Climate change and variability are predicted to threaten agricultural production in Southern Africa. For example, Zambia's agriculture remains vulnerable to climate change and variability due to the small-scale farmers' dependence on rain-fed agriculture. Some studies in Zambia have shown the quantitative negative impacts of climate variability on agriculture; however, there is limited knowledge on how farmers perceive the impacts and adapt their agricultural systems. To fill in the knowledge gap mentioned above, the aim of the present study was to evaluate farmers' observations of climate variability impacts and their responses. The study then evaluates the integration of farmers' climate variability observations and adaptation strategies into local district plans. Such integration is deemed critical to ensure agricultural strategies promoted by extension officers are locally relevant and are adopted by the farmers. The study is based on semi-structured interviews and literature review. Thirty-one (31) farmers from Mwembeshi, Chilanga District, Zambia, participated in the study. The findings of the survey indicate that farmers in Mwembeshi are aware of their vulnerability to climate variability impacts. As a result of the observed impacts, they have developed several adaptation strategies. Through this study, extension agents were also interviewed in order find out what adaptation strategies are promoted to the farmers. The findings of the research indicate agricultural extension agents follow national agricultural adaptation strategies (top-down approach). As a result, local agricultural development plans would not specifically integrate/respond to climate variations impacts observed by the farmers. In order to engage local farmer impacts of the climate variability and their adaptation strategies into the local plans, the research suggests a more flexible (or bottom-up) approach to local development planning. Such an approach would allow the integration of local farmer observations of climate variability and their adaptation strategies into district plans. The study also found that extension agents have limited knowledge of climate variability and change, which negatively affects knowledge transfer to farmers on the subject. Therefore, training the extension officers in the subject would most likely increase farmers' knowledge on climate variability and adaptation decision.

Bibliography: leaves 113-120. / The purpose of this study is to ascertain the effects of the Overberg Test and Evaluation Facility on a rural town. Bredasdorp, the town in question, up until the announcement of the proposed Overberg Test and Evaluation Facility had developed historically on the basis of the natural needs and requirements of a rural community. Bredasdorp thus, provided services and facilities for its and the surrounding population as a natural growth point and service-centre for complimentary economic activities - mainly of an agricultural nature. The introduction of the Overberg Test and Evaluation Facility impacted on the functioning of this local farming community. This study traces this social change on the various systems operating in the community. Specifically, this study looks on the areas of economic and social change as a result of demographic change in a community. It was hoped that the introduction of the Overberg Test and Evaluation Facility would have long-term influences on the character, make-up and functioning of Bredasdorp as a rural town. In-depth interviews were held with 30 old and new inhabitants of Bredasdorp to determine their attitudes with regard to the project as primary data. Documents such as census reports, Municipal and town planning reports, education related statistics, the Hey Committe report as well as official documents from Armscor were utilized for secondary data. Findings indicate that Bredasdorp experienced a demographic growth as a result of the introduction of the Overberg Test and Evaluation Facility. This demographic growth had a trickle-down effect on the infrastructure such as water reticulation, sewerage, housing, schools, business and community facilities. Adjustments were made by the various systems involved in the change process in order to accommodate the demographic change positively. The economic/militaristic development project at Bredasdorp can be seen as a positive influence on Bredasdorp and environs.

Sustainable consumption has long been recognised as essential for the achievement of sustainable development. Whilst early efforts to achieve sustainable consumption focused on using technological innovation and process efficiencies to reduce the resource intensity of products, create new, less toxic, more environmentally friendly products, and/or improve the efficiency of production processes, the inadequacy of production-based approaches alone has been widely accepted. More recent efforts to achieve sustainable consumption have highlighted that a change in the behaviour of individuals is a prerequisite for its achievement. A significant body of research has focusing on trying to understand the determinants of pro-environmental behaviour and specifically the intersection of environmental concern and environmental knowledge in the manifestation in pro-environmental behaviour. The relatively recent concept of environmental citizenship, premised on the existence of concern and knowledge, and rooted in issues of environmental and social justice, has gained traction as an alternative means by which to achieve both sustainable development and sustainable consumption. This dissertation presents research findings from a mixed-method empirical study of the food consumption behaviour of a purposive sample of upper middle income South African retail food consumers. Applying the notion of environmental citizenship, it considers the influence of critical variables widely identified as key to the expression of pro-environmental behaviour, viz. desire to act, knowledge to act, and ability to act. Specifically it considers the relationship between environmental knowledge, environmental concern and pro-environmental behaviour, as well as the barriers and situational factors in the food retail environment which are reported to inhibit the practice of sustainable consumption behaviour. It then considers whether improvements in objective knowledge have an impact on the enactment of environmental citizenship through an increase in pro-environmental behaviour practices. The main conclusion drawn from the findings of this dissertation is that environmental concern and knowledge are positive predictors of pro-environmental behaviour. However, a low incidence of pro-environmental behaviour was evident in the study sample overall. This is most likely as a result of low levels of environmental concern and general lack of objective knowledge although a significant additional barrier could be the lack of a mature market for sustainable food in South Africa. In keeping with international studies, health concerns appear to be both most prevalent and most influential in determining the practice of pro-environmental behaviours. The study also suggests that efforts to increase levels of objective knowledge may have an impact on the practice of sustainable food consumption behaviours.

