The main purpose of this dissertation is to study whether the official rhetoric on the role that cooperatives could play in the quest for agricultural modernisation in Uganda have any resemblance with how farmers view the benefits and problem with cooperation. This question was motivated by the political initiative in the early 21st century to revive the cooperative movement in Uganda, a movement burdened with a history of political intervention and difficulties to adapt to a de-regulated agricultural market system. In the thesis, the move to revive the cooperative movement is linked to another more encompassing political initiative, that of the modernisation and commercialisation of small-scale agriculture. The book consists of two empirical studies, where interviews and text analysis have been important research methods. By first analysing the rhetoric emanating from political institutions and donor agencies, the conclusion is drawn that cooperatives are seen primarily as an institutional device which, it is hoped, will fill spaces that have been abandoned by the state and not filled with private sector initiatives. A focused case study of a dairy cooperative and a number of its members in Uganda shows that farmers’ expectations of the cooperative to some extent converge with those revealed in the first study: for example they expected the cooperative to provide a stable outlet for their production of milk. The interviews and quantitative analysis indicate that farmers’ preferences for both fast cash and a stable income can create incentives for members to free-ride on the collective efforts of their fellow members. This can be cumbersome in a competitive marketing situation where other buyers compete with the cooperative for the members’ produce. The cooperative can find it difficult to secure a necessary level of member commitment if members do not share a common code of conduct.

Summary: Swaziland has long had a disparity between the supply and demand of milk. Even at present milk production continues to be less than the market demand. The quantitative contribution of smallholder dairy farmers to local milk production remains unknown because of poor record keeping. This study was aimed at attaining a clear understanding of the dynamics of smallholder dairying in Swaziland, including the identification and understanding of the constraints faced by farmers in dairying, with the hope of devising workable solutions to them. A sample of 118 smallholder dairy farms were covered in this study, with a total herd of 306 lactating cows, comprising mainly of Jerseys and Holstein Friesians, with some cross breeds. There were no significant differences in mean milk yield/cow with respect to farmer gender (P > 0.05) and Agro-ecological zone location (P > 0.05) of the farms. Milking frequency had a significant effect on milk yield, since cattle milked once a day had lower (P < 0.05) milk yields than those milked twice a day. The cattle had extensively long calving intervals i.e. 448 ± 166 days, ranging from 292 to 1082 days. Low milk yield and poor reproductive performance of cattle were found to be mainly due to poor nutrition, breeding practices and stock quality. These are primarily a result of insufficient farmer training and inadequate technical assistance, scarce availability of quality stock, lack of investment resources and market support that includes favourable milk prices for farmers to make money. This performance of the Swazi smallholder dairy herd was then evaluated by comparing it to the performance of a larger, well-managed herd of known pedigree. Lactation records from 252 Jersey cows and 108 Holstein Friesian cows were obtained from Cedara Agricultural Research Institute, covering the periods; July, 2002 to July, 2004 and November, 2002 to April, 2004, respectively. Cows were grouped by parity and calving season and the gamma function proposed by Wood (Y = An(b) e(-cn)) was used to fit standard lactation curves on group data. The curve parameters A and b increased with parity, while that of c and s (persistency of lactation at peak) decreased, producing standard lactation curves save for the Holstein Friesian summer calvers, which produced atypical curves. The R(2) values (goodness of fit) increased with parity. Animal parity and calving season were found to influence the peak and shape of the lactation curves and their parameter estimates. The performance of the Swazi smallholder herd showed a mean deviation of the observed daily milk yield of the Holstein Friesian breed from the expected yield to be - 3.47 (SD 6.052) kg and that of the Jersey breed was - 16.92 (SD 5.473) kg. The mean proportional deviation of observed milk yield from the