List of Titles

The assessment of socio – economic policy affecting Makana municipality development

Authors: Stamper, Lindelwa
Date: 2022-04
Subjects: Rural development , Local government -- services -- South Africa
Language: English
Type: Master's theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/58201 , vital:58695
Description: The aim was to assess the development policies affecting the development of Makana Municipality. Development policies exist to foster and improve the lives of the people, for example through job creation, poverty alleviation, improvement of infrastructure. Therefore, the neglect of Makana Municipality to deliver such services is a denial of basic human development and opportunities for people to lead a long healthy life and get to enjoy a decent level of dignity, freedom, self-esteem, respect inter alia. The municipality has played a role in how development has been delayed. The recent court ruling is the evidence of that. The high court in Grahamstown dissolved the municipality in January and the judgement was perceived as a historical verdict in the history of local government. Makana municipality has deteriorating service levels and it has been like that for few years now. The livelihoods of the people of Makana have been affected as the dissatisfaction with services continues. This study highlighted the importance of good governance and appropriate policies to respond to issues are for development and to address different challenges. Moreover, one of the strong bases for successful local government is good leadership, that responds to people’s needs strategically and technically. The research has found the slow pace in development has a negative impact in the fight against poverty and unemployment in the municipality. Therefore, serious interventions strategies to improve the pace of service delivery in the local municipality needs to enforce responsibility and accountability. Local Government is the sphere that is the closest to the people and responsible for delivering services as stipulated in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996). Thus, when a municipality fails to provide services, the citizens are the ones who should hold the government accountable and demand services. Municipalities have a developmental role that they need to play and fulfil, and this is stated in the Constitution as follows. “Developmental local government is local government committed to working with citizens and groups within the community to find sustainable ways to meet their social, vi economic and material needs and improve the quality of their lives” (Republic of South Africa, 1996, section 153). , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic science, 2022
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Date Issued: 2022-04

Determinants and contribution of participation in farming to rural households’ welfare in Nyandeni Local Municipality, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

- Qange, Siphesihle

Authors: Qange, Siphesihle
Date: 2020-06
Subjects: Agricultural systems , Rural development , Community development
Language: English
Type: Master's theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/20849 , vital:46634
Description: Participation in farming has been the main livelihood strategy for, especially in rural areas, where homesteads used to produce the majority of their basic food basket. Participation in farming is one of the strategies that can be used to address the food insecurity and poverty in rural areas. Participating in farming seems to be key in the improvement of rural households’ livelihoods, especially in the developing countries, however nowadays, participation in farming is declining from year to year. Rural households tend to invest more of their time in non-agricultural activities. Rural homesteads now behave like their urban counterparts; they purchase more food from the markets than they produce for themselves. Consequently, there are high levels of poverty and food insecurity in rural areas. Government and non-governmental organisations implemented a variety of agricultural projects with the intention of empowering subsistence farmers in rural areas. Despite these interventions, farming in rural areas has continued to decrease as rural dwellers have realised other livelihood strategies. Moreover, the decline in farming activities results in increased unemploymentrates, hunger, and food insecurity in rural areas, resulting in the depreciation of the economy. Therefore, the objective of the study is to investigate the determinants and contribution of participating in farming to the welfare of rural households. The study was conducted in Nyandeni Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed in the survey and the data was obtained from 176 rural households comprising both those who participate in farming and those who do not. The study employed a cross-sectional research design, and purposive sampling was used to select the sample prior to the data collection. Data was collected and captured in Excel and then analysed using the Stata version 15. Descriptive statistics were used to profile the socio-economic characteristics of rural households, the probit model was used to determine the factors affecting farming in rural areas and Two stage least squares was used to determine the contribution of farming to the welfare of rural households. In reference to the descriptive statistics, the results indicated that 62 percent of the rural households were headed by females and 51 percent of the household heads were married. The average age of the household heads was 55 years old and above, and the average household comprised 5 persons. Moreover, 50 percent of the rural households had only obtained primary education and 55 percent were unemployed. The average farming experience was 12 years and 12 percent of the households confirmed that they receive extension services from the Government. The probit model was fitted to estimate the factors affecting rural households’ participation in farming. The empirical results indicated that education level, income and Participation in Agric. Project a negative influence on the participation of household in farming and they were significant at 0.01 and 0.05 significance level respectively. Access to extension services had a positive influence on households’ participation in farming and were significant at 5 percent. Farming experience had a positive influence on household participation in farming and was significant at 5 percent and farming experience had a positive influence on participation in farming and was significant at 1 percent significancelevel. Two stage least squares regression was used to measure factors affecting the contribution of household farming to rural household welfare. The study measured the contribution of household farming in terms of income generated from farming. The results indicated that Educational level, Household size and Condition of Infrastructure indicate a positive significant effect on income. The remaining variables, Age, Marital status, Participation in Agric. Project and Access to extension services have a negative significant effect on income. The study concluded that households headed by married individuals fared better than households headed by single individuals. Educated individuals have easy access to various sources of information that could help them with income-generating farming skills. Employment, more especially formal employment, results in higher income, and it is stated that the higher the income the better the welfare of the household. Therefore, the study recommends that Government must promote farming in rural areas through the initiation of support programmes and agricultural community projects. Rural households have the potential to succeed in farming but they lack input and proper equipment, and therefore it is recommended that Government should put more focus on household farming rather than their current primary focus on commercial farming. , Thesis (MSc) (Agricultural Economics) -- University of Fort Hare, 2021
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Date Issued: 2020-06

