A PROBIT ANALYSIS OF WOMEN FARMERS’ ACCESS TO FARM LAND AND CREDIT IN THE NORTHERN PROVINCE

Northern Province is predominantly a rural region where agriculture is the dominant sector and plays an important role in the provincial economy. Women are the majority of the poor living in these rural areas and depend heavily on farming. But their agricultural productivity is below potential as they don’t have access to productive assets such as land and credit. This study based on a farm survey undertaken in the seven districts in the former Lebowa homeland in the Northern Province, attempts to identify factors which determine women farmers’s access to more farming land and credit facilities. The results show that most of the women are not satisfied with the size of the land which they own and they have never used farming credit. The probit analysis results show that productivity of the staple crop (maize), more off-farm income and access to credit are the strong determinants of the desire to increase, the size of the farming land. Access to credit is influenced by the first two variables above and farmers membership to agricultural development projects. Better access to and security for farm land, targeted credit and agricultural support services are crucial in improving the quality of women farmers in the province.Agricultural Finance, Land Economics/Use,

Market Orientation Determinants: Reflections from Academics in Universities of Technology in South Africa

Internationally, universities have come under increased pressure to respond to the changing market environment. A new axis for higher education institutions (HEIs) is a key to successful marketing, which lies in identifying the core business of institutions. Market orientation more closely reflects a philosophy that will not only serve to bring unity of purposes in HEIs, but serves as an indispensable tool that can assist HEIs to deliver their core business. The dynamics in the HE environment, the growth potential and the regulatory challenges make universities of technology (UoTs) ideal institutions for a study on the implementation of market orientation. It is against this backdrop that this paper considers the factors contributing to market orientation through the lenses of South African UoT academics through a quantitative study; 507 (n=507) academics participated in the study. Data are analysed through exploratory (to determine the factor structure) and confirmatory factor analysis (to confirm factor structure), descriptive and correlation analysis (to analyse the composition of the sample and to establish validity). Through the factor analysis procedure, seven factors were established, namely intelligence generation, inter-functional coordination, student-orientation, market intelligence dissemination, intelligence response design, intelligence response implementation and interdepartmental dynamics as a basis for operationalising the marketing orientation concept among UoTs. Through confirmatory factor analysis, the identified components seem to encapsulate the determinants of UoTs appropriately. From a practical standpoint, top management of universities could use these core market orientation factors to guide their strategic marketing plans and their strategic imperatives with the universities vision and mission in order to remain relevant and competitive. Future studies could expand these factors to provide a better understanding within HEIs in relation to their various stakeholders

Effects of Egg's Weight on Egg Quality Traits of the Potchefstroom Koekoek Chicken Genotype

Egg is a reproduction tool for chickens and valuable food source for humans. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of egg weight (EW) on egg quality traits such as egg length (EL), egg diameter (ED), yolk weight (YW), albumen weight (AW), shell weight (SW), shell index (SI), yolk ratio (YR), albumen ratio (AR) and shell ratio (SR). Potchefstroom Koekoek layer genotype eggs (n = 200) were used. Pearson correlation and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for analysis. Correlation results indicated that egg weight had a statistical significant correlation (P < 0.05) with egg quality traits. Egg weight displayed a positive significant correlation with EL (0.82), AW (0.67) and SW (0.62), respectively. The findings suggest that EL, AW and SW might be used to improve EW of Potchefstroom Koekoek chicken genotype. ANOVA results showed that egg weight had a statistical significant difference (P < 0.05) with egg quality traits except albumen ratio and yolk ratio (P > 0.05). Moreover, the findings revealed that small eggs weight had a longer egg length, yolk weight, shell weight, shell ratio and albumen weight than medium and large eggs. Large eggs had a higher egg diameter and shell index. Keywords: Albumen weight, egg length, large egg, medium egg, small egg, shell weigh

Improving the food and nutritional security of smallholder farmers in South Africa: Evidence from the InnovAfrica Project

This article highlights evidence and lessons learned from the InnovAfrica project conducted by the Agricultural Research Council in collaboration with other international organizations between 2017 and 2021. This project aimed to test and upscale best-bet Sustainable Agricultural Intensification (SAI) practices through Multi-Actor Platforms (MAPs) and improved dissemination strategies across six African countries (viz. Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa and Tanzania). The goal of the project was to improve the food and nutritional security of smallholder farmers in Africa. The article briefly discusses some of the key challenges that smallholder agriculture is facing, results from the agricultural interventions brought in by the InnovAfrica project, evidence-based actions and policy recommendations to improve the sustainable agricultural productivity of smallholder farmers in the South African case study. The study showed that SAI practices increased crop yields and build climate-resilient farming communities. It is recommended that the promotion of SAI practices should be supported by enabling institutions and conducive policies that will enhance access to inputs, market linkages, improved access to credit and good agricultural lands, the establishment of functional farmer groups and participatory learning models. These recommendations can be used by the government and other agencies to develop effective interventions to improve food and nutrition security

Profile of human papillomavirus genotypes in breast and oesophageal cancer patients in Pretoria, South Africa