expected yield for the Holstein Friesian breed was - 0.3 (SD 0.37) and that of the Jersey breed to be - 0.6 (SD 0.19). The proportional milk yield deviation of the Holstein Friesian breed can be explained using the equation Y = O.1322(SE = 0.1293) x - 2.3581 (SE = 0.20639), where x = expected milk yield and Y is the proportional deviation of the observed milk yield deviation from the expected milk yield. With respect to the smallholder Jersey breed, no relationship was found that could explain the proportional milk yield deviation. The smallholder herd was shown to be underperforming, considering the potential for higher milk yields of the two breeds. In the quest to gain a greater understanding of the dynamics of smallholder dairying, the sample of 118 farmers was further analysed using multivariate statistics to categorise them based on their herd sizes, herd structures, management and success perceptions in dairying. The analysis produced three clusters (categories): cluster 1 had the largest herd sizes and poor milk production efficiency; cluster 2 had intermediate herd sizes, the highest number of farmers and more efficient milk production per cow. This cluster, however, had the highest proportion of calf mortalities. Cluster 3 had the smallest herd size, the lowest calf to cow ratio and the second highest calf mortality. Record keeping across all clusters was very poor and the average milk yield per cow was generally low. Most of the farmers do not appreciate the importance of annual calving of their cows as an integral part of the success of their dairy projects and winter feed supplementation is very poor across all the clusters. There remains a great need for the enlightenment of the farmers on the importance of good nutrition, breeding, calf rearing and record keeping in successful dairying. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / Analyzes the technical efficiency and economic profitability of commercial dairy farmers from Ceara State. The stochastic frontier production methodology was used to estimate milk producersâ technical efficiency. As primary conclusion, the study observed a high rate of mean technical efficiency in the set of companies, about 80%, which points, however, to a relevant space to the unitiesâ efficiency growth, especially considering the efficiency rates dispersion. As it regards to the variables used to define the production frontier, all of them were statistically significant, and the expense with labor was the variable that presented the main contribution to the production growth. Among variables used to explain technical inefficiency, all resulted significant, and the genetic group of the herd was the one that presented the main participation at decreasing inefficiency. After the estimative of each companyâs efficiency, the present research analyzed the behavior of some technical indicators of productivity and economic profitability. It found that as the technical efficiency of the unities increased the indexes of productivity also improved, as well as a reduction of operational expenses and an elevation of profit margins. Finally, the research focused the important correlation between the efficiency level and the volume produced, suggesting a scale effect on milk production. / Analisa a eficiÃncia tÃcnica e a rentabilidade econÃmica dos produtores comerciais de leite do Estado do CearÃ. A metodologia de fronteiras estocÃsticas de produÃÃo foi utilizada para estimar a eficiÃncia tÃcnica dos produtores. Como principais conclusÃes, observou-se elevada taxa de eficiÃncia tÃcnica mÃdia para o conjunto das firmas, em torno de 80%, indicando, contudo, um espaÃo relevante para o crescimento da eficiÃncia das unidades, principalmente se for considerada a dispersÃo das taxas de eficiÃncia. Em relaÃÃo Ãs variÃveis utilizadas para definir a fronteira de produÃÃo, todas foram estatisticamente significativas, sendo a despesa com mÃo-de-obra aquela que apresentou maior contribuiÃÃo para o crescimento da produÃÃo, enquanto, das variÃveis utilizadas para explicar a ineficiÃncia tÃcnica, todas se mostraram significativas, sendo a composiÃÃo racial do rebanho aquela que apresentou maior participaÃÃo para a reduÃÃo da ineficiÃncia. ApÃs a estimativa da eficiÃncia de cada firma, estudou-se o comportamento de alguns indicadores tÃcnicos de produtividade e de rentabilidade econÃmica, percebeu-se que, Ã medida que crescia a eficiÃncia tÃcnica das unidades, observava-se tambÃm melhora nos Ãndices de produtividade, uma reduÃÃo dos custos operacionais e elevaÃÃo das margens de rentabilidade. Por fim, foi observada importante correlaÃÃo entre o nÃvel de eficiÃncia e o volume produzido, indicando um efeito-escala na produÃÃo de leite.

