درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

In light of recent price swings in oil and the need to reduce the country's dependency on the commodity, the government of Nigeria has implemented a number of reforms and initiatives to stimulate the non-oil sector of the economy, most notably the informal sector. Government financial support as interventions would have otherwise been a relief in changing the narrative of ugly financial accessibility of participants in the informal sector. The level of financial accessibility and its relationship to the economic performance of participants in the informal sector have been largely understudied. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to assess the shortcomings of current government interventions in the informal sector and to provide a viable financial intervention structure to address these issues. This research included both primary and secondary sources of information. Questionnaires were used to collect primary data from respondents. A total of 700 informal sector participant who are mainly SMEs operators, 300 registered and 400 unregistered, were chosen using a purposeful selection technique from the six states of Southwest Nigeria. Data was examined in two ways using SPSS: descriptive and inferential. Thus, the study showed the flaws of the past interventions, such as a faulty programme design, bias in the distribution of financing facilities, a lack of knowledge about the facilities, and convoluted procedures for gaining government funding support.

The prices accepted by consumers in the market are influenced by the characteristics of the goods, based on consumer behavior. Each of these features contributes to the price agreed upon by both consumers and suppliers. The packaging of a product plays a crucial role in attracting consumers and protecting the product from damage. High-quality and visually appealing packaging can create a positive perception among consumers, potentially resulting in a higher price point. Additionally, specialized packaging techniques designed to preserve freshness and extend the shelf life of oil can also impact the price. This study investigates the impact of quality and packaging on the price of sunflower oil in Iran. The primary objective was accomplished using the hedonic pricing method. Given the qualitative and ordinal nature of the dependent variable, the ordinal logit model was employed. The sample size was determined through a two-stage cluster sampling approach, which involved collecting 350 questionnaires from consumers in Tehran city. Statistical analysis was conducted using Shazam and Stata software. Numerous factors influence the consumption of sunflower oil at various levels. However, in general, factors such as increasing age, higher income levels, the presence of diseases, and dietary considerations contribute to a decrease in its consumption. On the other hand, factors like improving product quality, enhancing the quality of oil packaging, increasing consumer loyalty towards edible oil, and rising online sales of this product contribute to an increase in its demand.

Agriculture plays a pivotal role in Africa's development and is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the agricultural sector is inherently exposed to production risks, and many farmers in the developing world lack access to reliable agricultural insurance coverage. This situation arises due to limited data and knowledge about farmers' insurance needs and the high costs associated with insuring against severe agricultural risks. Promoting agricultural insurance as an instrument can have several significant impacts, aligning with multiple SDGs. It can help stabilize farmers' income, thereby contributing to the goal of reducing poverty (SDG 1). Moreover, agricultural insurance can provide a safety net for food producers, helping them manage the impacts of climate-related risks and aligning with SDG 13, which addresses climate action. Additionally, by enhancing the resilience of farmers and ensuring more predictable income, agricultural insurance can contribute to addressing hunger (SDG 2) and ultimately create a more sustainable and prosperous agricultural sector in Africa. Therefore, this study evaluated agricultural insurance as an instrument for sustainable food supply systems in Nigeria. This study adopted a survey design. This study captured thoughts, experiences, and observations of selected agricultural underwriters in the Nigerian insurance industry through structured questionnaire. A descriptive statistic was employed in the data analysis. This study results indicated that aside from farmers’ awareness which showed some level of yardstick with respect to farmers behavioural metrics, all other metrics played no significant roles. It was also recorded that why farmers’ age, gender, family size and farming experience have no significant roles in the uptake of agricultural insurance, all other participatory factors have major effects. The study contributed significantly to knowledge with the graphical representations of the challenges confronting the agricultural insurers in Nigeria. The study provided suitable recommendations that endear achievable SDGs in Nigeria.