Study of the skincalm filling process at Aspen Pharmacare applying some six sigma principles
- Authors: Marx, Johannes
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Ointments -- Packaging , Six sigma (Quality control standard)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:10369 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/184 , Ointments -- Packaging , Six sigma (Quality control standard)
- Description: Aspen Pharmacare is listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange South Africa (JSE) and is Africa’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturer. The company is a major supplier of branded pharmaceutical and healthcare products to the local and selected international markets. For decades, Aspen has manufactured a basket of affordable, quality, and effective products for the ethical, generic over-the-counter (OTC) and personal care markets. Aspen is also the leading supplier of generic medicines to the public sector, providing comprehensive coverage of the products on the Essential Drug List. Aspen continues to deliver on its commitment toward playing a role in social responsibility diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. In August 2003 Aspen developed Africa’s first generic anti-retroviral drug, namely Aspen-Stavudine. Aspen’s manufacturing facilities are based in Port Elizabeth (PE) and East London. Aspen has recently completed an Oral Solid Dosage (OSD) manufacturing facility worth approximately R150 million in PE. The Group manufactures approximately 20 tons of product daily and in excess of 400 tons of solid dosage pharmaceuticals, which equates to more than 2 billion tablets. In addition, more than 3 million litres of liquid pharmaceuticals and over 200 tons of pharmaceutical creams and ointments are produced per year [1]. Aspen excels at delivering quality products and services, exceeding customer expectations, complying with international standards in an environment that cultivates technical expertise and innovation. Following this philosophy through to the shop floor areas mean that there are always initiatives in continuous production improvement. One of these improvement projects introduced is called Six Sigma. 8 Ten members of the staff, selected from different expertise fields in the company were trained in Six Sigma. Knowledge gained from the two week training course were applied to different areas in the factory using Six Sigma principles. This dissertation focuses on the study undertaken in one of production areas, namely the filling process of the ointments and creams at the Aspen Port Elizabeth facility.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
- Authors: Marx, Johannes
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Ointments -- Packaging , Six sigma (Quality control standard)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:10369 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/184 , Ointments -- Packaging , Six sigma (Quality control standard)
- Description: Aspen Pharmacare is listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange South Africa (JSE) and is Africa’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturer. The company is a major supplier of branded pharmaceutical and healthcare products to the local and selected international markets. For decades, Aspen has manufactured a basket of affordable, quality, and effective products for the ethical, generic over-the-counter (OTC) and personal care markets. Aspen is also the leading supplier of generic medicines to the public sector, providing comprehensive coverage of the products on the Essential Drug List. Aspen continues to deliver on its commitment toward playing a role in social responsibility diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. In August 2003 Aspen developed Africa’s first generic anti-retroviral drug, namely Aspen-Stavudine. Aspen’s manufacturing facilities are based in Port Elizabeth (PE) and East London. Aspen has recently completed an Oral Solid Dosage (OSD) manufacturing facility worth approximately R150 million in PE. The Group manufactures approximately 20 tons of product daily and in excess of 400 tons of solid dosage pharmaceuticals, which equates to more than 2 billion tablets. In addition, more than 3 million litres of liquid pharmaceuticals and over 200 tons of pharmaceutical creams and ointments are produced per year [1]. Aspen excels at delivering quality products and services, exceeding customer expectations, complying with international standards in an environment that cultivates technical expertise and innovation. Following this philosophy through to the shop floor areas mean that there are always initiatives in continuous production improvement. One of these improvement projects introduced is called Six Sigma. 8 Ten members of the staff, selected from different expertise fields in the company were trained in Six Sigma. Knowledge gained from the two week training course were applied to different areas in the factory using Six Sigma principles. This dissertation focuses on the study undertaken in one of production areas, namely the filling process of the ointments and creams at the Aspen Port Elizabeth facility.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
The mining and visualisation of application services data
- Authors: Knoetze, Ronald Morgan
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Data mining -- South Africa , Computer algorithms , Network performance (Telecommunication) -- Research -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10480 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/451 , Data mining -- South Africa , Computer algorithms , Network performance (Telecommunication) -- Research -- South Africa
