O grau de competitividade dos produtos, o encurtamento do seu ciclo de vida e o acesso a informação por parte do consumidor, compõem um cenário no qual o desenvolvimento de produtos diferenciados se faz necessário. Entretanto, para que isso ocorra é preciso haver um processo sistematizado e orientado para a inovação, quando da criação de produtos. O Projeto Conceitual constitui uma etapa, dentro do PDP (Processo de Desenvolvimento de Produto), na qual são estabelecidas muitas das decisões que nortearão o desenvolvimento do produto. Portanto, tem-se nesta fase um campo fértil para o planejamento da inovação. Neste contexto, desenvolver abordagens que auxiliem na seleção de alternativas conceituais permite que a inovação possa ser assimilada nas fases iniciais do PDP. A literatura aponta para a existência de métodos que auxiliam o processo de seleção de conceitos. Entre eles, a Ferramenta API_PC (Avaliação do Potencial de Inovação no Projeto Conceitual) apresenta critérios e subcritérios orientados para a seleção de uma concepção com maior potencial inovador na etapa do Projeto Conceitual. Neste contexto, foi identificada a oportunidade de ampliar os critérios/ subcritérios existentes na ferramenta, bem como atribuir novas valorações, de modo a robustecê-la. Desta forma, a presente pesquisa produziu um novo mapeamento dos elementos indutores de inovação a partir de dados obtidos pela revisão de literatura juntamente com uma análise reversa de quatro produtos considerados inovadores (analogamente a da Ferramenta API_PC). Feito isso, novas valorações foram estabelecidas por meio de um instrumento de coleta de dados aplicado a projetistas e estudantes. Na sequência, foi conduzido um experimento, em ambiente controlado, no qual foram avaliadas as alternativas conceituais de um produto presente no mercado. A avaliação foi realizada por sete grupos, compostos por profissionais e estudantes, dos quais quatro utilizaram a ferramenta proposta e três não a utilizaram. A partir de três pressupostos: i) utilização; ii) compreensão; e iii) seleção foi conduzida uma análise comparativa entre os grupos bem como a aplicação de um questionário individual a posteriori. Portanto, foi possível reconhecer a percepção conjunta e individual da tarefa proposta. A expansão da Ferramenta API_PC permitiu o desenvolvimento de um mecanismo robusto que de forma consistente auxilia a equipe de projeto na avaliação e identificação da alternativa conceitual com maior potencial inovador. / The degree of competitiveness of the products, the shortening of their life cycle and the access to information by the consumer, constitute a scenario in which the development of differentiated products becomes necessary. However, for this to happen, there must be a systematized and innovation-oriented process when creating products. The Conceptual Project is a step, within the PDP (Product Development Process), in which many of the decisions that guide the development of the product are established. Therefore, this stage has a fertile field for innovation planning. In this context, developing approaches that help in the selection of conceptual alternatives allows the innovation to be assimilated in the initial phases of the PDP. The literature points to the existence of methods that help the process of concept selection. Among them, the API_PC Tool (Evaluation of Innovation Potential in the Conceptual Project) presents criteria and subcriteria oriented to the selection of a conception with greater innovative potential in the Conceptual Project stage. In this context, the opportunity to expand the criteria / subcriteria in the tool was identified, as well as to attribute new valuations, in order to strengthen it. In this way, the present research sought to conduct a new mapping of the elements inducing innovation from data obtained by the literature review along with a reverse analysis of four products considered innovative (similarly to the API_PC Tool). Once this step was concluded, new assessments of these criteria were established through a data collection instrument applied to designers and students. An experiment was conducted in a controlled environment in which the conceptual alternatives of a product on the market were evaluated. The evaluation was performed by seven groups, composed of professionals and students, of whom four used the proposed tool and three did not use it. Based on three assumptions: i) utilization; ii) understanding; and iii) selection was conducted a comparative analysis between the groups as well as the application of an individual questionnaire “a posteriori”. Therefore, it was possible to recognize the joint and individual perception of the proposed task. The expansion of the API_PC Tool allowed the development of a robust mechanism that consistently assists the project team in the evaluation and identification of the conceptual alternative with greater innovative potential.

