scholarly journals Rainy season characteristics for the Luvuvhu River catchment, South Africa

Water SA ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (4 October) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fhulufhelo Phillis Tshililo ◽  
Michael John Savage ◽  
Mokhele Edmond Moeletsi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Daily Rainfall ◽  
Maize Production ◽  
River Catchment ◽  
Level Of Significance ◽  
Staple Crop ◽  
Spearman Rank Correlation Test

Maize is a staple crop in South Africa and is mainly grown under rain-fed conditions. Rain-fed agricultural production is heavily reliant on rainfall during the planting season. Information on rainy season characteristics is of utmost importance as it guides farmers in preparing for the upcoming season. The study investigated rainy season characteristics for the Luvuvhu River Catchment with reference to rain-fed maize production. Historical daily rainfall data were obtained from 12 weather stations for the period 1923–2015. Instant+ statistical software was used to compute onset, false onset, cessation and length of the rainy season. The trends in rainy season characteristics were analysed using the Spearman rank correlation test. Onset of the rainy season can be expected from the first week of October to the third week of January, while cessation can be expected from the first week of February to the first week of May. The length of the rainy season ranged from 67 to 203 days. Seasonal rainfall ranged from 182 to 1 535 mm. Phafuri, Sigonde, Phunda Maria and Folovhodwe had a higher probability of false onset. No significant changes in rainy season characteristics at a 5% level of significance were observed. There was a strong correlation between onset and length of the rainy season. Based on rainfall patterns only, Phafuri, Sigonde and Folovhodwe might not be suitable for maize production under the current climate. The most favourable sites for maize production within the catchment are Entabeni, Levubu, Lwamondo, Thathe, Tshiombo and Vreemedeling. The findings of this study have implications on agricultural activities and food security as maize is a staple crop in the Luvuvhu River catchment area. Information on rainy season characteristics may therefore help in strengthening food security.

scholarly journals Draft Genome Assemblages of 10 Xanthomonas vasicola pv. zeae Strains, Pathogens Causing Leaf Streak Disease of Maize in South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (26) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz J. Sanko ◽  
Astrid S. Kraemer ◽  
Niklaas Niemann ◽  
Arvind K. Gupta ◽  
Bradley C. Flett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Food Security ◽  
South African ◽  
Xanthomonas Campestris ◽  
Draft Genome ◽  
Bacterial Leaf Streak ◽  
Maize Production ◽  
Content Type

Maize bacterial leaf streak disease has spread across maize crops in South Africa and therefore potentially poses a threat to maize production and food security. Until recently, this pathogen was identified as a Xanthomonas campestris pathovar, whereas our South African genomes seem to be more divergent and create their own subclade.

scholarly journals Can Famine Be Averted? A Spatiotemporal Assessment of the Impact of Climate Change on Food Security in the Luvuvhu River Catchment of South Africa

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 527
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Mukwada ◽  
Sabelo M. Mazibuko ◽  
Mokhele Moeletsi ◽  
Guy M. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Rainfall Variability ◽  
Flood Frequency ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
River Catchment ◽  
Standardised Precipitation Index ◽  
Normalised Difference Vegetation Index ◽  
The Impact

Climate change has proved to be a threat to food security the world over. Using temperature and precipitation data, this paper examines the differential effects climate change has on different land uses in the Luvuvhu river catchment in South Africa. The paper uses the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), which were calculated from Landsat images, and the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) for a sample of years between 1980 and 2016 to assess how drought and flood frequency have affected the agricultural environment. The results indicate that the lowest SPI values were recorded in 1996/1997, 2001/2002 and 2014/2015, suggesting the occurrence of drought during these years, while the highest SPI values were recorded in 1997/1998, 2002/2003 and 2004/2005. The relationship between three-month SPI (SPI_3) and VCI was strongest in grassland, and subsistence farming areas with the correlation coefficients of 0.8166 (p = 0.0022) and −0.6172 (p = 0.0431), respectively, indicating that rainfall variability had a high negative impact on vegetation health in those land uses with shallow-rooted plants. The findings of this study are relevant to disaster management planning in South Africa, as well as development of farming response strategies for coping with climate hazards in the country.

scholarly journals Hunger by Choice? Rethinking Food Security Strategies

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-21
Author(s):  
Shadreck Tanyanyiwa
Keyword(s):  
Food Security ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Maize Production ◽  
Small Grains ◽  
Food Imports ◽  
Global Threat ◽  
Staple Crop ◽  
Harsh Conditions ◽  
Traditional Crops