Submitted by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2018-05-03T20:32:30Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertacao_Marina_Oliveira_Daneluz.pdf: 1217005 bytes, checksum: 9564714600c1628a6747455b8364a604 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2018-05-04T21:27:47Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao_Marina_Oliveira_Daneluz.pdf: 1217005 bytes, checksum: 9564714600c1628a6747455b8364a604 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-04T21:27:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao_Marina_Oliveira_Daneluz.pdf: 1217005 bytes, checksum: 9564714600c1628a6747455b8364a604 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / O principal objetivo do estudo é desenvolver e testar um modelo que enfatiza a relação da orientação empreendedora (OE) e da capacidade gerencial (CG) no desempenho de propriedades agrícolas. Esta dissertação examina também o efeito destas variáveis nas expectativas de desempenho e no planejamento sucessório de propriedades agrícolas. Dados de corte transversal foram coletados de uma amostra de 158 produtores de leite em 2017 no Brasil, de duas cooperativas localizadas na região Sul do país. Foi aplicada uma modelagem através de path analysis para validar o modelo hipotetizado. Os resultados mostram que entre as dimensões da OE, a inovação tem o maior impacto no desempenho e também na CG. A CG não se relaciona significativamente com o desempenho atual das propriedades, mas com a expectativa de desempenho, que por sua vez impacta o planejamento sucessório das propriedades. A idade dos produtores modera as relações hipotetisadas no modelo, especialmente entre os efeitos da inovação, da proatividade e da CG no desempenho. / The main objective of the study is to develop and test a model that emphasizes the relation between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and managerial capacity (MC) as for performance on agricultural properties. This article examines the effect of these variables on performance expectations as well as succession planning on agricultural properties. Cross - sectional data were collected out of a sample of 158 dairy farmers in 2017 in Brazil. Applied modeling was used through path analysis to validate the hypothesized model. Results show that between EO dimensions, innovativity has the greatest impact on performance as well as on MC. MC is not significantly related to the current performance on dairy farms, but it is so to the performance expectation, which in turn has an impact on the succession planning on dairy farms. The age of the dairy farmers moderates the relations hypothesized in the model, especially between the effects of the innovativity, the proactivity and MC regarding performance.

O uso de ferramentas de gestão favorece a eficiência de um negócio, uma vez que por meio da coleta de dados produtivos e financeiros um empresário consegue tomar as melhores decisões. Os bovinocultores de leite podem obter melhores resultados nos seus negócios ao coletar e analisar dados. Porém o uso de ferramentas de gestão por esta categoria de produtores se mostra incipiente por uma série de razões. Pesquisas sobre gestão em propriedades produtoras de leite no Brasil consideram, principalmente, aspectos produtivos e financeiros, não estudando outras ferramentas de gestão, como o planejamento. A microrregião de Franca, Estado de São Paulo, apresentou queda de 12% em número de propriedades produtoras de leite entre 2007 e 2015, porém houve aumento de 37% na produção. Este trabalho teve como objetivo identificar se a gestão ou a falta dela influencia os produtores de leite na tomada de decisão de continuar ou sair da atividade. Foi realizado levantamento bibliográfico sobre a gestão em propriedades produtoras de leite e encontrou-se que o empreendedorismo, o controle dos aspectos produtivos, a resiliência, os arranjos produtivos horizontais foram importantes na análise dos melhores resultados. Outro achado nos trabalhos estudados foi que os produtores de leite consideram fatores não econômicos ao tomarem decisões. Foram realizadas 25 entrevistas qualitativas com produtores de leite, nas quais se avaliou se a gestão era prática dos respondentes, quais ferramentas eram utilizadas por eles e se a gestão era decisiva para que eles continuassem na atividade. O estudo também objetivou saber quais eram os fatores não econômicos levados em consideração por eles ao decidirem expandir a atividade, manter como está ou sair da mesma. Ao avaliar as respostas, encontrou-se que o uso de ferramentas de gestão vai tornando-se mais sofisticado conforme aumenta o nível de escolaridade dos produtores. Os produtores de leite levavam em consideração fatores não