Background. The association between human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer is well established, and cervical cancer can be prevented through HPV vaccination. Little has been reported on the association between HPV and breast carcinoma (BC) or oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in Africa. It is possible that use of appropriate HPV vaccines against genotypes responsible for these cancers may also prevent their development. Objectives. To investigate HPV genotype prevalence in BC and OSCC patients in Pretoria, South Africa (SA). Methods. A retrospective cross‐sectional study of BC and OSCC patients managed at Steve Biko Academic Hospital from 2015 to 2019 was undertaken. Patient medical records were analysed, and DNA was extracted from their archived pathology material and amplified by polymerase chain reaction before hybridisation for HPV genotypes. Results. There were 101 patients with BC and 50 with OSCC. The prevalence of HPV infection in BC patients was 77.2%, with 35.6% high‐ risk (HR) genotypes, and that in OSCC patients 90.0%, with 56.0% HR genotypes. The most prevalent HPV genotypes (>20% each) were HPV 16, 70 and 51 for BC and HPV 51, 70, 16 and 82 for OSCC, with 31.7% and 60.0% of patients, respectively, having co‐infection with ≥2 genotypes. Conclusion. The high prevalence of infection with multiple HPV genotypes in BC and OSCC patients, with HPV 16, 51, 70, 35 and 82 the most common genotypes in these cancers, warrants expansion of the current SA bivalent HPV 16/18 vaccine for girls to include boys, and inclusion of HPV 51, 70, 35 and 82, in order to prevent BC and OSCC as well as cervical cancer

Leucocyte count and C-reactive protein cannot be relied upon in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in HIV-infected patients

BACKGROUND: South Africa has the highest prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the world, and is commonly found in association with appendicitis. Atypical presentation of appendicitis in the presence of HIV infection makes clinical diagnosis of appendicitis unreliable, and inflammatory markers are commonly used as adjuncts. The aim of this study was ascertain the value of inflammatory markers in the diagnosis of appendicitis in patients with and without HIV infection. METHODS: Patients with acute appendicitis were studied and divided into HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected groups. Symptoms, and systemic and local signs were recorded. Appendiceal pathology was classified as simple or as complicated by abscess, phlegmon or perforation. Total white cell count (WCC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were chosen as inflammatory markers. Findings were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 125 patients, of whom 26 (20.8 per cent) had HIV infection. Clinical manifestations did not differ statistically, and there was no difference in the incidence of simple or complicated appendicitis between the two groups. The mean CRP level was significantly higher in HIV-infected patients (194.9 mg/l versus 138.9 mg/l in HIV-uninfected patients; P¼0.049), and mean WCC (x109/L) was significantly lower (11.07 versus 14.17 109/l respectively; P¼0.010) CONCLUSION: Clinical manifestations and pathology did not differ between HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected patients with appendicitis, except that the WCC response was significantly attenuated and CRP levels were generally higher in the presence of HIV infection.https://academic.oup.com/bjsopenpm2021Surger

Enhanced upconversion emission of Er3+-Yb3+ co-doped Ba5 (PO4) 3OH powder phosphor for application in photodynamic therapy

Er3+-Yb3+ co-doped Ba5(PO4)3OH nanoparticle powder phosphors were successfully synthesized by urea combustion method. The resulting powder phosphors were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). XRD data confirmed crystallization of pure hexagonal phase of Ba5(PO4)3OH and HRSEM images showed formation of ellipsoidal particles. XPS data combined with EDS analysis confirmed the materials composition that corresponds with identification of all the chemical elements constituting the materials. The in vitro dark cytotoxicity of the particles confirmed lack of cytocidal behaviour in the absence of light, but considerable photodynamic therapy (PDT) activity was observed upon illumination. Upon excitation using a 980 nm laser, multiple emission peaks in the green and red regions corresponding to the optical transitions of Er3+ ion were observed. Upon co-doping with Yb3+, upconverted red emission was detected and this was attributable to non-radiative energy transfer from Yb3+ to Er3+. The proposed mechanism of upconversion photoluminescence is discussed

#FeesMustFall2016: Perceived and measured effect on clinical medical students

Background. Medical students are under immense academic stress. Campus unrest can contribute to stress and influence academic performance, social behaviour, emotional stability and financial expenses.Objectives. To investigate the effects of #FeesMustFall2016 (#FMF2016) on the 2016 3rd-year (semester 6) clinical medical students at the University of the Free State (UFS), Bloemfontein, South Africa.Methods. In phase 1 of the project, anonymous questionnaires were completed by the clinical students who experienced physical test disruption during #FMF2016. Opinions regarding academic performance, financial expenses, behaviour changes and stress levels were gathered. The students also completed a formal post-traumatic stress screening assessment. In phase 2 of the project, the academic performance of these students was compared with that of students not affected by #FMF2016.Results. Of the target population of 138 students, 87.0% completed the questionnaires. Three-quarters of the respondents reported a negative effect on academic performance, and most did not believe that the delivering of lectures on Blackboard was a good way of training. Alcohol consumption increased in 31.9% of the students. Criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were met in 12.7% of students. Compared with previous and later cohorts of students there were no clear differences regarding marks, but there was a tendency towards poorer performance and more failures the next year.Conclusions. Semester 6 medical students at UFS reported that the #FMF2016 protests had a negative effect on academic, social, financial and stress aspects. PTSD was present in 12.7% of students compared with 7.8% in similar populations.

“COMING TOGETHER” (Batanai): Learning from Zimbabwe’s experiences with community biodiversity conservation, participatory crop improvement and climate change adaptation

This brief presents the findings and lessons learned of a study tour by a team from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of South Africa to neighbouring Zimbabwe, to learn about the roles of Farmer Field Schools, functions and operations of community seedbanks and various forms of participatory crop improvement, promoted by the Community Technology Development Organisation of Zimbabwe