Epistemic Cartography: Evaluating Net-Map as a Frontline Tool for Navigating Informal Knowledge Networks

Sustainability transitions are dependent on the development and diffusion of transformative skills and competencies. However, the prevailing notion that learning for sustainability transitions will be led by universities, technical colleges and other similar institutions is practically not feasible in much of the global south. Net-Map is a social network analysis tool that uses interviews and mapping to help people understand, visualise, discuss, and improve situations in which many different actors influence outcomes (Schiffer & Hauck, 2010). In response to the pressing need for new approaches to the development and diffusion of sustainability skills, this paper evaluates Net-Map’s suitability as a methodological tool for educators, knowledge brokers and students seeking to enhance the navigability of the often complex and uncharted occupational pathways they encounter. To do this, the research applied Net-Map to an emerging sustainability niche within the food system in order to map the learning pathways of successful sustainability pioneers. We found that Net-Map was helpful in identifying diffuse informal knowledge networks and teaching resources. Being free, quick to learn and easy to use, Net-Map is a potentially low-cost method for circumventing traditionally costly approaches to curriculum development and accreditation – assisting community-based actors to make sense of the informal knowledge and competency networks that support emerging career fields. In emerging career fields such as organic farming, where pioneer knowledge is fragmented, poorly documented and often disregarded by mainstream-science, Net-Map could be useful in the preparatory phase of curriculum planning and design, providing training designers, course conveners and facilitators with contextually informed insights

AMANZI For Food

This action-oriented research project seeks to address the policy-practice contradiction that exists between commit-ments and requirements for citizen engagement and in-volvement in Integrated Water Quality Management (IWQM) and a lack of sustainable support for scaling high quality Citi-zen-based Water Quality Monitoring (CBWQM) practices that exist in South Africa

Transitioning Vocational Education and Training in Africa

EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. This book takes an expansive view of vocational education and training. Drawing on case studies across rural and urban settings in Uganda and South Africa, the book offers a new way of seeing this through an exploration of the multiple ways in which people learn to have better livelihoods. Crucially, it explores learning that takes place informally online, within farmers’ groups and in public and private education institutions

Transitioning Vocational Education and Training in Africa

EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. This book takes an expansive view of vocational education and training. Drawing on case studies across rural and urban settings in Uganda and South Africa, the book offers a new way of seeing this through an exploration of the multiple ways in which people learn to have better livelihoods. Crucially, it explores learning that takes place informally online, within farmers’ groups and in public and private education institutions

Transitioning Vocational Education and Training in Africa: A Social Skills Ecosystem Perspective

The transition to more just and sustainable development requires radical change across a wide range of areas and particularly within the nexus between learning and work. This book takes an expansive view of vocational education and training that goes beyond the narrow focus of much of the current literature and policy debate. Drawing on case studies across rural and urban settings in Uganda and South Africa, the book offers a new way of seeing this issue through an exploration of the multiple ways in which people learn to have better livelihoods. Crucially, it explores learning that takes place informally online, within farmers’ groups, and in public and private educational institutions. Offering new insights and ways of thinking about this field, the book draws out clear implications for theory, policy and practice in Africa and beyond

Commercial agriculture in the Swartland : investigating emerging trends towards more sustainable food production