econômicos (valores) no momento de tomar uma decisão, tais como: legado, tradição (herança), gosto pela vida no campo, gostar da atividade leiteira, independência etc. Eles consideravam, ademais, fatores econômicos, tais como: venda de animais, pagamento mensal e lucratividade. Ao que parece, o uso de ferramentas de gestão não teve influência direta na tomada de decisão do produtor em continuar na atividade, uma vez que produtores que não utilizavam qualquer ferramenta demonstraram interesse na continuidade, muito embora os produtores que utilizavam ferramentas de gestão eram os mais eficientes. / The use of management tools favors the efficiency of a business, once production and financial data can be used for the entrepreneur to make better choices. Dairy farmers can get better results in their business by collecting and analyzing data, but the use of management tools by dairy farmers is different when there´s a comparison between the farmers, due to a number of reasons. Researches on management in dairy farmers in Brasil mainly consider productive and financial aspects and there´s a lack of studies on management tools, such as planning. There was a decrease of 12% in number of dairy farms in micro region of Franca, São Paulo State, between 2007 and 2015, but, at the same time, there was a 37% increase in production. This work had as objective to identify if the management or the lack of it influences the dairy farmers in the decision making to continue or leave the activity. It was made a survey about management practices on dairy farmers at the literature and it was found that entrepreneurship, control of productive aspects, resilience, and horizontal productive arrangements were important in the analysis of the best results. Another finding in these studies was that dairy farmers consider non-economic factors when making decisions. 25 qualitative interviews were conducted with dairy farmers in which it was evaluated whether the management was practiced by the respondents, which tools were used by them and if management was decisive for them to continue in the activity. This study also objected to know what were the non-economic factors taken into account by them when deciding to expand the activity, to maintain as it is or to leave. When evaluating the answers, it was found that the use of management tools is becoming more sophisticated as the level of education of the farmers increases. Dairy farmers took into account non-economic factors (values) at the moment of making a decision, such as: legacy, tradition (inheritance), enjoy working in rural areas, enjoy the dairy activity, independence etc. They considered, in addition, economic factors, such as: sale of animals, monthly payment and profitability. It seems the use of management tools had no direct influence on the decision of the dairy farmer to continue in the activity, since farmers who did not use any management tools showed interest in the continuity. Although those farmers that used management tools were the most eficiente.

O uso de ferramentas de gestão favorece a eficiência de um negócio, uma vez que por meio da coleta de dados produtivos e financeiros um empresário consegue tomar as melhores decisões. Os bovinocultores de leite podem obter melhores resultados nos seus negócios ao coletar e analisar dados. Porém o uso de ferramentas de gestão por esta categoria de produtores se mostra incipiente por uma série de razões. Pesquisas sobre gestão em propriedades produtoras de leite no Brasil consideram, principalmente, aspectos produtivos e financeiros, não estudando outras ferramentas de gestão, como o planejamento. A microrregião de Franca, Estado de São Paulo, apresentou queda de 12% em número de propriedades produtoras de leite entre 2007 e 2015, porém houve aumento de 37% na produção. Este trabalho teve como objetivo identificar se a gestão ou a falta dela influencia os produtores de leite na tomada de decisão de continuar ou sair da atividade. Foi realizado levantamento bibliográfico sobre a gestão em propriedades produtoras de leite e encontrou-se que o empreendedorismo, o controle dos aspectos produtivos, a resiliência, os arranjos produtivos horizontais foram importantes na análise dos melhores resultados. Outro achado nos trabalhos estudados foi que os produtores de leite consideram fatores não econômicos ao tomarem decisões. Foram realizadas 25 entrevistas qualitativas com produtores de leite, nas quais se avaliou se a gestão era prática dos respondentes, quais ferramentas eram utilizadas por eles e se a gestão era decisiva para que eles continuassem na atividade. O estudo também objetivou saber quais eram os fatores não econômicos levados em consideração por eles ao decidirem expandir