Developing a decision support system to identify strategically located land for land reform in South Africa

Land reform is identified as a key tool in fostering development in South Africa. With two decades after the advent of democracy in South Africa, the land question remains a critical issue for policy makers. A number of frameworks have been put in place by the government to identify land which is strategically located for land reform. However, many of these frameworks are not well aligned and have hampered the government’s land reform initiative in promoting inclusive development. Strategically located land is herein defined as land parcels that are well positioned for the promotion of agriculture, human settlements, rural and tourism development. Accordingly, there is a need to develop a decision tool which facilitates the identification of strategically located land for development. This study proposes the use of geographic information systems (GIS), earth observation (EO) data and multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) to develop a spatial decision support system (SDSS) to identify strategically located land for land reform. The SDDS was therefore designed using GIS, EO data and MCDM to create an index for identification of strategically located land. Expert-led workshops were carried out to ascertain criteria for identifying strategically located land and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was utilised used to weight the criteria. The study demonstrates that GIS and EO are invaluable tools in facilitating evidence-based decisions for land reform. However, there is need for capacity building on GIS and EO in government departments responsible for land reform and development planning. The study suggests that there is an urgent need to develop sector specific criteria for the identification of strategically located land for inclusive development

Bacterial contamination of Kale (Brassica oleracea acephala) along the supply chain in Nairobi and its environment

Objective: To assess the microbiological safety of kale (Brassica oleracea Acephala) produced from farms and those sold at the markets with special focus on coliforms, E.coli and Salmonella.Design: A cross sectional study.Setting: Peri-Urban farms (in Athi River, Ngong and Wangige), wet markets (in Kawangware, Kangemi and Githurai), supermarkets and high-end specialty store both within Nairobi city.Results: Mean coliform count on vegetables from farms were 2.6x105 ±5.0x105 cfu/g while those from the wet markets were 4.6x106 ±9.1x106 cfu/g, supermarkets, 2.6x106 ±2.7x106 and high-end specialty store 4.7x105 ±8.9x105. Coliform numbers obtained on kales from the wet markets and supermarkets were significantly higher (p<0.05) compared to those from farms, while kale samples purchased from high- end specialtystore had similar levels of coliform loads as those from the farms. E. coli prevalence in the wet markets, supermarkets and high-end specialty store were: 40, 20 and 20%, respectively. Salmonella was detected on 4.5 and 6.3% of samples collected from the farms in Wangige and wet market in Kawangware, respectively. Fecal coliforms in water used on farms (for irrigation) and in the markets (for washing the vegetables) exceeded levels recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) of 103 organisms per 100 milliliter while Salmonella was detected in 12.5% of washing water samples collected from Kangemi market.Conclusion: Poor cultivation practices and poor handling of vegetables along the supply chain could increase the risk of pathogen contamination thus puting the health of the public at risk, therefore good agricultural and handling practices should be observed

The strategically located land index support sys- tem for human settlements land reform in South Africa

Abstract Creating sustainable human settlements is fundamental in fostering spatial and socio-economic integration in South Africa. Policy makers are often faced with the problem of identifying strategically located land for human settlements land reform in South Africa. To date there is no tool or standard framework that assist the government to identify land that is strategically located for land reform. This study proposes the use of geographic information systems (GIS), earth observation (EO) data and multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) to develop a strategically located land index (SLLI) deployed in a web viewer to identify land that is smart for human settlements land reform. The study demonstrates that using the GIS and EO and the GIS webserver are invaluable tools in facilitating streamlined, coordinated, standardised and evidence-based decisions for human settlements land reform. However, there is need for capacity building in government departments responsible for land reform and development plannin

Maximizing Laboratory Production of Aflatoxins and Fumonisins for Use in Experimental Animal Feeds

Warm and humid climatic conditions coupled with poor agricultural practices in sub-Saharan Africa favor the contamination of food and feed by Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium verticillioides fungi, which subsequently may produce aflatoxins (AFs) and fumonisins (FBs), respectively. The growth of fungi and the production of mycotoxins are influenced by physical (temperature, pH, water activity, light and aeration), nutritional, and biological factors. This study aimed at optimizing the conditions for the laboratory production of large quantities of AFs and FBs for use in the animal experiments. A. flavus and F. verticillioides strains, previously isolated from maize in Kenya, were used. Levels of AFB1 and total FBs (FB1, FB2, and FB3) in different growth substrates were screened using ELISA methods. Maize kernels inoculated with three different strains of A. flavus simultaneously and incubated at 29 degrees C for 21 days had the highest AFB1 level of 12,550 +/- 3397 mu g/kg of substrate. The highest level of total FBs (386,533 +/- 153,302 mu g/kg of substrate) was detected in cracked maize inoculated with three different strains of F. verticillioides and incubated for 21 days at temperatures of 22-25 degrees C in a growth chamber fitted with yellow light. These two methods are recommended for the mass production of AFB1 and FBs for animal feeding trials

Exploiting indigenous knowledge in the environmental conservation and promotion of African plants: case study on Mwingi and Kyuso districts, Kenya

Mwingi and Kyuso districts are located in the semi-arid zone V region of Kenya with annual rainfall of less than 400 mm. The biggest town of the districts is Mwingi town and it is located about 170km east of Kenya’s capital city Nairobi. The two districts are agro-climatically placed into arid and semiarid zones (ASALs) and they take up 33.6 million hectares of the country’s 44.6 million hectares of arable land with substantial areas, apart from the two districts, being in Machakos, Makueni, Kitui and Kajiado districts (Gachimbi et al., 2001). It is a region that has traditionally supported low populations of the Kamba people who were hunters that at the same time practiced an extremely low intensity form of agriculture and reared livestock (especially goats). Over several years, they developed sustainable and effective exploitation mechanisms of the existing biodiversity resources to satisfy their individual needs and those of their societies in general. According to Goodin and Northington (1985), ASALs, due to their heterogeneity, have produced a wide variety of plants with diverse forms and chemistries as well as capabilities for efficient utilization of water. They thus represent a high economic potential. However, over the past few decades, Kenya’s population growth rate has been increasing and due to scarcity of land, there has been an emigration of the largely rural population from the high agricultural potential to low agricultural potential regions. This, in turn, has led to greater cultivation to meet food demands (locally and in nearby urban centres), the unsustainable harvesting of trees for firewood, timber and other non-timber products, increased use of pharmaceutical drugs hence loss of traditional knowledge on and value of medicinal plants. Environmental impacts include reduced water quality and availability as well as land degradation. Social impacts on the other hand include a further improvishment of the people from reduced resource options and an inability to benefit directly from the knowledge of medicines long held in their communitie