A Preliminary Survey of Environmental Awareness in Some Secondary School Pupils in Zimbabwe

An IES survey on environmental awareness amongst Zimbabwe's secondary school pupils.For sustainable development to be effective there must be appropriate environmental education strategies which provide people with the necessary knowledge and attitudes and skills. This paper is based on exploratory research to establish the level of environmental knowledge, attitudes towards environmental issues, environmental activities and problem-solving skills of secondary school pupils in determining appropriate strategies for sustainable development. The methods used to obtain information include a questionnaire, a review of secondary sources including policy documents and the various syllabuses which contain aspects of environmental education, and interviews with officials at the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education. The questionnaire was administered to 555 Form 1 and Form 4 secondary school pupils at 8 secondary schools, 4 rural schools in Chirumanzu District, Midlands Province, and 4 urban schools in Harare. The questionnaire was designed to ascertain the knowledge, attitudes, activities and problem solving skills of pupils as regards a wide range of environmental issues in Zimbabwe. The research attempted to identify differences, if any, between Form 1 pupils and Form 4 pupils, and between those living in a rural environment and those living in an urban environment. The results revealed that although there was a relatively high level of environmental knowledge amongst the pupils, understanding and analysis of this knowledge was considerably lower, as were skills of solving environmental problems. Environmental activities such as tree planting were quite widespread. Form 4s scored much higher than Form Is, and generally, rural pupils did better than urban pupils. The interviews confirmed that there is no official policy on environmental education in Zimbabwe. The research concludes with a series of recommendations to enhance the status of environmental education, especially in secondary schools, in Zimbabwe, and to ensure that future generations possess the necessary knowledge, attitudes and skills to enable them to participate effectively in the sustainable development of Zimbabwe's natural resources.Funding for the publication of this study was provided by the J.F. Kapnek Charitable Trust

Production rising on Zimbabwe’s land reform farms

170,000 land reform farmers are reaching the production levels of the white farmers they replaced, Joseph Hanlon and Jeanette Manjengwa report in a new book

Management of Healthcare Waste in Healthcare Emergencies

Proper management of waste in healthcare emergencies is key to preventing spread of infections within an emergency. The risks of poor waste management are varied with the risks of spreading infectious diseases being the most important to consider. Chemical pollution should also be considered as water sources can easily be polluted. Careful thought and planning including a risk assessment should be carried out and the results should be publicized to create a common understanding of the problem at hand. This will also inform the methods to be used for the management of waste. Training of healthcare workers is key to creating common understanding of the problem at hand. The different types of waste to be generated should be well understood and methods to manage it should be well thought out before implementation. The decision on the different methods used to manage waste should be informed by the risk assessment and the available resources. However effectiveness to deal with the waste produced should be considered above all factors. Proper healthcare waste management is imperative to preventing further infections that might not be part of the original healthcare emergency. Planning to manage waste is a process that requires information before implementation

