scholarly journals Challenges facing emerging aquaculture entrepreneurs in South Africa and possible solutions

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (06) ◽  
pp. 16689-16702
Author(s):  
MJ Madibana ◽  
◽  
CH Fouché ◽  
CM Mnisi ◽  
◽  
...  

Despite aquaculture being hailed as the fastest growing farming sector in the world, South African aquaculture is still lagging behind. This article aims to highlight challenges (mostly beyond their control) that South Africa’s emerging aquaculture entrepreneurs have to endure in order to find a breakthrough into the industry. Availability of necessary resources such as land, water, infrastructure,financial support and access to markets, as well as crime are among challenges faced by these entrepreneurs on a daily basis. Limited human resources in capacity building, skills and aquaculture expertise also hinders the development and expansion of aquaculture in South Africa. Complex legislation governing aquaculture further limits the development of this sector to prospective investors. Fish and machinery theft in fish farms has an adverse effect, which had resulted in many enterprises closing down in recent years. South Africa is not a traditional fish-eating nation and this phenomenon has seen many emerging entrepreneurs struggling to locally commercialize their produce. It is well known that fish consumption provides human nutrition with essential nutrients necessary for normal body function. Thus,aquaculture has the potential to contribute to food and nutrition security and alleviate poverty in rural communities. However, plenty of initiatives need to be developed by government and the private sector to develop a sustainable aquaculture industry. These initiatives should involve the establishment of an aquaculture friendly legislation that would support emerging aquaculture entrepreneurs. Several financial institutions view aquaculture as a high-risk business,and as a consequence,decline financial support or loan requests from emerging farmers.Focused research as a strategic initiative to develop aquaculture species that would be first priority for local markets is encouraged. This article explores the challenges facing emerging entrepreneurs and suggests possible solutions that might assist in the development of the aquaculture sector in South Africa. We postulate that constructive and regular engagements between the government and private sector is a key to a sustainable and prosperous aquaculture sector in South Africa.

2006 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Potterton ◽  
H. Van Aswegen

Paediatric HIV is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in South African children. Physiotherapists working in the government sector are seeing large numbers of HIV infected children on a daily basis. This paper provides a general overview of paediatric HIV. Common conditions associated with HIV infection are highlighted and the possible role of physiotherapy is discussed. Suggestions for research on the role of physiotherapy in the management of children with HIV are made.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 874-877
Author(s):  
Indrajit Banerjee ◽  
Jared Robinson ◽  
Brijesh Sathian ◽  
Edwin R Van Teijlingen

The year 2020, will forever be marked by the Global pandemic, COVID-19. According to The Department of Health in South Africa until September 15, 2020 3,940,217 tests have been conducted. 651,521 positive cases have been identified, 583,126 recoveries have been reported and there has been a total of 15641 deaths. The South African government have introduced a range of parameters and laws in order to curb the spread of the virus whilst simultaneously endorsing programs to spearhead the preparedness of the healthcare system for the various waves of COVID-19 cases that have been forecast.  In conjunction with the new laws and regulations, the South African Government has exercised lockdown and restriction of movement policies. South Africa’s unique, multifaceted and strategic method of combatting the coronavirus has proven to be effective in using existing resources and redirecting both manpower and personnel, thus being of great benefit to all stakeholders and citizens within the country. The prohibition of alcohol is a unique method employed by the government, the full extent to which this policy reform has benefitted the country, its government and its citizens is yet to be fully calculated and projected as South Africa’s Coronavirus cases are still increasing on a daily basis. This policy reform will likely find itself becoming a popular trend with crisis management protocols of other countries if the long-term benefits thereof are proven to be true.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Mnisi ◽  
M. Marareni ◽  
F. Manyeula ◽  
M. J. Madibana