The majority of informal settlements in South Africa do not have access to reliable, safe, and clean energy. Infrastructural constraints, poor service delivery, the inapt application of policy, and the financial constraints of those living in informal settlements all contribute towards this problem of energy poverty. This dissertation argues that low carbon energy transitions, such as solar home systems, are a viable means for overcoming issues of energy poverty in informal settlements. This dissertation examines the role of urban experimentation in implementing low carbon energy transitions within informal settlements in South Africa, through exploring interactions between policy, technology and justice. The iShack Project (improved Shack) is used as a case study, to identify, analyse, and discuss the ways in which solar home systems have resulted in social and financial changes amongst the residents in Enkanini, Stellenbosch. These relate to changing fuel use patterns, reducing shack fire risk and addressing issues of access and affordability. Multilevel perspective (MLP) and the political ecology approach are the two analytical tools used to discuss the broader conditions that give rise to transitions, as well as providing a more in-depth look at the experiences of those making up the 'social' aspect of socio-technical transitions. These analytical tools informed a series of interviews, which is the primary method through which data was gathered, by highlighting prominent components of agency and power - providing greater understanding of the lived realities of the Enkanini residents. The interviewing process provided an opportunity for residents of Enkanini to voice their opinions on this urban experiment and discuss the impact iShack has had on their lives. Photographs accompany many of the findings in this dissertation and provide a valuable lens through which the lived reality of the Enkanini residents can be more accurately represented. Using the case study of the iShack Project in Enkanini, the findings of this dissertation highlight that policy, technology and justice come to positively reinforce one another in addressing the issue of energy poverty in South Africa. For example, the granting of the Free Basic Electricity (FBE) subsidy to the iShack Project has made it possible for the intermediary to address justice issues, such as the poor being able to access and afford reliable, safe, and clean electricity. Furthermore, iShack's technological innovations, such as "Flash" and the "Flash wallet" have brought about foundational changes in some values, goals, operational procedures and decision-making processes taking place in the community - especially around the notion of monetary savings. This also points to the fact that these technological innovations are physical manifestations of policy itself. The findings show that low carbon energy transitions can be a viable means of overcoming energy poverty in informal settlements and addressing issues of access and affordability for the poor. However, local government plays an important role in being able to adapt local policy in such a way that it creates an enabling environment for an intermediary to be supported or strengthened in this.

This work explores the narratives associated with the benefits of sustainable urban agriculture areas in terms of adaptation to climate change in the Cape Town Metropolitan Area, South Africa. Urbanization and climate change are stressing urban areas in developing countries. Therefore, finding a development path towards "sustainable adaptation" remains a critical matter for humanity. Adaptation is sustainable only if it takes into consideration climate risks, while maximizing both social justice and environmental integrity. Urban agriculture is defined in this dissertation as the urban and peri-urban locations where agricultural practices, either the production of crops, livestock, or fish, utilize urban resources for the purpose of selling and consuming these goods produced locally, supporting the urban economy and providing a supply of food for urban citizens. Sustainable urban agriculture encompasses urban agricultural areas operating towards the satisfaction of human food, the preservation of environmental resources, the economic viability of agriculture and the enhancement of the quality of life of farmers, farm workers, and society. This research reviews the practices and views of urban agriculture stakeholders in Cape Town on sustainable urban agriculture to determine if the practices of urban agriculture could be a part of a sustainable adaptation strategy. The methods used to answer this question included a systematic review of studies on urban agriculture worldwide since 1980, and a review of the urban agriculture and adaptation to climate change policies which are implemented at the metropolitan level, all supported and tested through interviews with key informants. Non-Government Organization (NGO)-based community farming initiatives such as Oranjezicht City Farm, Abalimi Bezekhaya or the ERF 81, independent farmers, municipal and provincial government representatives were interviewed. A critical discourse analysis method was utilized to analyze the findings. The study found that the narratives at the metropolitan level, including the policies and the views of governmental representatives, remains focused on the food security contribution whereas the practitioners' narrative expressed an interest in the economic opportunities and social benefits that sustainable urban agriculture can bring, as stated by the literature on sustainable urban agriculture. The key practitioners and NGOs narratives suggest that sustainable urban agriculture is contributing to the adaptive capacity of the farmers as they are using practices such as permaculture or organic farming, which allow them to cope with the impacts of climate variability and climate change. If sustainable farming practices were emphasized instead of farming practices towards small-scale, home-based activity to improve households' food security, the adaptation framework at the municipal and provincial level would be aligned with practitioners and NGOs narratives and would contribute to the sustainable adaptation capacity of the city. The recent shift within the City of Cape Town towards the broad concept of resilience could bridge the gap between current policy and practices, and informants' narratives, but it remains too soon for this to be tested. This study concludes suggesting that the analysis of the informants' and literature's narratives on sustainable urban agriculture express potential to contribute to climate change adaptation and the reduction of vulnerability in Cape Town but alignment between policy and practitioners' needs, wants and actions needs to take place.

