide primer on antimicrobial resistanceILRI
The document discusses the benefits of exercise for mental health. Regular physical activity can help reduce anxiety and depression and improve mood and cognitive functioning. Exercise boosts blood flow, releases endorphins, and promotes changes in the brain which help enhance one's emotional well-being and mental clarity.
Food safety research in low- and middle-income countriesILRI
Presentation by Hung Nguyen-Viet at the first technical meeting to launch the Food Safety Working Group under the One Health Partnership framework, Hanoi, Vietnam, 28 September 2023
The Food Safety Working Group (FSWG) in Vietnam was created in 2015 at the request of the Deputy Prime Minister to address food safety issues in the country. It brings together government agencies, ministries, and development partners to facilitate joint policy dialogue and improve food safety. Over eight years of operations led by different organizations, the FSWG has contributed to various initiatives. However, it faces challenges of diminished government participation over time and dependence on active members. Going forward, it will strengthen its operations by integrating under Vietnam's One Health Partnership framework to better engage stakeholders and achieve policy impacts.
Reservoirs of pathogenic Leptospira species in UgandaILRI
Presentation by Lordrick Alinaitwe, Martin Wainaina, Salome Dürr, Clovice Kankya, Velma Kivali, James Bugeza, Martin Richter, Kristina Roesel, Annie Cook and Anne Mayer-Scholl at the University of Bern Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences Symposium, Bern, Switzerland, 29 June 2023.
Assessing meat microbiological safety and associated handling practices in bu...ILRI
Presentation by Patricia Koech, Winnie Ogutu, Linnet Ochieng, Delia Grace, George Gitao, Lily Bebora, Max Korir, Florence Mutua and Arshnee Moodley at the 8th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture, Gaborone, Botswana, 26–29 September 2023.
Ecological factors associated with abundance and distribution of mosquito vec...ILRI
Poster by Max Korir, Joel Lutomiah and Bernard Bett presented the 8th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture, Gaborone, Botswana, 26–29 September 2023.
Practices and drivers of antibiotic use in Kenyan smallholder dairy farmsILRI
Poster by Lydiah Kisoo, Dishon M. Muloi, Walter Oguta, Daisy Ronoh, Lynn Kirwa, James Akoko, Eric Fèvre, Arshnee Moodley and Lillian Wambua presented at Tropentag 2023, Berlin, Germany, 20–22 September 2023.
Travis Hills' Endeavors in Minnesota: Fostering Environmental and Economic Pr...Travis Hills MN
Travis Hills of Minnesota developed a method to convert waste into high-value dry fertilizer, significantly enriching soil quality. By providing farmers with a valuable resource derived from waste, Travis Hills helps enhance farm profitability while promoting environmental stewardship. Travis Hills' sustainable practices lead to cost savings and increased revenue for farmers by improving resource efficiency and reducing waste.
Unlocking the mysteries of reproduction: Exploring fecundity and gonadosomati...AbdullaAlAsif1
The pygmy halfbeak Dermogenys colletei, is known for its viviparous nature, this presents an intriguing case of relatively low fecundity, raising questions about potential compensatory reproductive strategies employed by this species. Our study delves into the examination of fecundity and the Gonadosomatic Index (GSI) in the Pygmy Halfbeak, D. colletei (Meisner, 2001), an intriguing viviparous fish indigenous to Sarawak, Borneo. We hypothesize that the Pygmy halfbeak, D. colletei, may exhibit unique reproductive adaptations to offset its low fecundity, thus enhancing its survival and fitness. To address this, we conducted a comprehensive study utilizing 28 mature female specimens of D. colletei, carefully measuring fecundity and GSI to shed light on the reproductive adaptations of this species. Our findings reveal that D. colletei indeed exhibits low fecundity, with a mean of 16.76 ± 2.01, and a mean GSI of 12.83 ± 1.27, providing crucial insights into the reproductive mechanisms at play in this species. These results underscore the existence of unique reproductive strategies in D. colletei, enabling its adaptation and persistence in Borneo's diverse aquatic ecosystems, and call for further ecological research to elucidate these mechanisms. This study lends to a better understanding of viviparous fish in Borneo and contributes to the broader field of aquatic ecology, enhancing our knowledge of species adaptations to unique ecological challenges.
