Future of Food: Journal on Food

Financial Inclusion in the Global South: An Analysis of Index-Based Agricultural Insurance and Farmer Food Security in India

Stefan Mühlenhoff
University of Kassel

Index-based agricultural insurance (IBAI) is presented by several development organizations as a highly effective way of mitigating climate change related risks and improving farmer food security. However, critics doubt the effectiveness of the instrument and regard it as a new frontier for capital accumulation. Linking to this debate, this research uses a qualitative design to investigate how IBAI affects the food production and consumption of farmers in the Indian state of Karnataka. It finds that the proposed benefits of the instrument are overestimated. Most of the major issues reported by farmers cannot be addressed by insurance. Moreover, using the alternative concept of food sovereignty, the research suggests that several problems reported by interviewees, such as unstable market prices, unequal land distribution and missing irrigation require political action rather than financial inclusion. 

Keywords : index-based agricultural insurance, food security, crop insurance, weather-based crop insurance .

Myanmar High School Students’ Perceptions of College and International Readiness in Western Society

Mark Speckien
Louisiana Tech University
Mark Speckien
Louisiana Tech University
International students are more likely to experience mental health issues and increased stress. Mental health is often surrounded by negative societal stigmas that act as barriers to seeking support and tend to lead to greater mental health concerns. International students tend to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers rather than seeking out counseling services. However, this study shows that LGBTQIA+ international students were less likely to seek socioemotional support from other international student peers due to fear of their sexual orientation being discovered and their families finding out about their identity. This study examines how LGBTQIA+ international students talk about their experiences on and off campus in relations to their socioemotional well-being. Specifically, this study sought to better understand the complexities of LGBTQIA+ students’ identities, and the challenges they faced in terms of their socioemotional well-being. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Keywords : international students, socioemotional well-being, mental health, identity development, intersectionality, LGBTQIA