Designing successful land reform for the extensive grazing sector

The purpose of this paper is to identify the determinants of success in commercial sheep farming in the Karoo so that these characteristics can be designed into smallholder commercialisation programmes there and in the former homelands of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Benchmarking applied to production data from commercial operations revealed that every fifth commercial farmer is less than 50% efficient, and therefore is as much in need of extension as any smallholder might be. Experience is an important determinant of performance and could be developed in the smallholder sector through vocational training at the point of commercialisation. Sheep farming is amenable to smallholder production because it can be done successfully on a part-time basis. Woolled sheep are important. Being able to respond flexibly to rainfall variability is essential, but there are several ways to achieve this cost effectively in the smallholder sector.Keywords: Benchmarks, Extension plans, Extensive grazing areas, Sheep farmin

Wool versus mutton in extensive grazing areas

This paper investigates the relative profitability of woolled and mutton sheep under field conditions in an extensive grazing area. The dataset comprises 34 fulltime farmers and 75% of the sheep in the district. There was no difference in unit production costs or net farm income per sheep in the flock. Dorper flocks recorded higher lambing rates and Merinos lower rates of predation, which deserves further investigation. The percentage woolled sheep in the flock was modelled as a logit function of farm size, crop area, tradition and terrain ruggedness, although the latter was not significant. These results confirm earlier recommendations that reproductive efficiency must be carefully monitored in Merino flocks. The extension message is that on average there is no financial advantage to woolled sheep production, although this could change if woolled flocks could be made more productive. The wool industry must not stop serving these extremely arid areas.Keywords: financial performance, sheep breeds, arid conditions, extension implication

An interesting D-lemma: what is all the excitement about vitamin D?

There has been a dramatic interest in the importance of vitamin D, “the sunshine vitamin”, in the past few years with regard to its impact on various aspects of health and disease. Research into well-known skeletal effects, as well as extraskeletal effects, has been overwhelming. At times it has been difficult to make informed clinical decisions regarding replacement, if needed at all. This article aims to provide the physician with a summary of the most important clinical effects of vitamin D, as well as give guidelines on testing for possible deficiency and consideration of replacement thereof

An unusual case of acute pulmonary embolism

Patiant with a history of hypertension presented to the emergency room with progressive dyspnoea over afew weeks. There was no relevant past history. Clinical examination revealed an elevated jugular venous pressure, pedal oedema and tenderness in the right hypochondrium

Ranking perceived risk to farmers: How important is the environment?

This study investigates the structure of farmers’ risk perceptions in an arid area where agriculture faces many difficulties. Principal component analysis identified four components of risk from amongst twenty Likert scale items, including aspects of the natural and institutional environments. Index scores were created for each of the four components of risk, which were then explained using OLS regression. The intensity of perceived risk was inversely correlated with profitability of the farm enterprise. Management experience, time spent in nature and more education corresponded to perceptions of less risk, while risk increased with farm size, the presence of heirs, the severity of the 2011/2012 drought and the threat of jackal predation. More educated and experienced farmers, who are more profitable, were found to be more likely to be moderates, while those with heirs to succeed them and those with more intense jackal problems were more likely to be in the group with greater concerns. Four important results were found: 1) risk perceptions vary even within an apparently homogenous community, 2) economic factors dominate risk perceptions, 3) climate change concerns are crowded out by more immediate issues, and 4) coming to terms with predator management is a major concern

Latest Insights into Marek’s Disease Virus Pathogenesis and Tumorigenesis

Marek’s disease virus (MDV) infects chickens and causes one of the most frequent cancers in animals. Over 100 years of research on this oncogenic alphaherpesvirus has led to a profound understanding of virus-induced tumor development. Live-attenuated vaccines against MDV were the first that prevented cancer and minimized the losses in the poultry industry. Even though the current gold standard vaccine efficiently protects against clinical disease, the virus continuously evolves towards higher virulence. Emerging field strains were able to overcome the protection provided by the previous two vaccine generations. Research over the last few years revealed important insights into the virus life cycle, cellular tropism, and tumor development that are summarized in this review. In addition, we discuss recent data on the MDV transcriptome, the constant evolution of this highly oncogenic virus towards higher virulence, and future perspectives in MDV research

The role of educational strategies to reverse the inverse performance spiral in academically-isolated rural hospitals

