ISAE - 2019 http://ir.lib.ruh.ac.lk/handle/iruor/6076 2026-04-06T22:34:50Z 2026-04-06T22:34:50Z Chen, Bixia Qiu, Zhenmian Usio, Nisikawa Nakamura, Koji http://ir.lib.ruh.ac.lk/handle/iruor/7648 2022-08-17T09:39:21Z 2019-02-28T00:00:00Z

Impacts of Tourism on Rural Livelihood in the Sustainability of an Ageing Community in Japan Chen, Bixia; Qiu, Zhenmian; Usio, Nisikawa; Nakamura, Koji Rural tourism, which is often considered as rural development initiatives, has been extensively studied in Japanese context, however, usually observed at a community level, and supposed that host households were homogeneous. The article added to established literature by studying how rural tourism, contributes to sustainable livelihoods at household level in an ageing community in a developed economy. For this purpose, a qualitative study was conducted in a farm inn group in Noto town, a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) site in Japan. We tested three hypotheses: 1) rural tourism in a remote/isolated region has changed the livelihood assets of host households; 2) the economic benefits from rural tourism is marginal to host households; and 3) the benefits other than income earning exceeds economic benefits for ageing communities. Generally, host communities have improved their livelihood assets through farm inn business. The residents’ life quality has been improved in this super ageing rural, although, economic benefits are still marginal to majority of the host households. Tourists have brought vitality to these remote villages. The lacking of young residents and inherits of their farm inn business is a bottleneck to its future development. The social capital should be strengthened through forming a social network with local government, as well as private sectors.

2019-02-28T00:00:00Z Amarasinghe, S.R. Pathibha, J.K.P.N. Randimal, D. Perera, U.M.V.S. Tharupath, K.M.C. Wijesinghe, W.A.D.M. http://ir.lib.ruh.ac.lk/handle/iruor/7643 2022-08-17T09:15:21Z 2019-02-28T00:00:00Z

Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination and Quality of Drinking Water Sources in Kamburupitiya, Sri Lanka; A Case Study in Lenabatuwa and Iiriyathota GN Divisions Amarasinghe, S.R.; Pathibha, J.K.P.N.; Randimal, D.; Perera, U.M.V.S.; Tharupath, K.M.C.; Wijesinghe, W.A.D.M. For most households in Kamburupitiya area, well water and pipe borne water from springs are the major source of water supply for domestic consumption. In recent years the incidences of cancer and other digestive tract ailments were rapidly increased in this area. The relationship between the presence of heavy metals in drinking water and the prevalence of such diseases is very important. Hence, continuous monitoring of drinking water quality is essential to identify the chemical toxicity in terms of heavy metals. According to the statistics, the highest number of cancer patients was found in Kamburupitiya area especially in Lenabatuwa GN division during past few years. The Iiriyathota GN division has 4 natural springs in Iiriyathota. Two of these are used to distribute pipe borne water to most of the households in Kamburupitiya. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to assess the groundwater quality in terms of heavy metals. Water samples from three identified water sources which are domestic wells (W1-W10), lake (L1) and natural water springs (S1-S5) used by the locality for the drinking purpose were collected separately and their heavy metals (Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, Fe, Ni, and As), pH, electric conductivity, and total dissolved solids were chemically analyzed by using standard methods. The data were analyzed statistically. The results revealed that the drinking water quality is not according to the WHO standards. Heavy metal content also higher than WHO standard and some samples contained higher amounts of Pb, As and Fe and was exceeded permissible levels. According to the results, the average concentration of heavy metals such as Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, Fe and As were 0.017 ppm, 0.001 ppm, 0.014 ppm, 0.009 ppm, 0.163 ppm and 0.004 ppm respectively. The pH level was very low in all domestic wells and in one water spring (S1) which was below the recommended level of 6.5-8.5. Therefore, overall low pH in majority of the samples and high level of heavy metals in some samples could impose a threat to human health. Therefore, it is recommended for a routine monitoring in potable water sources in the study area to examine its suitability for drinking purposes.