This study evaluated the contribution of urban agriculture (community gardens) to food security in Emfuleni Local Municipality in Gauteng province. The objectives were to determine the socio-demographic characteristics of farmers in urban community gardens; followed by determining contribution of urban community gardens to food security with specific reference to food availability, food accessibility, food utilisation and food stability; evaluating the factors that influence food utilisation of the farmers in urban community gardens and lastly conducting SWOT analysis of urban community gardens. The sample size of 254 farmers was randomly selected from 418 farmers located in 30 urban community gardens in Emfuleni Local Municipality. Furthermore, the study adopted purposive sampling for deliberately selecting one key informant from 30 urban community gardens that participated in the study. Quantitative research approach was employed using a survey design. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured survey questionnaire. Quantitative data was analysed by the use of Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 23.0. The analysis included both descriptive (mean, standard deviation, standard error or mean and others) and inferential statistics and table frequency. Qualitative data was analysed using code and themes; and converted into frequencies. The study revealed that there were more females (71.3%) that participated in the community gardens than males (28.7%); only 23.2% of youth (<35 years) participated in community gardens. Majority (59.4%) of respondents spoke Sesotho while majority (53.5%) were not married (single). The main source of income of most (78.7%) respondents was farming activities precisely urban community gardens. The study found that community gardens contribute to food availability with regards to providing freshly produce vegetables, high consumption of vegetables and ensured that families of the beneficiaries ate sufficient vegetables produced from the gardens. Although there is uncertainty among some of the respondents that vegetables produced were not sufficient, only few respondents were concerned. Majority (96.7%) of community gardens produced vegetables for selling and consumption. It was therefore found that, in relation to food accessibility, an average of 47% did not experience anxiety, uncertainty and had consumed sufficient quantities of vegetables from the community gardens. With regards to food utilisation, majority of the respondents were consuming vegetables as a relish whereas others consumed vegetables for various reason such salad, health reasons and others as presented in the results section. On vegetable consumption pattern, it is concluded that gender, age group, level of education, participation period in community gardens, family size, number of family member working, number of working hours in the community garden per day, number of day working in the community garden per month and annual income from community garden influenced vegetables consumption pattern of the respondents (utilisation) in the study area. Coping strategies which were mostly adopted by the respondents to ensure food stability were: reducing vegetable intake to ensure that children ate enough, purchasing of vegetables on credit, reducing vegetables in the daily meals and borrowing money to buy vegetables. Some of the challenges that hindered vegetable production in urban community gardens were theft of garden tools and crops produce, lack of fencing and eating of vegetables by stray animals. / Agriculture, Animal Health and Human Ecology / M. Sc. (Agriculture)

In general, traditional co-operatives suffer from free-rider, horizon, portfolio, control and influence problems that starve them of both equity and debt capital. Evidently, the factors which constrain agricultural development also inhibit co-operative development in the former homelands. These factors include socio-economic as well as political factors operating in the environment of the cooperatives. In addition to these external factors, co-operatives have several internal problems such as inefficient management and lack of understanding of the co-operative concept and principles. The New Cooperative Act No. 14 of 2005 was an attempt at addressing these fundamental problems. The purpose of this study was to analyze the extent towhich cooperatives organized on the basis of this new Act have performed and to ascertainwhether or not they have met the expectations of the policy makers. In order to address these issues a structured questionnaire was used to interview 100 farmers. Farmers were divided into two groups, one group consisting of fifty members and the other fifty non-members; all these farmers were randomly selected from Ndonga and Maqhashu in Lady frère. The study investigated and profiled the socio-economic situation of the communities of Ndonga and Maqhashu with particular emphasis on the employment and poverty situations, as well as the income earning opportunities in the communities. It also undertook a comparison of the members and non-members of the co-operatives in terms of their production results under the sorghum production programmes in the two communities.The data were analyzed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics which explain some measures of central tendency and dispersion as well as levels of significance. A t-test of independent samples was used to compare the means for the sorghum yields and revenues for non-members and members of the co-operative. Gross margin analysis was also used to determine the financial implications of cooperation for the smallholders. In addition, a multiple regression model and a discriminant function were fitted to determine the factors explaining the differences in performance of members and non-members of the cooperative society. The Gross Margin analysis shows that the cooperatives are operating at a loss, meaning they produce less with high production costs. However, the results also show that the Ndonga and Maqhashu sorghum co-operative did not benefit only its members but the whole community through significant job creation for the local population.

