Livelihoods, Land and Political Economy: Reflections on Sam Moyo’s Research Methodology

This article focuses on the methodological lessons from Sam Moyo’s scholarship. Sam’s research is characterised by a combination of detailed empirical investigation, deep knowledge of the technical and practical aspects of agricultural production and farming livelihoods, and bigpicture political economy analysis and theory. Sam’s method is an insightful contemporary application of the method originally set out in Marx’s Grundrisse. Many contemporary explorations of agrarian political economy fail to sustain the important tension and dialectical debate, between diverse empirical realities and their ‘multiple determinations and relations’ and wider theorisation of the ‘concrete’ features of emergent processes of change. The implications of Sam’s methodological approach for the analysis of Zimbabwe’s land reform are discussed, especially in relation to the land occupations and the politics of agrarian reform since 2000

Quantifying morbidity in pregnant women in a rural population in Tsholotsho District in Zimbabwe

A clinical study on the rate of pregnancy related morbidity in rural- based Zimbabwean women.Women in developing countries experience an unfair share of life threatening, chronic or other significant health problems related to pregnancy or child birth. While valid data on levels id trends of maternal mortality are essential to make judgements about maternal health and the design of appropriate Inventions, very little vigorous research has been undertaken many areas of obstetric morbidity. Maternal morbidity has far reaching consequences beyond the suffering of the woman, There are implications for the baby, household and society at large.The majority of women in Zimbabwe support their families through various income generating activities. Many experts have not studied the less serious morbidities especially those problems that women must report such as painful intercourse, depression and genital itching, for instance, men’s perception of morbidity makes quantifying difficult. Different morbidities are viewed differently and may even be considered a normal part of pregnancy

Modelling of digesta passage rates in grazing and browsing domestic and wild ruminant herbivores

Ruminant utilization of poor-quality feeds is governed by rates of digestion and of passage through the rumen. The passage rate of feed material determines the quantity of bypass nutrients and the efficiency of synthesis of microbial protein in the rumen, making modelling of passage rate important. Artificial neural networks were used to develop models of liquid and solid passage rates. Studies that reported fractional passage rates, along with class and body mass of ruminants, were included in the dataset. Factors that affect rates of passage in all the studies were identified, which included animal and feed factors. The dataset was composed of observations of domestic and wild ruminants of variable body mass (1.5 to 1238 kg) from 74 studies and 17 ruminant species from various climatic regions. Observations were randomly divided into two data subsets: 75% for training and 25% for validation. Developed models accounted for 66 and 82% of the variation in prediction of passage rates for solid and liquid, respectively. On validation with an independent dataset, these models attained 42 and 64% of precision in predicting passage rates for solid and liquid, respectively. Liquid and solid prediction passage rate models had no linear and mean bias in prediction. This study developed better prediction models for solid and liquid passage rates for ruminants fed on a variety of diets and/or feeds from different climatic regions.Keywords: Artificial neural networks, intake, mean retention time, prediction equation, rume

Physical resource inventory of the Communal Lands of Zimbabwe - An overview (NRI Bulletin 60)

This overview of the physical resources of the Communal Lands of Zimbabwe is based on a compilation and condensation of the results of reconnaissance soil surveys undertaken between 1985 and 1991. The area surveyed and mapped at 1 :500 000 scale comprises some 163 500 km2 or 42% of Zimbabwe. Fifty land units, identified by interpretation of aerial photography and defined on a broad geological and landform basis, are used as the framework for describing and mapping the Communal Lands, hereafter referred to as CLs. Following an introduction to the physical environment encompassed by the CLs, each unit is described according to land characteristics and resources relevant to an assessment of potential for agricultural improvement

Group classification of the two-dimensional magnetogasdynamics equations in Lagrangian coordinates

The present paper is devoted to the group classification of magnetogasdynamics equations in which dependent variables in Euler coordinates depend on time and two spatial coordinates. It is assumed that the continuum is inviscid and nonthermal polytropic gas with infinite electrical conductivity. The equations are considered in mass Lagrangian coordinates. Use of Lagrangian coordinates allows reducing number of dependent variables. The analysis presented in this article gives complete group classification of the studied equations. This analysis is necessary for constructing invariant solutions and conservation laws on the base of Noether's theorem

