The contribution of agriculture to rural development in Mbashe Municipality
- Authors: Malusi, Phaphama Paul
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agriculture and state -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18123 , vital:28578
- Description: Despite the decreasing contribution of agriculture to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in South Africa, agricultural activities are critical in the development of rural households. These activities are an important route through which these rural communities can reduce poverty. This is mainly because agriculture has been the main source of income and employment in rural areas in South Africa and other less developed countries (LDC). However, it has not generated sufficient income to sustain rural households. Rural areas are characterised by factors such as low socio-economic conditions, low standards of living, lack of access to markets and inadequate infrastructure that does not create an enabling environment for private sector involvement. The private sector is not actively involved or engaged in rural development. Rural development involves improvement in the economic security of people in rural areas. It is poor households that look for employment in agriculture. The poor are portrayed in terms of qualifications, employment, access to resources, basic health services, skills possessed, self- sustaining activities, and income and expenditure patterns. Many individuals in rural areas are pushed into non-agricultural activities due to lack of opportunities in agricultural activities. Lack of opportunities in agriculture can be caused by subsistence agriculture in small holdings of land and lack of appropriate skills sets for certain agricultural activities. Ultimately, it is poor individuals who increase their dependence on agriculture. The primary objective of this research was to obtain a better understanding of the contribution of agriculture in rural development in the Mbhashe Local Municipality (MLM). Furthermore, the necessary conditions required to sustain livelihoods in the rural areas were identified. This was mainly done in an attempt to improve the quality of life in the rural areas. The study was based on three objectives. The first objective was to identify the constraints to agricultural activities in the Mbashe Local Municipality; the second was to investigate the plight of rural people in the Mbhashe Local Municipality. Lastly, the third objective was to investigate the contribution of agriculture in rural development in the study area. The main finding with regards to the first objective is that facors such as lack of infrastructure, low socio-economic conditions, lack of appropriate skills and lack of opportunities in agriculture are some of the constraints to agricultural activities. Investments in basic infrastructure need to be significant so that funds can flow into the rural areas to be invested in livelihood activities in order to create more employment opportunities. With regard to the second objective, the main finding is that rural people need to be empowered through increased knowledge and skills. This involves improving literacy and skills training, because the outcome of this training is that they are able to stand on their own feet and provide for their families. The main finding with regard to the third objective is that rural areas, by nature, are not easy to service but have indigenous knowledge that can be used in agriculture. However, the government must support them with the necessary infrastructure. Agriculture has been a major source of income and employment in the Mbashe Municipality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Malusi, Phaphama Paul
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agriculture and state -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18123 , vital:28578
- Description: Despite the decreasing contribution of agriculture to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in South Africa, agricultural activities are critical in the development of rural households. These activities are an important route through which these rural communities can reduce poverty. This is mainly because agriculture has been the main source of income and employment in rural areas in South Africa and other less developed countries (LDC). However, it has not generated sufficient income to sustain rural households. Rural areas are characterised by factors such as low socio-economic conditions, low standards of living, lack of access to markets and inadequate infrastructure that does not create an enabling environment for private sector involvement. The private sector is not actively involved or engaged in rural development. Rural development involves improvement in the economic security of people in rural areas. It is poor households that look for employment in agriculture. The poor are portrayed in terms of qualifications, employment, access to resources, basic health services, skills possessed, self- sustaining activities, and income and expenditure patterns. Many individuals in rural areas are pushed into non-agricultural activities due to lack of opportunities in agricultural activities. Lack of opportunities in agriculture can be caused by subsistence agriculture in small holdings of land and lack of appropriate skills sets for certain agricultural activities. Ultimately, it is poor individuals who increase their dependence on agriculture. The primary objective of this research was to obtain a better understanding of the contribution of agriculture in rural development in the Mbhashe Local Municipality (MLM). Furthermore, the necessary conditions required to sustain livelihoods in the rural areas were identified. This was mainly done in an attempt to improve the quality of life in the rural areas. The study was based on three objectives. The first objective was to identify the constraints to agricultural activities in the Mbashe Local Municipality; the