Drought impacts on livestock and crop production along an urban-rural gradient: perceptions and response strategies in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa
- Authors: Pamla, Avela
- Date: 2023-10-13
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/424732 , vital:72179
- Description: Drought is a major challenge threatening agricultural productivity in urban and rural areas across southern Africa. Drought events are expected to be more frequent, severe, last longer, and, impact land-based livelihoods in the coming decades. Despite the growing literature on the impacts of drought on livelihoods, there is limited focus on the impacts of droughts across rural-urban gradients. The study examined small-scale farmers’ perceptions of drought impacts and response strategies in the contexts of persistent droughts in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. A total of 163 respondents, practicing livestock and/or crop farming across six towns, in urban and rural contexts were purposively identified. The study used snowball sampling approach to identify the relevant respondents. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire survey, exploring the respondents' socio-demographic profiles, agricultural activities, perceptions of drought impacts, and drought response strategies. Qualitative data were coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics, thematic analysis, t-tests, and chi-square tests to identify patterns, themes, and relationships within the data. Nearly all (>95%) respondents owned livestock while substantially more rural farmers (81%) than urban farmers (35%) engaged in crop production. Drought was perceived by a sizeable proportion (>70%) of small-scale farmers as a very serious environmental challenge with adverse socio-economic repercussions on land-based activities. Livestock losses and crop failure were the key impacts reported by small-scale farmers in both rural and urban settings. About 86% of respondents across the sample reported declines in crop yields, with significantly more farmers in rural sites (45%) than urban sites (31%) reporting so. A substantial proportion of farmers across the sample (93%) reported drought response strategies relating to livestock and crop production, such as changing of farming practices, use of drought-resistant crops and government support, with slight differences in the proportion of farmers reporting so between urban (89 %) and rural (95 %) sites. Concerning government support, most respondents (>70%) stated that they were dissatisfied, with slightly more respondents in urban areas (77%) than in rural (70%) areas reporting so. Overall, the results of this study suggest a minimal response capacity of small-scale farmers to droughts in both rural and urban settings due to socio-economic and administrative factors, which calls for the need for drought-response strategies to build adaptive capacity for small-scale farmers. Turning to close cooperation between different stakeholders, such as local farmers, government officials, practitioners, and scientists might allow co-production of knowledge needed to inform drought response strategies. In some instances, attention needs to be given to farmers who are more vulnerable than others. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Environmental Science, 2023
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023-10-13
- Authors: Pamla, Avela
- Date: 2023-10-13
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/424732 , vital:72179
- Description: Drought is a major challenge threatening agricultural productivity in urban and rural areas across southern Africa. Drought events are expected to be more frequent, severe, last longer, and, impact land-based livelihoods in the coming decades. Despite the growing literature on the impacts of drought on livelihoods, there is limited focus on the impacts of droughts across rural-urban gradients. The study examined small-scale farmers’ perceptions of drought impacts and response strategies in the contexts of persistent droughts in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. A total of 163 respondents, practicing livestock and/or crop farming across six towns, in urban and rural contexts were purposively identified. The study used snowball sampling approach to identify the relevant respondents. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire survey, exploring the respondents' socio-demographic profiles, agricultural activities, perceptions of drought impacts, and drought response strategies. Qualitative data were coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics, thematic analysis, t-tests, and chi-square tests to identify patterns, themes, and relationships within the data. Nearly all (>95%) respondents owned livestock while substantially more rural farmers (81%) than urban farmers (35%) engaged in crop production. Drought was perceived by a sizeable proportion (>70%) of small-scale farmers as a very serious environmental challenge with adverse socio-economic repercussions on land-based activities. Livestock losses and crop failure were the key impacts reported by small-scale farmers in both rural and urban settings. About 86% of respondents across the sample reported declines in crop yields, with significantly more farmers in rural sites (45%) than urban sites (31%) reporting so. A substantial proportion of farmers across the sample (93%) reported drought response strategies relating to livestock and crop production, such as changing of farming practices, use of drought-resistant crops and government support, with slight differences in the proportion of farmers reporting so between urban (89 %) and rural (95 %) sites. Concerning government support, most respondents (>70%) stated that they were dissatisfied, with slightly more respondents in urban areas (77%) than in rural (70%) areas reporting so. Overall, the results of this study suggest a minimal response capacity of small-scale farmers to droughts in both rural and urban settings due to socio-economic and administrative factors, which calls for the need for drought-response strategies to build adaptive capacity for small-scale farmers. Turning to close cooperation between different stakeholders, such as local farmers, government officials, practitioners, and scientists might allow co-production of knowledge needed to inform drought response strategies. In some instances, attention needs to be given to farmers who are more vulnerable than others. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Environmental Science, 2023
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023-10-13
Feminist simulations: deep in the dream of a game
- Authors: Mackintosh, Tayla
- Date: 2023-10-13
- Subjects: Video games in art , Crocheting , Minecraft (Game) , Feminism in art , Simulation games , Handicraft in art , Autoethnography , Intersectionality (Sociology)
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/425333 , vital:72230
- Description: This study delves into how the worlds of computer gaming and fine art intersect, employing DIY feminism to reflect on the gendered world of gaming and the links between simulation, reality, and fantasy within the game of Minecraft. I argue for a feminine craft (crochet) to challenge masculine gaming oppressions and the lack of representation, acceptance, and visibility for women in gaming culture. My research question is taken from the End Poem seen when the player has beaten the game's main boss. There is a line within the poem that asks, “But what true structure did this player create, in the reality behind the screen?” (End Poem, 2022). This is the question I have sought to answer within this study, by exploring a methodological approach that combines autoethnography and phenomenology to create a reflexive personal narrative. , Thesis (MFA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Fine Art, 2023