The importance of continuous professional development for health care workers is widely acknowledged, but the identification of optimal implementation strategies remains a challenge, particularly in academically isolated rural areas. We report the results of a qualitative study that evaluated the effect of an educational intervention aimed at rural doctors in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. We also present a conceptual framework for developing best practice educational strategies to reverse the inverse performance spiral in academically isolated rural hospitals. Doctors felt that participation in relevant learning activities improved their competence, increased the levels of job satisfaction they experienced, increased their willingness to stay in a rural environment, and impacted positively on the quality of services provided. However, the success of educational strategies is heavily dependant on the local environment (context), as well as the practical applicability and clinical relevance of the activities (process). Successful educational strategies may help to reverse the inverse performance spiral previously described in academically isolated rural hospitals, however, this requires effective local leadership that creates a positive learning environment and supports clinically relevant learning activities. The study findings also indicate the need for health care providers and institutions of higher education to join forces to improve the quality of rural health care. South African Family Practice Vol. 49 (7) 2007: pp. 1

A review of mathematical programming models of irrigation water values

By introducing the user-pays principle into the irrigation water pricing debate, the 1998 National Water Act created a demand for models to measure willingness-to-pay for irrigation water. Water values are traditionally simulated with mathematical programming models. Models differ in their treatment of crops, irrigation options and water constraints, and other firm-level characteristics but they all use shadow prices as an indication of water value. The 17 models reviewed here, report average annual water values of between $0.0042·m-3 and$0.1899·m-3. Crops modelled influence water values, but there is no apparent relationship between objective function specification and average value. Nor does the number of irrigation options seem to influence water value either. The policy implication is that while similar models for the same region produce consistent estimates, each region requires its own model that has to be updated regularly

Challenges to creating primary care teams in a public sector health centre: a co-operative inquiry

Background: Effective teamwork between doctors and clinical nurse practitioners (CNP) is essential to the provision of quality primary care in the South African context. The Worcester Community Health Centre (CHC) is situated in a large town and offers primary care to the rural Breede Valley Sub-District of the Western Cape. The management of the CHC decided to create dedicated practice teams offering continuity of care, family-orientated care, and the integration of acute and chronic patients. The teams depended on effective collaboration between the doctors and the CNPs. Methods: A co-operative inquiry group, consisting of two facility managers, an administrator, and medical and nursing staff, met over a period of nine months and completed three cycles of planning, action, observation and reflection. The inquiry focused on the question of how more effective teams of doctors and clinical nurse practitioners offering clinical care could be created within a typical CHC. Results: The CHC established three practice teams, but met with limited success in maintaining the teams over time. The group found that, in order for teams to work, the following are needed: A clear and shared vision and mission amongst the staff. The vision was championed by one or two leaders rather than developed collaboratively by the staff. Continuity of care was supported by the patients and doctors, but the CNPs felt more ambivalent. Family-orientated care within practices met with limited success. Integration of care was hindered by physical infrastructure and the assumptions regarding the care of "chronics". Enhanced practitioner-patient relationships were reported by the two teams that had staff consistently available. Significant changes in the behaviour and roles of staff. Some doctors perceived the nurse as an "assistant" who could be called on to run errands or perform tasks. Doctors perceived their own role as that of comprehensively managing patients in a consultation, while the CNPs still regarded themselves as nurses who should rotate to other duties and perform a variety of tasks, thus oscillating between the role of practitioner and nurse. The doctors felt responsible for seeing a certain number of patients in the time they were available, while the CNPs felt responsible for getting all the patients through the CHC. The doctors did not create space for mentoring the CNPs, who were often seen as an intrusion and a threat to patient privacy and confidentiality when requesting a consultation. For the CNPs, however, the advantage of practice teams was considered to be greater accessibility to the doctor for joint consultation. The identification of doctors and CNPs with each other as part of a functioning team did not materialise. Effective management of the change process implied the need to ensure sufficient staff were available to allow all teams to function equally throughout the day, to be cognisant of the limitations of the building design, to introduce budgeting that supported semi-autonomous practice teams and to ensure that the staff were provided with ongoing opportunities for dialogue and communication. The implications of change for the whole system should be considered, and not just that for the doctors and nurses. Conclusion: Key lessons learnt included the need to engage with a transformational leadership style, to foster dialogical openness in the planning process and to address differences in understanding of roles and responsibilities between the doctors and the CNPs. The unreliable presence of doctors within the practice team, due to their hospital duties, was a critical factor in the breakdown of the teams. The CHC plans to further develop practice teams, to learn from the lessons so far and to continue with the co-operative inquiry