Adoption of irrigatio scheduling methods in South Africa

Irrigation scheduling is accepted as the process to decide when to irrigate crops and how much to apply and is assumed to play an important role in the general improvement of water efficiency on the farm. However, the idea that there is a single key to the adoption of irrigation scheduling on the farm is simplistic. It implies that science has all the answers, and “we need just to convince the farmers”. The objectives of this study were to investigate the adoption process in South Africa with the further purpose to identify the possible human and socio-economic factors that may influence it. In order to appreciate the spectrum of soil-plant-atmosphere irrigation scheduling models and techniques that are available to potential users, it was necessary to quantitatively describe and classify the scheduling methods. The adoption of irrigation scheduling methods among commercial and small-scale farmers was investigated on a scheme (macro) level as well as on-farm (micro) level through a quantitative assessment of scheduling methods on a national basis, semi-structured interviews with irrigation professionals, survey among a stratified sample of commercial farmers and case studies of small scale irrigation farmers. It was hypothesized that the adoption behaviour of irrigation farmers is determine by socio-economic (independent) and intervening factors. It was also hypothesized that ground level support and effective dialogue between scientist and farmers are conducive for the implementation of irrigation scheduling. The study indicates that only 18% of irrigation farmers in South Africa make use of objective irrigation scheduling method, while the rest make use of subjective scheduling methods based on intuition, observation, local knowledge and experience. Differential perceptions occur between farmers as well as between farmers and scientists with regard to the concept of “irrigation scheduling” commonly being used. These differences contributed to the communication gap between science and the practice of irrigation scheduling resulting in the unsuccessful communication between farmers and scientists and the ultimate low adoption rate. The implementation of irrigation scheduling models are predominantly advisor-driven and not farmer-driven, as they are perceived by farmers to be complex and not easy to implement on the farm. Younger farmers are more willing to use irrigation models because of their higher computer literacy levels and positive attitude towards the use of computers in general. The technology level of a farm, size of farming operation and the value of the crop being produced determine the selection of irrigation scheduling methods. The general problems experienced by some farmers with regard to bulk water delivery hampers the implementation of more precise irrigation scheduling. Farmers’ awareness, flexibility and willingness to change, innovate and step outside of accustomed ways of implementing irrigation, are strongly influenced by their social, economic, cultural and institutional settings, and not merely by irrigation scheduling technology. Perceived indicators of efficient use of irrigation on the farm include increased production levels, decreasing electricity costs, improvement of crop quality and efficiency of fertiliser use. Farmers identified accuracy, reliability, ease of implementing and affordability as important technological characteristics of scheduling methods and devices. The case studies of small-scale irrigation farming revealed that weak institutional arrangements and handling of farmers’ affairs on the level of several small-scale irrigation schemes hampers sustainable agricultural development. Small-scale irrigators have reported that the lack of competent extension support prevents them from implementing irrigation scheduling. Also, the scientific framework used by scientists and advisors to convey information to irrigators often follows the linear transfer of technology approach instead of following the “learning based approach”. A significant relationship exists between the number of information sources used and the implementation of the type of scheduling methods The majority of irrigation farmers are more interested in the use of irrigation scheduling to identify “troubles or problems” experienced with irrigation, and inevitably farmers will differ in their selection of the most appropriate scheduling method and technique.Thesis (PhD (Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development))--University of Pretoria, 2007.Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Developmentunrestricte

The role of extension support to irrigation farmers in Lesotho

Lesotho has plenty of water resources which could be used to improve the livelihoods of Basotho as a nation in many aspects. However, this seems not to be the case as Lesotho suffers from food security mostly during severe droughts, to an extent of seeking support from international communities. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the very important role extension support should play in the practising of sustainable irrigation farming by smallholders. A structural questionnaire was administered amongst 153 irrigation farmers and 31 extension officers randomly in the four southern districts of Lesotho, namely Maseru, Mafeteng, Mohale’s Hoek and Quthing. Extension credibility is highly questionable as 70% of irrigation farmers do not regard extension as important for irrigation management decisions. Although extension workers are generally well qualified, no in-service training is offered to help with the skilling of extensionists regarding irrigation management. Consequently the extension workers consider them not competent to provide support for irrigation farming. These results suggest the need for greater political and institutional input in irrigation farming; in particular there is a need to revisit institutional policy instruments and institution for extension, technical assistance, training and credit services that will facilitate performance of irrigation farming in Lesotho.http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_agri.htmlnf201

Understanding the dynamics of multi-stakeholder innovation systems and the opportunities for joint learning by small scale farmers

