Substitution of fertiliser with poultry manure: Is this economically viable?

Rapid expansion of the KwaZulu-Natal poultry industry has resulted in poultry manure and litter production that in certain areas exceeds the potential for use in crop production. If land application exceeds crop requirements, manure production may result in environmental damage. In this study, potential manure surpluses in intensive poultry producing KwaZulu-Natal areas were quantified. The costs of transferring such surpluses to manure-deficient areas were compared with the economic value of poultry manure as fertiliser. Estimates of potential arable land and pasture for spreading manure took both dairy and feedlot manure production into account. Use of manure surpluses by transfer was found to be economically viable. Public policy actions are needed, however, to promote such transfer.Crop Production/Industries,

THE ECONOMICS OF USING MANURE STORED UNDER TWO DIFFERENT SYSTEMS FOR CROP PRODUCTION BY SMALL-SCALE FARMERS IN KWAZULU-NATAL

Several manure use options were analysed for profitability using results from research and farmer participatory trials that were conducted in the small-scale farming sector in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The options analysed for profitability were a) not using any manure b) using aerobically composted (heap stored) manure, c) using manure improved through anaerobic storage (pit-stored), d) different manure application methods i.e. banding, broadcasting and station placement and the use of manure in combination with inorganic fertiliser. The use of manure provided a marginal rate of return (MRR) of at least 600% compared to not using manure. The marginal rate of return on manure use was increased significantly by composting manure in pits. Financial benefits obtained from pit- stored manure were much higher in the first year of manure application compared to those of heap- stored manure. Higher returns from heap- stored manure were obtained in the second and third season after manure application. Overall undiscounted financial benefits for the three years were marginally higher for heap- stored manure. Using a discount rate of 100% financial benefits from using pit-stored manure were much higher than those of heap stored manure as pit-stored manure provided much higher returns in the first year of application. Higher financial benefits were obtained from supplementing manure with inorganic fertiliser compared to using manure alone. Banding and placing manure on-station (applying the manure to the hill of maize) increased returns from using both pit and heap stored manure. The conventional practice of broadcasting manure was found not to be profitable.Production Economics, Productivity Analysis, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Technical efficiency in a vegetable based mixed-cropping sector in Tugela Ferry, Msinga District, KwaZulu-Natal

Vegetable production constitutes an important sub-sector of the agricultural economy of KwaZulu-Natal. Most vegetables are cultivated in mixed-cropping types of farming systems. The technical efficiency of vegetable based cropping systems was estimated in order to identify the potential increase in production without incurring additional costs. The factors affecting technical efficiency and constraints and potential of the cropping system were also investigated. A field survey was conducted covering 120 vegetable farmers in the irrigated Tugela Ferry scheme and dryland farming sector in Msinga district during October to December 2003. According to a stochastic frontier production function using a Cobb-Douglas model, hired labour, organic fertilizer, inorganic fertilizer, area harvested and soil fertility maintenance cost showed significant positive effects on vegetable production. The mean technical efficiency of the vegetable based cropping systems was 84.32%. According to the inefficiency model the efficiency increased significantly as a result of farm visits by extension officers, participation in farmer training, less sloping lands, more experience, and higher diversity of the vegetable system. Technical efficiency decreased, however, with higher education level of the farmer and with higher off-farm income. Farm income is low due to low productivity, market constraints, lack of technology, and institutionally related constraints. Environmental conditions in the Msinga district are such that a high value crops can be grown with an adequate supply of irrigation water. There is a good possibility for stepping up production of these crops in marginal lands through appropriate crop diversification.Crop Production/Industries,

Estimates of the increase in milk production due to the introduction of maize silage to a dairy farm in KwaZulu-Natal: A time series approach

A method involving time series modelling is provided for evaluating the effects of an abrupt intervention, such as the adoption of a new technology, when no control is available for comparative evaluation. The new technology was the introduction of maize silage into the feeding programme of a dairy farm in the midlands of KwaZulu-Natal. A model was developed using historical milk data from a nine-year period. The model was used to forecast subsequent milk production on the dairy farm had maize silage not been introduced, and these forecasts were compared with actual production after the introduction of maize silage. Milk production was more than 320,000 litres greater than forecast in ten seasons over a four-year period after the introduction of silage. During the same period, production was more than 14,000 litres less than forecast in one season, with the remaining six seasons estimated to be within 5% of observed values. This resulted in an estimated net gain of 305,668 litres of milk above the amount expected had silage not been introduced, representing an average increase in production of 18% per annum.Livestock Production/Industries,