a atividade, manter como está ou sair da mesma. Ao avaliar as respostas, encontrou-se que o uso de ferramentas de gestão vai tornando-se mais sofisticado conforme aumenta o nível de escolaridade dos produtores. Os produtores de leite levavam em consideração fatores não econômicos (valores) no momento de tomar uma decisão, tais como: legado, tradição (herança), gosto pela vida no campo, gostar da atividade leiteira, independência etc. Eles consideravam, ademais, fatores econômicos, tais como: venda de animais, pagamento mensal e lucratividade. Ao que parece, o uso de ferramentas de gestão não teve influência direta na tomada de decisão do produtor em continuar na atividade, uma vez que produtores que não utilizavam qualquer ferramenta demonstraram interesse na continuidade, muito embora os produtores que utilizavam ferramentas de gestão eram os mais eficientes. / The use of management tools favors the efficiency of a business, once production and financial data can be used for the entrepreneur to make better choices. Dairy farmers can get better results in their business by collecting and analyzing data, but the use of management tools by dairy farmers is different when there´s a comparison between the farmers, due to a number of reasons. Researches on management in dairy farmers in Brasil mainly consider productive and financial aspects and there´s a lack of studies on management tools, such as planning. There was a decrease of 12% in number of dairy farms in micro region of Franca, São Paulo State, between 2007 and 2015, but, at the same time, there was a 37% increase in production. This work had as objective to identify if the management or the lack of it influences the dairy farmers in the decision making to continue or leave the activity. It was made a survey about management practices on dairy farmers at the literature and it was found that entrepreneurship, control of productive aspects, resilience, and horizontal productive arrangements were important in the analysis of the best results. Another finding in these studies was that dairy farmers consider non-economic factors when making decisions. 25 qualitative interviews were conducted with dairy farmers in which it was evaluated whether the management was practiced by the respondents, which tools were used by them and if management was decisive for them to continue in the activity. This study also objected to know what were the non-economic factors taken into account by them when deciding to expand the activity, to maintain as it is or to leave. When evaluating the answers, it was found that the use of management tools is becoming more sophisticated as the level of education of the farmers increases. Dairy farmers took into account non-economic factors (values) at the moment of making a decision, such as: legacy, tradition (inheritance), enjoy working in rural areas, enjoy the dairy activity, independence etc. They considered, in addition, economic factors, such as: sale of animals, monthly payment and profitability. It seems the use of management tools had no direct influence on the decision of the dairy farmer to continue in the activity, since farmers who did not use any management tools showed interest in the continuity. Although those farmers that used management tools were the most eficiente.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Technology: Public Management, Durban University of Technology, 2017. / Disasters are on the increase globally with devastating effects. The devastation caused by these disasters in various countries highlights the need for increased commitment and investment, by government and various stakeholders, in disaster risk reduction. This study investigated disaster risk reduction strategies in Zimbabwe’s dairy supply chains. The study was initiated on the premise that Zimbabwe is at high risk and vulnerable to natural and man-made hazards. The study is set in the backdrop of declining output across all agricultural sectors evident particularly in the dairy farming sector that has seen inadequate supply of raw milk and dairy products by local producers in Zimbabwe. This study therefore sought to assess the collaborative strategies by government, dairy organisations and dairy supply chain stakeholders to reduce disaster risks in the dairy industry. The study employed a mixed-method approach (qualitative and quantitative) to investigate collaborative disaster risk reduction strategies used by dairy supply chain stakeholders to avoid supply chain disruptions. The study used a sample size of 92 dairy farmers, from major milk producing regions of Zimbabwe, for the questionnaire. The Cronbach alpha test for reliability showed a reliable questionnaire. Furthermore, the study used information from key informants, 30 retailers and 20 dairy officers for one-on-one interviews. Quantitative data was analysed using STATA (version 13). OLS regression analysis was done and results were compared with those of the Tobit models as a test for robustness of the results. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis derived from observations and interviews and descriptive statistics presented in tables and bar charts. Notable in the literature reviewed is lack of coordination amongst stakeholders in strategies to reduce disaster risks in dairy supply chains in Zimbabwe. This study adopted a collaborative proactive framework and tested it as a strategy to reduce disaster risks in dairy supply chains. The study gives four major findings. Firstly, dairy supply chains in Zimbabwe were exposed to a number of risks which are: international competition, competition from local giants, financial risks, political risks, technological risks, environmental risks and production risks. Secondly, findings from regression analysis indicated that an overall index of disaster risks significantly influenced job losses, food security, milk productivity and growth of ventures in dairy businesses. Thirdly, there were isolated cases of planned coordination by stakeholders in the industry to reduce the negative effects of disasters across the supply chain. There was collaboration among dairy farmers, processors, NGOs, and government departments of agriculture and environment. Fourthly, an index of collaborative strategies regressed against dependent variables of variables of supply chain cost, lead time milk sales, and variety and quality of milk demonstrated that collaborative strategies in dairy supply chain significantly influenced supply chain costs and variety and quality of milk and milk products. It is expected that the study will assist government in the formulation of public policies for the dairy sector leading to improved access to high quality raw milk and milk products for consumers thus resulting in improved nutrition and food security for the people of Zimbabwe. Policy recommendations highlight that instead of the current maximum of the 5 year lease given to white commercial farmers, the government should consider issuing out long term leases in order to protect long-term investment in dairy projects. Government should, therefore, create an enabling environment for stakeholder partnerships in the dairy sector. / D

Les éleveurs laitiers-bovins présentent une incidence plus élevée de symptômes respiratoires et de maladies broncho-pulmonaires que la population générale. Un facteur de risque important serait l’exposition professionnelle à divers aéro-contaminants d’origine biologique et chimique. Les déterminants professionnels de ces expositions et les effets biologiques des contaminants inhalés de manière répétée restent cependant mal connus. Dans ce contexte, les travaux réalisés au cours de cette thèse avaient pour objectifs i) de rechercher les déterminants professionnels de l’exposition aux bio-aérosols thoraciques (poussières organiques, endotoxines, bactéries et moisissures), à l’ammoniac et à l’acétaldéhyde, et ii) de caractériser les effets pro-inflammatoires des poussières thoraciques émises lors de la tâche de paillage mécanisé qui est connue pour induire une forte exposition aux bio-aérosols. Pour atteindre ces objectifs, nous avons réalisé une campagne de 112 mesures individuelles répétées dans 29 exploitations laitières d’élevage bovin localisées en Bretagne. Par l’utilisation de modèles multivariés à effets mixtes, nous montrons que l’exposition aux bio-aérosols est majoritairement induite par l’exécution de tâches liées à la distribution de litières et d’aliments (paille, foin, ensilage). L’exposition à l’ammoniac est fortement dépendante du nombre de vaches présentes dans l’exploitation et des temps passés en stabulation et en salle de traite. L’exposition à l’acétaldéhyde est dépendante de la taille de l’exploitation et des tâches liées à la distribution d’ensilage. Nos travaux soulignent également qu’une augmentation de la surface des ouvertures de la stabulation est associée à une réduction significative de l’exposition aux moisissures, à l’ammoniac et à l’acétaldéhyde. Enfin, notre étude montre que les poussières émises lors du paillage mécanisé ont (1) une taille leur permettant de se déposer majoritairement dans les régions trachéo-bronchiques, (2) une composition bactériologique et fongique complexe et (3) in vitro des effets pro-inflammatoires puissants induisant l’expression de TNF-α, d’IL-1β, d’IL-6 et d’IL-8 dans des macrophages humains. Au total, ces travaux de thèse ont permis d’identifier des activités professionnelles