The debris of the ‘last major merger’ is dynamically youngSérgio Sacani
The Milky Way’s (MW) inner stellar halo contains an [Fe/H]-rich component with highly eccentric orbits, often referred to as the
‘last major merger.’ Hypotheses for the origin of this component include Gaia-Sausage/Enceladus (GSE), where the progenitor
collided with the MW proto-disc 8–11 Gyr ago, and the Virgo Radial Merger (VRM), where the progenitor collided with the
MW disc within the last 3 Gyr. These two scenarios make different predictions about observable structure in local phase space,
because the morphology of debris depends on how long it has had to phase mix. The recently identified phase-space folds in Gaia
DR3 have positive caustic velocities, making them fundamentally different than the phase-mixed chevrons found in simulations
at late times. Roughly 20 per cent of the stars in the prograde local stellar halo are associated with the observed caustics. Based
on a simple phase-mixing model, the observed number of caustics are consistent with a merger that occurred 1–2 Gyr ago.
We also compare the observed phase-space distribution to FIRE-2 Latte simulations of GSE-like mergers, using a quantitative
measurement of phase mixing (2D causticality). The observed local phase-space distribution best matches the simulated data
1–2 Gyr after collision, and certainly not later than 3 Gyr. This is further evidence that the progenitor of the ‘last major merger’
did not collide with the MW proto-disc at early times, as is thought for the GSE, but instead collided with the MW disc within
the last few Gyr, consistent with the body of work surrounding the VRM.
Phenomics assisted breeding in crop improvementIshaGoswami9
As the population is increasing and will reach about 9 billion upto 2050. Also due to climate change, it is difficult to meet the food requirement of such a large population. Facing the challenges presented by resource shortages, climate
change, and increasing global population, crop yield and quality need to be improved in a sustainable way over the coming decades. Genetic improvement by breeding is the best way to increase crop productivity. With the rapid progression of functional
genomics, an increasing number of crop genomes have been sequenced and dozens of genes influencing key agronomic traits have been identified. However, current genome sequence information has not been adequately exploited for understanding
the complex characteristics of multiple gene, owing to a lack of crop phenotypic data. Efficient, automatic, and accurate technologies and platforms that can capture phenotypic data that can
be linked to genomics information for crop improvement at all growth stages have become as important as genotyping. Thus,
high-throughput phenotyping has become the major bottleneck restricting crop breeding. Plant phenomics has been defined as the high-throughput, accurate acquisition and analysis of multi-dimensional phenotypes
during crop growing stages at the organism level, including the cell, tissue, organ, individual plant, plot, and field levels. With the rapid development of novel sensors, imaging technology,
and analysis methods, numerous infrastructure platforms have been developed for phenotyping.
The ability to recreate computational results with minimal effort and actionable metrics provides a solid foundation for scientific research and software development. When people can replicate an analysis at the touch of a button using open-source software, open data, and methods to assess and compare proposals, it significantly eases verification of results, engagement with a diverse range of contributors, and progress. However, we have yet to fully achieve this; there are still many sociotechnical frictions.
Inspired by David Donoho's vision, this talk aims to revisit the three crucial pillars of frictionless reproducibility (data sharing, code sharing, and competitive challenges) with the perspective of deep software variability.
Our observation is that multiple layers — hardware, operating systems, third-party libraries, software versions, input data, compile-time options, and parameters — are subject to variability that exacerbates frictions but is also essential for achieving robust, generalizable results and fostering innovation. I will first review the literature, providing evidence of how the complex variability interactions across these layers affect qualitative and quantitative software properties, thereby complicating the reproduction and replication of scientific studies in various fields.
I will then present some software engineering and AI techniques that can support the strategic exploration of variability spaces. These include the use of abstractions and models (e.g., feature models), sampling strategies (e.g., uniform, random), cost-effective measurements (e.g., incremental build of software configurations), and dimensionality reduction methods (e.g., transfer learning, feature selection, software debloating).
I will finally argue that deep variability is both the problem and solution of frictionless reproducibility, calling the software science community to develop new methods and tools to manage variability and foster reproducibility in software systems.