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Opportunities and challenges for socio-economic transformation in rural Zimbabwe

- Mutami, Cephas

Authors: Mutami, Cephas
Date: 2014-10
Subjects: Economic development--Social aspects , Rural development , Community development
Language: English
Type: Doctoral theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/26459 , vital:65338
Description: The focus of the thesis is the impediments of rural development in Zimbabwe and how opportunities for socio-economic transformation can be enhanced in the current setting. The study embarks from a conceptualization of rural poverty in Zimbabwe using theoretical and empirical evidence. Poverty in rural Zimbabwe has a historical legacy of deprivation and dispossession and is concentrated in communal areas which have low resources bases with low agriculture potential due to low rainfall and poor soils. The myriad of challenges in rural Zimbabwe point to the incoherent of rural development polices which are distorting markets for inputs and produce. Thus the study sought to address the rural development policy bottlenecks and develop a policy agenda for development.Using mixed methods approach, the study considered household economic conditions, their production practices and their vulnerability contexts in three selected districts which represent communal, old resettlement and small scale A1 and A2 areas. The household data is blended with interview data of rural development practitioners in both private and public agencies to produce comprehensive information on the impact of rural development policies. Archival research method was also used to do content reviews on government policy papers and programs so as to provide a holistic approach to analysis. Naturally mixed methods produce large volumes of data which requires thorough analysis. This was only possible through the use of analytical computer software packages for qualitative and quantitative data such as Atlas Ti and Excel spreadsheet, respectively. The study revealed that rural households in Zimbabwe are farmers. The majority of these farmers are smallholders who are located in remote communal areas and resettlement areas. Communal farmers constitute the bulk of rural citizens and live on less than a dollar a day. They are engaged in mixed farming methods and other non-farm activities especially during off-agriculture season. Communal households basically produce staples, with a low percentage producing cotton and groundnuts. Production choices and methods are shaped by subsistence needs of households but more so by risks and vulnerability contexts which they operate in. Farmers in resettlement areas face a different set of opportunities and threats to their livelihoods as they are located in prime agricultural land. However they are still challenged with the rural development approaches of central government. On the policy front, there is no pronounced rural development policy in Zimbabwe. The current setting has numerous pronouncements and programs which all seek to alleviate underdevelopment in Zimbabwe. These programs are replicating each other in practice and in most cases benefit the political elites and large scale commercial farmers. The multiplicity of government institutions which deal with rural development results in incremental decisions and programs which further impoverishes rural households. The study posits a rural development policy framework which is based on a comprehensive policy agenda which takes into cognizance the production requirements of households. Such a policy needs to be inclusive to the rural households in terms of governance and programs. A rural development policy agenda and framework would require the harnessing of resources from both the government and private players in well-articulated market friendly approaches. This would stimulate high productivity, enhance off-farm activities, raise incomes and foremost create appropriate social protection programs. Thus the potential for sustained economic growth and development in Zimbabwe lies with smallholder agriculture based rural development framework which can impact on the 67% population who live and work in rural areas. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2014
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Date Issued: 2014-10

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Water footprint of growing vegetables in selected smallholder irrigation schemes in South Africa