- Description: Many network monitoring tools do not provide sufficiently in-depth and useful reports on network usage, particularly in the domain of application services data. The optimisation of network performance is only possible if the networks are monitored effectively. Techniques that identify patterns of network usage can assist in the successful monitoring of network performance. The main goal of this research was to propose a model to mine and visualise application services data in order to support effective network management. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the model, a prototype, called NetPatterns, was developed using data for the Integrated Tertiary Software (ITS) application service collected by a network monitoring tool on the NMMU South Campus network. Three data mining algorithms for application services data were identified for the proposed model. The data mining algorithms used are classification (decision tree), clustering (K-Means) and association (correlation). Classifying application services data serves to categorise combinations of network attributes to highlight areas of poor network performance. The clustering of network attributes serves to indicate sparse and dense regions within the application services data. Association indicates the existence of any interesting relationships between different network attributes. Three visualisation techniques were selected to visualise the results of the data mining algorithms. The visualisation techniques selected were the organisation chart, bubble chart and scatterplots. Colour and a variety of other visual cues are used to complement the selected visualisation techniques. The effectiveness and usefulness of NetPatterns was determined by means of user testing. The results of the evaluation clearly show that the participants were highly satisfied with the visualisation of network usage presented by NetPatterns. All participants successfully completed the prescribed tasks and indicated that NetPatterns is a useful tool for the analysis of network usage patterns.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
- Authors: Knoetze, Ronald Morgan
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Data mining -- South Africa , Computer algorithms , Network performance (Telecommunication) -- Research -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10480 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/451 , Data mining -- South Africa , Computer algorithms , Network performance (Telecommunication) -- Research -- South Africa
- Description: Many network monitoring tools do not provide sufficiently in-depth and useful reports on network usage, particularly in the domain of application services data. The optimisation of network performance is only possible if the networks are monitored effectively. Techniques that identify patterns of network usage can assist in the successful monitoring of network performance. The main goal of this research was to propose a model to mine and visualise application services data in order to support effective network management. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the model, a prototype, called NetPatterns, was developed using data for the Integrated Tertiary Software (ITS) application service collected by a network monitoring tool on the NMMU South Campus network. Three data mining algorithms for application services data were identified for the proposed model. The data mining algorithms used are classification (decision tree), clustering (K-Means) and association (correlation). Classifying application services data serves to categorise combinations of network attributes to highlight areas of poor network performance. The clustering of network attributes serves to indicate sparse and dense regions within the application services data. Association indicates the existence of any interesting relationships between different network attributes. Three visualisation techniques were selected to visualise the results of the data mining algorithms. The visualisation techniques selected were the organisation chart, bubble chart and scatterplots. Colour and a variety of other visual cues are used to complement the selected visualisation techniques. The effectiveness and usefulness of NetPatterns was determined by means of user testing. The results of the evaluation clearly show that the participants were highly satisfied with the visualisation of network usage presented by NetPatterns. All participants successfully completed the prescribed tasks and indicated that NetPatterns is a useful tool for the analysis of network usage patterns.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
Habitat suitability and behaviour of springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) at Augrabies Falls National Park, South Africa
- Authors: Reid, Caroline
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Springbok -- Habitat suitability index models -- South Africa -- Augrabies Falls National Park , Springbok -- Behavior -- South Africa -- Augrabies Falls National Park
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:11079 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/362 , Springbok -- Habitat suitability index models -- South Africa -- Augrabies Falls National Park , Springbok -- Behavior -- South Africa -- Augrabies Falls National Park