Exposé invité Journées Nationales du GDR GPL 2024
Remote Sensing and Computational, Evolutionary, Supercomputing, and Intellige...University of Maribor
Slides from talk:
Aleš Zamuda: Remote Sensing and Computational, Evolutionary, Supercomputing, and Intelligent Systems.
11th International Conference on Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering (IcETRAN), Niš, 3-6 June 2024
Inter-Society Networking Panel GRSS/MTT-S/CIS Panel Session: Promoting Connection and Cooperation
https://www.etran.rs/2024/en/home-english/
Or: Beyond linear.
Abstract: Equivariant neural networks are neural networks that incorporate symmetries. The nonlinear activation functions in these networks result in interesting nonlinear equivariant maps between simple representations, and motivate the key player of this talk: piecewise linear representation theory.
Disclaimer: No one is perfect, so please mind that there might be mistakes and typos.
dtubbenhauer@gmail.com
Corrected slides: dtubbenhauer.com/talks.html
The use of Nauplii and metanauplii artemia in aquaculture (brine shrimp).pptxMAGOTI ERNEST
Although Artemia has been known to man for centuries, its use as a food for the culture of larval organisms apparently began only in the 1930s, when several investigators found that it made an excellent food for newly hatched fish larvae (Litvinenko et al., 2023). As aquaculture developed in the 1960s and ‘70s, the use of Artemia also became more widespread, due both to its convenience and to its nutritional value for larval organisms (Arenas-Pardo et al., 2024). The fact that Artemia dormant cysts can be stored for long periods in cans, and then used as an off-the-shelf food requiring only 24 h of incubation makes them the most convenient, least labor-intensive, live food available for aquaculture (Sorgeloos & Roubach, 2021). The nutritional value of Artemia, especially for marine organisms, is not constant, but varies both geographically and temporally. During the last decade, however, both the causes of Artemia nutritional variability and methods to improve poorquality Artemia have been identified (Loufi et al., 2024).
Brine shrimp (Artemia spp.) are used in marine aquaculture worldwide. Annually, more than 2,000 metric tons of dry cysts are used for cultivation of fish, crustacean, and shellfish larva. Brine shrimp are important to aquaculture because newly hatched brine shrimp nauplii (larvae) provide a food source for many fish fry (Mozanzadeh et al., 2021). Culture and harvesting of brine shrimp eggs represents another aspect of the aquaculture industry. Nauplii and metanauplii of Artemia, commonly known as brine shrimp, play a crucial role in aquaculture due to their nutritional value and suitability as live feed for many aquatic species, particularly in larval stages (Sorgeloos & Roubach, 2021).
Immersive Learning That Works: Research Grounding and Paths ForwardLeonel Morgado
We will metaverse into the essence of immersive learning, into its three dimensions and conceptual models. This approach encompasses elements from teaching methodologies to social involvement, through organizational concerns and technologies. Challenging the perception of learning as knowledge transfer, we introduce a 'Uses, Practices & Strategies' model operationalized by the 'Immersive Learning Brain' and ‘Immersion Cube’ frameworks. This approach offers a comprehensive guide through the intricacies of immersive educational experiences and spotlighting research frontiers, along the immersion dimensions of system, narrative, and agency. Our discourse extends to stakeholders beyond the academic sphere, addressing the interests of technologists, instructional designers, and policymakers. We span various contexts, from formal education to organizational transformation to the new horizon of an AI-pervasive society. This keynote aims to unite the iLRN community in a collaborative journey towards a future where immersive learning research and practice coalesce, paving the way for innovative educational research and practice landscapes.
The binding of cosmological structures by massless topological defectsSérgio Sacani
Assuming spherical symmetry and weak field, it is shown that if one solves the Poisson equation or the Einstein field
equations sourced by a topological defect, i.e. a singularity of a very specific form, the result is a localized gravitational
field capable of driving flat rotation (i.e. Keplerian circular orbits at a constant speed for all radii) of test masses on a thin
spherical shell without any underlying mass. Moreover, a large-scale structure which exploits this solution by assembling
concentrically a number of such topological defects can establish a flat stellar or galactic rotation curve, and can also deflect
light in the same manner as an equipotential (isothermal) sphere. Thus, the need for dark matter or modified gravity theory is
mitigated, at least in part.