Global climate change models indicate that a rise in temperature and reduction in rainfall in the Western Cape Province of South Africa is inevitable and unavoidable. Within the Western Cape lies the Cape Floristic Region (CFR); a biodiversity hotspot with high levels of endemism. This includes its freshwater fish assemblage. Whereas the current greatest threats to native fish biodiversity are habitat degradation and invasion by non-native species, predicted climate change is likely to further impact fish communities negatively. As a master abiotic variable in aquatic ecosystems; temperature influences the fitness, behaviour, and life-histories of aquatic biota. Thermal alteration may therefore affect sensitive fish species. The upper thermal limit, determined via the critical thermal method, has been validated as a measure of thermal sensitivity. To better understand the impacts of climate change on the native fish of the CFR, upper thermal limits (critical thermal maxima/CTmax) were determined for seven native species of freshwater fish. Thermal preferences were also determined for five of these species using the acute gradient tank approach to elucidate thermal habitat preferences. Species that were identified by the IUCN as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered were selected from the four main families of native fish in the CFR (Anabantidae, Austroglanidae, Cyprinidae, and Galaxiidae), from four Rivers. Overall, Cape galaxias (Galaxias zebratus), Breede River redfin (Pseudobarbus burchelli), Berg River redfin (Pseudobarbus burgi), Clanwilliam redfin (Pseudobarbus calidus), and fiery redfin (Pseudobarbus phlegethon) were found to be most sensitive to increased temperature (CTmax= 29.8-32.7⁰C). Clanwilliam rock-catfish (Austroglanis gilli) and Cape kurper (Sandelia capensis) were found to be moderately sensitive (CTmax= 33.0-35.3⁰C). Similar trends were found using the thermal preference approach as CTmax and thermal preference were found to correlate well. The results were related to in-situ water temperature, which influenced both parameters. Thermal tolerances and preferences of all the native species exceed that of invasive salmonids (Onchorynchus mykiss and Salmo trutta). However, non-native centrarchids (Micropterus spp.) are more thermally tolerant, indicating an increase in threat by warm adapted non-natives. These data suggest that species interactions and distributions are likely to undergo substantial changes in response to elevated water temperature.

Microfinance organisations represent a potential opportunity to promote adaptation of smallholder farmers. Without access to credit, this group of farmers has few opportunities to invest in adequate technologies and practices required to respond to climate variability and change. In this context, this study explores how Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) can be capacitated in order to assist smallholder farmers to respond to climate change. The core objective of the study is to identify opportunities and needs to foster smallholders' adaptation through MFIs. The study is informed by a survey involving 13 MFIs operating in Southern Mozambique. This paper finds that although MFIs are aware that climate risks affect their services in regards to a wider rural economy, these organisations do not have explicit policies to deal with climate risks. It also finds that majority of MFIs' managers recognise the potential for mainstreaming climate variability and change into services they provide to smallholders. However, for MFIs to achieve this they will require training of agents in climate related knowledge and adaptation, better access to climate related information, assistance in aspects of planning taking into consideration climate related risks and clear understanding of the benefits of investing in adaptation.

