Assessment of the economic impacts of climate change on agriculture in Zimbabwe : a ricardian approach

This study uses the Ricardian approach to examine the economic impact of climate change on agriculture in Zimbabwe. Net farm revenue is regressed against various climate, soil, hydrological and socio-economic variables to help determine the factors that influence variability in net farm revenues. The study is based on data from a survey of 700 smallholder farming households interviewed across the country. The empirical results show that climatic variables (temperature and precipitation) have significant effects on net farm revenues in Zimbabwe. In addition to the analysis of all farms, the study also analyzes the effects on dryland farmsand farms with irrigation. The analysis indicates that net farm revenues are affected negatively by increases in temperature and positively by increases in precipitation. The results from sensitivity analysis suggest that agricultural production in Zimbabwe's smallholder farming system is significantly constrained by climatic factors (high temperature and low rainfall). The elasticity results show that the changes in net revenue are high for dryland farming compared to farms with irrigation. The results show that farms with irrigation are more resistant to changes in climate, indicating that irrigation is an important adaptation option to help reduce the impact of further changes in climate. An overview of farmer adaptation to changing climate indicates that farmers are already using some adaptation strategies-such as dry and early planting, growing drought resistant crops, changing planting dates, and using irrigation-to cushion themselves against further anticipated adverse climatic conditions. An important policy message from the empirical findings is that there is a need to provide adequate extension information services to ensure that farmers receive up-to-date information about rainfall patterns in the forthcoming season so that they make well-informed decisions on their planting dates. Policies that increase farmer training and access to credit and aid facilities and help farmers acquire livestock and other important farm assets can help improve net farm performance. Ensuring the availability and accessibility of fertilizers and crop seeds before the onset of the next cropping season can also significantly improve net farm performance across households.Climate Change,Environmental Economics&Policies,Crops&Crop Management Systems,Agriculture&Farming Systems,Rural Development Knowledge&Information Systems

Micro-level analysis of farmers' adaptation to climate change in Southern Africa:

"Adaptation to climate change involves changes in agricultural management practices in response to changes in climate conditions. It often involves a combination of various individual responses at the farm-level and assumes that farmers have access to alternative practices and technologies available in the region. This study examines farmer adaptation strategies to climate change in Southern Africa based on a cross-section database of three countries (South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe) collected as part of the Global Environment Facility/World Bank (GEF/WB) Climate Change and African Agriculture Project. The study describes farmer perceptions to changes in long-term temperature and precipitation as well as various farm-level adaptation measures and barriers to adaptation at the farm household level. A multivariate discrete choice model is used to identify the determinants of farm-level adaptation strategies. Results confirm that access to credit and extension and awareness of climate change are some of the important determinants of farm-level adaptation. An important policy message from these results is that enhanced access to credit, information (climatic and agronomic) as well as to markets (input and output) can significantly increase farm-level adaptation. Government policies should support research and development on appropriate technologies to help farmers adapt to changes in climatic conditions. Examples of such policy measures include crop development, improving climate information forecasting, and promoting appropriate farm-level adaptation measures such as use of irrigation technologies." from Authors' AbstractClimate change, Adaptation,

Motivations of sustainable entrepreneurship in Gauteng province, South Africa

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management specialising in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation Johannesburg, 2017The study analysed dimensions of entrepreneurial motivations that drive sustainable entrepreneurship in Gauteng Province and estimated the relationships between these motivations and enterprise performance. Despite the growing field of sustainable entrepreneurship, most of the available literature has been mainly theoretical and qualitative, or has focused on developed countries, and very little has been done in developing countries such as South Africa. This study contributed to addressing this gap. The study was based on quantitative research methods based on a positivist research paradigm to test the conceptual framework. The empirical analysis of these hypotheses was based on primary survey data collected from 91 sustainable entrepreneurs in Gauteng Province. Reliability of the enterprise performance and motivation scales was tested with the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient test and the results were acceptable. The test of the factorability of the scale items into specific factors was based on exploratory factor analysis and the items were found to relate to the respective scales. Multiple regression analysis (both OLS and robust estimations) were used to test the relationships in the conceptual framework. The empirical analyses were done using 2016 SAS Studio University Edition. The Exploratory Factor Analysis results indicated that the motivations of sustainable entrepreneurship in Gauteng Province could be factored into four dimensions: extrinsic motivations, intrinsic motivations, income security and financial independence motivations, and necessity motivations. Multiple regression analysis results revealed that extrinsic and intrinsic motivations are important determinants of enterprise performance. Analysis of the effect of individual and enterprise control factors revealed that owner/manager business management experience; and years of operation of the enterprise and number of full-time employees positively and significantly affected enterprise performance. The study makes a contribution to empirical findings on entrepreneurial motivations for sustainable entrepreneurship and their effects on enterprise performance in a developing country context. The research findings provide evidence of how different dimensions of motivations can affect enterprise performance. Interventions aimed at helping sustainable enterprises perform better and grow can target support in these dimensions as well as improve business management skills and competencies of sustainable entrepreneurs. The research on motivations of sustainable entrepreneurship could be broadened by undertaking a nationwide study to better understand the drivers of entrepreneurial behaviour related to sustainable entrepreneurship across the country. This can also be extended to the regional and continental levels.MT201