- Description: Habitat selection may be considered a behavioural consequence of an individual actively selecting where it lives or passively persisting in a certain habitat. There are a variety of approaches to assessing habitat selection, including relating densities to predefined habitats and the characteristics of these habitats, measuring the behaviour of animals within predefined habitats in order to assess the relative benefits to the animal and comparing these between habitats, and using optimality theory to allow the animal to provide measures of its preference for particular habitats or patches. Each approach provides different perspectives on an animal’s choice and use of habitat, with some approaches working more effectively with certain species or habitats than others. There have, however, been no attempts to apply all these approaches to a single species at a single site. The objective of this study was therefore to apply the three above-mentioned approaches to assess habitat use and quality to a single species, the springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) at the Augrabies Falls National Park (AFNP), on the northern bank of the Orange River, in order to provide the basis for further work on comparing and integrating these approaches. The relative abundance of springbok in Augrabies Falls National park was used to develop a habitat suitability model for the park, and thus determine the habitat variables that influenced habitat suitability. Isodar analysis revealed information on the mechanisms underlying habitat preference. Behavioural models were developed to improve our understanding of how springbok behaviour changes in relation to the habitat, and incorporated the variables identified in the habitat suitability model. The different spatial and temporal scales influencing springbok habitat selection were determined using optimal foraging theory and giving-up densities. Springbok preferred open habitats providing high food quality. Springbok behaviour was related to the foraging and predation risk characteristics of the habitat, and springbok varied their temporal and spatial utilisation so as to minimise their risk of predation and maximise their food intake. The habitat suitability model, behaviour models and giving-up densities were compared for ease of use and applicability. Using giving-up densities to reveal habitat suitability had greater applicability and was both efficient and objective.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
- Authors: Reid, Caroline
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Springbok -- Habitat suitability index models -- South Africa -- Augrabies Falls National Park , Springbok -- Behavior -- South Africa -- Augrabies Falls National Park
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:11079 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/362 , Springbok -- Habitat suitability index models -- South Africa -- Augrabies Falls National Park , Springbok -- Behavior -- South Africa -- Augrabies Falls National Park
- Description: Habitat selection may be considered a behavioural consequence of an individual actively selecting where it lives or passively persisting in a certain habitat. There are a variety of approaches to assessing habitat selection, including relating densities to predefined habitats and the characteristics of these habitats, measuring the behaviour of animals within predefined habitats in order to assess the relative benefits to the animal and comparing these between habitats, and using optimality theory to allow the animal to provide measures of its preference for particular habitats or patches. Each approach provides different perspectives on an animal’s choice and use of habitat, with some approaches working more effectively with certain species or habitats than others. There have, however, been no attempts to apply all these approaches to a single species at a single site. The objective of this study was therefore to apply the three above-mentioned approaches to assess habitat use and quality to a single species, the springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) at the Augrabies Falls National Park (AFNP), on the northern bank of the Orange River, in order to provide the basis for further work on comparing and integrating these approaches. The relative abundance of springbok in Augrabies Falls National park was used to develop a habitat suitability model for the park, and thus determine the habitat variables that influenced habitat suitability. Isodar analysis revealed information on the mechanisms underlying habitat preference. Behavioural models were developed to improve our understanding of how springbok behaviour changes in relation to the habitat, and incorporated the variables identified in the habitat suitability model. The different spatial and temporal scales influencing springbok habitat selection were determined using optimal foraging theory and giving-up densities. Springbok preferred open habitats providing high food quality. Springbok behaviour was related to the foraging and predation risk characteristics of the habitat, and springbok varied their temporal and spatial utilisation so as to minimise their risk of predation and maximise their food intake. The habitat suitability model, behaviour models and giving-up densities were compared for ease of use and applicability. Using giving-up densities to reveal habitat suitability had greater applicability and was both efficient and objective.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
Field and laboratory measurements of polarization mode dispersion in optical fibres
- Authors: Viljoen, Lawrence
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Optical fibers
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10513 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/375 , Optical fibers
