Qualitative elements constituting effective agricultural cooperatives among rural smallscale farmers

Agricultural cooperatives like all cooperatives are built on the principle of cooperation and community spirit, also known as ubuntu. They are widely promoted as a positive force for collective effort in smallholder agriculture development. However, research suggests that they generally have not been effective and successful in the South African agricultural small-scale farming context warranting an investigation into this area. Therefore, based on the literature search, an agricultural cooperative effectiveness analysis framework was crafted based on objective, operational and marketing information. The analyses found that the cooperatives generally fell in the South African government's set objectives for cooperatives. However, the analysis framework revealed that they were largely ineffectivebecause of a number of factors. The objectives and activities of the farmers were found to be hampered by internal factors that included low capabilities of the cooperative to mobilise and utilise their limited resources, and low capabilities for management of institutional arrangements. Further, lack of external support such as finding, education and extension services were also contributing to the ineffectiveness of the cooperatives. Apart from the small land holding limiting farmers’ expansion to meet the high produce demand, the land tenure system legally prohibited the farmers from using the land as collateral for obtainingloans from funding institutions. Therefore, there was serious under capitalisation issues within the cooperatives leading to the aforesaid ineffectiveness. Therefore, improving on the internal factors, such as pooling resources, putting in place legal frameworks governing the cooperatives and improving communication lines were suggested as ingredients to effective cooperatives. External support in the form of funding, improvements in the infrastructure, access to farmer education and information and favourable land tenure by governments were suggested as necessary for effectiveness of the agricultural cooperatives.Keywords: Agricultural cooperatives, agricultural small scale farming

Enablers and barriers to multilingualism in South African university classrooms

Abstract: Despite a robust national language policy, multilingual learning has yet to make headway in South African universities. In addressing the gap between the language of instruction and the languages South African university students are competent in, this article begins with a brief review of current national and institutional policy positions and recent multilingual learning theoretical discussions at university. Lines of thinking that emerge include: significance of academic literacy and how it underpins university studies; and separatist solutions where academic literacy is taught in dedicated modules. However the uncertain academic status of African language studies and negative attitudes to its speakers may compromise the potential of multilingual initiatives in universities. To solicit student impressions on the actuality and potential of multilingualism in universities, a focus group discussion was conducted with 15 students in the School of Agricultural Sciences and Agribusiness at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Students concurred that trying to process information in a language they were not competent in limited their understanding of lectures. Attempts to cope using mother tongue in study groups was limited by lack of terminology and conceptual equivalents, however, being taught in mother tongue was unacceptable to students because their aim was to acquire better English at university. In addition, foreign students expressed anxiety that multilingualism might disadvantage them. The study concludes that multilingualism could assist students in developing academic literacy and academic discourse but students seem blind to this advantage.Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 2012, 30(3): 339–34

Towards sustainable livelihoods through indigenous knowledge and water use security: Insights from small scale irrigation schemes in Limpopo province

Water is integral to sustainable rural livelihoods and household food security due to its key role in household use, small-scale and homestead farming. Water security is an emerging concept, having gained increasing attention over the past five years. The World Economic Forum describes water security as “the gossamer” linking global economic challenges such as: the systemic web of food, energy, climate, economic growth and human security livelihoods in rural areas are at risk due to poor access and supply of water, and resource limitation and degradation. The role of indigenous and local knowledge in navigating livelihood options was explored through a Sustainable Livelihood Analysis (SLA) among three purposefully selected, rural, female farmer groups to elicit the role of water in agriculture and rural livelihoods. Complimentary to the SLA, a household water audit was conducted to assess water supply, water availability and associated challenges. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with willing irrigation scheme members. Key informant interviews were held with officials from district municipalities, extension officers and the Departments of Water Affairs. Water Policy Analysis (WPA) was conducted for pronunciations and impact on water access, governance, organizational structures and institutional arrangements. Content Analysis and SLA were adopted as the main data analysis tools. Key findings indicate knowledge gaps in policy and implementation and a lack of understanding of water management structures. Discourse between the transformation agenda of water reform and rural lifestyles, thus elicited gender tensions among study participants. These complex issues resulted in poor livelihoods for participants, who experience poor water access for current and future water use. Competition for the water supply, coupled with climate change was also identified as a serious threat due to expanding mining operations in the Limpopo Province. The study concludes that water use management and water policy reform intentions require robust investments in the capacity building of smallscale farmers in rural areas to improve access to water and its management.Keywords: Water security, rural livelihood, sustainable livelihood analysis, water policy analysis