2019-02-28T00:00:00Z Bandara, H.M.G.M. Samaraweera, G.C. http://ir.lib.ruh.ac.lk/handle/iruor/7639 2022-08-17T08:59:36Z 2019-02-28T00:00:00Z

Assessing the Impact of Nutritional Labelling on Buying High Quality Dairy Products; A Case Study at a Galgamuwa Supermarket Bandara, H.M.G.M.; Samaraweera, G.C. Informational labeling can be viewed as a major attribute in determining the product quality. It can be categorized as an element of packaging which can be used to influence consumer buying behavior positively, either ethically or unethically. Recently, consumers’ confidence towards high quality dairy products in the market becoming reduced due to various crises emerged in food retail industry. Therefore, the present study intends to assess the impact of informational labeling on buying high quality dairy products by a case study at a Galgamuwa supermarket. Main objective is to assess the impact of informational attributes of a product on consumer purchase intentions. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used as the research instrument to collect data from the supermarkets. Most convenient supermarket in Galgamuwa DS division was selected as the study area and 200 consumers visiting supermarket at any time of shopping hours of 10 convenient consecutive days, while randomizing the time segments of shopping hours. Collected data were tabulated in spreadsheets and analyzed using Wilcoxon signed rank test. The results showed that both nutritional facts (Z= -9.040, p=0.000) and product facts (Z= - 9.048 p=0.000) affect significantly on consumer buying of dairy product at 95% confidence level. Further the study revealed that the product facts such as method of storing (Z=6.892, p=0.000), country of origin (Z= -6.646, p=0.000), brand name (Z= -7.575, p=0.000), manufacturing and expiry dates (Z= -9.376, p=0.000), method of preparation (Z= -8.691, p=0.000), contact details (Z= -7.823, p=0.000), ingredients (Z= -8.780, p=0.000) and certifications (Z= -8.864, p=0.000) showed significant impact on assisting a consumer to purchase high quality dairy product from the supermarket. Current study recommends set managerial implications, to use concise of ethical information when designing a label for a dairy product to win customer confidence towards a specific brand and to view it as a high quality offering in the market place.

2019-02-28T00:00:00Z Piyumi, D.H. Hapuhinna, H.K.G.I.S.B. http://ir.lib.ruh.ac.lk/handle/iruor/7627 2022-08-17T05:58:49Z 2019-02-28T00:00:00Z

Production and Marketing Constraints of Coconut Cultivation in Kurunegala District Piyumi, D.H.; Hapuhinna, H.K.G.I.S.B. Coconut (Cocos nucifera) is one of the major plantation crops that plays a vital role in the Sri Lankan economy. Currently coconut production has dropped significantly comparison to previous years. This contraction in nut production affected adversely to local consumption and coconut related industries. In such context, this study was conducted as a case study to examine the production and marketing issues faced by the coconut growers and analyze gross market margins of coconut cultivation at Bingiriya and Pannala Divisional Secretary’s Divisions in Kurunegala District. Primary data were collected from randomly selected 70 coconut growers by using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistical tools were used to analyze the data. According to the kruscal-wallis analysis, it was identified four major production constraints which affect the coconut growers. Adverse weather condition was the most leading constraint while losses due to pest and diseases were the second main constraint. The third and fourth priorities were lack of proper management practices and land availability, respectively. The majority (94%) of the respondents have marketed their coconut production through intermediaries. The main constraint faced by the growers during coconut marketing was the high commission for intermediaries. The cost of coconut cultivation per acre was LKR 413040.00. Based on the gross margin analysis, highest producer share was reported for the channel which consists of the Producer- Wholesaler- Retailer- consumer (66.3%). This study suggested that it is vital to produce and introduce heat tolerant, pest and disease tolerant high yielding coconut varieties to the growers. Also it is important to enhance the farmers’ accessibility to different marketing channels in order to obtain a higher profit.

2019-02-28T00:00:00Z