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this thesis was to determine whether or not examples exist of commercial grain farmers in the Swartland region of South Africa moving away from high-external-input agricultural production systems towards production systems based on ecologically restorative partnerships with soils and other natural systems. The research also sought to understand why these farmers were changing their approach to farming, as well as investigating the specific technologies and practices they were implementing in order to achieve these changes. In addition, the thesis also considered the theoretical implications of these changes on food security in the Western Cape. Three research approaches were employed: qualitative case studies of seven progressive farmers in the region; a literature review; and an analysis of secondary data. Throughout these three approaches, Swilling and Annecke’s conceptualisation of a multifaceted global polycrisis was used as a conceptual reference point. This was done with the intention of providing an agricultural analysis which looks beyond the farm gate and takes cognisance of the broader socio-ecological issues which affect and are affected by agriculture. The research identified seven farmers who are shifting towards lower-external-input production methods, which focus on enhancing beneficial partnerships with natural systems. The on-site interviews and observations revealed that the degree to which these seven farmers were altering their practices varied significantly. However, four key technologies and practices were identified as being common to all seven farmers: the use of legume rotations, reduced tillage, new styles of planters and increasing farm size. With regard to food security, the research suggested that current changes in these farmers’ agricultural practices could assist in keeping food prices and food production levels more stable in future, compared to production using high-external-input practices previously employed by the farmers. The potential improvement in production stability was shown to result mainly from improvements in soil health, as these improvements give crops increased resilience to unfavourable weather conditions, greater disease-resistance and improved vitality. The potential improvement in price stability stemmed predominantly from increased input-use efficiency and the utilisation of natural fertility and pest-management practices which were less susceptible to monopolistic input sales structures, international shortages and the increasing cost of fossil fuels. Due to the small size of the case study sample and the fact that this research focussed specifically on farmers who were considered progressive, the findings presented in this thesis cannot be viewed as representative of the larger agricultural region. The intention was rather to establish the positive changes currently underway, in order to provide useful pointers for similarly beneficial changes to be implemented elsewhere.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie tesis was om vas te stel of voorbeelde bestaan van kommersiële graanboere in die Swartlandgebied van Suid Afrika wat wegbeweeg van hoë-eksterne-inset produksie sisteme na sisteme wat gebasseer is op vennootskappe met grond en ander natuurlike sisteme. Die doel van dié vennootskappe isom ekologiese herstellingte bewerkstellig. Die navorsing het ook gepoog om te verstaan hoekom hierdie boere hulle boerderytegniekeverander; spesifieke tegnologieë en praktyke wat gebruik word om verandering mee te bringis ondersoek. Daarenbowe oorweeg hierdie tesis ook die teoretiese implikasies van die veranderings op voedselsekuriteit in die Wes-Kaap. Drie navorsings benaderings is te werk gestel: kwalitatiewe gevallestudies van sewe vooruitstrewende boere in die area; ‘n literatuurstudie; en ‘n analise van sekondêre data. Swilling en Annecke se konsepsualisering van die veelvoudig-gefasetteerde globale polikrisis is deurlopend gebruik as ‘n konsepsuele verwysingspunt. Dit is gedoen om‘n boerdery analise daar te stel wat verby die plaashek kyk na wyer maatskaplike en ekologiese kwessies wat ‘n wederkerige verhouding met boerdery het. Die navorsing het sewe boere geidentifiseer wat na laer-eksterne-inset produksie metodes beweeg. Hierdie metodes fokus daarop om voordelige verhoudings met natuurlike sisteme te versterk. Onderhoude en waarnemings op die plase het vasgestel dat die graad van praktykverandering merkwaardig tussen die sewe boere verskil. Nietemin, vier gemeenskaplike sleuteltegnologieëenpraktyke is geidentifiseer: die rotasie van peulgewasse, verminderde grondbewerking, nuwe plantermodelle en die vergroting van plaasgroottes. Met betrekking tot voedselsekuriteit vind die navorsing dat huidige veranderings in die wyse waarop geboer word, in vergelyking met die voorafgaande hoe-eksterne-inset produksie praktyke, kospryse en produksievlakke kan stabiliseer. Die navorsing wys daarop dat ‘npotensiële verbetering in produksie stabiliteit ‘n uitkoms van gesonder grond is. Gesonder grond verhoog gewasse se vermoëom effektief op ongunstige weerkondisies te reageer, bevorder hulle pes-afweringvermoë en verbeter die lewenskragtigheid van gewasse. Die potensiele verbetering in die stabiliteit van pryse is ‘n nagevolg van meer effektiewe gebruik van insette en die gebruik van natuurlike vrugbaarheid en pesbestuurpraktyke wat minder vatbaar is vir monopolistiese inset-verkoopstrukture, internasionale tekorte en die prysverhoging van fossielbrandstowwe. Na aanleiding van die klein skaal van die gevallestudies en die feit dat die navorsing spesifiek gefokus het op vooruitstrewende boere, verteenwoordig die bevindings in hierdie tesis nie die omliggende landbou area nie. Die veronderstelling was eerder om die positiewe veranderings wat tans onderweg is vas te stel om sodoende bruikbare advies aan soortgelyke voordelige veranderings wat elders geimplementeer kan word te verskaf