AbstractCommercial quail (Coturnix coturnix) farming has recently gained recognition from the South African poultry industry as a potential source of protein, which can be used to alleviate protein-energy malnutrition as well as food and nutrition insecurity in rural South Africa. Over six large-scale and hundred small-scale farmers are currently producing various quail breeds for commercial purposes in South Africa. However, these farmers face challenges of high feed costs, diseases, poor health care, low demand (for quail meat and eggs) and limited access to the markets. In addition, the lack of a pre-existing local market for quail meat and eggs has seen most farmers exporting these products to other countries, but with low profit margins owing to the slow growth experienced by world economies. Furthermore, the socio-economic crisis brought by the global Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exacerbated these challenges as most of the countries enforced nationwide lockdown to mitigate the spread of the virus. Although this initiative was taken to save lives, it left quail farmers not knowing where to trade their stock due to large uncertainties in the social and economic domain, compounded by the fact that many South African citizens are traditionally accustomed to chicken products. Moreover, the size of the quail in relation to its market price when compared to that of chickens continues to lower its demand causing a lot of quail businesses to collapse. Thus, it is imperative to explore strategies that can reduce the cost of producing quail, while increasing their demand and popularity. Non-conventional feed ingredients and phytogenic feed additives that are inexpensive, locally available, and readily accessible should be identified and evaluated in quail diets to deliver sustainable production systems that will ensure that these birds continue to play a significant role in food and nutrition security of humans. In addition, extension service workers and quail farmers need to form a collaborative team to increase awareness about the benefits of quail products and build a long-lasting and profitable quail business. In this work, we present potential rearing methods for commercial quail production, nutritional benefits of quail products, as well as nutritional solutions for a sustainable and profitable quail business. Lastly, we review prospective awareness programs and marketing strategies that are aimed at successful commercialisation of quail using various networks.


Author(s):  
Motlhatlego Dennis Matotoka ◽  
Kolawole Olusola Odeku

Black African women in South Africa are poorly represented at managerial levels in the South African private sector since the advent of democracy. Their exclusion at these occupational levels persists despite the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 (EEA) requiring that the private sector must ensure that all occupational levels are equitably represented and reflects the demographics of South Africa. The South African private sector demonstrates its lack of commitment to proliferating black African women into managerial positions by deliberately engaging in race-based recruitment and failing to develop and promote suitably qualified women into managerial positions. As such, the private sector is failing to create upward mobility for black African women to break the glass ceiling. The EEA requires the private sector to apply affirmative action measures in order to achieve equity in the workplace. It is submitted that since 1998, the private sector has been provided with an opportunity to set it own targets in order to achieve equity. However, 22 years later, black African women are still excluded in key managerial positions. However, the EEA does not specifically impose penalties if the private sector fails to achieve the set targets.This approach has failed to increase the representation of black women in managerial positions. However, the EEA does not specifically impose penalties if the private sector fails to achieve the set targets. Whilst this approach seeks to afford the private sector importunity to set its own target, this approach has failed to increase the representation of black women in managerial positions. Employing black African women in managerial levels enhances their skills and increases their prospects to promotions and assuming further leadership roles in the private sector. This paper seeks to show that the progression of black African women requires South Africa to adopt a quota system without flexibility that will result in the private sector being compelled to appoint suitably qualified black African women in managerial levels.


Significance Although President Cyril Ramaphosa has publicly committed to increase funding to combat what he calls South Africa’s “second pandemic”, there is a lack of transparency in how the government disburses funds linked to its National Strategic Plan (NSP) on Gender-based Violence and Femicide. Impacts Civil society groups will increase pressure on the government to make expenditure on GBV programmes more transparent. A new private-sector fund to contribute to the NSP has received strong early support, but its management structure is opaque. High levels of GBV will not only have significant humanitarian and social costs but may deter much-needed foreign investment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
France Khutso Lavhelani Kgobe

