Enhancing farmers’ organizational and experimentation capacities for soil fertility management in smallholder cropping systems in Vhembe district of Limpopo province in South Africa.

The JOLISAA project analysed a number of multi-stakeholder innovation cases in smallholder agriculture in Benin, Kenya and South Africa through a Collaborative Case Assessment process. The overriding assumption was that a comparative analysis of wide ranging innovation experiences may provide useful insights into the way that innovation processes are triggered and unfold in smallholder agricultural systems. One of the cases investigated in South Africa was from Limpopo Province. This was a project-based innovation processes, initiated to redress how agricultural and social development in rural communities should be addressed through the adoption of the Participatory Extension Approach (PEA). The approach focused on the reorientation of mindsets in Limpopo Department of Agricultural, which were still founded on the teaching of linear transfer of technology models, and where farmers were approached with a believe that extension have all the answers to farmer problems. Participatory Rural Appraisal methodologies were used to interview smallholder farmers and key informants.It was revealed that this was a case of an innovation bundle where the main innovation was an institutional innovation, with the introduction of PEA through the GTZ/BASED program. The aim was to broaden agricultural service and extension delivery to smallholder farmers in the Vhembe district. In the unpacking of the soil fertility management innovation it was revealed that the innovation consists of a number of innovations, which include technical and organisation innovations. The GTZ/BASED program trained some 700 extensionists in the PEA methodology, capacitating them to facilitate technical innovations amongst smallholders in one of four technical areas. A total of 397 villages were eventually served. The extensionists specialising in soil fertility management teamed up with a local university to redress a severe decline in soil fertility in two smallholder irrigation schemes, Rammbuda and Mphaila. Together with farmers they experimented with innovative ways like green manuring with forage legumes. These technical innovation processes created capacity amongst smallholders that triggered spontaneous farmer-initiated experimentation and innovation processes to improve smallholder farming systems and livelihoods. The key challenge identified was that decisive institutional ownership is required to sustain an enabling environment allowing innovation processes to continue beyond the project phase. The key lesson was that project initiated innovations could trigger farmer innovations and that developmental change strategies should explore such opportunities.Key words: Innovation, Soil Fertility, Smallholder Cropping, Participatory ExtensionApproach

Scientific Discourse: Can Our First-Year Students Express Themselves in Science?

[EN] Scientific discourse is a specialized, semantically dense language used to formulate clear, objective arguments around experimental results. However, science classrooms are practically void of scientific argumentation and this important skill is rarely modelled or developed in these spaces. Yet, students are expected to engage with complex disciplinary texts and then demonstrate their mastery of scientific subject matter using appropriate scientific discourse. Students find this extremely challenging and many are implicitly excluded from successful engagement with the subject. The aim of our study was the assessment and development of first-year biology students’ scientific discourse skills through collaborative pedagogy, to make aspects of biology discourse explicit to all students. We drew on Legitimation Code Theory’s concept of semantic density, which considers complexity of meaning, to design a learning opportunity and then analyzed selections of students’ summative assessments. Results showed profound variation in the proficiency of the students’ scientific vocabulary and language functions, and the discourse of the school and first-year biology textbooks. We therefore argue for science pedagogy that would allow students time and opportunities to mindfully engage with complex disciplinary text and then demonstrate their mastery of their learning using appropriate scientific discourse.Mouton, M.; Rootman-Le Grange, I. (2020). Scientific Discourse: Can Our First-Year Students Express Themselves in Science?. En 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'20). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. (30-05-2020):579-586. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd20.2020.11110OCS57958630-05-202

Policy opportunities to enhance the role of smallholder livestock systems in Limpopo Province of South Africa

Post-apartheid administrations in South Africa were faced with redressing the legacy of multifaceted poverty and social inequalities created by apartheid politics. The entrance of smallholder farmers into the mainstream economy became a government priority and policy aim. Institutional efforts in Limpopo Province provided infrastructure to establish poultry and vegetable producing enterprises. Very few livestock projects were funded. The success rate of institutional interventions was low. We argue that smallholder livestock systems offer policy opportunities to realise post-apartheid reform goals in the smallholder livestock sector. The premises are; there are more livestock in communal smallholder sector than in the commercial sector. This indicates there is a substantial level of natural, human and social capital existing within smallholder livestock systems. Secondly, commercial livestock systems are increasingly converted to game and wildlife enterprises necessitating imports of large numbers of livestock from Namibia to account for the shortfall in red-meat in South Africa. It is possible that the low off-take characterising smallholder livestock and the Cattle Complex Philosophy probably deterred past efforts to recognise the potential of smallholder livestock systems for rural and agricultural development. The Cattle Complex Philosophy claims that African smallholders have an attitudinal resistance to sell livestock. Data from a survey amongst 193 households in ten villages of Sekhukhune District of Limpopo Province illustrates that low livestock sales relates to the dysfunctional composition, sub-optimal reproductive potential and high calf mortality of smallholder herds. Conclusions and policy recommendations are offered.Keywords: Smallholder, Livestock, Limpopo Provinc

