Development of a water management decision model for Limpopo Province, South Africa. Unpublished

Abstract The study highlightedchallenge

Replication data for: Implications of shifts in coffee production on tree species richness, composition and structure on small farms around Mount Kenya

Small coffee farms around Mount Kenya in Kenya contain many planted and remnant tree species but little is known in the region about the relationship between trees on farms and the methods and dynamics of coffee production. Shifts in production may alter tree diversity and potentially impact on future biodiversity conservation efforts by affecting niches available for indigenous trees on farms. Here, knowledge was gathered on how changes in coffee production on 180 small farms around Mount Kenya may affect tree diversity, categorizing farms according to coffee yield levels over a period of five years as increasing, decreasing or stable production. Tree species richness, abundance and composition were analyzed using species accumulation curves, Rènyi diversity profiles, rank abundance and ecological distance ordinations, and the effects of coffee production examined using quasi-Poisson generalized linear regressions. Species richness were positively correlated with tr ee basal area but negatively related to coffee, banana and maize yields value. A difference in average tree species richness, abundance and basal area on increasing farms was observed compared to the decreasing and stable farms, even though formal tests on richness and densities differences were inconclusive. These dynamics do not significantly influence vegetation structure but seem to have a bearing on species composition on farms of different coffee production. The overall low abundance (23 % of trees) but high richness (78 % of species) of indigenous trees on coffee farms could change markedly if the dynamics observed in the current study persist, indicating the need for the development of intensified multi-species cropping systems

Revitalising agricultural education and training in South Africa

The consensus study was initiated by the ASSAf Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Standing Committee, deriving from a deep concern about the status of Agricultural Education and Training (AET) in the country. The study seeks to identify and address the challenges facing the AET sector in South Africa. It is a timely study given the important role that this sector needs to play in meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The study aims to provide evidenced-based information and clear recommendations to policymakers and other relevant stakeholders with an interest in agricultural human capital development. Some of the key findings of the study include inadequate funding for practical-level training; weak linkages to industry for understanding training needs; poor quality and inadequate numbers of educators who are appropriately trained to teach agriculture at school level; and poor linkages in the research–teaching–extension nexus. The recommendations are wide-ranging and very practical. It is hoped that they will be used to influence policymakers and thereby result in an improvement in the quality of AET in South Africa. Although specifically focused on South Africa – a collation and analysis of international practice within the South African context – the report is potentially a useful resource for other countries on the African continent seeking to strengthen their own AET systems. The report was developed and guided to its successful conclusion by an 11-member study panel of experts, under the leadership of Prof Frans Swanepoel. It was peer-reviewed by three experts and will be made available in an open accessible and free format