This paper explores the potency of rural cooperatives for the effective planning and implementation of rural strategies to address poverty. Rural cooperatives function as a participatory approach that provides the potential to equip and empower people in rural areas with various skills. Hence, rural cooperatives represent the means and strategies to unshackle rural people from the vicious circle of poverty. The contestation about a deadlock of rural development has become pertinent in the recent and ongoing political transformation in South Africa. This paper is grounded on the social capital theory and its ideals. As such, it depends on a literature review for its premise, argument, crux and purpose, as well as drawing up results and conclusions. The paper gathers information in respect of various scholars’ notions on rural cooperatives and rural development from related articles, journals and books. The paper reveals that where the South African government is confronted and characterised by some form of upheaval and service delivery challenges, so rural cooperatives are fit to capacitate citizens to avoid depending on the government for scarce resources. The paper further reveals that rural cooperatives are deemed to ameliorate the long-standing patterns of developmental backlogs in almost all South African municipalities. The conclusion that can be made from this paper is that the authentic promotion of rural development in the formulation of a well-informed legislative framework, that is clear and unambiguous, can deal effectively with the challenges of rural cooperatives.


Author(s):  
Kevin Teise ◽  
Emma Barnett

South Africa (SA) has a decentralised education system. It is generally assumed that decentralisation improves the effectiveness and efficiency of education by responding to the needs, values, and expectations of both local and rural communities. A large part of SA could be described as rural and a large number of learners attend rural schools. This makes rural education a significant part of the South African education context. With education being decentralised, and with decentralisation being heralded as the panacea to the problems faced by rural communities as well as rural education, the assumption is that rural education should be of a high quality. This desk-top paper assesses the potential of decentralisation to improve the quality and effectiveness of South African rural education. This it does by locating decentralisation within neoliberalism which this paper argues is the impetus behind the decentralisation of South African education, and the reason for the decline in the quality and effectiveness of rural education. The paper also highlights certain tensions between the various decentralised spheres of governance, namely the central and provincial Departments of Education and school-level governance structures. The paper further indicates how these tensions potentially hamper the effectiveness and efficiency of rural education. The paper concludes with some recommendations aimed at improving rural education.


2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Brett Richard Marais

The Reconstruction and Development Programme adopted by the Government of National Unity is more than a list of the services required to improve the quality of life of the majority of South Africans. It is not just a call for South Africans to unite to build a country free of poverty and misery; it is a programme designed to achieve this objective in an integrated and principled manner. Based on the strategic objectives, as highlighted in the White Paper on Water Supply and Sanitation Policy, with regard to alleviating the chronic potable water shortages in South Africa, this thesis investigates a design methodology to supply potable water through the use of wind energy. The design focuses on small rural off-grid developments where grid electricity either has not or will not reach, and where renewable energy is the only viable option. This thesis provides an overview of wind energy and presents the fundamentals of wind power calculations. It also formulates an overview of the historic and present situation with regards to potable water supply, and reflects on the need for urgent intervention. The feasibility of using wind energy to supply potable water to rural communities in South Africa is explored in a case study. The various problem areas are identified and examined and a wide range of possible solutions are recommended. A final flow chart for the system design is proposed, thus ensuring comprehensive design methodology from which future design of similar systems can be based.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Adusei

Abstract The COVID-19 and partial lockdown has brought significant effects on the entire economy, especially on food security and job losses. This study was carried out in Asokwa Municipal with the objective of examining the impact of COVID-19 disease and its related lockdown on food and nutrition security and job losses. The study site form part of the cities in Ghana to experience the partial lockdown, hence it qualifies for the selection. Both primary and secondary data were used. By means of purposive sampling technique, fifty respondents were selected as sample size. The study employed a qualitative approach with a descriptive and narrative posture to the presentation, discussion and analysis of data. Open-ended questionnaire and a checklist were used for data collection through semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that, food and nutrition insecurity, job loss and income reductions are still very common, affecting participants livelihood. Disproportionally affected are households whose income comes from farming, transporters, informal labour, as well as marketers.It was concluded that food insecurity is not outside the impact of COVID-19 and its associated partial lockdown. Food and nutrition security are the global concern at present circumstances. The supply chain has been hit hardest by COVID-19, which causes food insecurity of most vulnerable segment of population which put them at risk. And also, most of the migrant, informal, seasonal farm workers were losing their jobs which may affect their demand for food. Therefore, the government should step-up the measures to control the pandemic without disturbing the food supply chain. The development and use of online marketing strategies where people can make orders of various produce and booked for purchases and or deliveries during a stated time range should be promoted.


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