second was to investigate the plight of rural people in the Mbhashe Local Municipality. Lastly, the third objective was to investigate the contribution of agriculture in rural development in the study area. The main finding with regards to the first objective is that facors such as lack of infrastructure, low socio-economic conditions, lack of appropriate skills and lack of opportunities in agriculture are some of the constraints to agricultural activities. Investments in basic infrastructure need to be significant so that funds can flow into the rural areas to be invested in livelihood activities in order to create more employment opportunities. With regard to the second objective, the main finding is that rural people need to be empowered through increased knowledge and skills. This involves improving literacy and skills training, because the outcome of this training is that they are able to stand on their own feet and provide for their families. The main finding with regard to the third objective is that rural areas, by nature, are not easy to service but have indigenous knowledge that can be used in agriculture. However, the government must support them with the necessary infrastructure. Agriculture has been a major source of income and employment in the Mbashe Municipality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
The role of emotional awareness in the retirement transition
- Authors: Black, Beverley Mary
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Retirement -- Psychological aspects , Aging -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5645 , vital:20947
- Description: This study examines the role of emotional awareness in the retirement transition. Retirement is viewed as one of the transitions in later life and has psychological consequences. It is an objective development and social-psychological transformation that is related to physical and psychological well-being. Research has shown that emotional awareness can have an impact on the retirement transition. A correlational research survey design was used for this study to determine and establish the role of emotional awareness, preparation and emotional responses in the retirement transition. Using a five-point Likert Scale, respondents were asked to score their responses to twenty-eight items. The questionnaire was distributed to retirees on the data bases of two financial companies that manage retirement funds. The SurveyMonkey application was used to distribute the survey to one financial company’s data base, and email was used for the other. Statistics such as means, relationships between factors, Cronbach’s Alpha, Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The findings of this study demonstrate inconclusive evidence of emotional awareness in retirement. In addition to this, there were no significant findings regarding preparation for retirement or emotional response to retirement which indicates a neutral attitude to preparation and retirement, on average. There is a need for further future studies that include a more balanced sample representation of men and women, a comparative study based on different cultures to determine if differences exist in the experience of emotions in the retirement transition, and a field study in retirement homes and villages to corroborate the findings of this study.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Black, Beverley Mary
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Retirement -- Psychological aspects , Aging -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5645 , vital:20947
- Description: This study examines the role of emotional awareness in the retirement transition. Retirement is viewed as one of the transitions in later life and has psychological consequences. It is an objective development and social-psychological transformation that is related to physical and psychological well-being. Research has shown that emotional awareness can have an impact on the retirement transition. A correlational research survey design was used for this study to determine and establish the role of emotional awareness, preparation and emotional responses in the retirement transition. Using a five-point Likert Scale, respondents were asked to score their responses to twenty-eight items. The questionnaire was distributed to retirees on the data bases of two financial companies that manage retirement funds. The SurveyMonkey application was used to distribute the survey to one financial company’s data base, and email was used for the other. Statistics such as means, relationships between factors, Cronbach’s Alpha, Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The findings of this study demonstrate inconclusive evidence of emotional awareness in retirement. In addition to this, there were no significant findings regarding preparation for retirement or emotional response to retirement which indicates a neutral attitude to preparation and retirement, on average. There is a need for further future studies that include a more balanced sample representation of men and women, a comparative study based on different cultures to determine if differences exist in the experience of emotions in the retirement transition, and a field study in retirement homes and villages to corroborate the findings of this study.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
An investigation into the impact of online and mobile advertising on the South African advertising landscape
- Authors: Flanagan, Michael Anthony
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Internet advertising -- South Africa , Advertising -- South Africa , Electronic commerce -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8388 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008588 , Internet advertising -- South Africa , Advertising -- South Africa , Electronic commerce -- South Africa