- Description: In this dissertation, the PMD measurements of field and laboratory optical fibre will be discussed. In the laboratory, temperature cycling of different configurations of fibre were tested. It is shown that the environmental temperature plays a significant role in determining the behaviour of PMD. The PMD of all fibres tested showed changes in the PMD when the environmental temperature was changing, but remained constant for constant temperatures. This is explained by the structure and thermal coefficients of the materials used to make up the fibres. It is found that the temperature gradient has a large effect on the magnitude of the PMD fluctuations. Field measurements were conducted on buried and aerial cable. It is shown that the PMD of aerial cables shows a higher degree of scatter than the PMD of buried cables. The scatter seen in the PMD can be attributed to changing environmental temperature as well as movement of the cable. The PMD of the deployed fibre is in all cases found to be considerably higher than the PMD of laboratory fibre. Age of the fibre, deployment conditions and installation procedures are believed to be responsible for the higher value. Long term monitoring of the PMD is also found to be critical when testing fibres. Over- or underestimations of the average PMD are often made in the field due to only a limited number of readings being taken. Having a large test ensemble of input states of polarization is shown to increase the accuracy of the results. For aerial cables, movement of the cable has the same effect as scrambling the input SOP and hence the results will be more accurate. Buried cables on the other hand show little movement and hence only one input SOP is often tested. Scrambling the input SOP will therefore increase the accuracy of these results.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
- Authors: Viljoen, Lawrence
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Optical fibers
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10513 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/375 , Optical fibers
- Description: In this dissertation, the PMD measurements of field and laboratory optical fibre will be discussed. In the laboratory, temperature cycling of different configurations of fibre were tested. It is shown that the environmental temperature plays a significant role in determining the behaviour of PMD. The PMD of all fibres tested showed changes in the PMD when the environmental temperature was changing, but remained constant for constant temperatures. This is explained by the structure and thermal coefficients of the materials used to make up the fibres. It is found that the temperature gradient has a large effect on the magnitude of the PMD fluctuations. Field measurements were conducted on buried and aerial cable. It is shown that the PMD of aerial cables shows a higher degree of scatter than the PMD of buried cables. The scatter seen in the PMD can be attributed to changing environmental temperature as well as movement of the cable. The PMD of the deployed fibre is in all cases found to be considerably higher than the PMD of laboratory fibre. Age of the fibre, deployment conditions and installation procedures are believed to be responsible for the higher value. Long term monitoring of the PMD is also found to be critical when testing fibres. Over- or underestimations of the average PMD are often made in the field due to only a limited number of readings being taken. Having a large test ensemble of input states of polarization is shown to increase the accuracy of the results. For aerial cables, movement of the cable has the same effect as scrambling the input SOP and hence the results will be more accurate. Buried cables on the other hand show little movement and hence only one input SOP is often tested. Scrambling the input SOP will therefore increase the accuracy of these results.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
Web usage mining of organisational web sites
- Authors: Oosthuizen, Craig Peter
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Web usage mining -- South Africa , Internet users -- South Africa , Information visualization
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:9595 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/399 , Web usage mining -- South Africa , Internet users -- South Africa , Information visualization
- Description: Web Usage Mining (WUM) can be used to determine whether the information architecture of a web site is structured correctly. Existing WUM tools however, do not indicate which web usage mining algorithms are used or provide effective graphical visualisations of the results obtained. WUM techniques can be used to determine typical navigation patterns of the users of organisational web sites. An organisational web site can be described as a site which has a high level of content. The Computer Science & Information Systems (CS&IS) web site at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) is an example of such a web site. The process of combining WUM and information visualisation techniques in order to discover useful information about web usage patterns is called visual web mining. The goal of this research is to discuss the development of a WUM model and a prototype, called WebPatterns, which allows the user to effectively visualise web usage patterns of an organisational web site. This will facilitate determining whether the information architecture of the CS&IS web site is structured correctly. The WUM algorithms used in WebPatterns are association rule mining and sequence analysis. The purpose of association rule mining is to discover relationships between different web pages within a web site. Sequence analysis is used to determine the longest time ordered paths that satisfy a user specified minimum frequency. A radial tree layout is used in WebPatterns to visualise the static structure of the organisational web site. The structure of the web site is laid