Learning for change : youth and niche environments in food system transitions

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2018.ENGLISH SUMMARY : The global food system exists in a state of increasing dysfunction for both people and planet. The need for a deep systemic transition of the food system is increasingly apparent, as is the need for research into understanding how innovations can be fostered to support these transitions. From an employment perspective, the rapid corporatisation of the food system has driven a major restructuring of work opportunities within agriculture and its associated value chains. Moving into the future, this agricultural restructuring will have major implications for Africa, where the working lives of the majority of the 800 million youth predicted enter the workforce by 2050 will be directly affected by the form the food system takes. Within the South African context, which is the focus of this study, 50 percent of youth are ensnared in a complex and intractable unemployment crisis that is being driven, in part, by a transition toward a highly corporatised food regime. This is particularly true for the formal agricultural sector which, despite being identified as a powerful engine for job creation, is amassing considerable profits while shedding jobs. Concurrently, in the informal sector, many youth are turning their backs on traditional subsistence and small-scale farming livelihoods in spite of high unemployment. Against this backdrop, this study set out on a dual line of enquiry: One, to probe this paradoxical turn away from small-scale agriculture - trying to understand what a sustainable, employment intensive agricultural future would look like in the eyes of South African youth. The second, to understand where the new knowledge and competencies for such a system could come from, as well as how to improve youth access to this. In doing so, the research aimed to enable food system change by offering practical tools and insights to youth and other food systems actors seeking to transgress the systemic limitations of the current food regime. The thesis is divided into three distinct but complementary journal articles that applied a mix of narrative and social network-based approaches. Literature on systemic transitions, food systems, youth employment and learning were drawn together to provide a theoretical grounding for these papers. Paper One reports on a narrative based enquiry into youth attitudes and aspirations towards careers in agriculture. What emerged was that in spite of the intense social stigma attached to agricultural careers, around 30 percent of the 573 youth surveyed harbored positive attitudes towards careers in the sector. Encouragingly, many of these youth demonstrated a clear interest and passion for socially orientated micro-entrepreneurship in agriculture. However, in the current food system, the careers these youth aspired to were unattainable and the work available to them was seen as demeaning and unrewarding. In considering these youth aspirations, the research suggests that fertile ground exists for change in the food system. Transitioning to a socially and ecologically just food system, however, is a knowledge intensive undertaking. Currently, prospects for this transition are hamstrung by economic power imbalances, discordant food policy and a failing education system. Papers Two and Three suggest that achieving a transition towards a just and sustainable food system will require training that breaks current systemic lock-in and builds the skills needed to disrupt the current unsustainable trajectory of the food system. Due to the significant numbers of people in search of employment, and the shortage of trainers with the necessary transitional competencies, radical new models of capacity development are required. These models need to be able to amplify and transfer tiny (niche) pockets of place-based experience to very large audiences at low cost. To do this, new capacity building models will need to be able to operate both within the struggling formal training and extension sectors as well as beyond them in new formations. These papers further demonstrate that the social networks within grassroots food system niches are under-recognised nurseries of socio-ecological innovation. These networks demonstrated a tenacious appetite for learning that played out in complete isolation from any formal training and extension institutions. In doing so, these networks displayed remarkable pedagogic sophistication while operating at very low cost - largely due to the culture of reciprocity in which they were grounded. The research also confirmed what other transition theorists have suggested: that competency for transitions in complex, socio-ecological systems is a network outcome and not an individual characteristic. The unique contribution of this thesis to the broader debate around food system transitions and the role of youth is threefold. Firstly, presents youth narratives on agricultural careers that constitute a politically resonant youth mandate for food system transformation. Secondly, it provided new insights into how the informal and fragmented knowledge that is generated within sustainability niches can be wielded more effectively to support youth in acquiring the competencies they need to accelerate systemic change. Finally, it proposes a preliminary method for supporting educators, curriculum designers and social activists to harness the power of niche knowledge networks. This thesis highlights that the needs and aspirations of youth present an opportunity for transformation in the food system. To achieve this, local civil society, alternative food retail cooperatives and aspirant farming communities will need to be equipped with new tools for amplifying latent and fragmented knowledge resources in their specific contexts. Niche networks will also need a ramping up of support and investment.