Too often, literature on participation in community development is void of the rationale for the participation of teachers; the roles they may play; factors for and against their participation; and strategies for inviting and sustaining their participation. This study examines what could be done to ensure the participation of rural based teachers in community development activities, by exploring these issues. A qualitative design and purposeful sampling are used. The sample consists of information-rich informants from the following five categories: officials of the Rural District Council, non-governmental organisation workers, rural based school teachers, Village Development Committee Chairpersons, and ordinary community members. Interviewing is used as the major instrument of data collection. The study reveals that rural based teachers should participate in community development activities, since they have a wide knowledge base and transferable skills, and they are part of and trusted by the community. It reveals that rural based teachers' participation is deterred by political factors, lack of supportive policies, attitudes, conservativeness, lack of specialized training, and labour issues. Twenty two roles are identified for rural based teachers in community development activities. Strategies for inviting them to participate are: the use of policy, change of attitudes, use of media campaigns, training, and inclusion of community development in tertiary education in general, and teacher education in particular. Strategies for sustaining their participation emerge as: the use of incentives, free time or days off and holding responsible offices. Sixteen recommendations are finally presented. / DEVELOPMENT STUDIES / MA (DEVELOPMENT STUD)

Community-based organizations are considered as one of the major institutions involved in community development apart from the state and non-governmental organizations. The idea of local participation is the one that has resulted into their emergence as participation is considered to be an essential part of human growth. With the advent of democracy in 1994, and the coming in of the HIV and AIDS pandemic in Malawi, there has been a mushrooming of community-based organizations in the country. Now that its over fourteen years since their emergence in Malawi, its high time a study was conducted to establish contributions the community-based organizations are making in the development if the country, identify the challenges they are facing and find possible solutions that can help improve their effectiveness. This thesis presents findings of such a study done in Kasungu district in Malawi. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study was prompted by the increasing vulnerability and impoverishment of local fishing folk in Ukerewe District in Tanzania in the midst of the potential of the fishing sector to generate wealth and the many capable actors and stakeholders who can provide essential services and opportunities that can help the fishing folk to overcome their challenges and improve their lot in generating wealth. Taking the view that some forms of poverty have their roots in the moral system of the people, institutions and organisations involved, and considering the call made by Tanzania’s Second National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction to key actors and stakeholders to design and implement interventions that would improve the chances of poor actors to generate wealth, this study aimed to discover what would motivate capable actors and stakeholders in the fishing sector of Ukerewe District to do so. The study asked whether there are ethical values and principles that have the potential to inspire and guide capable actors and stakeholders to reconsider the fate of constrained local actors, and to make a responsible commitment to address their constraining conditions, as well as to determine how these ethical ideas, if any, can be explicated, formulated and implemented. Empirical research was undertaken in Ukerewe District from October 2012 to March 2013. It followed an applied ethics case study methodology, combined with focus groups, life narratives and in-depth individual interviews. Three hundred and ten local actors and stakeholders in the fishing sector of Ukerewe were engaged in progressive stages of critical self-reflection and dialogue within and between particular stakeholder groups. These 310 participants reflected and deliberated on what constituted the poverty of local actors, what it would take to overcome that poverty and what would motivate capable actors and stakeholders to combat that poverty. The collected evidence led to the establishment of the following: First, the fishing sector offers adequate opportunities to invest in and work to generate income and goods to improve socio-economic conditions. Second, local fishing folk fall into poverty because they are constrained from generating wealth. Third, the local fishing folk could improve their capacities to generate wealth and overcome their poverty through expanded opportunities to acquire and use the relevant competence, efficient productive forces and fisheries infrastructure, formal financial credit and insurance services. Fourth, fulfilling institutional and professional obligations, contributing to possible good consequences and preventing possible bad consequences in the life of the local fishing folk, the fishing sector, their own organisations and society, and showing care for, respect to and solidarity with local fishing folk would motivate most capable actors and stakeholders to undertake pro-poor actions in the fisheries sections. Based on what the respondents revealed to value and what they wanted to achieve in their fishing sector, an alternative development ethic, namely the Sufficient Capabilities and Wealth Ethic (SUCAWE), was constructed. The SUCAWE offers insightful and empowering moral resources for self-management and for the management of multiple actors and stakeholders in wealth creation and the combating of poverty. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie het ontstaan uit die toenemende weerloosheid en verarming van die plaaslike vissersgemeenskap van die Ukerewe Distrik in Tanzania te midde van die potensiaal van die visserysektor om welvaart te skep, en die vele agente en belanghebbendes wat in staat is daartoe om noodsaaklike dienste en geleenthede te voorsien wat kan help dat die visserygemeenskap hulle uitdagings oorkom en hulle lot verbeter deur welvaart te skep. Uitgaande van die standpunt dat sekere vorme van armoede wortel in die morele sisteem van die mense, instellings en organisasies betrokke, en met in ag neming van die oproep wat aan sleutelagente en belanghebbendes gerig is met Tanzania se Second National Strategy for Growth and Poverty Reduction om ingrepe te ontwerp en te implementeer wat die kanse sal verbeter van armes om welvaart te skep, het hierdie studie beoog om dit bloot te lê wat vermoënde agente en belanghebbendes in die visserysektor van die Ukerewe Distrik sou motiveer om dit te doen. Hierdie studie het die vraag gestel of daar etiese waardes en beginsels is met die potensiaal om vermoënde agente en belanghebbendes te inspireer en daartoe te lei om die lot van plaaslike agente wat deur armoede beperk word, in heroorweging te neem, en 'n verantwoordelike verbintenis aan te gaan om hierdie beperkende omstandighede aan te spreek, en het ook gepoog om te bepaal hoe hierdie etiese idees, indien enige, blootgelê, geformuleer en geïmplementeer kan word. Empiriese navorsing is onderneem in die Ukerewe Distrik vanaf Oktober 2012 to Maart 2013. Hierin is die metodologie van 'n gevallestudie in toegepaste etiek gevolg, gekombineer met fokusgroepbesprekings, lewensverhale en in-diepte individuele onderhoude. Driehonderd en tien plaaslike agente en belanghebbendes in die visserysektor van Ukerewe is betrek in progressiewe fases van kritiese self-refleksie en dialoog in en tussen spesifieke groepe van belanghebbendes. Hierdie 310 deelnemers het dit wat die armoede van plaaslike agente meebring, ontleed en oorweeg, asook wat dit sou behels om hierdie armoede te oorkom, en wat vermoënde agente en belanghebbendes sou kon motiveer om hierdie armoede te beveg. Op grond van die inligting wat versamel is, kon die volgende bepaal word: Eerstens, die visserysektor bied voldoende geleenthede vir beleggings en werk waardeur inkomste en goedere tot stand kan kom waardeur sosio-ekonomiese omstandighede verbeter kan word. Tweedens, plaaslike vissers verval in armoede omdat hulle beperk word om welvaart te skep. Derdens, plaaslike vissers kan hulle vermoë om welvaart te skep om armoede te oorkom, verbeter deur die geleenthede uit te brei vir hulle om relevante vaardighede, doeltreffende produksiekragte en vissery-infrastruktuur, formele finansiële krediet en versekeringsdienste te bekom en te gebruik. Vierdens, die meeste vermoënde agente en belanghebbendes wat in staat is tot pro-arm optrede in die visserysektor sou daartoe gemotiveer kon word deur institusionele en professionele verpligtinge na te kom, deur by te dra tot moontlike goeie gevolge en moontlike slegte gevolge in die lewe van plaaslike vissers, die visserysektor, hulle eie organisasies en die samelewing te voorkom, en deur sorgsaamheid vir, respek teenoor en solidariteit met die plaaslike vissersgemeenskap te openbaar. Op grond van wat die deelnemers openbaar het oor dit waaraan hulle waarde heg, asook wat hulle graag sou wou bereik in die deel van die visserysektor waarby hulle betrokke is, is 'n alternatiewe ontwikkelingsetiek geformuleer, te wete die Sufficient Capabilities and Wealth Ethic (SUCAWE). Die SUCAWE bied insiggewende en bemagtigende morele hulpbronne vir self-bestuur, asook vir die bestuur van 'n verskeidenheid van agente en belanghebbendes betrokke by die skepping van welvaart en die bekamping van armoede.

M. Tech. Agriculture / Shortly after World War two (WWII), the South African government responded to the mounting food production crisis in the homelands by introducing public tractor services. Establishment of irrigation schemes and provision of public tractor services for use by smallholders were two important government-initiated modernisation projects in the homelands. It was in line with the idea of modernisation that smallholder irrigation schemes were the prime target for public tractor services, and this lead to the rapid abandonment of the use of animal draught for cultivation on these schemes. By the time public tractor services were completely dismantled, cultivation on smallholder irrigation schemes had become almost entirely dependent on tractor draught. Thereafter, hiring the services of privately owned tractor enterprises became the principal way in which farmers on smallholder irrigation schemes in Limpopo Province cultivated their plots. The rising cost of hiring private tractors placed financial stress on the cropping enterprises of smallholder irrigators, generating interest in alternatives that were more affordable. Animal draught represents an attractive alternative to tractor draught. Whereas prevailing economic circumstances on smallholder irrigation schemes favour the adoption of cultivation systems that are cheaper than those offered by private tractor enterprises, it is not known whether animal draught land preparation enterprises are an appropriate alternative to the existing tractor enterprises from an economic and social perspective. In order to resolve this knowledge problem, the current study was done with the following two main objectives: to determine the profitability of the different types of land preparation enterprises operating on smallholder canal irrigation schemes in Vhembe District Municipality; and to determine the social acceptability of these different types of land preparation enterprises by measuring the perceptions of the quality of the cultivation services provided by these enterprises among plot holders on these schemes.