out radially, with the home page in the middle and other pages positioned in circles at various levels around it. Colour and other visual cues are used to show the results of the WUM algorithms. User testing was used to determine the effectiveness and usefulness of WebPatterns for visualising web usage patterns. The results of the user testing clearly show that the participants were highly satisfied with the visual design and information provided by WebPatterns. All the participants also indicated that they would like to use WebPatterns in the future. Analysis of the web usage patterns presented by WebPatterns was used to determine that the information architecture of the CS&IS web site can be restructured to better facilitate information retrieval. Changes to the CS&IS web site web were suggested, included placing embedded hyperlinks on the home page to the frequently accessed sections of the web site.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
- Authors: Oosthuizen, Craig Peter
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Web usage mining -- South Africa , Internet users -- South Africa , Information visualization
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:9595 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/399 , Web usage mining -- South Africa , Internet users -- South Africa , Information visualization
- Description: Web Usage Mining (WUM) can be used to determine whether the information architecture of a web site is structured correctly. Existing WUM tools however, do not indicate which web usage mining algorithms are used or provide effective graphical visualisations of the results obtained. WUM techniques can be used to determine typical navigation patterns of the users of organisational web sites. An organisational web site can be described as a site which has a high level of content. The Computer Science & Information Systems (CS&IS) web site at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) is an example of such a web site. The process of combining WUM and information visualisation techniques in order to discover useful information about web usage patterns is called visual web mining. The goal of this research is to discuss the development of a WUM model and a prototype, called WebPatterns, which allows the user to effectively visualise web usage patterns of an organisational web site. This will facilitate determining whether the information architecture of the CS&IS web site is structured correctly. The WUM algorithms used in WebPatterns are association rule mining and sequence analysis. The purpose of association rule mining is to discover relationships between different web pages within a web site. Sequence analysis is used to determine the longest time ordered paths that satisfy a user specified minimum frequency. A radial tree layout is used in WebPatterns to visualise the static structure of the organisational web site. The structure of the web site is laid out radially, with the home page in the middle and other pages positioned in circles at various levels around it. Colour and other visual cues are used to show the results of the WUM algorithms. User testing was used to determine the effectiveness and usefulness of WebPatterns for visualising web usage patterns. The results of the user testing clearly show that the participants were highly satisfied with the visual design and information provided by WebPatterns. All the participants also indicated that they would like to use WebPatterns in the future. Analysis of the web usage patterns presented by WebPatterns was used to determine that the information architecture of the CS&IS web site can be restructured to better facilitate information retrieval. Changes to the CS&IS web site web were suggested, included placing embedded hyperlinks on the home page to the frequently accessed sections of the web site.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
Socio-economic, cultural and policy issues impacting on community forestry development : a case study of Hlabisa district in Kwazulu-Natal
- Authors: Masuku, Sipho Sikhumbuzo
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Forests and forestry -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Forests and forestry -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Forests and forestry -- Social aspect -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Forests and forestry -- Cultural aspect -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:10743 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/818 , Forests and forestry -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Forests and forestry -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Forests and forestry -- Social aspect -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Forests and forestry -- Cultural aspect -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal
- Description: South Africa is not well-endowed with indigenous forests and those that remain are known to be degraded and declining at an alarming rate. This constitutes a direct threat to the quality of life of the resource-poor rural households which are directly dependent on the resources indigenous forests offer, as well as to ecological integrity. It is also recognised that the declining tree resources, particularly the indigenous tree species of high value, are increasingly threatened by a number of growing subsistence demands. This emphasises the need to establish, cultivate and conserve high-value tree species. Community forestry is recognised as a viable option for optimising land productivity; reducing pressure on indigenous forests and woodlands; ensuring a sustainable supply of desired tree products and services; and improving the quality of