Knowledge, chivanhu and struggles for survival in conflict-torn Manicaland, Zimbabwe

Includes bibliographical references.This dissertation explored how villagers in a district of Manicaland province of Zimbabwe deeply affected by violence and want survived the violence that has characterised Zimbabwe’s most recent politics (from the year 2000). Marked by invasions of white owned farms, by interparty violence, interpersonal violence as well as witchcraft related violence, the period posed immense challenges to life and limb. Yet institutions of welfare, security and law enforcement were not equal to the task of ensuring survival necessitating questions about the sufficiency of “modern” institutions of law enforcement, media, politics, economy and health in guaranteeing survival in moments of want. How villagers survived the contexts of immense want, acute shortages of cash, basic commodities, formal unemployment levels of over ninety percent, hyperinflation (which in 2008 reached over 231 million percent) and direct physical violence is cause for wonder for scholarship of everyday life. Based on ethnographic data gathered over a period of fifteen months, the dissertation interrogates how villagers survived these challenges. Unlike much scholarship on Zimbabwe’s ‘crisis’, it takes seriously matters of knowing and ontology with respect to chivanhu (erroneously understood as “tradition” of the Shona people)

An exploration of the health facility staff's perspectives on patients who disengage from HIV care: A qualitative analysis from Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa

This project will be completed as a requirement for the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree at the University of Cape Town. This study is linked to an already existing project of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which is called the Welcome Service. The Welcome Service focuses on addressing barriers that HIV+ patients face when they are returning to care after disengagement from treatment. One of the common barriers to re-engaging in treatment that the project seeks to address is the unwelcoming approach that health care workers have towards patients that disengage from treatment. To address this barrier the Welcome Service provides intervention through training packages for health care workers. The training packages seek to address staff behaviour that is unhelpful and unsupportive to patients that intend to reengage with treatment. The Welcome Service was initially implemented at Michael Mapongwana Clinic in Khayelitsha. This Clinic is in a peri-urban settlement in the Western Cape province of South Africa. This was then scaled up to Ubuntu Clinic, also in the same location. To measure the change in the Welcome service project, baseline semi-structured interviews with health facility staff at Ubuntu Clinic were conducted. Health facility staff that were interviewed at baseline will participate in an in-depth interview as a follow-up after attending Welcome Service training. As an MPH project, I will conduct secondary data analysis from baseline interviews of health facility staff at Ubuntu Clinic. The analysis will focus on interviews in which the perceptions and attitudes of health facility staff towards patients who disengage from treatment were gathered. These interviews may also explore health facility staff's perspectives on the reasons for patients disengaging from HIV treatment and reasons that might help patients to reengage with HIV treatment. This current project seeks to address the research question: What are the perspectives of health facilities staff on patients who disengage from HIV care in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa. This study will use inductive thematic analysis and the analysis will be done in NVivo, a qualitative data management software program. The researcher will identify themes from the trancripts and will not use a predetermined theory to derive themes, but will allow the data to guide theme development. Interviews were conducted by the MSF research team in English. The participants included in the study were doctors, nurses, counsellors, data clerks, security guards, and allied health professionals at Ubuntu Clinic. The respondents were above eighteen years old and were in the capacity to give consent on their own. The MSF research team was responsible for the recruitment of participants. All health facility staff that participated in this study were requested to give written informed consent to participate in the interviews. The findings of the primary study have not been published yet because the project is still in progress. The researcher received the questionnaire that was used in the study and from there the researcher developed a research question for this project. Some of the questions from the questionnaire asked the health facility staff if they feel able to deal with patients who disengage and how they feel when dealing with a patient who is returning to care. A data-sharing agreement was signed by the researcher and MSF before the researcher received the data obtained from MSF's project. The researcher will have access to the transcripts of the interviews, which have already been transcribed. In reporting, the researcher will not include the participants' names or any identifying information to ensure anonymity and confidentiality. This analysis aims to inform current and future health interventions to re-engage people living with HIV (PLWHIV) who have disengaged from care