D. Tech. Education / The HIV/AIDS pandemic is one of the greatest humanitarian and development challenges ever faced by the global community. It is alarmingly estimated that by 2015 more than 30 per cent of all children younger than 15 years of age will have lost their mothers to HIV. This means that, by 2015, a total of 5.7 million children in South Africa will have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Research has shown that children orphaned by the pandemic - if not cared for - are likely to engage in alternative actions that pose a risk to themselves and society. This implies that it becomes critical to raise orphaned and vulnerable children well to ensure that we don't have a society filled with people who pose a danger to themselves and others. The study is based on systems theory which unravels the multilayers of the government system to bring to bear the challenges regarding care-giving and education experienced at the level of national, provincial and local government. The purpose of the study was to investigate the care-giving process and education of orphaned and vulnerable children.

Construction workers are an important resource in a country where housing is a desperate need and an unaffordable proposition for millions and where housing built by the organized sector serves only a marginal population. Much therefore depends on the workers' know how and skills to produce affordable and quality housing. In a country like India, where traditional home building technology is being fast replaced by building technology from the west, it is essential to know how and to what extent is this change imbibed by these producers of housing---the construction workers. How do people become construction workers? How and where do they learn and train? What are their sources of new technology? What are their systems and conditions of operation? These questions become significant if this resource has to be trained and deployed not only for improving quality of construction but also to actively involve them in the alleviation of the state of technology, diffusion of much needed technology innovations and development of a powerful and effective grass root level resource to upgrade the housing conditions of the country's poor. This dissertation pursues these issues with the aid of a study of skilled construction workers in the Pune region of India. It ends with a conceptual model to help overcome some drawbacks of the present system and points to other related issues that need immediate consideration in the interest of overall development of the home building industry.

Doctor Legum - LLD / The persistence of preventable Maternal Morbidity and Mortality (hereafter MMM), in the developing world, despite ground breaking technological and scientific advances, is unacceptable. There is no cause of death and disability for men between ages 15 and 44 that comes close to the large scale of maternal mortality and morbidity. Thus, the prevalence of high MMM ratios indicates the side-lining of women's rights. Surprisingly, the causal factors of preventable MMM and interventions needed to reverse the pervasively high numbers are now well known. Yet, hundreds of women continue to die daily and to suffer lifelong illnesses while giving birth. In Uganda, despite various regulatory, policy and programmatic strategies, the most recent survey revealed that the maternal mortality ratios were at a staggering 438 per 100,000 live births.

Too often, literature on participation in community development is void of the rationale for the participation of teachers; the roles they may play; factors for and against their participation; and strategies for inviting and sustaining their participation. This study examines what could be done to ensure the participation of rural based teachers in community development activities, by exploring these issues. A qualitative design and purposeful sampling are used. The sample consists of information-rich informants from the following five categories: officials of the Rural District Council, non-governmental organisation workers, rural based school teachers, Village Development Committee Chairpersons, and ordinary community members. Interviewing is used as the major instrument of data collection. The study reveals that rural based teachers should participate in community development activities, since they have a wide knowledge base and transferable skills, and they are part of and trusted by the community. It reveals that rural based teachers' participation is deterred by political factors, lack of supportive policies, attitudes, conservativeness, lack of specialized training, and labour issues. Twenty two roles are identified for rural based teachers in community development activities. Strategies for inviting them to participate are: the use of policy, change of attitudes, use of media campaigns, training, and inclusion of community development in tertiary education in general, and teacher education in particular. Strategies for sustaining their participation emerge as: the use of incentives, free time or days off and holding responsible offices. Sixteen recommendations are finally presented. / DEVELOPMENT STUDIES / MA (DEVELOPMENT STUD)

Community-based organizations are considered as one of the major institutions involved in community development apart from the state and non-governmental organizations. The idea of local participation is the one that has resulted into their emergence as participation is considered to be an essential part of human growth. With the advent of democracy in 1994, and the coming in of the HIV and AIDS pandemic in Malawi, there has been a mushrooming of community-based organizations in the country. Now that its over fourteen years since their emergence in Malawi, its high time a study was conducted to establish contributions the community-based organizations are making in the development if the country, identify the challenges they are facing and find possible solutions that can help improve their effectiveness. This thesis presents findings of such a study done in Kasungu district in Malawi. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