Drivers of direct commercial real estate returns: evidence from South Africa

A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a Master of Science degree in Building to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Construction Economics and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2016Background – The South African (SA) real estate sector lacks transparency and there is limited research and robust data on the performance drivers of underlying commercial real estate assets in investment portfolios as opposed to the residential and listed property sectors in the SA context. SA real estate competes internationally and the rapid growth in emerging countries is creating new real estate players and growing competition for real estate investment opportunities (PwC, 2015). It is important for investors in the industry to understand the factors that affect the sector’s performance to be able to plan, review investment strategies, allocate resources efficiently, understand past trends and manage future risks. Purpose - The purpose of the study is to understand the performance of the SA direct commercial real estate sector and identify the key factors that drive the sector’s total returns in the country. Literature review is conducted to identify factors that drive direct commercial real returns in other countries and the identified drivers are tested for relevancy in the SA market. The study applies SA annual commercial real estate returns published by the International Property Databank (IPD) over the past 20 years, from 1995 to 2014, as dependent variables. Findings - Using Pearson’s correlation analysis, the study tests for correlations between CRE returns and independent variables; macroeconomic indicators (exogenous factors) and property performance variables (endogenous factors). The study finds gross rental escalation and real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rates to be highly positively correlated with direct real estate returns. The results provide evidence that gross rental escalation and real GDP have high explanatory values of commercial real estate returns. The study concludes that rental income growth and economic growth are the key drivers of direct commercial real estate total returns. Value - The findings provide evidence of the correlations that exist between exogenous, endogenous variables and CRE returns and assist in understanding the behaviour of the direct commercial real estate sector. This study sets a basis for real estate investments analysis and the results can be applied in asset allocation strategies by guiding investors on the direction CRE returns could take based on performance of the widely published macroeconomic and property performance variables under study. Limitations - The limitation to this study is that the dependent variables, SA annual commercial real estate returns, has time series data of 20 variables in its existence and this has restricted the quantitative methodology choice, hence the use of correlation analysis to quantitatively analyse the relationships that exist between CRE returns and the exogenous and endogenous factors. Further research in the topic would include regression analysis to test for causality. This study has implications on real estate investment decision making and contributes to real estate market literature in SA.MT201

Integrated interpretation of 3D seismic data using seismic attributes to understand the structural control of methane occurrences at deep gold mining levels: West Wits Line Goldfield, South Africa

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, School of Geosciences University of the Witwatersrand. 08 November 2017.At a number of gold mines in South Africa, the presence of methane gases has been encountered when drilling into faults and/or dyke structures extending to depths beyond 4.5 km. Methane gas has been reported to have migrated through structures from within the basin to the mine working environments (~3.0 km depths) and caused explosions. The Booysens Shale is considered one of the possible source rocks for hydrocarbons and it forms the footwall to the gold-bearing Ventersdorp Contact Reef (VCR, ~ 1.5 m thick). The Booysens Shale lies at depths between 3.5 km and 4.5 km below land surface and can be best described as the base of the divergent clastic wedge which thickens westward, hosting the quartzite and conglomerate units that sub-crop against the VCR towards the east of the gold mining areas. Geometric attributes (dip and dip azimuth) and instantaneous attributes (phase, frequency and envelope) computed for the Booysens Shale and Ventersdorp Contact Reef horizons (interpreted from 3D prestack time migrated data acquired in the Witwatersrand goldfields) provide insight into structures that extend from the Booysens Shale into the overlying mining level, the Ventersdorp Contact Reef. These attributes provide high-resolution mapping of the structures (faults, dykes, and joints) that have intersected both the Ventersdorp Contact Reef and Booysens Shale horizons. Volumetric fault analysis using the ant-tracking attribute incorporated with methane gas data also show the continuity and connections of the faults and fracture zones possibly linked to methane gas and fluid migration. Correlation between the known occurrence of fissure water and methane with geologically- and seismically-mapped faults show that steeply dipping structures (dip>60°) are most likely to channel fracture water and methane. δ13C and δ2H isotope results suggest that the methane gas (and associated H2 and alkanes) from the goldfields, particularly along seismically delineated faults and dykes, have an abiogenic origin produced by water-rock reactions. Isotopic data derived from adjacent goldfields also suggests the possibility of mixing between microbial hydrocarbons (characterized by highly depleted 2HCH4 values) and abiogenic gases. It is, therefore, possible that the propagation of these structures, as mapped by 3D seismics and enhanced volumetric attributes, between Booysens Shale and Ventersdorp Supergroup provide conduits for mixing of fluids and gases encountered at mining levels. The study may provide new evidence for the notion of hydrocarbons, particularly CH4, having migrated via faults and dykes from depth, within the Witwatersrand Basin, to where they are intersected at mining levels. The research gives new insight into mixing between microbial and abiogenic end-members within hydrogeologically isolated water pockets.LG201