life of the resource-poor rural households. The primary purpose of Community Forestry Development (CFD) in the Hlabisa District is the provision of an information service and of technical support to enhance the livelihoods of rural communities by means of tree-related resources. Community forestry mainly focuses on tree resources that form an integral part of or contribute to rural people’s livelihoods. This includes small-scale growers (woodlots), woodlands and indigenous forests. Community forestry can be defined as tree growing and managed by the people for the people. Community forestry encompasses a wide range of activities which include farm forestry, agroforestry, village planting, woodlots, woodland management and indigenous-forest management by rural people, as well as tree planting in urban and peri-urban areas. Natural forests in South Africa account for less than 1 percent of the total land area. It has been suggested that these natural forests will no longer be able to meet the demand for forest products by 2020. The KwaZulu Department of Agriculture and Forestry embarked on community forestry in 1976 (but only on an ad hoc basis) as a possible solution to this dilemma. Later, the two South African pulp and paper giants, SAPPI and Mondi, started the Project Grow and Khulanathi Schemes respectively. One of the objectives of out-grower schemes was to encourage rural communities to plant trees on their own lands for the economic, social and environmental benefits trees offer. For example, timber could be sold to forestry companies. Financial assistance was offered to these communities to encourage implementation of such schemes. This exercise was aimed at bringing economic activity, capacity- building and community empowerment to the rural areas. The growers would benefit from the financial assistance and the readily available market provided by the company, while the company would be able to satisfy its demand for timber.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
- Authors: Masuku, Sipho Sikhumbuzo
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: Forests and forestry -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Forests and forestry -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Forests and forestry -- Social aspect -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Forests and forestry -- Cultural aspect -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:10743 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/818 , Forests and forestry -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Forests and forestry -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Forests and forestry -- Social aspect -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal , Forests and forestry -- Cultural aspect -- South Africa -- KwaZulu-Natal
- Description: South Africa is not well-endowed with indigenous forests and those that remain are known to be degraded and declining at an alarming rate. This constitutes a direct threat to the quality of life of the resource-poor rural households which are directly dependent on the resources indigenous forests offer, as well as to ecological integrity. It is also recognised that the declining tree resources, particularly the indigenous tree species of high value, are increasingly threatened by a number of growing subsistence demands. This emphasises the need to establish, cultivate and conserve high-value tree species. Community forestry is recognised as a viable option for optimising land productivity; reducing pressure on indigenous forests and woodlands; ensuring a sustainable supply of desired tree products and services; and improving the quality of life of the resource-poor rural households. The primary purpose of Community Forestry Development (CFD) in the Hlabisa District is the provision of an information service and of technical support to enhance the livelihoods of rural communities by means of tree-related resources. Community forestry mainly focuses on tree resources that form an integral part of or contribute to rural people’s livelihoods. This includes small-scale growers (woodlots), woodlands and indigenous forests. Community forestry can be defined as tree growing and managed by the people for the people. Community forestry encompasses a wide range of activities which include farm forestry, agroforestry, village planting, woodlots, woodland management and indigenous-forest management by rural people, as well as tree planting in urban and peri-urban areas. Natural forests in South Africa account for less than 1 percent of the total land area. It has been suggested that these natural forests will no longer be able to meet the demand for forest products by 2020. The KwaZulu Department of Agriculture and Forestry embarked on community forestry in 1976 (but only on an ad hoc basis) as a possible solution to this dilemma. Later, the two South African pulp and paper giants, SAPPI and Mondi, started the Project Grow and Khulanathi Schemes respectively. One of the objectives of out-grower schemes was to encourage rural communities to plant trees on their own lands for the economic, social and environmental benefits trees offer. For example, timber could be sold to forestry companies. Financial assistance was offered to these communities to encourage implementation of such schemes. This exercise was aimed at bringing economic activity, capacity- building and community empowerment to the rural areas. The growers would benefit from the financial assistance and the readily available market provided by the company, while the company would be able to satisfy its demand for timber.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
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