Through a European Union funded project called JOLISAA (Joint Learning in Innovation Systems in African Agriculture), the nature of smallholder oriented innovation systems have been explored in terms of partnerships, triggers that have given rise to them and the nature of the innovations themselves. The main objective was to analyse a broad diversity of multi-stakeholder agricultural innovation processes involving smallholders. The analysis of 11 cases documented comprises innovation bundles composed of technical, organisational and institutional innovations. The eleven cases documented showed that six exhibited non-technical innovation processes frequently related to market access as well as to inputs and services. Triggers that drive smallholders and other stakeholders to initiate innovation processes include environment stress, introduction of new technologies, identification of market change as well as policy or regulatory changes. The cases that have been documented show a variation of stakeholders responsible for initiating the process. In some cases it was smallholders approaching other stakeholders for assistance with addressing a challenge, while in other cases it was researchers or extensionists who undertook to develop an innovation to address a challenge that they had encountered through their interaction with smallholders. All documented cases have involved the contribution of ideas, knowledge and skills by at least three different types of stakeholders and the role of local knowledge has been acknowledge through the study. Out of the eleven cases three cases have been selected for a collaborative case assessment which strives to assess further key issues such as actual roles and contributions of various role-players, the dynamics of the innovation process and outcome. Several opportunities arise for joint learning with small scale farmers.http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_agri.htmlhb201

An overview of perceptions and attitudes towards extension service delivery in Fezile Dabi District- Free State Province

Agricultural extension plays a pivotal role in developing countries and is responsible for promoting and supporting farmers to ensure sustainable agricultural growth and access to key means of production. However, research shows that agricultural extension services have not been performing well, and in most cases is invisible and limited. This research reflects the effectiveness of agricultural extension service delivery as perceived by extension advisors and farmers in the Fezile Dabi District of the Free State Province of South Africa. The findings reflect the perceptions and opinions of 200 smallholder farmers and 15 extension advisors from the Fezile Dabi District in the Free State Province. The majority of farmers perceive extension advisors as a very important source of information and support. Although there are many agricultural development programmes rolled out in the province, only 20% of the respondents are participating in these programmes because of limited funding and biased behaviour shown towards some elites. Extension advisors in general are of the opinion that they have the necessary competencies and skills to be good agriculturalists. Some of the key recommendations to policy makers are that the funding system for agricultural projects and programmes should be revised and that partnerships between public and private enterprises should be embraced where possible to enhance support to small scale farmers in the district.http://www.journals.co.za/content/journal/agriam2019Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Developmen

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.http://reference.sabinet.co.za/sa_epublication/agrihb201

Sustainability of conservation agriculture adoption and the role lead farmers play in Zimbabwe

Conservation Agriculture (CA) has been promoted widely in Zimbabwe through several organizations, including government and non-governmental organizations, to help address food insecurity. The sustainability of donor led interventions has been questioned as they are of limited duration, and some research has reported that farmers stop practicing CA when a project ends. However, agriculture extension services are reported crucial in adopting new agriculture technologies; hence, continued access to services is crucial for the sustainable uptake of CA. The use of farmer-led extension approaches has been used to reach more farmers at low cost to promote CA and for sustainability. The study evaluates the sustainability of CA practices as well as lead farmers roles after the end of Christian Care project activities. The findings reveal continued adoption of CA principles, albeit on a small scale. We conclude that CA has become part of the traditional farming system and recommend labour-saving technologies for the uptake of CA on a greater scale. Government extension support has also continued, although lead farmers played a minor role in these extension activities. Lead farmers alone cannot sustainably provide extension services without institutional support. The recommendation is that public extension systems work closely with lead farmers in communities to efficiently reach farmers and ensure better coordination between NGOs and government extension activities.https://journals.co.za/journal/agriam2022Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Developmen

The role of a pluralistic extension system in enhancing agriculture productivity in Mozambique

This paper presents an overview of the characteristics and roles of key role-players involved in agricultural development in Mozambique. As in many other countries worldwide, extension service provision is characterised by the multiple service providers responding to the needs and demands of farmers. This is unlike in the recent past when agricultural services were mainly delivered by the public sector. The 25 years of public extension have been characterised by different degrees of progress. Supporting extension policy was developed and amended as required during this period, which impacted positively on farmer coverage (number of districts operating) as well as the number of farmers served per extensionist. The expansion of public extension services created new challenges for the delivering of extension services. Within the pluralistic extension system of Mozambique, NGO’s and private commodity extension organisations play an important role in supporting smallholder farmers. To be able to learn from the different experiences in offering extension by the various service providers is only possible through effective communication and sharing of experiences between public, NGO’s and private extension service providers. Despite some local based initiatives seeking to enhance collaboration between public and NGOs extension, no official extension platform (multi stakeholder) at national level exists which can take care of the coordination and management of the pluralistic extension system.http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_agri.htmlam201

Structural basis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus ADP-ribose-1''-phosphate dephosphorylation by a conserved domain of nsP3.