Food insecurity is a global threat with devastating effects, particularly in ‘developing’ countries. This threat is worsened by a parochial perspective in most of southern Africa that associates food security with the major staple crop maize. This bias is witnessed in the amount of land, investments, research, and marketing allocated to maize, in comparison to traditional crops such as millet, rapoko and sorghum. However, increased investments in agriculture, particularly maize production has failed to translate to increased production of the crop, particularly in Zimbabwe. The vagaries of climate-change manifested through droughts, coupled with man-made policy disasters are evidence enough to factor diversified production systems to include traditional crops into the food security basket. Since independence in 1980, Zimbabwe has experienced more than a dozen drought periods, which translates into multi-million dollar food imports. To feed the growing number of food insecure people, the solution could be in the shunned small grains, whose resilience in harsh conditions compared to maize, calls for urgent transformation and orchestration of the food security basket. Through renewed focus on traditional crops, Zimbabwe and other countries in east and southern African could attain food secure status and ensure that food as a human right is available to all.

Exploring the South African Government Communication on Land Expropriation without Compensation

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.

scholarly journals Rainfall-Runoff Modeling Using the HEC-HMS Model for the Al-Adhaim River Catchment, Northern Iraq

Hydrology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Ahmed Naseh Ahmed Hamdan ◽  
Suhad Almuktar ◽  
Miklas Scholz
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Information Systems ◽  
Hydrological Model ◽  
Daily Rainfall ◽  
Curve Number ◽  
Geographical Information ◽  
Coefficient Of Determination ◽  
Rainfall Runoff ◽  
Time Step ◽  
River Catchment ◽  
Northern Iraq

It has become necessary to estimate the quantities of runoff by knowing the amount of rainfall to calculate the required quantities of water storage in reservoirs and to determine the likelihood of flooding. The present study deals with the development of a hydrological model named Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC-HMS), which uses Digital Elevation Models (DEM). This hydrological model was used by means of the Geospatial Hydrologic Modeling Extension (HEC-GeoHMS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to identify the discharge of the Al-Adhaim River catchment and embankment dam in Iraq by simulated rainfall-runoff processes. The meteorological models were developed within the HEC-HMS from the recorded daily rainfall data for the hydrological years 2015 to 2018. The control specifications were defined for the specified period and one day time step. The Soil Conservation Service-Curve number (SCS-CN), SCS Unit Hydrograph and Muskingum methods were used for loss, transformation and routing calculations, respectively. The model was simulated for two years for calibration and one year for verification of the daily rainfall values. The results showed that both observed and simulated hydrographs were highly correlated. The model’s performance was evaluated by using a coefficient of determination of 90% for calibration and verification. The dam’s discharge for the considered period was successfully simulated but slightly overestimated. The results indicated that the model is suitable for hydrological simulations in the Al-Adhaim river catchment.

scholarly journals Food insecurity, diet quality and body composition: data from the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) pilot survey in urban Soweto, South Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Sarah H Kehoe ◽  
Stephanie V Wrottesley ◽  
Lisa Ware ◽  
Alessandra Prioreschi ◽  
Catherine Draper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Body Composition ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Healthy Life ◽  
Life Trajectories

Abstract Objective: To determine whether food security, diet diversity and diet quality are associated with anthropometric measurements and body composition among women of reproductive age. The association between food security and anaemia prevalence was also tested. Design: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) study. Food security and dietary data were collected by an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Hb levels were measured using a HemoCue, and anaemia was classified as an altitude-adjusted haemoglobin level < 12·5 g/dl. Body size and composition were assessed using anthropometry and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Setting: The urban township of Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa. Participants: Non-pregnant women aged 18–25 years (n 1534). Results: Almost half of the women were overweight or obese (44 %), and 9 % were underweight. Almost a third of women were anaemic (30 %). The prevalence rates of anaemia and food insecurity were similar across BMI categories. Food insecure women had the least diverse diets, and food security was negatively associated with diet quality (food security category v. diet quality score: B = –0·35, 95 % CI –0·70, –0·01, P = 0·049). Significant univariate associations were observed between food security and total lean mass. However, there were no associations between food security and body size or composition variables in multivariate models. Conclusions: Our data indicate that food security is an important determinant of diet quality in this urban-poor, highly transitioned setting. Interventions to improve maternal and child nutrition should recognise both food security and the food environment as critical elements within their developmental phases.

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