PRECISION IRRIGATION WITH SENSOR-GRID FOR DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM

Precision irrigation is the new generation irrigation systems that have tremendous potential to improve water control. This paper presents decision support system for precision irrigation in which sensor-grid technology is used to assist irrigation management decisions. Besides, this paper also explains the definition of precision irrigation and its benefits in irrigation management system. The agriculture is depended on quantity and quality of water. The main problem of water quantity is how to consider the water resources like dam or river, irrigation infrastructure and rain condition. The methodology to establish large-scale remote intelligent irrigation system based on sensor-grid by using wireless sensor network and considering grid climate stations

Infrastructure for sustainable use of animal genetic resources in southern and eastern Africa

The Global Plan of Action (GPA) for Animal Genetic Resources (AnGR) adopted by FAO recognizes the role of AnGR for food security through improved productivity while maintaining genetic diversity. A critical issue for conservation and genetic improvement programmes is the availability of supportive infrastructure. The objective of the present study was to assess existing and needed infrastructure for sustainable use of AnGR in a sample of countries in Southern and Eastern Africa. Information was primarily obtained from semi-structured interviews with key personnel in animal breeding during country visits. Countries studied are at different stages of development. No complete breeding programmes are in place but some conservation programmes exist in most countries. Except for a few cases, livestock recording as basis for R&D and breeding practice is lacking. The institutional setup to support animal breeding programmes is fragmented and needs to be better integrated. Shortage of skilled personnel is noted as the most serious constraint for development. Countries with least university training in animal breeding have least developed AnGR activities. However, since the GPA was agreed upon, many countries have re-casted their policies and make efforts to develop breeding policies. A change in mindsets aiming at closer collaboration among institutions, farmer involvement and capacity development and strengthening at all levels is suggested

Visible light photodegradation of methyl orange and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in wastewater

Water pollution due to dyes and pathogens is problematic worldwide, and the disease burden is higher in low-income countries where water treatment facilities are usually inadequate. Thus the development of low-cost techniques for the removal of dyes and pathogens in aquatic systems is critical for safeguarding human and ecological health. In this work, we report the fabrication and use of a photocatalyst derived from waste from coal combustion in removing dyes and pathogens from wastewater. Higher TiO2 loading of the photocatalyst increased the removal efficiency for methyl orange (95.5%), and fluorine-doping improved the disinfection efficacy from 76% to 95% relative to unmodified material. Overall, the work effectively converted hazardous waste into a value-added product that has potential in point-of-use water treatment. Future research should focus on upscaling the technique, investigating the fate of the potential of the photocatalysts for multiple reuse, and the recovery of TiO2 in treated water. Significance: • The study provides a pathway for the fabrication of a value-added product from coal fly ash waste.• The use of the proposed nanocomposite material for wastewater treatment represents a potentially affordable, simple, and sustainable technology for point-of-use water treatmen

Zimbabwe’s land reform: challenging the myths

Most commentary on Zimbabwe’s land reform insists that agricultural production has almost totally collapsed, that food insecurity is rife, that rural economies are in precipitous decline, that political ‘cronies’ have taken over the land and that farm labour has all been displaced. This paper however argues that the story is not simply one of collapse and catastrophe; it is much more nuanced and complex, with successes as well as failures. The paper provides a summary of some of the key findings from a ten-year study in Masvingo province and the book Zimbabwe’s Land Reform: Myths and Realities. The paper documents the nature of the radical transformation of agrarian structure that has occurred both nationally and within the province, and the implications for agricultural production and livelihoods. A discussion of who got the land shows the diversity of new settlers, many of whom have invested substantially in their new farms. An emergent group ‘middle farmers’ is identified who are producing, investing and accumulating. This has important implications – both economically and politically – for the future, as the final section on policy challenges discusses.ESR