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Die wêreldvoedselsisteem bestaan in ’n staat van toenemende disfunksionaliteit vir beide die mens en die planeet. Die noodsaak vir ’n ingrypende, sistemiese oorgang binne die voedselsisteem is toenemend duidelik; só ook die noodsaak vir navorsing wat lei tot ’n beter begrip van hoe innovering ter ondersteuning van hierdie oorgang aangemoedig kan word. Vanuit ’n werkskeppingsperspektief het die snel-gekorporatiseerde aard van die voedselsisteem ’n grootskaalse herstrukturering van werksgeleenthede binne die landbou en geassosieerde waardekettings gedryf. In die toekoms sal hierdie herstrukturering beduidende gevolge inhou vir Afrika, waar die vorm van die voedselsisteem ’n direkte uitwerking sal hê op die beroepslewens van die meerderheid van die 800 miljoen jeugdiges wat na beraming die werksmag teen 2050 sal betree. In Suid-Afrika, die fokus van hierdie studie, is 50 persent van die jeug vasgevang in ’n komplekse, onbeheerbare werkloosheidkrisis wat deels deur ’n oorgang ot ’n hoogs gekorporatiseerde voedselregime gedryf word. Dít is veral waar van die formele landbousektor wat, ten spyte daarvan dat dit geïdentifiseer word as ’n kragtige dryfveer vir werkskepping, aansienlike winste vergaar terwyl dit poste verminder. Tegelykteryd, in die informele sektor, draai vele jeudiges hulle rûe op tradisionele bestaans- en kleinskaalboerdery ten spyte van grootskaalse werkloosheid. Teen bogenoemde agtergrond het hierdie studie twee navorsingsdoelwitte voor oë gehad. Die eerste was om ondersoek in te stel na hierdie paradoksale wegdraai van kleinskaallandbou en terselftertyd te poog om te verstaan hóé ’n volhoubare, werkskeppingsintensiewe landboutoekoms kan lyk deur die oë van die Suid-Afrikaanse jeug. Die tweede doelwit van die studie was om te verstaan waar die nuwe kennis en vaardighede vir só ’n sisteem vandaan kan kom, en hoe jeugtoegang daartoe verbeter kan word. Sodoende het die navorsing gepoog om voedselsisteemverandering te vermag deur praktiese hulpmiddels en insigte te bied aan die jeug en ander voedselsisteemrolspelers wat die sistemiese beperkings van die huidige voedselregime wil oorkom. Die proefskrif is verdeel in drie aparte dog komplimentêre joernaalartikels wat ’n mengsel van narratief- en sosialenetwerk-gebaseerde benaderings ingespan het. Literatuur aangaande sistemiese oorgang, voedselsisteme, jeug-indiensneming en leer is verweef om ’n teoretiese grondslag vir hierdie artikels te bied. Artikel Een lewer verslag oor ’n narratief-gebaseerde ondersoek onder die jeug na houdings teenoor en aspirasies vir beroepe binne die landbou. Dit het vorendag gekom dat, ten spyte van die intense sosiale stigma rondom lanbouberoepe, rondom 30 persent van die 573 jeugdiges wat die opname voltooi het, positiewe houdings koester teenoor beroepe binne hierdie sektor. Dit is bemoedigend dat vele van hierdie jeugdiges ’n duidelike belangstelling in en passie vir sosiaal-geïntegreerde mikro-entrepeneurskap binne die landbou geopenbaar het. Binne die huidige voedselsisteem was die beroepe waarna hierdie jeugdiges gestrewe het egter nie haalbaar nie en is die werk tot hulle beskikking gesien as vernederend, onbevredigend en nie-lonend. Gegewe die voorafgenoemde jeug-aspirasies, toon hierdie navorsing dat daar vrugbare grond bestaan vir verandering binne die voedselsisteem. ’n Oorgang tot ’n sosiaal- en ekologies-regverdige voedselsisteem is egter ’n kennis-intensiewe onderneming. Tans word vooruitsigte vir hierdie oorgang gekniehalter deur ekonomiese wanbalans, ’n teenstrydige voedselbeleid en ’n mislukkende opvoedingsisteem. Artikels Twee en Drie stel voor dat ’n oorgang tot ’n regverdige en volhoubare voedselsisteem opleiding sal vereis wat mense bevry van noodwendige deelname aan die huidige sisteem en die nodige vaardighede bou om die huidige onvolhoubare trajek van die voedselsisteem te ontwrig. Weens die beduidende getal werksoekers en die tekort aan opleiers met die nodige oorgangsvaardighede, is radikale nuwe kapasiteitsontwikkeling-modelle nodig. Hierdie modelle moet in staat wees daartoe om brokke gespesialiseerde, plekgebaseerde ervaring aan baie groot gehore oor te dra en te versterk teen minimale koste. Om dít te vermag sal nuwe kapasiteitsboumodelle moet kan funksioneer binne beide die sukkelende formele opleiding- en uitbreidingsektore en binne verdere, nuwe formasies. Hierdie artikels toon verder dat die sosiale netwerke binne voetsoolvlak-voedselsisteemniches ongewaardeerde kweekhuise vir sosio-ekologiese innovering is. Hierdie netwerke het ’n onblusbare sug na kennis (buite die konteks van enige formele opleiding- en uitbreidinginstansies) gedemonstreer. Sodoende het hierdie netwerke merkwaardige pedagogiese gesofistikeerdheid getoon terwyl hulle teen baie lae koste gefunksioneer het, grootliks danksy die kultuur van wederkerigheid waarop hulle gegrond is. Die navorsing het ook bevestig wat ander oorgangsteoretici al voorgestel het, naamlik dat bevoegdheid vir oorgang in komplekse, sosio-ekologiese sisteme ’n netwerkuitkoms en nie ’n individuele eienskap is nie. Die unieke bydrae van hierdie proefskrif tot die breër debat rondom voedselsisteemoorgang en die rol van die jeug daarin is drievoudig. Eerstens het dit jeugnarratiewe oor landbouberoepe wat ’n polities-resonante mandaat vir voedselsisteemtransformasie uitmaak, uitgelig. Tweedens het dit nuwe insigte gebied in hoe die informele en gefragmenteerde ervaring wat deur vohoubaarheidsniches gegenereer word, die jeug meer effektief kan ondersteun in hulle verwerwing van die nodige vaardighede om sistemiese verandering te bespoedig. Laastens stel die proefskrif ’n voorlopige metode voor vir die ondersteuning van opvoeders, kurrikulumontwerpers en sosiale aktiviste om die mag van niche kennisnetwerke te benuttig. Hierdie proefskrif belig die feit dat die behoeftes en aspirasies van die jeug ’n geleentheid bied vir transformasie in die voedselsisteem. Om dít te bereik sal die plaaslike burgerlike samelewing, alternatiewe voedselhandel-koöperasies en aspirant boerderygemeenskappe toegerus moet word met nuwe hulpmiddels om latente en gefragmenteerde kennisbronne in hulle spesifieke kontekste te versterk. Ondersteuning vir en belegging in niche netwerke sal ook versterk moet word

