Response of soil carbon fractions in a Haplic Cambisol to crop rotation systems and residue management practices under no tillage in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Soil organic carbon consists of a mixture of different materials exhibiting various stages of decomposition and decomposing at different rates. Four different fractions are now recognised: plant residues, particulate organic carbon, humus carbon and recalcitrant organic carbon. Keywords: soil carbon fractions, management practices, residues, pasture, modelling

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Influence of Knowledge Management Practices on Public Service Delivery by Municipalities

Mousaion ◽

10.25159/2663-659x/5869 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Charleen Musonza ◽

Ndakasharwa Muchaonyerwa

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Knowledge Management ◽

Service Delivery ◽

Public Service ◽

Qualitative Data ◽

Management Practices ◽

Integrated System ◽

Eastern Cape Province ◽

Eastern Cape ◽

Public Service Delivery

This study examines the influence of knowledge management (KM) practices on public service delivery by municipalities in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The study sought to determine the factors that have triggered the implementation of KM practices; the effectiveness of KM practices towards public service delivery; and the extent to which KM practices have influenced public service delivery by municipalities in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed in this study. Quantitative data were collected through a survey questionnaire administered to a sample of 202 employees at the Raymond Mhlaba Municipality in the Eastern Cape. Qualitative data were collected through observations and interviews of 2 senior managers. The data collected gave a response rate of 72 per cent. The quantitative and qualitative data were analysed descriptively and presented verbatim respectively. The results indicated that the internal and external factors included in this study have contributed to the implementation of KM practices in the municipality. Furthermore, the effective use of KM practices has increased the organisational KM initiative, as well as the provision of services such as electricity, education, transport, and social services by the municipality. The study recommends the establishment of KM awareness and the establishment of an integrated system that will assist in effective knowledge sharing, retention and acquisition across municipalities in the Eastern Cape.

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Soil organic carbon dynamics jointly controlled by climate, carbon inputs, soil properties and soil carbon fractions

Global Change Biology ◽

10.1111/gcb.13767 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 23 (10) ◽

pp. 4430-4439 ◽

Cited By ~ 86

Author(s):

Zhongkui Luo ◽

Wenting Feng ◽

Yiqi Luo ◽

Jeff Baldock ◽

Enli Wang

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Organic Carbon ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soil Carbon ◽

Carbon Dynamics ◽

Carbon Fractions ◽

Soil Organic Carbon Dynamics ◽

Soil Carbon Fractions

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Effect of land use on soil carbon fractions

Journal of the Indian Society of Soil Science ◽

10.5958/0974-0228.2020.00029.8 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 68 (4) ◽

pp. 392-399

Author(s):

D. Pal ◽

P.K. Patra ◽

D. Deb ◽

R. Bhattacharyya ◽

D. Mukhopadhyay

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Soil Carbon ◽

Carbon Fractions ◽

Soil Carbon Fractions

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Management practices and contribution of village chickens to livelihoods of communal farmers: The case of Centane and Mount Frere in Eastern Cape, South Africa

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity ◽

10.13057/biodiv/d210410 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Busisiwe Gunya ◽

Voster Muchenje ◽

Masibonge Gxasheka ◽

Thobela Tyasi ◽

Patrick Masika

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Management Practices ◽

Social Role ◽

Rural Households ◽

Chicken Manure ◽

Eastern Cape ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

Village Chickens ◽

Food Needs ◽

Supplementary Feed

Abstract. Gunya B, Muchenje V, Gxasheka M, Tyasi LT, Masika PJ. 2020. Management practices and contribution of village chickens to livelihoods of communal farmers: The case of Centane and Mount Frere in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Biodiversitas 21: 1345-1351. This study was conducted to determine village chickens production practices and their contribution to the livelihoods of farmers in rural households of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Data were gathered using a questionnaire survey of 150 households, which were identified by the use of snowball sampling. Village chickens were the most livestock species kept by farmers, mostly owned by women (79.61% in Centane and 81.06% in Mount Frere) and were kept for household food needs. Some farmers (21.92% and 25.31%) also occasionally sold their chickens at an average of R80 ($7.22) per bird. Most (93.13% and 76.44%) chickens flocks were provided with supplementary feed. The majority of farmers (80.31% and 88.33%) provided shelter for their chickens. The causes of chicken losses were reported to be diseases, predators, parasites and theft. The most cited disease problem was Newcastle (50.32% and 66.02%) while major predators were eagles (84.91% and 81.82%). The most common internal parasites were roundworms and tapeworm whilst the most reported external parasites were poultry lice and mites. The majority of farmers (94.51% and 92.21%) reported using chicken manure to improve the fertility of soils in their gardens. Chickens had a varied social role in the two areas, i.e., donation (61.63% and 68.82%) to neighbors and relatives. The majority of farmers (84.90%) in Centane didn't use chickens for cultural purposes whilst the majority (55.85%) in Mount Frere used chickens for cultural purposes. The present study showed that village chickens have a contribution to the livelihoods of rural households.

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Exploring Farmers’ Management Practices and Values of Ecosystem Services in an Agroecosystem Context—A Case Study from the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11236567 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (23) ◽

pp. 6567 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dennis Junior Choruma ◽

Oghenekaro Nelson Odume

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Food Production ◽

Management Practices ◽

Crop Yields ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Agricultural Management ◽

Eastern Cape ◽

Provisioning Ecosystem Services

Globally, farmers remain the key ecosystem managers responsible for increasing food production while simultaneously reducing the associated negative environmental impacts. However, research investigating how farmers’ agricultural management practices are influenced by the values they assign to ecosystem services is scarce in South Africa. To address this gap, a survey of farmers’ agricultural management practices and the values they assigned towards ecosystem services was conducted in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Results from the survey show that farmers assign a high value on food provisioning ecosystem services compared to other ecosystem services. Irrigation and fertiliser decisions were mostly based on achieving maximum crop yields or good crop quality. The majority of farmers (86%) indicated a willingness to receive payments for ecosystem services (PES) to manage their farms in a more ecosystems-oriented manner. To encourage farmers to shift from managing ecosystems for single ecosystem services such as food provision to managing ecosystems for multiple ecosystem services, market-oriented plans such as PES may be employed. Effective measures for sustainable intensification of food production will depend on the inclusion of farmers in the development of land management strategies and practices as well as increasing farmers’ awareness and knowledge of the ecosystem services concept.

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