Discourse characterising climate change has largely revolved around aspects within the realm of impact identification, mitigation and adaptation. Apparently, a burgeoning appetite to examine the role of indigenous knowledge (IK) now confronts the fronts of climate science, policy and practice. The surge in attention to localbased knowledge is attributed to growing challenges posed by change and variability in the climate system. This study argues that indigenous-based knowledge is capable of filling knowledge gaps and validating current understanding about climate change particularly at local levels. Essentially, the paucity of knowledge about local climatic events can be circumvented by engaging indigenous ‘scientists’ whose many years of direct contact with the environment have equipped them with the indispensable knowledge, skills and experiences to understand the same. Primarily, the thesis’ objectives were threefold. One, it captured useful indicators of climate change and variability from the understanding of the indigenous people, which can also be used to enhance understanding of climate change impacts.Two, it drew from the knowledge, experiences, skills and practices of the locals in order to inform appropriate community level mitigation and adaptation interventions. And, three, it highlighted the fact that knowledge of the indigenous people can be used to direct research on climate change. The study area (Muzarabani in Zimbabwe) experiences recurrent droughts and floods and its villagers rely predominantly on climate-sensitive livelihoods. As such, it was selected to provide a reliable case on IK practices and experiences of the people witnessing climatic events. The study was framed within an epistemological and methodological configuration of emancipatory pedagogy that looks at the generators of climate knowledge as ‘scientists’ in their own right. A qualitative elicitation interviewing technique involving in-depth discussions with traditional leaders and elderly knowledgeable citizens was conducted. The participants were selected through chain referrals until the level of theoretical saturation. In addition, directed field observations, document analysis and key informant interviews with other respondents selected through theoretical sampling enhanced the robustness of data acquisition methods. Group-based participatory data analysis and reflexive pragmatism also enhanced rigour and quality of research findings intended to balance between the strictures of the scientific audience and the views of the knowledge generators. Three key themes were derived from IK-climate change linkages as: indigenous based indicators of climate change, indigenous-based mitigation and indigenous based adaptation. A range of indigenous-based indicators identified pointed to a progressively drier climate with shorter growing seasons that are also punctuated by mid-season dry spells. A trend towards increased desiccation of water bodies (rivers, ponds and vleis) was further observed. There is also an upsurge in the abundance and pestiferous nature of Macrotermes spp, Quelea quelea and Acanthoplus discoidalis, which are most likely related to climate change. Some of these indicators closely match with those used in mainstream climate science and they also serve to understand climate change impacts at a finer local level of analysis. Indigenous-based mitigation is mainly driven by the notion of sacredness where the locals regard forestry, certain trees and vleis as sacrosanct. Tampering with these is believed to upset the spirits who have powers to influence climate. Opportunities associated with IK deployment in climate mitigation are understood from the viewpoint of enhancing greenhouse gas (GHG) sinks and that of reducing vulnerability to extreme climatic events. Specifically, this can be achieved through enhancing GHG sequestration through forestry and land-use management initiatives; that is, reducing emissions from deforestation and forestry related degradation (REDD+) and Land Use and Land-Use Cover and Forestry (LULUCF). These two are the dominant schemes adopted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to govern climate mitigation. Indigenous disaster risk management (DRM) strategies abound in drought, famine, flood and violent storms through various forms such as Zunde raMambo, nhimbe, rain-making ceremonies and community early warning systems (EWS).The locals in Muzarabani are not passive observers of the changing climate system. Increasing environmental risks necessitates them to devise countermeasures for responding to climatic stimuli with the intention of minimising harm and/or enhancing the benefits brought about by the same. Thus, a portfolio of IK-based adaptation strategies best described as an assortment of short-term coping practices and longterm adaptive strategies were identified. These range from exploitation of ecosystem services, agricultural based interventions, riverine farming, traditional phonological knowledge (TPK) to migration. Therefore, it was revealed that community-based adaptation (CBA) can adequately leverage on IK to improve adaptive capacity and build community resilience against climate change. Clearly, the complementary role of indigenous-based knowledge cannot be disputed, given the demonstrated range of applications from identifying several indicators of change and variability in the climate system, examination of climate change impacts, to identification and assessment of mitigation and adaptation options. The study advises that exogenous climate interventions need to be congruent with indigenous based strategies to avoid maladaptation. To the climate research community therefore, it should be realised that IK is useful both as leads and as baseline knowledge for future work on the impacts of climate change, and in the assessment of climate interventions. In this regard, the remaining challenge is to formulate a framework of constructive dialogue between indigenous scientists and conventional scientists so as to make sure that the mutual benefits of the two knowledge forms are adequately harnessed. Handled well, such collaborative effort would ensure enhanced climate change knowledge for successful mitigation and adaptation strategies. Handled poorly, there is a risk that the developmental needs of communities exposed to climatic events would not be addressed.