Use of the radio in educational programmes for development

M.Ed (Media Science)This dissertation is intended to serve the needs of any individual, agency or organisation that wishes to become involved in a development programme designed to uplift the level of destitution or deprivation of a particular group of people. This study focuses on the needs of the South African rural Black population. To date, many people and organisations have been addressing the problem of poverty, but because of the vastness of this problem their efforts can be compared to the proverbial drop in an ocean. Most rural people still live in abject poverty. They are not just relatively poor, but they are living on the rugged edge of sheer survival and their numbers are growing rapidly (Leonard and Marshall, 1982:1)

Modelling biomass of the rehabilitation forest around the Buffelsdraai landfill site using remote sensing data, Durban, South Africa.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Forests have important roles in ecosystem service provisions and maintenance of the global carbon cycle hence they are one of the main subjects of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which recommends strategies to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions. Remote sensing is an advancing science whose data products keep improving spectrally and spatially with time which makes them worth exploitation for broad scientific uses including forest-related studies such as biomass estimations. These are important for understanding of carbon sequestration potential of trees which informs monitoring and forest cover enhancement strategies across various environments. This study investigated the potential of optical data, Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) to achieve biomass estimation in a secondary indigenous forest that buffers the Buffelsdraai landfill site. Image processing types used included extraction of spectral reflectance bands, vegetation indices and texture parameters. A Partial Least Squares analysis was performed to determine a significant set of independent variables that could predict aboveground biomass of the Buffelsdraai rehabilitation forest. The findings indicated that the Partial Least Squares models of bands and vegetation indices were rather weak in biomass prediction as only 11.22% and 30.88% biomass variation was explained, respectively. Models inclusive of texture extractions, however, performed much better and demonstrated an improved 77.33% variation explanation of above-ground biomass. Overall, the results indicate that texture parameters derived from Landsat 8 OLI optical data are effective to achieve improved biomass estimation. The development of allometric equations built directly from the species found in the rehabilitation zone and national instilment of environmental responsibility within society for improved local waste management were the major recommendations provided which would assist in the stabilization of greenhouse gas emissions in Buffelsdraai and South Africa

Modelling efficiency with farm-produced inputs: dairying in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

This paper models dairy farms in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, emphasising the complexities unique to this multi-product industry. Net and gross output approaches to measuring production are discussed and then tested using panel data from 37 dairy farms in KwaZulu-Natal from 1999 and 2007. Production functions for the three outputs: milk production, animals and farm-produced feed, are fitted as a simultaneous system to model the farms’ production activities. This simultaneous model is complemented by a single equation reduced form that is fitted as a frontier, which allows estimation of the relative efficiencies of the individual farms. The results show that, with data this detailed, it is possible to refine the model until it fits very tightly. Indeed, in the gross output model that includes cows there is nothing left to call inefficiency and what was clearly a frontier becomes a mean response function.Dairy farms, production, frontiers, efficiency, Production Economics,

Romh sponsorship presentation

Papers presented virtually at the 41st International Southern African Transport Conference on 10-13 July 2038We are ROMH, a proudly South African and management owned organisation. An organisation formed by Africans for the World, a Civil & Structural Engineering company that embodies “engineering for the future”. We are a team of Professional Engineers, Technical Specialists and Project Managers structured to provide specialised consulting and management services within the Engineering and the Built Environment. Formalised in 2013 and a Corporate Member of CESA and SABTACO, we were born out of the Engineering industry’s need for a new offering with creative modern ideas, a new approach and sustainable solutions. We strive to work together to devise ways by building resilience against disaster and climate risks, and adding an impact within the economic development whilst curbing vulnerabilit