Learning for transitions: a niche perspective

Roughly eight hundred million youth are projected to enter the African job market by 2050. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge for urgently needed sustainability transitions on the continent, because with appropriate training and skills this youth bulge could be instrumental in driving systemic change. By training the youth in new practices and approaches, they could be central to creating new systems and African futures that are more sustainable and just. We focus on the question of where the new skills and competencies needed to underpin such transitions could come from and, in turn, how youth might access these competencies. We investigate these questions by exploring an emerging sustainability niche around organic agriculture in the South African food system. We used a network and power-mapping tool, Net-Map, to map the key knowledge resources used by successful organic farmers, as well as to understand how actor learning networks develop and disseminate new skills and competencies. We found that although a substantial volume of knowledge has been generated and sophisticated informal learning networks exist within the niche we studied, knowledge is highly fragmented. The development and transfer of knowledge is impeded by the absence of teaching capacity and poor institutional alignment at a provincial and national level. Our findings suggest that state-led extension services and formal training institutions are of little help to niche pioneers and instead contribute toward the path-dependency of the current food regime. The substantial implications of these findings underscore the need for further studies to investigate whether similar patterns hold elsewhere on the continent, and for other niches. If they do, our findings imply that addressing the sustainability challenges on the African continent will require creative approaches and new models of learning that are capable of developing and transferring the knowledge and practices emerging in sustainability niches to the 90% of youth in Africa who will not progress to formal tertiary training but will be central to driving potential sustainability transitions

Conceptualising regional skills ecosystems: reflections on four African cases

In this article we address the debate on regional skills formation systems in Africa. We draw on the social ecosystems model (SEM) developed by Hodgson and Spours to analyse data from four case studies that reflect the complexities of African economies, rural and urban, formal and informal. The SEM model helps us focus on the three dimensions of a strong skills ecosystem: collaboration between a range of actors, key institutions and system leaders within the region (the horizontal); top-down policies, regulations, and funding streams that enable or constrain the regional skills ecosystem (the vertical); and the points where these two interact, often through mediation activities. In the case of the last of these three, our cases point to the importance of nurturing organisations which can provide SEM leadership, particularly in more fragile ecosystems. Yet, in none of the cases, are public vocational institutions playing the strong anchor role envisaged in the model. The significance of the paper lies in three ways it develops the SEM in relation to regional skills ecosystems. First, we problematise the notion of a facilitatory state and place it within wider national and global webs of power. Second, we insist that the local or regional is always embedded in and networked into myriad national and international levels. This requires a more complex understanding of how social skills ecosystems operate. Third, the notion of an anchor institution requires further elaboration. In most social ecosystems these institutions need to be built or strengthened and a clearer understanding is required of the processes of institutionalisation and what mechanisms make it possible to build this capacity and sustain it over time