Relationship marketing and customer retention lessons for South African banks

21Banking industries are very competitive, and banks are facing service delivery challenges. Relationship marketing is a strategy for building and maintaining relationships with clients, and customer retention is important for banks as it refers to the maintaining of profitable banking clients. Therefore, this article addresses the need for further understanding of relationship marketing and customer retention of banks, and related lessons that can be learned from banks in Canada and the United Kingdom (UK). A self-developed, structured questionnaire was distributed via convenience snowball sampling to banking clients in South Africa, Canada and the UK. The findings revealed that six banking service delivery variables influence banks’ relationship marketing and customer retention. Fee structures and the ethical behaviour of banks are regarded as the most important focus areas for banks. Canada was identifiedas  The country with the most highly regarded banks in terms of relationship marketing, customer retention, empowerment of bankemployees and personalisation of banking services. UK banks werehighlighted as superior in setting fee structures, communication strategies and ethical behaviour. Therefore, strategies implemented by Canadian and UK banks relating to the variables were adapted to fit South African banks as well as institutions in other developing countries. The implementation of the recommendations of the  Article may lead to improved client relationships and increased customer retention rates, which will be beneficial to banks, their clients and the countries in which they operate. The study also resulted in the development of a conceptual model that could be used in future relationship marketing research

An international comparative study on the relationship marketing and customer retention of retail banks : lessons for South Africa

Despite the extensive research undertaken in the subject area of services marketing, much is still unknown to service providers of specific services in terms of firm-client relationships and how customer retention rates can be increased. This study attempts to address this limitation. The study revolves around the relationship marketing and customer retention of banks in South Africa, Canada and the United Kingdom (UK). Service firms, including banks, are vitally important to the economy of any country as they contribute to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (for example a 74 percent contribution in South Africa) and its employment rate. However, to survive in a complex, competitive business environment, service firms are required to focus on their clients’ needs. Banks can focus on their relationships with clients and measure their institutions’ success by considering their customer retention rates. When considering firm-client relationships and customer retention rates, it is important to gather and link the viewpoints of both clients and managers in order to ensure that firms perform according to clients’ needs. In order to establish the influence of selected variables on the relationship marketing and customer retention of banks, from the perspectives of both banking clients and managers, an empirical investigation was conducted. The primary aim of this study was to quantify significant relationships among selected variables; therefore the positivistic research paradigm was used. In addition, in designing the measuring instruments for the empirical investigation, the phenomenological paradigm was used. Thus, in order to use multiple sources of data, the strategy of methodological triangulation was adopted for this study. The samples consisted of banking clients and bank managers in South Africa, Canada and the UK. The empirical investigation conducted among banking clients revealed that significant positive relationships exist between six of the seven identified independent variables, namely communication, personalisation, empowerment, ethics, fees and technology, and banks’ relationship marketing. These relationships imply that, according to banking clients, if each of these aspects in banks improves, bank-client relationships would improve. The empirical investigation conducted among bank managers showed that managers only regard communication and fees as influencers of relationship marketing in banks. This result clearly indicated a difference in the viewpoints of banking clients and bank managers. In addition, the empirical investigation revealed that relationship marketing positively influences the customer retention of banks. This relationship implies that if a bank successfully maintains relationships with its clients, the bank’s customer retention rates will increase. Additionally, the empirical investigation revealed that the population group, education level and country of residence of banking client respondents exerted an influence on the perceptions clients have regarding banks’ relationship marketing and customer retention levels. If banking clients are African or are not educated with a qualification beyond secondary school level or are from Canada, they consider the relationship marketing of a bank to be more important and are more likely to be retained by banks. Generally, the study indicated that Canadian banking clients are more positive regarding the empowerment strategies and personalisation efforts of Canadian banks than South Africans are about those of South African banks. In addition, banking clients in the UK are more satisfied with the communication, fees and use of technology of UK banks than South Africans are about these aspects in South African banks. The study indicated that strategies to improve banks’ communication, personalisation, empowerment, ethics, fees and technology should be implemented by banks in ways to positively influence their relationship marketing and ultimately their customer retention. Strategies relating to each of these areas, successfully implemented by banks in Canada and the UK, are recommended to South African banks. In effect, these strategies will contribute to retail banks’ success, the competiveness in the banking industry, banking client benefits as well as the economic stability and prosperity of South Africa

Primary radiotherapy in progressive optic nerve sheath meningiomas: a long-term follow-up study