et des caractéristiques d’exploitations augmentant significativement les niveaux d’expositions des éleveurs laitiers-bovins à des contaminants chimiques et à des poussières organiques pouvant théoriquement se déposer dans les tissus bronchiques où sont censées se développer différentes maladies broncho-pulmonaires. Les modèles statistiques développés au cours de la thèse permettent dès à présent la reconstitution des expositions des éleveurs et pourront être utilisés dans de futures études épidémiologiques et dans l’élaboration de programmes de prévention. / Dairy farmers have an increased risk of lower airway diseases that is likely related to occupational exposures to airborne contaminants. Nevertheless, occupational determinants of dairy farmers’ exposures remain poorly documented and the biological effects of the contaminants chronically inhaled by farmers need to be fully characterized. In this context, the objectives of this PhD thesis were i) to identify the occupational determinants of exposure to thoracic bio-aerosols (organic dusts, endotoxins, bacteria and moulds), ammonia and acetaldehyde, and ii) to characterize the pro-inflammatory effects of thoracic dusts emitted during the mechanical spreading of straw bedding, a task well-known to generate inhalable dusts. To achieve these goals, we carried out a 112-repeated exposure measurement campaign on 29 dairy farms located in Britany. Using multivariate mixed-effect regression models, we have demonstrated that farmers’ exposures to bio-aerosols were mainly induced by tasks related to bedding material distribution and cow feeding (straw, hay, silage). Exposure levels to ammonia were highly dependent on cow numbers and times spent by the farmers in stable and milking parlour. Acetaldehyde exposure was modulated according to the farm size and times spent to distribute silage. Our work also highlighted that an increase of the area of wall opening significantly reduced exposure to mould, acetaldehyde and ammonia. Finally, our study showed that dusts emitted during mechanical straw spreading have (1) a size small enough to allow them to deposit in the tracheobronchial regions, (2) a complex bacterial and fungal composition, and (3) strong in vitro pro-inflammatory effects that induced TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 expression in human macrophages. In conclusion, these results have identified different dairy farm characteristics and occupational tasks that significantly increased the exposure levels to chemical contaminants and thoracic organic dusts. Statistical models built during this research project already allow reconstitution of dairy farmers’ exposure that may of use in future epidemiological studies and to develop new preventive measures.

SimGas B.V. is a Dutch company and is today the largest supplier of biogas systems in EastAfrica. Since 2013, SimGas has been developing a biogas-driven milk chiller in order to provide a solution to the milk spoilage problem of small-scale dairy farmers in East-Africa. In this project, a case study was conducted to identify the challenges of applying sustainability and usability in developing a product for an East-African market. In the case study, Ellinore Seybolt and Carrie Zhong, Master students of Industrial Design Engineering at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, joined the process of developing a biogas-driven milk chiller for East-African farmers as interns at the company SimGas B.V. in The Hague, The Netherlands. The project was performed in close collaboration with the research and development team of the Biogas Milk Chiller. As part of this collaboration, the structure of the project was adapted to fit SimGas’ agile way of working. This resulted in that the project was divided in sprints. Participating in a design process for users overseas from a different culture and with the absence of direct contact with the users proved to be a challenge. Towards the end, Ellinore and Carrie got the opportunity to meet users in a field trip that could validate many assumptions made in the beginning of the project, such as that it was indeed the wife of the household who would be the main user. Furthermore, it proved challenging to design for sustainability with a low target cost price and when promising materials found, they were not yet ready for the market. To propose a sustainable disposal of the remains of the product in East-Africa, also proved to be challenging when the available facilities were unknown. Another challenge was to integrate into the culture of a small Dutch company as Swedish interns. The project resulted in alternative design solutions for the Biogas Milk Chiller that would improve the usability