Agriculture and future climate dynamics in Africa : impacts and adaptation options

This study had two main objectives. One objective was to measure the aggregate impact of climate change on income from all agricultural production systems (crop, livestock and mixed) in Africa and to predict future impacts under various climate scenarios. In addition to measuring economic impacts, the study analysed determinants of farmers’ choices between alternative adaptation measures available to African farmers. The study is based on a cross-section survey of over 8000 farming households from 11 countries in east, west, north and southern Africa. To achieve the first objective, the cross-section (Ricardian) approach was used to measure the impact of climate change attributes (rainfall and temperature levels) on income from all agricultural production systems (crop, livestock and mixed) in Africa, controlling for other production factors. Based on empirical estimates from the Ricardian model, the study predicts future impacts under various climate scenarios. In addition to estimating impacts on mixed croplivestock farms, the study also measures and compares impacts on specialised crop and livestock farms. Responses of different production systems are analysed under irrigation and dryland conditions. The response of net revenue from crop and livestock agriculture across various farm types and systems in Africa, to changes in climate variables (i.e. mean rainfall and temperature) is analysed. The analysis controlled for effects of key socio-economic, technology, soil and hydrological factors influencing agricultural production. In addition to measuring impacts on aggregate revenue, the study examined variations in the response of three distinct production systems characterising African agriculture: specialised crop; specialised livestock and mixed crop and livestock systems. Differential impacts of climate change on the studied systems were measured under irrigation and dryland conditions. Results show that net farm revenues are in general negatively affected by warmer and dryer climates. The mixed crop and livestock system predominant in Africa is the most tolerant, whereas specialised crop production is the most vulnerable to warming and lower rainfall. These results have important policy implications, especially in terms of the suitability of the increasing tendency toward mono-cropping strategies for agricultural development in Africa and other parts of the developing world, in the light of expected climate changes. Mixed crop and livestock farming and irrigation offered better adaptation options for farmers against further warming and drying predicted under various future climate scenarios. For the second objective, the study employed a multinomial choice model to analyse determinants of farm-level climate adaptation measures in Africa. Results indicate that specialised crop cultivation (mono-cropping) is the most vulnerable agricultural practice in Africa in the face of climate change. Warming, especially in summer, poses the highest climate risk which tends to indicate switching away from mono-cropping towards the use of irrigation, multiple cropping and integration of livestock activities. Increased precipitation reduces the need for irrigation and will be beneficial to most African farming systems, especially in drier areas. Better access to markets, agricultural extension and credit services, technology and farm assets (such as labour, land and capital) are critical enabling factors to enhance the capacity of African farmers to adapt to climate change. Government policies and investment strategies that support the provision of and access to education, markets, credit, and information on climate and adaptation measures, including suitable technological and institutional mechanisms that facilitate climate adaptation, are therefore required for coping with climate change, particularly among poor resource farmers in the dry areas of Africa.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009.Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Developmentunrestricte

Factors influencing the gestational age at booking in primi-gravid clients within the Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) Program at Site B Midwife Obstetrics Unit, Khayelitsha Cape Town

Thesis (MPhil (Industrial Psychology. Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examines the factors that influence the gestational age at which a pregnant woman will book at the ante-natal clinic. The gestational age of the baby at booking is important as the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV program has been recently changed. For the best outcomes to be achieved for PMTCT must be started at 14 weeks of gestation. In other words a woman must book early (first trimester). The study was qualitative using a structured interview as a method of data collection. A sample size of 10 was used. The data collected was analysed to look for emerging themes and ideas that reflect why a particular woman booked when she did. The responses given by the participants illustrated that socio-economic, cultural and personal beliefs, knowledge and perceptions of the ante-natal services all had an influence on when a woman booked.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die faktore wat die gestasie-ouderdom waarop 'n swanger vrou 'n voorgeboortekliniek sal besoek. Die gestasie-ouderdom van die baba by bespreking is belangrik vir die Voorkoming van Moeder-na-Kind Oordrag (VMNKO) van die MIV-program wat onlangs verander het. Om die beste resultate te bereik vir VMNKO, moet behandeling begin op 14 weke van swangerskap. Met ander woorde, 'n vrou moet vroegtydig (tydens eerste 3 maande van swangerskap) 'n voorgeboortekliniek besoek. Die studie was kwalitatief met 'n gestruktureerde onderhoud as 'n metode van data-insameling. 'n Steekproefgrootte van 10 is gebruik. Die data wat versamel is, is ontleed om nuwe temas en idees te bepaal, wat weerspieël waarom 'n spesifieke vrou by 'n voorgeboortekliniek bespreek het. Die reaksie wat deur die deelnemers getoon was, dui aan dat sosio-ekonomiese, kulturele en persoonlike oortuigings, kennis en persepsies van die voorgeboortedienste, almal 'n invloed gehad het op wanneer 'n vrou die voorgeboortekliniek begin besoek het

