Horticulture producer's willingness to participate in contract-based supply chain coordination: A case study from Queensland (Australia).

Product export provides an option for horticulture producers in Queensland (Australia) to diversify their market and increase returns from production. Vertical supply chain coordination in the form of contract-based marketing agreements between producers and export agents/distributors could facilitate increased export. The aim of this study was to investigate the willingness of horticulture producers to participate in export focused contract-based marketing agreements. To achieve this aim, a survey including a discrete choice experiment was conducted. The results from a mixed logit model and a latent class model suggest that there are three clusters of producers: a) the export interested, b) the likely risk averse, and c) those well established in the domestic markets. Only producers in group a) expressed a preference for contract-based export marketing agreements. These producers appear to be younger, already have some export experience, and have a relatively high level of collaboration in their product supply chains. Producers in groups b) and c) expressed an interest in stronger coordination within the domestic retail sector, potentially in the form of contract farming. Prices of produce and potential higher production costs are determinants identified by all producer groups as important for their decision-making about changes to their supply chain.

Developing a population wide cost estimating framework and methods for technological intervention enabling ageing in place: An Australian case.

PURPOSE: Ageing in place is one of the greatest desires of elderly people. Assistive digital technologies could potentially delay the institutionalization of the elderly people and allow them ageing in place. This study develops a population-wide cost estimating framework for adopting digital technologies that can improve the quality of life of elderly people through examining an Australian region. METHODS: We developed a five-stage cost estimation framework, which involved progressive forecasting of elderly population and direct cost estimation methods. The forecasting and cost estimation models have been set for a 10-year period because the prediction accuracy from cross-sectional data is better in the short to medium term compared to the long-term. For cost estimation, we categorised the ageing population on the basis of the number of chronic diseases that they have contracted. Costs of assistive technologies were collected from open sources. The model has been tested in the Fitzroy and Central West, a regional area of Queensland in Australia. A stakeholder panel discussion in a workshop format was used to validate the appropriateness of the proposed framework and the study findings. RESULTS: This study identified eight common chronic diseases with different comorbidity patterns in Australia. We also identified the required assistive technologies to assist patients with chronic diseases. This study estimated that annual per capita cost for technological intervention could range from AUD 4,169 to AUD 7,551 on the basis of different price margins of the technologies. CONCLUSION: The approach of categorising the aged cohorts on the basis of the number of chronic diseases helps estimate population-wide costs compared to using single technology intervention costs for a particular chronic disease cohort. The cost estimation framework and the method developed in this study can assist the government to estimate costs for ageing-in-place programs.

The Rohingya in Cox's Bazar: When the Stateless Seek Refuge.

The Rohingya people of Myanmar have been subject to human rights violations through government-sponsored discrimination and violence. Since August 2017, an intensified assault by Myanmar authorities has resulted in a rapid increase of Rohingya pouring into Bangladesh, and the expansion of refugee settlements in the district of Cox's Bazar has strained humanitarian and government relief efforts. Assessing Rohingya and host community needs is critical for prioritizing resource allocations and for documenting the rights violations suffered by Rohingya refugees. From March 15 to 18, 2018, we conducted a rapid needs assessment of recently arrived Rohingya and host community households. We collected data on demographics, mortality, education, livelihoods, access to food and water, vaccination, and health care. Among other things, our survey found high levels of mortality among young Rohingya men, alarmingly low levels of vaccination among children, poor literacy, and rising poverty. Denied formal refugee status, the Rohingya cannot access due protections and find themselves in a state of insecurity in which they are unsure of their future and unable to formally seek work or send their children to school. While the government of Bangladesh explores the options of repatriation, relocation, and third-country resettlement for these refugees, it is important to ensure that they are not denied a life of dignity.