Local Economic Development has in recent years, gained wide spread acceptance, as a locality-based response to economic challenges. It is now firmly on the agenda of many national and local government and key international agencies. Adopting a desk study approach, reviewing extensive literature on LED, the study sought to establish the impact of LED strategy employed by Buffalo City Municipality, and assess the extent to which it has alleviated poverty. The study shows that the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM) LED strategy has limited impact on poverty alleviation due to a myriad of factors, which reinforce and interact with each other thereby limiting development and trapping residents in poverty. The thesis argues that there is significant room for a paradigm shift from predominantly pro-growth to pro-poor LED, and the need to adopt a comprehensive LED strategy that seeks to include of both pro-growth and pro-poor strategies. Both cannot operate without the other in the bid to promote development in Buffalo City, mainly with Agriculture, Tourism, and SMME having significant potential to bring about local economic development. Moreover, the promotion of Private-Public Partnerships play an integral role in the socio-economic development of Buffalo City, and more so the participation of local people is even more fundamental, which will give them the opportunity to take charge of their own development. Therefore, the study suggests a new LED agenda, which is pro-poor, holistic, and moves away from ‘piecemeal’ project based LED activities, and adopts comprehensive economic programmes so that LED has significant impact on poverty alleviation.

This research sought to understand the perceptions of the township dwellers who are the beneficiaries of the RDP houses in a selected township, Chris Hani block 3 in Mdantsane, East London, in the Eastern Cape. The study specifically sought to establish whether the houses delivered to the residents through the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) adequately meet the basic standards prescribed by the relevant housing policy of South Africa. During the apartheid era black South Africans were marginalised, their development was separate from that of whites and they had no say in what was provided for them, hence they were inadequately housed. On coming into power, the post-apartheid government undertook through legislation to provide sustainable, adequate housing that would address the needs of the historically disadvantaged citizens/poor people of South Africa. The main finding of this study conducted on a sample of ten RDP housing beneficiaries, through personal interviews is that, the RDP is a good programme; however, its implementation is characterised by corruption and greed. The people, whom the programme is meant to benefit, have never been involved in their own development with the results that the houses provided to them, are of a sub-standard quality. The houses do not adequately address the housing needs of the people. The housing policies are also not adequately implemented. It is the author’s hope that the recommendations made by this study, if implemented, will improve the standard of the RDP houses provided to the poor people of South Africa.

Submitted by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2012-02-24T12:12:27Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PaulaCamargo.pdf: 6055758 bytes, checksum: 626103ea804201de5c019d18ad607c70 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2012-02-24T12:12:50Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 PaulaCamargo.pdf: 6055758 bytes, checksum: 626103ea804201de5c019d18ad607c70 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2012-02-24T12:13:01Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 PaulaCamargo.pdf: 6055758 bytes, checksum: 626103ea804201de5c019d18ad607c70 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-02-24T12:13:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PaulaCamargo.pdf: 6055758 bytes, checksum: 626103ea804201de5c019d18ad607c70 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / A presente dissertação trata de verificar as interfaces entre projetos políticos e a formação das cidades, com foco na cidade do Rio de Janeiro durante as gestões do prefeito Cesar Maia de 2001 a 2004 e de 2005 a 2008. A consolidação do planejamento estratégico como ferramenta de gestão urbana é analisada, com foco nos planos estratégicos da cidade do Rio de Janeiro desenvolvidos ao longo da Era Cesar Maia: Rio Sempre Rio (1995/96) e As Cidades da Cidade (2004). A cidade de Bilbao, cuja recuperação é identificada com a implantação de uma filial do Museu Guggenheim, é estudada, revelando caminhos que outras cidades ao redor do mundo buscaram seguir. Finalmente, são analisados o contexto político e as implicações dos projetos para o Museu Guggenheim, no Porto, e para a Cidade da Música, na Barra da Tijuca, ambos no Rio de Janeiro. Estes casos foram selecionados por tratarem-se de projetos icônicos, que viriam a ser a representação construída da figura política que os orquestrou e que, cada qual à sua maneira, não tiveram o desfecho planejado. / This work presents an analysis of the interfaces between political projects and the forming of cities, focusing on the city of Rio de Janeiro during two of the periods in which Cesar Maia responded as mayor – 2001 to 2004 and 2005 to 2008. The consolidation of strategic planning as a tool for urban management is analysed, focusing on the strategic plans for the city of Rio de Janeiro developed during the Cesar Maia Era: Rio Sempre Rio (1995/96) and As Cidades da Cidade (2004). The city of Bilbao, which’s recuperation is identified with the building of a Guggenheim Museum, is also studied, revealing paths which other cities around the world tried to pursuit. Finally, the political context and the implications of the projects for the Guggenheim Museum, in the Harbor, and the ‘Cidade da Música’, in Barra da Tijuca, both in Rio de Janeiro. These cases have been selected for their iconic character, which was meant to be the built representation of the political figure who orchestrated the projects and which, each in its own way, didn’t have the expected closures.