A critical assessment of the relationship between the AfCFTA and World Trade Organisation dispute settlement mechanisms, in light of the Conflict of Jurisdiction

This thesis interrogates the relationship between the Dispute Settlement Understanding and Africa Continental Free Trade Area dispute settlement mechanism, in light of the conflict of jurisdiction. The conflict of jurisdiction is an adverse effect of the fragmentation of international law. The uncoordinated proliferation of international treaties has increased occurrences of overlapping memberships and overlapping subject matter regulation amongst treaties. Whenever the overlaps mentioned above exist, and a dispute arises concerning matters of overlap, that dispute can be heard in more than one tribunal, giving rise to a conflict of jurisdiction. Jurisdictional conflicts are a problem because they breed uncertainty in the adjudication of disputes; they increase the risk of forum shopping, conflict of rulings, protracted litigation, and waste resources. There is a significant risk for jurisdictional conflicts between the World Trade Organisation and Africa Continental Free Trade Area agreements, because of membership and subject matter overlaps. To mitigate the problems caused by jurisdictional conflicts, the Africa Continental Free Trade Area agreement has incorporated a fork-in-the-road clause. Fork-in-the-road provisions allow parties to choose their preferred forum, and once the forum is chosen, the parties are prohibited from bringing the same dispute to another tribunal. Unfortunately, fork-in-the-road clauses are insufficient in resolving jurisdictional conflicts because they do not bind the Dispute Settlement Understanding. It is only bound to enforce World Trade Organisation obligations and not non-World Trade Organisation obligations. The extent to which non-World Trade Organisation norms apply in the Dispute Settlement Understanding is unsettled, making it difficult to conclude whether a fork-in-the-road provision will be effective an effective solution to potential jurisdictional conflicts. In this thesis, the researcher investigates the prospects of the World Trade Organisation applying the AfCFTA fork-in-the-road clause, directly, as a potential solution to the conflict of jurisdiction. In addition, the researcher will also investigate an alternative means of applying the AfCFTA fork-in-the-road provision, indirectly, using the World Trade Organisation procedural good faith provisions. In conclusion, the researcher provides recommendations on how the World Trade Organisation and the AfCFTA agreement can facilitate the application of fork-in-the-road clauses in the Dispute Settlement Understanding to resolve the conflict of jurisdiction.Thesis (LLM) -- Faculty of Law, Law, 202

The implementation of total quality management: a case study of a construction company in Zimbabwe.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.In the construction industry and services, total quality management (TQM) is recognised as a productive management philosophy as it increases the quality and production of businesses. Research reveals ways in which TQM can be effectively implemented in the construction industry: aiding in reducing costs, increasing job satisfaction, and promoting healthier customer and supplier relations. This study sought to examine how TQM can be implemented in a construction firm in the most effective and competent ways. The main objective of this study is to evaluate how a selected construction organisation implements TQM using some of the fundamentals of TQM, namely, top management involvement, employee empowerment, organisational culture, communication, and technology, in a developing country such as Zimbabwe. Furthermore, the study investigates the challenges of implementing TQM initiatives and the strategies engaged in the organisations to overcome some of the challenges encountered. The study was guided by a constructivist research paradigm, employing a qualitative research approach. As the study sought to understand and explain how a selected company is implementing TQM in Zimbabwe, an explanatory case study approach was employed. The study used a census research approach. The target population was made up of all managers responsible for implementing TQM in the organisation. According to the company database provided by the Human Resources Manager (HRM), there were fifteen managers involved in the organisation. These managers occupied senior, middle and low-level management positions. The target population and the sample size were therefore, made up of the fifteen managers. However, only seven managers managed to contribute to the study, achieving a response percentage of 46.6%. Primary data was gathered using in-depth interviews. Data were analysed using NVivo software. The key findings of the study revealed that TQM implementation is affected by a lack of top management commitment to business operations. In addition, the hostile economic situation in the country is hindering TQM implementation as most companies are failing to upgrade to modern technology as well as train their employees on TQM activities. The conclusions drawn from this study are that TQM is essential to the construction industry. Therefore, top management should be actively involved for successful TQM implementation. For a successful implementation of TQM, managers should be accountable in terms of the procedures and financial resources. TQM can be improved by operational performance in the workplace. The complete potential of TQM is realised through the training and education of everyone at all levels in order to create TQM awareness, interest, aspiration, and achievement.Glossary of Acronyms on page xvi