Globally, agriculture is one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate change. Despite the high coping capacity of large-scale commercial agri-firms in South Africa, they are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, particularly due to the semi-arid nature of the country and the frequency of droughts. Vulnerability at the farm-level has major implications for overall agri-supply chain resilience as the impact at the farm level is transmitted up and down the chain. Whilst large-scale commercial agrifirms are adapting autonomously some authors suggest that it won't be enough for them to manage the risks and impacts brought about by the expected rate of climate change. Enhancing the agri-firms' adaptive capacity to adapt proactively – in anticipation of climate change – could be essential to increase supply chain resilience and thus maintain economic development and safeguard employment in the agriculture sector in South Africa. The sustainable supply chain literature indicates that more powerful stakeholders, such as the retailers, have a bigger role to play up and down the chain. The retailer is in a strategic position to influence both supply and demand and thus have a powerful effect on the capacity of the agri-supply chain to proactively adapt to climate change. This study therefore aimed to look at the role of the retailer as an enabler to proactive adaptation at the farm-level for large-scale commercial agri-firms' in South Africa. The study used a qualitative research approach and looked at six agri-firms to gain a deeper understanding of the agri-firms perceptions of the retailer as an enabler and answered three objectives, i) to identify how the agri-firms were responding to climate risks, ii) to identify what barriers constrain proactive adaptation and iii) to explore what role the retailer could play in overcoming those specific barriers to proactive adaptation. The results of the study showed that the agri-firms' relatively high capacity to cope with climate variability, translated into incremental and system adaptation measures and included technological, land use management and financial insurance measures. These responses were, however, often reactive with few agri-firms regarding climate change as a high risk. Their key barriers to more proactive adaptation were: financial (e.g. cost-benefit), information (e.g. uncertainty around climate change impacts and projections), technological (e.g. inadequate research and development), organisational (shareholders only interested in short-term return on investments) and included constraints within the agri-supply chain (e.g. consumer demands for the perfect fruit). To overcome these barriers the respondents suggested a variety of measures that the retailer could do to enhance the adaptive capacity of agri-firms both directly (e.g. research at farm level, funding sustainability programs) and indirectly (e.g. influencing consumers, supporting technological development, supporting large scale research and influencing government policy). Further research on how the retailer perceives itself as an enabler (and whether its perceptions align with the agri-firms) would be necessary to ensure that shared value is created in response to shared risk.

"Zero emissions, zero poverty" has become an ambitious target to fight climate change and reduce poverty at the same time. In Kenya, eradication of extreme poverty through economic growth is one of the aims to be achieved by the Government of Kenya by 2030. Historically, economic growth has been directly linked to increased emissions. Poverty eradication through economic growth is proving to be challenging due to the fact that both developed and developing countries are expected to mitigate climate change through emissions reduction. Despite the challenge, Kenya has prioritised low carbon development as a means to eradicate poverty and mitigate climate change. "Clean coal" is one of the low carbon developments that the country has proposed. This study investigates how "clean coal" can assist Kenya to remain low carbon and develop properly. The analysis of the literature and qualitative data consists of three parts: the first analysis establishes the relationship between emissions and poverty in Kenya. The second part of the analysis assesses the literature on cost, environmental, social and economic consequences of clean coal as a low carbon development. The third component analyses the discourse of the actors involved in the decision-making process to understand the controversy for and against clean coal in Kenya. The study finds that there is possibly a link between poverty and emissions in Kenya and that improved socio-economic development results in increased emissions. The study also suggested that efforts to develop may be hindered by the increasing rate of inequality. The discourse analysis highlighted that Lamu Coal Power Plant may lead to economic development through employment and economic growth.; which comes at a high cost on environmental degradation (increased emissions and pollution) and increased deprivations (negatively impacted livelihood, health deterioration and displacement) that are likely to result in increasing poverty.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 80-85). / This dissertation attempts to give a better understanding of how the different social environments in Cape Town and Johannesburg influence organisational culture at The Company and how this impacts on the ways that black African managers navigate borders and negotiate identity in the workplace. The hypothesis of this study is that race and 'laid-backness' are key differentiating factors between The Company in Cape Town and in Johannesburg. This is a descriptive case study that mixes both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collecting and analysing data, however it is primarily a qualitative study. The study focuses on two branches of the same company. 43 out of a total of 138 black African managers were surveyed and 22 of these were interviewed. The selection was a good cross-section of all middle and senior black African managers, as well as from both genders. A questionnaire comprising of a 21-point values survey and a series of open-ended unstructured and structured questions was used in the quantitative data collection process. A semi-structured interview schedule was used in the qualitative data collection process. The qualitative data was analysed using Miles and Huberman's (2004) two-level coding process with the assistance of Nvivo and the quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics with the assistance of Statistica.