Animal traction and small-scale farming : a Stellenbosch case study

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The main aim of this case study was to research the impact of the introduction of oxen for draught power on Eric Swarts’ Stellenbosch farm. The research objectives were designed to find out if the oxen helped to improve the quality of the soil, to determine their cost-effectiveness (compared to a tractor) and other social and managerial constraints and benefits associated with using them and also to make recommendations for small-scale farmers in developing countries. The literature review revealed that human society faces many serious sustainability challenges from ecosystem degradation and global warming, to massive poverty and social inequality. The global population is growing against a background of decreasing agricultural productivity due to degraded soils and the increased costs of farming. The adoption of farming methods that enhance ecosystem services and depend less on external inputs is therefore essential. Animal traction is still widely used among small-scale farmers in developing countries, but lacks policy and investment support to make it more efficient. There are currently widespread negative opinions about animal traction which regard it as a backward or old-fashioned technology. This research investigated the possibility of animal traction emerging as an affordable, environmentallyfriendly and appropriate technology for small-scale farming. The research is a case study with a qualitative, ethnographic research design in which participant observation was key in gathering research data. A cost-benefit analysis (CBA) was carried out to compare the cost-effectiveness of using oxen to either hiring or buying a tractor. The findings showed that oxen were a more cost-effective means of draught power than a tractor, not only in terms of capital costs but also maintenance and operational costs. The manure from the oxen was both an effective way of supplying crops with essential nutrients and improving soil biodiversity. The introduction of the oxen presented some challenges to the farmer concerning knowledge about how animals work and other managerial challenges, but these were overcome by learning through practice. It was found that the farmer will be able to make significant savings in soil-amendment costs and he can control the quality of the manure to suit his needs. It was concluded that small-scale farmers who choose animal traction over tractors as a means of draught power will realise many advantages in return.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die hoof doelwit van dié gevallestudie was om die impak van die ingebruikneming van osse as trekkrag op Eric Swarts se plaas te Stellenbosch na te vors. Die navorsingsteikens was ontwerp om uit te vind of die beeste gehelp het om die kwaliteit van die grond te verbeter, om hul lonendheid vas te stel (in vergelyking met ’n trekker) asook ander sosiale en bestuursbeperkings en -voordele wat met hul gebruik geassosieer word en ook met voorstelle vir kleinskaalboere in ontwikkelende lande voorendag te kom. Die literatuuroorsig navorsing het ontbloot dat die menslike samelewing met vele volhoubaarheidsuitdagings vanaf ekosistemiese agteruitgang en aardverhitting, tot swaar armoedigheid en sosiale ongelykhede gekonfronteer word. Die wêreld bevolking groei steeds ten spyte van die afname in landboukundige produktiwiteit as gevolg van verlaagde grondkwaliteit en die toenemende landboukoste. Die ingebruikneming van landboumetodes wat ekosistemiese dienste verhoog en minder staatmaak op eksterne insette is dus noodsaaklik. Dieretrekking word steeds algemeen in ontwikkelende landebenut, maar dit ontbreek beleids- en beggingsondersteuning om dit meer doeltreffend te maak. Daar is tans algemeen verbreide negatiewe sienswyse oor dieretrekksag wat dit as agterlike en oudmodiese tegnologie beskou. Dié navorsing het ondersoek ingestel om die moontlikheid van dieretrekking as ’n bekostigbare, omgewingsvriendelike en passende tegnologie vir kleinskaalboerdery vas te stel. Die navorsing is’n gevallestudie met kwalitatiwe, etnografiese navorsingsontwerp waarin deelnemerwaarneming kern is tot die insameling van data. ’n Kostewinsteanalise (KWA) was uitgevoer om die lonenheid van beeste te vergelyk met dié van of die huur of die koop van ’n trekker. Die bevindings het getoon dat beeste ’n lonender wyse van trekkrag as trekkers is, nie net in terme van kapitale koste nie, maar ook onderhouds en bedryfskoste. Die beesmis was beide ’n doeltreffende manier om die gevasse van nodige voedingstowwe te voorsien asook om grondbiodiversiteit te verbeter. Die ingebruikneming van beeste het sekere uitdagings vir die boere ingehou in verband met die kennis van hoe diere werk en ander bestuursuitdagings, maar dié was oorkom deur onderrig uit ondervinding. Daar was bevind dat die boer beduidende besparings kan maak aan grondaanvullingskoste hierdie jaar en dat hy die kwaliteit van die beesmis kan beheer om sy behoeftes dien. Die slotsom is dat kleinskaalboere wat kies om dieretrekking eerder as trekkers as trekkrag te gebruik, sal vele voordele hê

Moving Forward in Zimbabwe.

A Discussion Paper on poverty alleviation strategies for Zimbabwe.Zimbabwe is emerging from a decade of socio-economic decline. The gains the country saw after independence in 1980; particulady the impressive progress in reducing poverty and inequality as well as the high standards in health and education; had stagnated and in some cases been reversed. Although triggered by a multiplicity of causes, the programme to redistribute land from mainly white farmers to the majority black Zimbabweans in February 2000, is often cited as the catalyst that precipitated an economic crisis which subsequently became a social crisis. Zimbabwe's economy had been in decline since the mid-1990s, initially caused by failed structural adjustment policies but later compounded by shortages of foreign exchange (see Figure 1). It became increasingly difficult to import raw materials, spare parts, and fuel, which undermined manufacturing and agriculture, and accelerated a downward economic spiral. Alongside this decline in productivity came a sharp decline in disposable incomes and employment. The economic crisis reshaped the structure of employment and formal sector employment was dwarfed by a burgeoning informal sector. By 2003,72 per cent of the population lived below the total consumption poverty line, compared to 55 per cent in 1995. Hyperinflation peaked at over 200 billion per cent in 2008, which became a year of economic and political crisis.The research presented in this publication is a the result of a project funded by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (www. idrc.ca) IDRC CRD

Understanding the drivers of poverty in Zimbabwe : emerging lessons from the protracted relief program and literature

This paper analyses the drivers of poverty in rural and urban Zimbabwe. It draws evidence from the Protracted Relief Programme (PRP)-LIME Surveys as well as other major poverty surveys and reports. There is evidence from PRP LIME data that cash transfers have contributed significantly to household incomes, helping to stabilise consumption especially in rural areas. Positive welfare outcomes of social transfers are clear in all PRP areas. School attendance in households receiving cash transfers and assistance under Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) are a third higher than households without. Other outcomes from PRP interventions are outlined, and recommendations are made