Effect of livestock farmers’ access to formal markets on marketing inefficiency in Mpumalanga province, South Africa

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Malika Sehar ◽  
Abayomi Samuel Oyekale
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Mpumalanga Province ◽  
Livestock Farmers

scholarly journals Livestock Farmer Demography and Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change and Variability in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Province of South Africa

2022 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 870-898
Author(s):  
Khathutshelo A. Tshikolomo ◽  
Azwihangwisi E. Nesamvuni ◽  
Marema Petja ◽  
Johan Van Niekerk ◽  
Ndivhudza S. Mpandeli
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
High Capacity ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Mpumalanga Province ◽  
Climate Change And Variability ◽  
Livestock Farmers ◽  
Almost All

The study investigated the demographic characteristics of smallholder livestock farmers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Province of South Africa and their effect on the capacity of the farmers to adapt to climate change and variability. Respondents were mainly heads (58.7%) and parents (25.7%) to heads of households and were mostly male (63.4%) with good health (97.8%) associated with high adaptive capacity to climate change and variability. Regarding socio-economic status, four in five (81.5%) of the livestock farmers had only secondary education at most, and incomes were generally low, probably associated with low capacity to adapt to climate change and variability. On the contrary, the quality of housing for the livestock farmers was either top (48.5% of farmers) or medium (47.4%). Some 45.9% of farmers owned 4 to 5 rooms, 44.5% owned six or more rooms, with 88.5% of them having financed their houses. Almost all the respondents (97.3%) had access to electricity, and these suggest the high capacity to adapt to climate change and variability. With regards to aspects of livestock farming, one male (40.1% of households) and female (39.3%) member was fit to work in farming, livestock was owned by heads (52.9% of the households) and by children (29.0%), affirming the high capacity to adapt to climate change and variability. Almost all respondents (99.2%) used communal land, had fewer livestock, lacked training (99.5%), never belonged to a farmers’ union (99.7%) or a producer organization (100.0%), and had no access to financial support from the government (99.2%) associated with low adaptive capacity. The findings of the study revealed that demographic factors had different influences on the capacity of smallholder livestock farmers to adapt to adverse effects of climate change and variability on the farming enterprises. This was true for all the three types of demographic factors studied, namely: personal characteristics, economic status, and aspects of livestock farming.

The Role of Archives on the Incorporation of the Former Kangwane Homeland to Mpumalanga Province

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nkholedzeni Sidney Netshakhuma
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Record Keeping ◽  
Mpumalanga Province ◽  
Specific Objective ◽  
National Archives ◽  
And Control

This study was conceptualised in order to assess the strategies used to incorporate the homeland of KaNgwane into Mpumalanga province after the cessation of apartheid in 1994. The specific objective of the study was to investigate the compliance of records and archives with the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa Act (Act No 43 of 1996), during the incorporation of the homeland of KaNgwane into Mpumalanga. The study adopted a qualitative methodology through document analysis, interviews and observations. The key findings revealed that the archives of the former homeland of Kangwane were not aligned with the requirements of the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa Act (Act No.43 of 1996.) Institutions seem to lack experience when it comes to the challenges of storing records and implementing arrangement and control systems. The frequent lack of a records management policy and few to no staff with record-keeping and archival backgrounds was also a concern. A shortage of space to store records safely was also one of the major issues that the study uncovered. There appears to be no concerted effort to retain important historical records. Many records are stored in several different locations in government buildings.  I conclude that archives play an essential role to the nation as the institutional memory.

Modelling the susceptibility of pine stands to bark stripping by Chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Germishuizen ◽  
Kabir Peerbhay ◽  
Riyad Ismail
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Random Forests ◽  
Risk Evaluation ◽  
Site Index ◽  
Pine Plantations ◽  
Bark Stripping ◽  
Papio Ursinus ◽  
Mpumalanga Province ◽  
Chacma Baboons ◽  
Pinus Spp

Context Commercial pine (Pinus spp.) plantations in southern Africa have been subjected to bark stripping by Chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) for many decades, resulting in severe financial losses to producers. The drivers of this behaviour are not fully understood and have been partially attributed to resource distribution and availability. Aims The study sought to develop a spatially explicit ecological-risk model for bark stripping by baboons to understand the environmental factors associated with the presence of damage in the pine plantations of the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. Methods The model was developed in Random Forests, a machine learning algorithm. Baboon damage information was collected through systematic surveys of forest plantations conducted annually. Environmental predictors included aspects of climate, topography and compartment-specific attributes. The model was applied to the pine plantations of the study area for risk evaluation. Key results The Random Forests classifier was successful in predicting damage occurrence (F1 score=0.84, area under curve (AUC)=0.96). Variable predictors that contributed most to the model classification accuracy were related to pine-stand characteristics, with the age of trees being the most important predictor, followed by species, site index and altitude. Variables pertaining to the environment surrounding a pine stand did not contribute substantially to the model performance. Key conclusions (1) The study suggests that bark stripping is influenced by compartment attributes; (2) predicted risk of bark stripping is higher in stands above the age of 5 years planted on high-productivity forestry sites, where site index (SI) is above 25; (3) presence of damage is not related to the proximity to natural areas; (4) further studies are required to investigate ecological and behavioural patterns associated with bark stripping. Implications The model provides a tool for understanding the potential extent of the risk of bark stripping by baboons within this region and it can be applied to other forestry areas in South Africa for risk evaluation. It contributes towards the assessment of natural hazards potentially affecting pine plantations and supports the development of risk-management strategies by forest managers. The model highlights opportunities for cultural interventions that may be tested for damage control.

scholarly journals Assessing the potential soil acidification risk under dryland agriculture in the Mlondozi district in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 244-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.G. Jansen van Rensburg ◽  
A.S. Claassens ◽  
D.J. Beukes ◽  
H.L. Weepener ◽  
P.J. Beukes
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Soil Acidification ◽  
Dryland Agriculture ◽  
Mpumalanga Province
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