A review of beneficiary participation in the delivery of low income housing in South Africa

Adequate housing is recognised as part of the right to an adequate standard of living and that it must meet the following minimum conditions: security of tenure; availability of services, materials, facilities and infrastructure; affordability; habitability; accessibility; location; and cultural adequacy. Many Governments around the world in their attempt to deliver adequate housing and related infrastructure overlook the importance of the contribution of beneficiaries in the delivery process. This study is mainly a literature review of existing published and unpublished research on the role and participation of beneficiaries in the delivery of low-income housing in South Africa. The study also examines published case studies of three of self-help housing projects implemented in South Africa, to deduce lessons from the studies. Preliminary findings suggest that where communities are in control, their homes are better and cheaper than those built through government programmes and large corporations. The participation of beneficiaries could enhance the delivery of adequate housing by government and thereby reduce the dependency of beneficiaries on the state. To enhance their participation, beneficiaries require certain capacities and therefore governments should facilitate the creation of these capacities

Gender and Age Analysis on Factors Influencing Output Market Access by Smallholder Farmers in Machakos County, Kenya

Output markets are key prerequisite for enhancing agriculture-based economic growth and increasing rural incomes. However majority of smallholder farmers rarely access output markets. The study determined factors influencing smallholder farmers in Yatta district to access output market based on data collected from 160 households. The data was disaggregated in terms of gender and age and analyzed using SPSS and STATA version 10. Descriptive results revealed a gender and age disparity in accessing output market. Tobit model result indicated that households with access to extension, credit, land, own means of transport, and are members in groups are more likely to access output market.   Nevertheless access to output market was reduced by enterprise diversification, higher education level, household size, age and marital status of household head. To enable farmers to access output market, there is need for policies that promote group membership, improve physical infrastructure, and facilitate access to credit (for example free interest loan) as well as extension services especially to women and youths. Keywords: output market, gender, age-group, disaggregation

Theoretical exploration of construction site management practices

The construction industry is vital to the existence of other industrial sector and provides the environment under which other sectors operate. It is the largest industry and contributes about 10% of the gross national product (GNP) in industrial-ized countries. It also plays a major role in development and reaching the goals of society. The current study aims to establish the factors required in the manage-ment of good site management on construction sites in Swaziland. The study is conducted with reference to existing theoretical literature, published and un-published research. The study is mainly a literature review/survey on site man-agement practices on construction sites. Findings emanating from the study reveal that realistic studies have identified a number of problems on site management practices such as management and administration problems, technical problems and communication problems. It also indicates that site management involves a mixture of activities which turn basic sources to a finished product. The study presents a strong background on site management practices on construction sites in the Swaziland construction industry

Evaluating barriers of collaboration in South African construction supply chains

Abstract: Purpose Collaboration in construction has proven to be beneficial in many dimensions of the supply chain, yet in South Africa these models have been hardly explored as a means to execute the contract. The purpose of this article is to explore some of the barriers in the execution of collaborative models in the South African construction industry. Design Literature from different regions around the world was collected to provide a background on integrated construction supply chains. To examine the barriers relating to the application in South African construction supply chains (CSCs) quantitative analysis was used through questionnaires distributed to construction practitioners. Questionnaires were distributed to professionals involved in the construction supply chain (clients, contractors, consultants and suppliers). Descriptive statistics were applied to present and report on the findings. Findings The South African construction industry exists in a very dynamic and volatile environment. Barriers need to be examined and solutions to break down such barriers need to be explored. For supply chain integration to be achieved in South African CSCs collaboration needs to be practiced more skilfully for the industry to make progress. Value The South African construction industry is yet to welcome the use of collaborative models such as alliancing and construction partnering. This research seeks to establish reasons as to why there is resistance to adopt more collaboratively structured construction supply chains. The research will also highlight some of the benefits of using such models with the intention of encouraging an industry shift towards more integrated CSCs

Growing transformational future livestock sector professionals - Emerging impacts of the ILRI CapDev grand challenge

In 2019, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) launched a new initiative, the ‘CapDev Grand Challenge’, an approach to grow cohorts of transformational future livestock sector professionals. The target group is graduate students and researchers from national organisations in LMICs where ILRI works. Annually ILRI hosts about 100 PhD and MSc students embedded within its research programs and co-supervised by professors from degree-awarding universities where the students are registered. Designed to complement graduate research and technical/scientific training, the Challenge process aims at boosting soft skills and systems thinking capability. The CapDev Grand Challenge covers a 16-to-18-month period, starting with a 3-minute research pitching contest. This is followed by soft skills training involving 10 courses in 10 months, and a deepening phase when participants apply their acquired skills in the workplace, while virtually mentored and supported to attend international conferences. The final activity is a comprehensive impact tracking survey. This paper presents results from an impact tracking survey conducted in April 2021 on the inaugural CapDev Grand Challenge process involving 71 participants from 24 countries in Eastern, Southern and West Africa and South, East and Southeast Asia. Over 80% of participants strongly agreed that the CapDev Grand Challenge process broadened their thinking and; • Boosted their confidence and effectiveness in communicating science to non-technical audiences, • Strengthened their confidence and ability to engage with intention to influence decision makers, • Increased their confidence and effectiveness in engaging and working with researchers outside their own discipline, • Boosted their motivation and confidence to take up leadership roles, • Made them more knowledgeable, confident and effective in designing and discussing project impact pathways, • Increased their confidence and effectiveness in mapping out actors in a project, and explaining their roles. Results demonstrate a strong potential of the Challenge to create systems thinkers, and effective communicators able to contribute, not just new research evidence, but also to development outcomes by deploying scientific evidence to influence decision makers. The process catalyses strategic outreach for impact, thus fostering synergies and sustainability in complex livestock food systems