Background/aims: To report the outcome of primary radiotherapy in patients with progressive optic nerve sheath meningioma (ONSM). Methods: The clinical records of all patients were reviewed in a retrospective, observational, multicentre study. Results: Thirty-four consecutive patients were included. Twenty-six women and eight men received conventional or stereotactic fractionated radiotherapy, and were followed for a median 58 (range 51–156) months. Fourteen eyes (41%) showed improved visual acuity of at least two lines on the Snellen chart. In 17 (50%) eyes, the vision stabilised, while deterioration was noted in three eyes (9%). The visual outcome was not associated with age at the time of radiotherapy (p=0.83), sex (p=0.43), visual acuity at the time of presentation (p=0.22) or type of radiotherapy (p=0.35). Optic disc swelling was associated with improved visual acuity (p<0.01) and 4/11 patients with optic atrophy also showed improvement. Long-term complications were dry eyes in five patients, cataracts in three, and mild radiation retinopathy in four. Conclusion: Primary radiotherapy for patients with ONSM is associated with long-term improvement of visual acuity and few adverse effects.Peerooz Saeed, Leo Blank, Dinesh Selva, John G. Wolbers, Peter J.C.M. Nowak, Ronald B. Geskus, Ezekiel Weis, Maarten P. Mourits, Jack Rootma

The influence of customer relationship management on the service quality of banks

Despite the extensive research undertaken in the subject area of services marketing, much is still unknown to service providers of specific services in terms of service delivery concepts. This study attempts to address this limitation. The study revolves around the customer relationship management and service quality of banks. Service firms, including banks, are vitally important to the economy of any country, as they contribute to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment rate. However, to survive in a complex, competitive business environment, service firms are required to focus on their clients’ needs. Specifically, banks can focus on their relationships with clients and levels of service quality. In order to establish the influence of selected variables on the customer relationship management (CRM) of banks and the influence of CRM on the service quality of banks, an empirical investigation was conducted. The aim of this study was to quantify significant relationships among selected variables; therefore the positivistic research paradigm was used. The sample consisted of banking clients in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan area. The sample size was 290, with a response rate of 91.03%. The empirical investigation revealed that significant positive relationships exist between both the knowledgeability, and attitude, of bank employees and a bank’s CRM. These relationships imply that more extensive knowledgeability of bank employees and bank employees with more positive attitudes lead to improved, maintained relationships between a bank and its clients. In addition, the empirical investigation revealed that CRM positively influences the service quality of banks. This relationship implies that if a bank successfully maintains relationships with its clients, the bank’s level of perceived service quality would increase. Additionally, the empirical investigation has shown the relationship between a banking client’s age and the CRM of a bank. The higher the age of a banking client, the more that client considers the CRM of a bank to be important. There exists a relationship between a banking client’s education level and the perceived service quality of a bank. If a banking clients’ education level increases, the importance of their bank’s service quality decreases and, conversely, a banking client with a lower level of education regards the service quality level of a bank as more important than higher qualified clients. The study indicated that strategies to improve, specifically, the knowledgeability and attitude of bank employees can and should be implemented by banks in ways to positively influence their CRM and ultimately their service quality. In effect, this will increase client satisfaction and ensure client loyalty to the bank. Ultimately, this will contribute to the bank’s success, which will ensure economic stability and prosperity for a country

Making a Case for "Education for Health Literacy": An International Perspective.

Vamos S, Okan O, Sentell T, Rootman I. Making a Case for "Education for Health Literacy": An International Perspective. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2020;17(4): 1436.In many countries, health literacy research, practice, and policy have been moving away from a focus only on medical care and health-care settings to a much broader conceptualization. In this broader perspective, health literacy can be obtained and used across many other settings (e.g., school, home, workplaces, government) towards achieving health and wellness goals across the life-course for individuals, families, and communities. The education sector is a critical domain towards these achievements and education for health literacy is a fundamental process and outcome. This can help towards important public health goals, including critical health literacy, as oriented not only towards individual actions, but also towards supporting effective social and political action. This Perspective Article describes the importance and utility of the education for health literacy perspective, which, follows a view that health literacy is a key outcome of health education from which improved population health, health promotion and disease prevention could be achieved across diverse contexts. We first describe different educational paradigms to address health literacy and clarify the education for health literacy perspective as a supportive, instructional and capacity-building global resource across the life-course. Then, using specific examples from Canada, America, and Germany, we provide a snapshot of the diverse ways in which the education for health literacy perspective can be found in national policies. These include broad national goals and standards (Germany and Canada) and major health care reform (America). We next consider the tensions and gaps that can arise in the translation and implementation of these policies relative to the ideal education for health literacy perspective, especially related to equity. These include the need for funding, goals of the educational system, and limited evaluation of policy in practice. Finally, we highlight strategic opportunities to achieve education for health literacy and equity especially offering examples from innovative practice in Canada across the lifespan

Research in financial services: professing a way forward

Outline: What do we know about financial services research? What is the current state of financial services in South Africa? Professing the way forward for financial services research