This study examined the impact of the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) on the livelihood of land and agrarian reform farmers in Sedibeng District Municipality of Gauteng Province, South Africa. The programme serves as a post settlement support to agricultural projects. Post settlement support is very critical to achieving many projects of South Africa and other neighbouring countries. The study diagnosed the key variables that could be used in reforming, correcting and tightening in order to have a sustainable agricultural project. The study also indicated the variables that could have positive and negative contributions on the effects of obtaining the socio-economic deliverables of the CASP agrarian reform farmers. A comprehensive structured questionnaire was designed and used to collect data from 300 agrarian reform farmers in Sedibeng District Municipality. The study employed Probit Regression model and Propensity Score Matching to estimate the impact of CASP on farmers’ income. The key findings were that CASP promoted the livelihood of the rural economy by increasing farmers’ incomes. CASP had a high impact on the income of agrarian reform farmers who benefited on it than non-benefited. Socio-economic and institutional factors were found to influence participation in CASP. The survey data indicate that the majority of respondents who participate in CASP (74.4%) were males while 25.6% were female. About (32%) of CASP participants had attained primary school education, 28.3% had secondary school education, and 23.3% had education at the college level while 16.4% acquired high school education. For non- CASP participant, 71.6% was male and 28.4% was female. About (32.1%) of non-CASP participants had acquired primary education, 23.5% had secondary school education, 25.9% had education at the college level while 18.5% acquired high school education About 53.9% representing the CASP participants was married while only 6.8% was single, 19.2 was divorced and 20.1 are widowed. The percentage of non-CASP participant that were married was about 51.9% and 8.6% are single, 23.5% are divorced while 16.0 are widowed. About 22.8% of the CASP participant indicated that their household heads were employed while 77.8% are unemployed. About16.9% of CASP participants had obtained qualification in agriculture while the majority (83.1%) did not have any qualification in agriculture. Only 18.5% of non-CASP participant obtained qualification in agriculture while 81.5% have not obtained any qualification in agriculture. The study recommended that CASP be extended to more agrarian reform farmers and it will promote food security and sustainable strategy to achieve the post 2015 development agenda (2030 agenda-succeed the Millennium Development Goals) for sustainable development goals targets ending poverty and hunger. In order to achieve more participation, factors identified to influence CASP participation needed to be given more attention critical in policy formulation. / Agriculture, Animal Health and Human Ecology / M. Sc. (Agriculture)

A contradiction between the Ethiopian law of investment and environmental law is prevalent since law of investment promotes development while environmental law protects the environment. The thesis investigates the general legal issue: How do the investment and environmental laws of Ethiopia promote large-scale agricultural development without adversely affecting the environment? In the research, comparative legal research methodology is employed: comparison is made between the internationally accepted principles of large-scale agricultural investment and Ethiopian laws; the laws and experiences of Brazil and South Africa are showed that law of sustainable large-scale agricultural investment is vital to promote agricultural development and protect the environment. International law on investment and environment are also considered. International legal principles of solving the contradiction between environmental law and investment law are analysed. Legal and document analysis of Ethiopian laws, policies and government documents have been made. Interviews have been made, data through questionnaires have been collected and analysed, and 12 large-scale agricultural investment farms have been observed and critically analysed. The thesis identified that law of large-scale agricultural investment promotes development while Ethiopian environmental law protects the environment. The law has a role in promoting large-scale agricultural development by recognising the right to development and providing incentives and creating conducive environment. Thus, the law should be used to promote both the right to development and environmental protection. The nexus between investment law and environmental law should be strengthening. It is identified that the law of sustainable large-scale agricultural development could protect the environment while promoting large-scale agricultural development. The thesis identified the Ethiopian law and the practices do not promote sustainable large-scale agricultural development. Thus, it is recommended that precautionary principle, like EIA should be made a requirement for large-scale agricultural investment, implementing efficiently and effectively the large-scale agricultural law principles, and laws to achieve sustainable large-scale agriculture. / Public, Constitutional and International Law / LL. D.

Chiefs in Malawi have traditionally been part of the government machinery since colonial days and continue to play a crucial role in development administration even more so in decentralized structures. They are able upon to mobilize communities in rural areas to initiate and implement community development projects with minimal supervision. Malawi Social Action Fund 1 (MASAF 1) project management approach, which centered on community ownership of projects and registered enormous successes, is a case in proof of this. However, distribution of power and roles between chiefs and local government authorities in view of decentralization demand more research and policy debate if chiefs are to be effectively utilized and for the decentralization process to work effectively. Whilst the local authorities derive their power from the control of 5% of revenue collected in the districts, which they are allocated, chiefs derive theirs from the legitimacy they have over their subjects for being in constant touch with the community. / Development Studies / M.A. Social Science (Development Studies)

No abstract available / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Administration)