- Description: This study aimed to provide South African advertising professionals with insights into the current state of online and mobile advertising in South Africa, highlighting areas in which this sector of the industry can develop in order for professionals to perpetuate successful and innovative use of the mediums available to them and their clients. The study draws on literature from the fields of traditional advertising, digital advertising and new media. Research on the South African digital advertising climate is not as readily available as that of international studies based in the United States of America and the United Kingdom. The study therefore used two data collection methods namely, telephonic semi-structured interviews with advertising professionals employed within the South African advertising and marketing industries as well as an electronic survey also aimed at advertising professionals employed within the South African advertising and marketing industries. The data collected aims to provide an insight into the professional opinions and feelings of these professionals as to how the South Africa digital advertising landscape is perceived, how it compares to its international counterparts and whether online and mobile technologies have had an impact on the South African advertising industry in terms of ad-spend not only on digital but on traditional advertising. The data from both the semi-structured interviews and survey were analysed in terms of the aforementioned aspects and correlations were found between the qualitative and quantitative data. Five advertising professionals from various agencies from around South Africa were interviewed telephonically while 27 advertising professionals attempted the electronic survey with 21 completing the survey. The study found that advertisers acknowledge that online and mobile technologies have had an impact on the South African advertising industry as digital advertising is now seen as an important fixture within the advertising industry and is considered to now be as important as traditional advertising. However, although advertising professionals acknowledge this importance, the medium is still underutilised due to a number of determining factors. These factors include insufficient knowledge in the field of digital advertising by advertisers and clients as clients are still unwilling to allocate similar levels of ad-spend to digital as they would to traditional advertising, this despite a notable increase in digital ad-spend. Traditional advertising still dominates ad-spend and advertisers are of the opinion that despite the growth of digital media, this trend will remain prevalent in South Africa which continues to trail behind its international counterparts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Flanagan, Michael Anthony
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Internet advertising -- South Africa , Advertising -- South Africa , Electronic commerce -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8388 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008588 , Internet advertising -- South Africa , Advertising -- South Africa , Electronic commerce -- South Africa
- Description: This study aimed to provide South African advertising professionals with insights into the current state of online and mobile advertising in South Africa, highlighting areas in which this sector of the industry can develop in order for professionals to perpetuate successful and innovative use of the mediums available to them and their clients. The study draws on literature from the fields of traditional advertising, digital advertising and new media. Research on the South African digital advertising climate is not as readily available as that of international studies based in the United States of America and the United Kingdom. The study therefore used two data collection methods namely, telephonic semi-structured interviews with advertising professionals employed within the South African advertising and marketing industries as well as an electronic survey also aimed at advertising professionals employed within the South African advertising and marketing industries. The data collected aims to provide an insight into the professional opinions and feelings of these professionals as to how the South Africa digital advertising landscape is perceived, how it compares to its international counterparts and whether online and mobile technologies have had an impact on the South African advertising industry in terms of ad-spend not only on digital but on traditional advertising. The data from both the semi-structured interviews and survey were analysed in terms of the aforementioned aspects and correlations were found between the qualitative and quantitative data. Five advertising professionals from various agencies from around South Africa were interviewed telephonically while 27 advertising professionals attempted the electronic survey with 21 completing the survey. The study found that advertisers acknowledge that online and mobile technologies have had an impact on the South African advertising industry as digital advertising is now seen as an important fixture within the advertising industry and is considered to now be as important as traditional advertising. However, although advertising professionals acknowledge this importance, the medium is still underutilised due to a number of determining factors. These factors include insufficient knowledge in the field of digital advertising by advertisers and clients as clients are still unwilling to allocate similar levels of ad-spend to digital as they would to traditional advertising, this despite a notable increase in digital ad-spend. Traditional advertising still dominates ad-spend and advertisers are of the opinion that despite the growth of digital media, this trend will remain prevalent in South Africa which continues to trail behind its international counterparts.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
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