Co-governance and upgrading in the South African small-scale fisheries value chain

Though Internet and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been employed in small-scale fisheries (SSFs) globally, they are seldom systematically explored for the ways in which they facilitate equality, democracy and sustainability. Our study explored how ICTs in South African small-scale fisheries are leveraged towards value chain upgrading, collective action and institutional sustainability—key issues that influence small-scale fishery contributions to marine resource sustainability. We held a participatory workshop as part of ongoing research in the town of Lambert’s Bay, South Africa, in collaboration with small-scale fishers and the Abalobi ICT project. We mapped fisher value chain challenges and explored the role of ICT-driven transformation pathways, adopting Wright’s ‘Real Utopian’ framework as the lens through which to explore equality, democracy and institutional sustainability. We found Abalobi’s ICT platform had the potential to facilitate deeper meanings of democracy that incorporate socio-economic reform, collective action and institutional sustainability in South Africa’s small-scale fisheries. Where fishers are not engaged beyond passive generators of data, this had the potential to undermine the goals of increasing power parity between small-scale fisheries and other stakeholders.

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Exploring the South African Government Communication on Land Expropriation without Compensation

Journal of Human Ecology ◽

10.31901/24566608.2020/72.1-3.3275 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 72 (1-3) ◽

Author(s):

Lungisani Moyo

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Food Security ◽

South African ◽

Small Scale ◽

South African Government ◽

Eastern Cape ◽

The South ◽

Land Expropriation ◽

African Government ◽

Government Communication

ABSTRACT This paper used qualitative methodology to explore the South African government communication and land expropriation without compensation and its effects on food security using Alice town located in the Eastern Cape Province South Africa as its case study. This was done to allow the participants to give their perceptions on the role of government communication on land expropriation without compensation and its effects on South African food security. In this paper, a total population of 30 comprising of 26 small scale farmers in rural Alice and 4 employees from the Department of Agriculture (Alice), Eastern Cape, South Africa were interviewed to get their perception and views on government communications and land expropriation without compensation and its effects on South African food security. The findings of this paper revealed that the agricultural sector plays a vital role in the South African economy hence there is a great need to speed up transformation in the sector.

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Factors that Inhibit Sustainable Adoption of Industry 4.0 in the South African Manufacturing Industry

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13031013 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 1013

Author(s):

Whisper Maisiri ◽

Liezl van Dyk ◽

Rojanette Coeztee

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Education System ◽

Industry 4.0 ◽

Manufacturing Industry ◽

Youth Unemployment ◽

Small Scale ◽

The South ◽

Qualitative Descriptive ◽

Cultural Construct ◽

Sub Saharan

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) adoption in the manufacturing industry is on the rise across the world, resulting in increased empirical research on barriers and drivers to I4.0 adoption in specific country contexts. However, no similar studies are available that focus on the South African manufacturing industry. Our small-scale interview-based qualitative descriptive study aimed at identifying factors that may inhibit sustainable adoption of I4.0 in the country’s manufacturing industry. The study probed the views and opinions of 16 managers and specialists in the industry, as well as others in supportive roles. Two themes emerged from the thematic analysis: factors that inhibit sustainable adoption of I4.0 and strategies that promote I4.0 adoption in the South African manufacturing industry. The interviews highlighted cultural construct, structural inequalities, noticeable youth unemployment, fragmented task environment, and deficiencies in the education system as key inhibitors. Key strategies identified to promote sustainable adoption of I4.0 include understanding context and applying relevant technologies, strengthening policy and regulatory space, overhauling the education system, and focusing on primary manufacturing. The study offers direction for broader investigations of the specific inhibitors to sustainable I4.0 adoption in the sub-Saharan African developing countries and the strategies for overcoming them.

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The competitive status of the South African Wheat Industry

Journal of Economic and Financial Sciences ◽

10.4102/jef.v9i3.63 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 651-666 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Johannes Van der Merwe ◽

Philippus Cloete ◽

Herman Van Schalkwyk

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Competitive Advantage ◽

South African ◽

Wheat Flour ◽

Value Chain ◽

Institutional Environment ◽

The South ◽

Wheat Market ◽

The Usa ◽

Trade Partners

This article investigates the competitiveness of the South African wheat industry and compares it to its major trade partners. Since 1997, the wheat-to-bread value chain has been characterised by concentration of ownership and regulation. This led to concerns that the local wheat market is losing international competitiveness. The competitive status of the wheat industry, and its sub-sectors, is determined through the estimation of the relative trade advantage (RTA). The results revealed declining competitiveness of local wheat producers. Compared to the major global wheat producers, such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany and the USA, South Africa’s unprocessed wheat industry is uncompetitive. At the same time, South Africa has a competitive advantage in semi-processed wheat, especially wheat flour. The institutional environment enables the importation of raw wheat at lower prices and exports processed wheat flour competitively to the rest of Africa.

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