and sustainability of the product. The conclusions of this project can also be seen as a foundation for design choices of future Biogas Milk Chiller concepts for SimGas B.V. / SimGas B.V. är ett nederländskt företag som i dagsläget är den största leverantören av biogassystem i Östafrika. Sedan 2013 har SimGas utvecklat en biogasdriven mjölkkylare för att förse en lösning på problemet med mjölk som surnar för småskaliga mejeribönder i Östafrika. I detta examensarbete har en fallstudie gjorts för att identifiera utmaningarna av att tillämpa hållbarhet och användarvänlighet inom en produktutvecklingsprocess mot den östafrikanska marknaden. I fallstudien tog Ellinore Seybolt och Carrie Zhong, mastersstudenter inom Teknisk Design på Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, del av produktutvecklingsprocessen för en biogasdriven mjölkkylare riktad mot östafrikanska bönder, som praktikanter hos SimGas B.V. i Haag, Nederländerna. Projektet utfördes i nära samarbete med utvecklingsgruppen för produkten. Projektet anpassades utefter SimGas agila sätt att arbeta. Det resulterade i att projektet blev uppdelat i sprintar. Att ta del av en utvecklingsprocess riktad mot användare från en annan kontinent och kultur utan att ha direkt kontakt med dem visade sig vara utmanande. Mot slutet av projektet gjordes en fältresa där antaganden som gjorts i början av projektet kunde bekräftas, som att det var frun i hushållet som skulle vara huvudanvändaren. Det visade sig även att vara en utmaning att utveckla produkten ur ett mer miljövänligt perspektiv då budgeten var låg och hittade lovande material inte ännu fanns tillgänglig på marknaden. Att hitta en lösning på hur produkten skulle kunna skrotas på ett ansvarsfullt sätt var också utmanande då det var svårt att få information om vilka möjligheter som fanns i Östafrika. Ännu en utmaning var att som svenska praktikanter integrera i den nederländska företagskulturen. Projektet resulterade i alternativa designlösningar för den biogasdrivna mjölkkylaren som skulle öka dess användarvänlighet och miljövänlighet. Resultatet av arbetet kan även tänkt att kunna användas av SimGas som underlag för framtida designval kring mjölkkylaren.

This study presents two separate competitiveness analyses to assess changes in, and factors influencing, the long-term competitiveness of a panel of commercial milk producers in East Griqualand (EG), South Africa. The Unit Cost Ratio (UCR) method was used to measure competitiveness of EG milk producers. It is defined as the ratio of dairy enterprise accounting costs plus an opportunity cost of management at 5% of milk revenue, to total dairy enterprise revenue. The initial UCR analysis was used to partly investigate the impact of dairy market deregulation on the relative competitiveness of EG milk producers over the period 1983 to 2006. The results of this UCR analysis found that the sample of EG milk producers were not competitive based on the net local price, PL, received for milk but were competitive when dairy cattle trading income was included. This suggests that dairy cattle trading income played an important role in enhancing the competitiveness of EG dairy enterprises in the study period. Further UCR analysis revealed that differences in the inherent ability of members of the EG group to manage market deregulation impacted on the relative competitiveness of EG milk producers. The top onethird of the sample of EG milk producers remained relatively competitive from 1983 to 2006 due to higher real milk prices and lower real unit costs than producers in the bottom one-third category. Differences in relative competitiveness between the top and bottom one-third categories of producers were statistically significant. Based on the findings of the UCR analysis, a Ridge regression analysis was then used to investigate other factors influencing the long-term competitiveness of selected milk producers from EG using unbalanced panel data for the period 1990 – 2006. Results of the regression analysis showed that dairy herd size, the level of farm debt, annual production per cow, technology and policy changes over time, and the ratio of trading income to total milk income influence the long-term competitiveness of these milk producers. To enhance their competitiveness in a deregulated dairy market, relatively small and profitable EG milk producers should consider increasing herd sizes as the importance of herd size in explaining competitiveness suggests that size economies exist. All EG milk producers should consider utilising more pasture and other forages to lower feed costs and select dairy cattle of superior genetic merit to improve milk yields. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.