Performance of Agriculture Sector in Foreign Trade of Pakistan

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

Background: Outbreak of COVID-19, in many countries, has imposed a lockdown on their residents. The usefulness of extenuative actions is extremely reliant on society's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward pandemic control.Objective: This study aimed to explore the awareness, attitudes, and practices of the general Pakistani population to COVID-19.Methods: From June 13, 2020, until June 30, 2020, a cross-sectional online KAP survey was conducted among the Pakistani public. For data collection, a validated self-administered questionnaire was used. The survey instrument consisted of six demographic characteristics, 14 items on knowledge, four on attitudes, and six items on practices, modified from a previously published questionnaire on COVID-19.Results: The present study included 2,307 participants, 58.3% males and 41.7% of females. The majority (86.7%) sought information from social media (SM) and television, 95% had good practices, 89.9% had positive attitudes, and two-thirds (67.4%) of the respondents had adequate knowledge. The students and people from younger age groups had more positive attitudes compared with others. Highly educated w with other groups (p < 0.001). In logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio indicated that the private job was negatively associated, and high monthly income was positively associated with adequate knowledge (OR = 0.595). Old age was the predictor of negative attitude, and high school degrees and master's degrees were associated with good practice scores.Conclusion: The Pakistani general population has an overall positive attitude and proactive practices against COVID-19, but their knowledge is inadequate. The most important source of information was SM, followed by television. These are playing a crucial role in educating the Pakistani public.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 Pandemic Awareness, Attitudes, and Practices Among the Pakistani General Public

Rehman

Jawed

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

“…The highest number of infections was in Sindh Province, followed by Gilgit-Baltistan. 1 All confirmed cases had traveled from Iran, Syria, and London. Over time, infections rapidly escalated, and by the end of August 2020, the virus had infected around 30,000 people, of which over 6000 died.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Local Perceptions of COVID-19 in Pakistan’s Sindh Province: “Political Game”, Supernatural Test, or Western Conspiracy?

Saddique²,

Disaster med. public health prep.

2021

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has received various distinct perspectives and responses at the local as well as global levels. The current study pays attention to local perspectives, which have appeared in the Sindh province of Pakistan. Focusing on a small town of the province, we have found that some people consider the disease is a “political” game or a “supernatural test.” The given perceptions then guide further actions: either ignore or adopt the preventive measures or take supernatural preventive measures. Considering it as a test of God, Muslims perform prayers, while Bāgrrī community who practice Hinduism are taking the cow urine to deal with the virus. This study brings these perspectives to the center stage, yet the results cannot be generalized across the country, including the province. Moreover, the study situates these perspectives within the global and socio-cultural, economic, and political contexts and invites more in-depth studies to inquire why such perspectives emerge. We maintain that documenting these various perspectives and analyzing their impacts at the preparedness programs is essential yet understanding the causes behind the stated standpoints—if not more—then is equally essential.

Sustainable Development

The role of private sector investment in agriculture: A catalyst for sustainable development in Asia

Pickson,

Gui,

Jian

et al. 2024

The agricultural sector is a crucial driver for sustainable development in many countries, as it directly or indirectly contributes to various United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. However, this sector requires increasing financial investment to rejuvenate and modernise production processes. This study investigates the impact of private sector investment on agricultural production across selected Asian countries from 2001Q1 to 2020Q4. The results of the Driscoll‐Kraay regression and the method of moments quantile regression reveal that private agricultural investment positively affects agricultural production. The findings indicate positive contributions from agricultural aid, domestic credit, and rural population, whereas remittances negatively affect agricultural production. The Dumitrescu‐Hurlin panel causality test results establish bidirectional causality between farm production and its determinants (private agricultural investment, agricultural aid, domestic credit, remittances, and the rural population). Based on these findings, we recommend that policymakers and governments incentivise and facilitate private agricultural investment to drive sustainable development. This strategy could boost agricultural productivity and enhance a more resilient agricultural system capable of withstanding environmental challenges while improving farmers' incomes and livelihoods.