Supporting the gastronomic use of underutilised species to promote social and ecological resilience: motivations and challenges in the Cape Town area

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS)It is well established that the modern global food system is highly unsustainable, distorted by industrialisation and corporate consolidation, with negative repercussions on the environment and biodiversity as well as human health. Innovative approaches are necessary to push food systems to be more sustainable, equitable, and healthy for all people regardless of income and wealth. In the Cape Town area, the food system is failing to adequately nourish the poor, while climate change poses increasing challenges to the region’s agricultural system. Conceptualising food systems as complex adaptive social ecological systems and utilising the Multilevel Perspective (MLP) framework, this thesis looks at the burgeoning economy in neglected and underutilised species (NUS) in the Cape Town area as a potential innovation that could make the local food system more socially and ecologically resilient. Though at present NUS are only marginally included in the local food system and policy debates, they are increasingly appearing in the food service industry, driven by international gastronomic trends. They hold potential as climate resilient, nutritionally dense, and socially and culturally significant foods in the region, but also carry ecological and social risks. This thesis critically examines the fledgling NUS economy in the Cape Town area, using participant observation and semistructured interviews to unpack its primary motivations and challenges, and ultimately contributes towards a better understanding of the NUS economy as it develops locally. This research shows that the main risks associated with NUS are negative ecological repercussions, privatisation of the NUS economy, and the reproduction and further entrenchment of unequal power dynamics in the region. In order to mitigate these risks and actualise the related benefits associated with NUS, engagement with the ecological, social, and political context of NUS needs to be significantly deepened. This is particularly true for those working in food service, who appear to be driving the NUS economy, and will require education around sustainability and TEK as well as a foregrounding of power-awareness

Reluctant educators and self‐advocates: Older trans adults’ experiences of health‐care services and practitioners in seeking gender‐affirming services

Background Trans-identifying individuals experience unique barriers and challenges in negotiating health-care systems due to the cisnormative attitudes and practices which obstruct the receipt of trans-inclusive care. To date, there has been little exploration of older trans consumers’ experiences of contemporary health-care services when seeking to transition medically in later life. Objectives Qualitative findings are presented from a study of trans ageing and trans-related health and social care needs in Wales, UK (2016-18). The objectives are to (1) examine supportive and obstructive points of interaction with health-care professionals, and (2) identify key learning messages for improving trans-related health care from the perspectives of trans-identifying adults in later life. Design Trans-identifying participants self-selected to take part in two interviews—a life-history interview and a semi-structured interview. Interview data were analysed thematically using the framework method approach. Setting and participants This paper focuses on the accounts of 19 participants (50-74 years of age) who identified as trans and were seeking to transition medically in mid- to later life. Results Findings indicate how older trans patients are positioned as reluctant educators for GPs in primary care settings and illustrate the transphobic practices and cisnormative assumptions encountered across health-care interactions and systems that impede their journey of transitioning in later life. Discussion and conclusions Messages from this study speak to the importance of improving professionals’ knowledge of gender identity diversity across the life course and making changes at a systemic level in redressing cisnormative assumptions and systems that reinforce inequities on the basis of gender identity

Leveraging the potential of wild food for healthy, sustainable, and equitable local food systems: Learning from a transformation lab in the Western Cape region

Food insecurity and diet-related diseases do not only have detrimental efects to human health, but are also underpinned by food systems that are environmentally unsustainable and culturally disconnected. Ensuring access to a healthy, afordable, and sustainable diet is one of the greatest challenges facing many low- and middle-income countries such as South Africa. These challenges in accessing a diverse diet often persist despite biocultural richness. For example, South Africa is globally recognised for its rich biodiversity, an ecologically unrivalled coastline, and a rich body of traditional knowledge amongst wild-food users. In this paper, we explore the potential that coastal wild foods as neglected and underutilised species (NUS) can play in local food systems in South Africa’s Western Cape Province

Acting Like a Baby Boomer? Birth-Cohort Differences in Adults’ Personality Trajectories During the Last Half a Century

Society and developmental theory generally assume that there are wide generational differences in personality. Yet evidence showing historical change in the levels of adult Big Five traits is scarce and particularly so for developmental change. We tracked adult trajectories of personality in 4,732 participants (age: M = 52.93 years, SD = 16.69; 53% female) from the Seattle Longitudinal Study (born 1883–1976) across 50 years. Multilevel models revealed evidence for historical change in personality: At age 56, later-born cohorts exhibited lower levels of maturity-related traits (agreeableness and neuroticism) and higher levels of agency-related traits (extraversion and openness) than earlier-born cohorts. Historical changes in agreeableness and neuroticism were more pronounced among young adults, but changes in openness were less pronounced. Cohort differences in change were rare and were observed only for agreeableness; within-person increases were more pronounced among later-born cohorts. Our results yield the first evidence for historical change in the Big Five across adulthood and point to the roles of delayed social-investment and maturity effects.national institute of child health and human development https://doi.org/10.13039/100000071national institute on aging https://doi.org/10.13039/100000049Peer Reviewe

‘I'm going to live my life for me’: trans ageing, care, and older trans and gender non-conforming adults’ expectations of and concerns for later life

While research on the health and wellbeing of older lesbian, gay and bisexual adults is gradually expanding, research on older trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) adults lags behind. Current scholarship about this group raises important questions about the intersection of ageing and gender identity for enhancing care and support for older TGNC adults and the lack of preparedness of health and social professionals for meeting these needs. In this paper, we examine the accounts of 22 TGNC individuals (50–74 years) on the topic of ageing and unpack their concerns for and expectations of later life. We present qualitative findings from a study of gender identity, ageing and care, based in Wales, United Kingdom. Data were generated from two-part interviews with each participant. Four key themes are identified: (a) facilitative factors for transitioning in mid- to later life; (b) growing older as a new lease of life; (c) growing older: regrets, delays and uncertainties; and (d) ambivalent expectations of social care services. We argue that growing older as TGNC can be experienced across a multitude of standpoints, ranging from a new lease of life to a time of regret and uncertainty. We critically discuss emergent notions of trans time, precarity and uncertainty running across participants’ accounts, and the implications for enhancing recognition of gender non-conformity and gender identity in social gerontology

What gives some Principals the edge on parent-school-community engagement? Principal leadership for engaging parents and community in disadvantaged schools: four case studies

Clear consistent evidence has shown that when parents are engaged in their children’s learning in schools, their children have better academic, social, and emotional outcomes. However, little is known about which engagement strategies and practices are the most effective, why some parents are disengaged with school, and the leadership role Principals can play in engaging parents to improve student learning and wellbeing.\ua0To investigate these issues, The University of Queensland, P&Cs Qld, and the Department of Education\ua0are collecting data on parent-school-community engagement in State Schools\ua0using a multi-phase approach. This publication presents four case studies that exemplify Principal leadership for parent-school-community engagement in disadvantaged State Schools across Queensland

Clinical observation during alemtuzumab administration

• Alemtuzumab has been associated with stroke and cervicocephalic dissections. • Monitoring blood pressure is currently recommended by the EMA. • Monitoring blood pressure is not useful in predicting these rare side effects