When I was asked to give a companion lecture in support of ‘The Philosophy of Science’ (https://shorturl.at/4pUXz) I decided not to walk through the detail of the many methodologies in order of use. Instead, I chose to employ a long standing, and ongoing, scientific development as an exemplar. And so, I chose the ever evolving story of Thermodynamics as a scientific investigation at its best.
Conducted over a period of >200 years, Thermodynamics R&D, and application, benefitted from the highest levels of professionalism, collaboration, and technical thoroughness. New layers of application, methodology, and practice were made possible by the progressive advance of technology. In turn, this has seen measurement and modelling accuracy continually improved at a micro and macro level.
Perhaps most importantly, Thermodynamics rapidly became a primary tool in the advance of applied science/engineering/technology, spanning micro-tech, to aerospace and cosmology. I can think of no better a story to illustrate the breadth of scientific methodologies and applications at their best.
1. Better lives through livestock
Adapting the Women’s Empowerment in Livestock Index (WELI)
data collection tool to user demand
Immaculate Omondi: i.omondi@cgiar.org
Farha Deba Sufian: farha.deba.sufian@gmail.com
Alessandra Galiè: a.galie@cgiar.org
Nils Teufel: n.Teufel@cgiar.org
19 September, Nairobi, Kenya
2. 2
Overview of presentation
- Women’s empowerment in livestock development: an introduction
- Measuring the empowerment of women in livestock
- Overview of WELI
- Adapting WELI to Feedback from WELI Users
4. 4
Women’s empowerment in livestock
1 in 5 people in the world rely on livestock for their livelihoods (1.3 billion people)
Women are the majority of poor livestock keepers…
Their empowerment: means for livestock development
SDG5: Women’s and girls’ empowerment as an end in itself
Women’s empowerment as a
means
Women’s empowerment as an
end
7. 7
Measuring the empowerment of women in livestock to…
• Measure whether livestock interventions enhance/hinder women’s empowerment
• Study how livestock-specific interventions affect women's empowerment
• Characterize women’s empowerment through livestock specific activities
• Consider gender differences in roles/activities between livestock species
• Identify sources of disempowerment facing the women participating in livestock production
2 tools in settings where livestock farming is the dominant form of livelihood
Women’s Empowerment
in Livestock Index (WELI)
Women’s Empowerment
in Livestock Business Index (WELBI)
8. 8
WELI: a standardized measure to assess the empowerment of women livestock producers
• Developed by livestock and gender experts from ILRI and Emory University in 2014/2015
• Pilot tested in Tanzania, 2015
• Aligned to pro-WEAI with IFPRI, 2019
WELBI: a standardized measure to assess the empowerment of women livestock agri-preneurs
• Constructed and aligned to pro-WEAI_VC, 2021
A short history of WELI and WELBI
Women’s
empowerment
in the livestock
business node
of livestock
value chains
WELBI
Women’s
empowerment
in the
production
node of the
livestock
sector
WELI
Women’s
empowerment
in the
production node
of crops mostly
WEAI
9. Construction of the Index: comparing pro-WEAI and WELI
9
1 Autonomy in Income
2 Self-efficacy
3 Attitudes about IPV against women
4 Respect among household members
5 Input in household decisions
about Production and Income
6 Ownership of land and other assets
7 Access to and decisions on financial
services
8 Control over use of income
9 Work Balance
10 Visiting Important Locations
11 Group membership
12 Membership in influential groups
Intrinsic
Agency
Instrumental
Agency
Collective
Agency
Pilot version of Pro-WEAI
Additional
Scenarios pertaining
to livestock
Additional options
pertaining to
livestock
Update
scenarios/options
pertaining to
livestock
Input in household
decisions with a
Livestock focus
WELI
New Module
13 Indicators
Weighted average score 3DE
EMPOWERED if
adequate in 75% of indicators
10. 10
• WELI has an elaborate list of livestock activities in decisions making modules: 24 vs 5
• WELI 3DE is estimated from 13 indicators vs 12 indicators
• Empowerment can be assessed for more species and breed-type of livestock
using WELI: 11 vs 6
• WELI integrates more livestock related scenarios/options in several modules
(Autonomy, Domestic violence, Physical mobility etc.)