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023-10-13
- Authors: Mackintosh, Tayla
- Date: 2023-10-13
- Subjects: Video games in art , Crocheting , Minecraft (Game) , Feminism in art , Simulation games , Handicraft in art , Autoethnography , Intersectionality (Sociology)
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/425333 , vital:72230
- Description: This study delves into how the worlds of computer gaming and fine art intersect, employing DIY feminism to reflect on the gendered world of gaming and the links between simulation, reality, and fantasy within the game of Minecraft. I argue for a feminine craft (crochet) to challenge masculine gaming oppressions and the lack of representation, acceptance, and visibility for women in gaming culture. My research question is taken from the End Poem seen when the player has beaten the game's main boss. There is a line within the poem that asks, “But what true structure did this player create, in the reality behind the screen?” (End Poem, 2022). This is the question I have sought to answer within this study, by exploring a methodological approach that combines autoethnography and phenomenology to create a reflexive personal narrative. , Thesis (MFA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Fine Art, 2023
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023-10-13
Gender, informality and urban livelihoods: eamining the livelihood strategies adopted by Black female street vendors in Makhanda, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Khoele, Lineo
- Date: 2023-10-13
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/431474 , vital:72775
- Description: This study sought to examine livelihood strategies adopted by black female street vendors in Makhanda, Eastern Cape. The street vending activities that were undertaken by the research participants included selling: cooked foods, fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, and beauty products. This study used the Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) to examine the livelihood strategies of black female street vendors in Makhanda. The SL approach was chosen as an ideal framework for a study of this nature as it holistically and traditionally focuses on vulnerable population groups around the world. More importantly, the SLA gives agency to these vulnerable groups, as it prioritizes their innovative techniques in mobilizing diverse assets at their disposal in order to survive. The study is, therefore, ideal as it also gives agency to selected black female street vendors by examining how they utilized diverse assets at their disposal to sustain their livelihoods. This study seeks to contribute to the ongoing debate on urban livelihoods and the informal economy in South Africa, focusing particularly on the different methods or strategies employed by black female street vendors to enhance the sustainability of street vending as a livelihood. Due to the nature of this study, which seeks to capture the lived experiences of the selected black female street vendors in Makhanda, qualitative research methodologies were used to collect and analyse data. This study proved street vending to be a survival strategy that is used by black unskilled women in pursuit of livelihoods. It argues that, faced with the socio-economic realities associated with high unemployment, street vending can be used by many to best support their households. When it comes to livelihood strategies, this study found that, livelihood diversification is the most common livelihood strategy adopted by street vendors in Makhanda, with the only difference being the type of diversification adopted. Two forms of livelihood diversification strategies were identified in this study, and these included: product diversification and income diversification. The conclusion drawn from the findings argues that the selected street vendors in Makhanda strategically used different assets accessible to them to enhance and sustain their livelihoods. The study found that despite the different structural challenges faced by street vendors in Makhanda, the selected black female street vendors are able to meet their livelihood outcomes and support their families through engaging in street vending. , Thesis (MSocSci) -- Faculty of Humanities, Sociology, 2023
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023-10-13
- Authors: Khoele, Lineo
- Date: 2023-10-13
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/431474 , vital:72775
- Description: This study sought to examine livelihood strategies adopted by black female street vendors in Makhanda, Eastern Cape. The street vending activities that were undertaken by the research participants included selling: cooked foods, fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, and beauty products. This study used the Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) to examine the livelihood strategies of black female street vendors in Makhanda. The SL approach was chosen as an ideal framework for a study of this nature as it holistically and traditionally focuses on vulnerable population groups around the world. More importantly, the SLA gives agency to these vulnerable groups, as it prioritizes their innovative techniques in mobilizing diverse assets at their disposal in order to survive. The study is, therefore, ideal as it also gives agency to selected black female street vendors by examining how they utilized diverse assets at their disposal to sustain their livelihoods. This study seeks to contribute to the ongoing debate on urban livelihoods and the informal economy in South Africa, focusing particularly on the different methods or strategies employed by black female street vendors to enhance the sustainability of street vending as a livelihood. Due to the nature of this study, which seeks to capture the lived experiences of the selected black female street vendors in Makhanda, qualitative research methodologies were used to collect and analyse data. This study proved street vending to be a survival strategy that is used by black unskilled women in pursuit of livelihoods. It argues that, faced with the socio-economic realities associated with high unemployment, street vending can be used by many to best support their households. When it comes to livelihood strategies, this study found that, livelihood diversification is the most common livelihood strategy adopted by street vendors in Makhanda, with the only difference being the type of diversification adopted. Two forms of livelihood diversification strategies were identified in this study, and these included: product diversification and income diversification. The conclusion drawn from the findings argues that the selected street vendors in Makhanda strategically used different assets accessible to them to enhance and sustain their livelihoods. The study found that despite the different structural challenges faced by street vendors in Makhanda, the selected black female street vendors are able to meet their livelihood outcomes and support their families through engaging in street vending. , Thesis (MSocSci) -- Faculty of Humanities, Sociology, 2023
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023-10-13
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