- Nyambo, Patrick

Authors: Nyambo, Patrick
Date: 2014
Subjects: Water consumption , Irrigation efficiency , Rural development
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc Agric (Soil Science)
Identifier: vital:11964 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1019775 , Water consumption , Irrigation efficiency , Rural development
Description: Knowledge of water use, through water foot printing (WF) in smallholder agriculture crop production is the key to the global fight against poverty, achievement of food security and sustainability within the world’s rural community. Water footprint of a crop can be defined as the volume of fresh water used to produce a certain crop in all the steps in the production line. This study, therefore aimed at contributing towards improvements in rural livelihoods by raising awareness of the increased productive use of green, blue and grey water in smallholder agriculture in South Africa. This was done through determination of water footprints of five vegetable crops, i.e. potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum), dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), cabbage (Brassica oleracea spp) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea) in the 2000-2013 period. Quantification of water footprints has been done worldwide but, in South Africa (SA) focus has mostly been on the industrial and domestic sector. Water footprint assessment framework, was used to estimate the full impact of vegetable production on water resources at Zanyokwe, Thabina and Tugela Ferry irrigation schemes as case studies. The CROPWAT@ model was used to calculate crop evapotranspiration, differentiating green and blue water. Local climatic data were obtained from SA weather services, while the crop and soil parameters were obtained from the FAO data base. Nitrogen was considered the main pollutant hence its use in the grey water footprint calculation. Generally, Thabina irrigation scheme had the highest water footprint, followed by Tugela Ferry irrigation scheme whilst Zanyokwe irrigation scheme had the lowest. Green beans had the highest water footprint at all the three irrigation schemes with Thabina irrigation scheme having the highest (3535.1 m3/ton). For Tugela Ferry irrigation scheme, the calculated WF was 2753 m3/ton whilst the lowest was observed at ZIS i.e. 2407.6 m3/ton. Cabbage had the lowest water footprint. The highest water footprint for growing cabbage was 254.5 m3/ton in TFIS, 223.1 m3/ton in TIS and the lowest was 217.8 m3/ton in ZIS. The differences observed in the WF of a crop at each scheme maybe attributed to the differences management, weather and environmental characteristics, in the three locations. Moreover, the needs for ET are related to soil type and plant growth, and primarily depend on crop development and climatic factors which are closely related to climatic demands. The grey water footprint was calculated using the recommended fertilizer application rates for all the three sites. Green beans had the highest WFgrey i.e. 373 m3/ton and the lowest was cabbage with 37 m3/ton. Potato, spinach and tomatoes had 156 m3/ton, 214 m3/ton and 132 m3/ton, respectively. Grey water footprint in this study was higher as compared to other studies, possibly because of the high rates of nitrogen fertilizers used in the calculations and the low yields farmers get. Compared with estimates from other studies, the water footprints of vegetable production within smallholder irrigation schemes was relatively high. There is therefore, a need to focus on crop management and tillage practices that will help in increasing yield while minimizing water usage.
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Date Issued: 2014

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Would an asset-based community development approach counteract a community deficit mindset in Leliefontein?

- Hopkins, Grant Camden

Authors: Hopkins, Grant Camden
Date: 2011
Subjects: Community development , Rural development , Sustainable development
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
Identifier: vital:8691 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1009316 , Community development , Rural development , Sustainable development
Description: This research report aims to explore the potential of an Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach in Leliefontein. Through the ABCD process, an inventory of the individual capacities of a sample group will be undertaken, as well as an inventory of the significant local associations, organisations and institutions, as well as their capacities. The objective will be to use the asset-mapping process to challenge negative community self-perceptions, enabling them to build new, positive images that empower and release latent potential. The information gathered will also be made available to the individuals, organisations, associations and institutions within the community, along with some ideas on how mutually beneficial partnerships can be developed. The key objective will be to assist the community of Leliefontein, to no longer regard themselves from a deficit mindset, but positively, as a community with tremendous resources, assets and relationships that can be harnessed for 4 community economic development. Asset-mapping can then be used by local organisations to build new relationships within the community, as well as relationships that harness resources outside of the immediate community.
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Date Issued: 2011

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The role of co-operatives in the socio-economic developmet of Dutywa villages