The crystal structure of a conserved domain of nonstructural protein 3 (nsP3) from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) has been solved by single-wavelength anomalous dispersion to 1.4 A resolution. The structure of this "X" domain, seen in many single-stranded RNA viruses, reveals a three-layered alpha/beta/alpha core with a macro-H2A-like fold. The putative active site is a solvent-exposed cleft that is conserved in its three structural homologs, yeast Ymx7, Archeoglobus fulgidus AF1521, and Er58 from E. coli. Its sequence is similar to yeast YBR022W (also known as Poa1P), a known phosphatase that acts on ADP-ribose-1''-phosphate (Appr-1''-p). The SARS nsP3 domain readily removes the 1'' phosphate group from Appr-1''-p in in vitro assays, confirming its phosphatase activity. Sequence and structure comparison of all known macro-H2A domains combined with available functional data suggests that proteins of this superfamily form an emerging group of nucleotide phosphatases that dephosphorylate Appr-1''-p

A comparative analysis of two land reform models : Mashishimale Farm Management Model (FMM) and Nkumbuleni Strategic Partnership Model (SPM), South Africa

The Sustainable Restitution Support – South Africa (SRS-SA) program aimed at the development of a post-settlement support model that could be used to support beneficiaries of land reform in South Africa, especially those who received the land through restitution. The two land restitution claims were identified namely Mashishimale in the Limpopo Province and Nkumbuleni in KwaZulu Natal Province in South Africa. The main objective of the study is to determine the essential elements of two post-settlement support models to successfully implement and manage land reform projects in a sustainable manner namely: Mashishimale Farm Management Model (FMM) and Nkumbuleni Strategic Partnership Model (SPM). The data was collected through meetings and interviews with different stakeholders or role players. The study reveals that the following actions are essential for the successful post-settlement to restitution farms: The execution of baseline study (survey) to determine the socio-economic situation in a community (beneficiaries). The appointment of an independent project facilitator/coordinator to ensure effective and efficient communication. A well-defined management structure and the appointment of a knowledgeable, skilful and experienced farm manager(s) or strategic partner. The development of a business plan for the farm with the support of professional agriculturist. The identification of qualified professional extension advisor to provide advice and guidance to the manager(s) or strategic partner. Appointment of a mentor to guide advice and train the manager(s) or strategic partner. Financial support to manage the farm (Grants; Comprehensive Agricultural Support Program; financial institutions and specifically the Land Bank).http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_agri.htmlhb201

Evaluation of the redesigned conformable GORE TAG thoracic endoprosthesis for traumatic aortic transection

Objective: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the conformable GORE TAG thoracic endoprosthesis (CTAG) device (W. L. Gore and Associates, Flagstaff, Ariz) for the endovascular repair of traumatic aortic transections. Methods: A prospective, nonrandomized, multicenter trial was conducted at 21 sites. Primary safety end points included 30-day all-cause mortality. The effectiveness end point was freedom from a major device event requiring reintervention through 1-month follow-up. Results: Fifty-one subjects were enrolled between December 2009 and January 2011 with polytraumatic injuries and a mean Injury Severity Score of 32 6 14. The proximal mean intimal aortic diameter measured 24 mm, while the mean distal intimal diameter was 22 mm. A total of 57 CTAG devices were implanted (mean, 1.1/subject; range, 1-2) with a mean patient age of 44 years (range, 21-87) and a male-to-female ratio of 2:1. Technical success was 100% with an operative mortality of 0%. Femoral access was utilized in 96% of patients. The mean procedure time and blood loss was 105 minutes and 148 mL, respectively. All subjects required admission to an intensive care unit with a mean hospital stay of 14.6 days. Adjuvant techniques (ie, lumbar drains and induced hypertension) to prevent paraplegia were used in only 7.8% of patients. No patient developed paraplegia despite 63% having complete or partial left subclavian artery coverage and only 9% of those receiving left subclavian artery revascularization. In addition, there were no device compressions or major device events reported. Overall mortality at 30 days was 7.8%, and all were adjudicated by the clinical events committee as not being device or procedure related. Serious adverse events occurred in 39.2% of patients through 30 days. To date, there have been no conversions to open repair. Two site-reported endoleaks were detected during the mean follow-up of 4.2 months, which did not require reintervention. Conclusions: The CTAG device was demonstrated to be a safe and effective treatment for traumatic aortic transection based on 30-day outcomes. There were no device-related serious adverse events. (J Vasc Surg 2013;58:651-8.