• Decision making on livestock loops at most 3 times for:
• Specie important to the household
• Specie important to the woman
• Project/target specie
WELI vs Livestock-integrated Pro-WEAI
12. 12
Adapting to user feedback
User Feedback
• Lengthy interview
• Issues with time module
• High index values
c
Remove questions that
DO NOT go into index
calculation
Recording Time by
ACTIVITY vs 15
minute time slot
Respondent
Participation in
decision making
captured simply
3 main changes to
WELI
WELI-
FullBare
13. 13
• HH roster dropped
• Rows with items that do not go into the index
• Some columns that do not go into the index
• Questions asking for more than 1 decision maker
• Time allocation consolidated
• Intrahousehold relationships reviewed hence fewer non-response cases
Major changes to WELI to produce the FullBare version
14. 14
Restructure in WELI-FB: MODULE G2
WELI WELI-FB
• Livestock and productive activities decisions restructured
in WELI-FB
• Rows reduced to only activities/items that contribute to
the index
16. 16
WELI Time Module (by time
slot)
WELI-FB Time Module (by
Activity)
• Calculate time_work: minutes
spent on work in 24 hours
• Calculate time_childcare:
minutes spent on childcare
as secondary activity
Restructure in WELI-FB: MODULE G4
19. 19
1. Pilot study using WELI-FB questionnaire on 16 dual adult households
(16 women and 16 women) in Ethiopia
WELI-Full Bare Validations: pilot study
ETHIOPIA Women Men
Number of observations 16 16
3DE score 0.84 0.86
Disempowerment score (1 – 3DE) 0.16 0.14
% achieving empowerment 0.56 0.56
% not achieving empowerment 0.44 0.44
Mean 3DE score for not yet empowered 0.64 0.67
Mean disempowerment score (1 – 3DE) 0.36 0.33
Gender Parity Index (GPI) 0.95
% achieving gender parity 0.69
% not achieving gender parity 0.31
Average empowerment gap 0.16
WELI score 0.85
20. 20
2. Simulations using existing data on WELI to run WELI-FB syntax
TANZANIA WELI
WELI-FB
Simulated
Number of observations 210 210
WELI (3DE score) 0.86 0.86
Disempowerment score (1 – 3DE) 0.14 0.14
% achieving empowerment 62 62
% not achieving empowerment 38 38
Mean 3DE score for not yet empowered 0.63 0.63
Mean disempowerment score (1 – 3DE) for not yet
empowered
0.37 0.37
Same
results
WELI-Full Bare Validation: simulations on existing data
21. 21
3. Length of the interviews
Survey time comparison
• Challenge: Recoded Survey time includes review time
• Comparing Mean survey time across projects (restricting to survey
duration less than 7 hours)
• Full Bare records the lowest time on average
WELI-Full Bare Validation: focus on length of interviews
Estimate source
Mean
(hrs)
Min
(hrs)
Max
(hrs)
Full WELI (Tanzania) 5.2 1.9 6.9
Full WELI (Ethiopia) 5.6 4.0 6.9
WELI – FB (Ethiopia) 4.8 2.0 6.8
23. 23
Thoughts on next steps for (WELI-xs)
Objective: Shorter interview (20-30 minutes) by reducing questions that form indicators
(rather than no. of indicators that go into WELI)
How:
• Assess time required for questions and modules
• Assess correlations between questions/items or activities within questions
• Assess variation between questions/items or activities within questions
• Theoretical background of these questions
o Drop redundant questions/items or activities within questions (if any)
• Analysis of 'candidate" indicators to dropped from WEAI
o Variation/contribution to overall indicator and correlation with other indicators
24. 24
Challenges and doubts
• High index values
• Meaning of the indices vs general use of the results in light of ‘high index values’ observation
o Interpreting absolute vs relative values of the index
TANZANIA WELI
Number of observations 210
WELI (3DE score) 0.86
Disempowerment score (1 – 3DE) 0.14
% achieving empowerment 62
25. 25
Questions for discussion
• How others have dealt with the length of the surveys
e.g.
• Creating and validating shorter versions of the main tools
• Using qualitative research in shortening the tools
• Usefulness of additional questions that do not contribute to the index calculation
• How others have dealt with ‘seemingly high’ index values