- Mqingwana, Cwaka Batandwa

Authors: Mqingwana, Cwaka Batandwa
Date: 2010
Subjects: Rural development , Sustainable development
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
Identifier: vital:9069 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1306 , Rural development , Sustainable development
Description: The purpose of the study was to investigate how the co-operatives can be used to uplift the standard of living in the rural, with specific reference to Dutywa villages of Ngcingwane, Mangati and Mbewuleni. In other words is ‘how do we make co-operatives work’. The overall purpose of the study was to investigate whether co-operatives have contributed to positive change in the socio-economic conditions in the three villages of Dutywa. The research further analyzes the performance of the co-operatives in terms of their leadership and management structures. The research was also to find out what the challenges are and what are the gaps associated with the performance of the co-operatives. The research was also to look at how the support from different government departments and other government agencies are used to enhance the co-operatives governance. Lastly, the research was to find the best model for co-operative development and what needs to be done to enhance the capacity of the co-operatives. In the study that was carried out, four different approaches were used. The research was based on action research which involved a range of instruments like questionnaires, focus group interviews, conversation and observation. Both comparative and qualitative research frameworks were used for different purposes and at different times. Comparative approach is used when the three co-operatives are compared to each other. Differences on governance and administrative issues on governance such as capital, market and the impact thereafter is reported on. The research assumption was that co-operative development is a viable tool for economic development of the rural areas. This can help many South Africans and many communities come out of poverty. However, there are 6 limitations that are caused by the inability of government to co-ordinate co-operative development. Despite the role that co-operatives play in South Africa, co-operatives still experience a number of challenges. These challenges are, amongst others, lack of access to finance, lack of access to market, lack of business skills, lack of infrastructural facilities and lack of knowledge about the co-operative. In view of the challenges facing the co-operatives, the government instituted a number of state departments and parastatals for funding and other necessary support. These are DTI, DEDEA (in the Eastern Cape), ECDC, SEDA, Department of Labour and municipalities. The objectives of these support institutions are to provide necessary support needed by co-operatives and to ensure that co-operative development is sustainable. The findings of this study suggest that co-operatives play a vital role in the socio-economic development of the rural villages. Co-operatives create self-employment and sometimes employment through temporary employment offered; provide space and time for socialization and lastly co-operative members are sometimes through their produce able to provide basic foodstuffs to the family. In view of the socio-economic benefits of the co-operatives in rural villages of Dutywa, it is highly recommended that various support programmes that are already there within the departments should be enhanced. Assistance to co-operatives should not only be limited to government funding for co-operatives but more concentration should be on finding market for their products.
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Date Issued: 2010

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Re-imagining rural agrarian transformation in the Eastern Cape

- Mwangolela, Tafadzwa Fungayi

Authors: Mwangolela, Tafadzwa Fungayi
Date: 2008-11
Subjects: Agricultural development projects , Agricultural innovations , Rural development
Language: English
Type: Master's theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/26559 , vital:65642
Description: The research report is submitted to the School of Public Management and Development, University of Fort Hare as part of Masters in Public Administration requirements. The Provincial Growth and Development Plan 2004 2014 has identified agriculture as a critical pillar strategy of poverty reduction and growth in the Eastern Cape Province. The main aim of the study was to assess the viability of the agrarian transformation initiatives in the Eastern Cape. The study therefore was measuring the progress made by the agrarian transformation initiatives in selected areas versus the following variables food security, household community growth, participation and community involvement, and production support. In the attempt to achieve the main objectives, the study focused on the political economy of the rural as the policy context. The literature was an in-depth engagement with body of knowledge on agrarian transformations, with particular interest in governance participation and the impacts of agrarian initiatives in some countries. The product of literature analysis is the hypothetical model, termed the democratised rural agrarian transformation that should shape the policy implementation of agrarian reform. The study also undertook a field work that was guided by research methodology protocols from social science. The study thus collected primary data from 54 farmers participants drawn from 4 local municipalities within Chris Hani and Amathole District Municipalities. The findings of the study showed that there is still a challenge on the potential of rural agriculture to stimulate the improvement of food security status, and rural incomes. This reality is due to various factors such as poor farmer participation, weakness in coordination of the projects, limited access to extension services as a matter of capacity building. The study makes recommendations which are outlined a building local linkages integration with Local Economic Development initiatives and improvement of agrarian social infrastructure dynamic extension services, and political interventions. Conclusively there is need for an intergovernmental approach to the redress of the agrarian question in rural Eastern Cape. , Thesis (MPA) -- Faculty of Management and Commerce, 2008
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Date Issued: 2008-11

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