Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin, 1960. / Extension Repository Collection. Typescript (carbon copy). Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-71).

No description available.

This thesis explores debates around seed governance in the context of Tanzania’s recent changes to its seed policies and laws, in order to critically examine the framings and discourses employed. Three narratives emerge, Seed Capitalism, Seed Pluralism, and Seed Sovereignty. Consistent with Westengen (2017), Seed Capitalism and Seed Sovereignty rely on, and are entrenched in, binary opposition, despite the complexity of the problems involved, and put forward singular solutions that risk harming smallholder resilience. Seed Capitalism portrays scientist-bred certified seed as superior to farmer varieties, and as optimal for smallholders, despite evidence to the contrary. Seed Sovereignty constructs rigid distinctions between peasant seeds and industrial seeds, failing to engage with the phenomenon of creolized seed, the intermixing of farmer varieties with scientist-bred varieties. Creolized seed presents a narrative threat to Seed Sovereignty’s rejection of industrial seed. Both Seed Capitalism and Seed Sovereignty narratives obscure evidence relating to seed quality and yield that is in tension with their underlying agendas. A third discourse, Seed Pluralism, not previously identified as such by the literature, resists binary framings and recommends a multiplicity of approaches informed by the nuance of relevant facts. Tanzania’s seed governance framework predominantly reflects the Seed Capitalism discourse. While Seed Pluralism has a small foothold in Tanzania’s seed governance, through the Quality Declared Seed (QDS) system, overall Tanzania’s seed laws are threatening smallholder resilience. Positive reform under Tanzania’s current political settlement is unlikely. Pro-poor donors should withdraw support for governance frameworks rooted in Seed Capitalism, and instead promote seed governance reforms grounded in Seed Pluralism, including eliminating restrictions on smallholder seed exchange in low income countries.

The research draws on an ethnographic research and explores the everyday practice of collective action in Ugbawka in Enugu State by using interviews and participant observation. The study reveals that smallholder collective action is not best fitted into formal institutional arrangement but takes place within a complex and intricate process that involves interaction with diversity of institutions and actors. Equally, the interactions that occur amongst actors are mediated at the community level through interplay of socio-cultural and political factors. This study recognises and places emphasis on understanding of agency and the exercise of agency at the local level arguing that smallholder farmers are not robot but active individual who exercise their agency purposively or impulsively depending on conditions and the assets available at their disposition as well as their ability to navigate the intricate power dynamic inherent at local context. The thesis thus questioned the simplistic use of formal institutional collective action framework in smallholder collective action at the community level and argues that institutions are not static and do not determine outcomes but are informed by the prevailing conditions at the community level. The study emphasises the role of existing institutions and socially embedded principles in community governance and argues that actors should be the focus of analysis rather than the system in understanding smallholder collective action. The study concludes by advocating for further research that could explore the possibility of hybrid approach that accepts the advantages of both formal and informal institutional forms of smallholder collective action.

A Christian reformational perspective is introduced and adopted. A critique of modernist, industrialising agriculture is constructed, drawing partly on the work of contemporary agrarian writers. The notion of a regenerative agriculture is advocated. The two ways in which stewardship has been used as an environmental ethic is reviewed: as resource development and conservation, and earthkeeping. The earthkeeping definition is used to formulate the normative concept of agricultural stewardship. The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) was established by Dutch neo-Calvinist immigrants in the early 1950s, the Christian Farmers Federation of Alberta (CFFA) by the same community in the early 1970s. The history of these two small general farmers' organisations is detailed against the backdrop of separate Christian organisations in the Netherlands and North America. Direct links are traced back to the Christelijke Boeren- en Tuindersbond (CBTB), the Christian Farmers and Gardeners Union, established in the Netherlands in 1918. CFFO and CFFA (which changed its name to Earthkeeping in 1992) are presented as institutions reflecting a "transformational" approach to Christian social action, existing within the mainstream of modern society and agriculture, seeking to transform them. The role of stewardship and the significance of the family farm in the policies of the two Federations are analysed, along with their efforts to protect agricultural land from urban and industrial encroachment. Both Federations have become leading farmers' organisations in environmental issues. An analysis of semi-structured in-depth interviews with CFFA members and non-members in two areas of central Alberta in 1986 shows the significance of stewardship in the beliefs and farming practices of CFFA members. An ecological stewardship index is constructed to explore the use of land management practices. In general, the CFFA members interviewed were using practices that were more environmentally responsible than their neighbours, although there were differences between the two locales studied. It is concluded that the mode of institutional organisation of the two Federations has enabled their members to have more influence, to articulate their views more clearly, and to promote agricultural stewardship more widely. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

Thesis (M.Sc. (Geography)) --University of Limpopo, 2019 / Climate change is one of the biggest threats confronting humanity in the 21st century. There has been an increase in global average temperatures by about 0.85°C between 1880 and 2012. In South Africa, mean annual temperatures have increased by at least 1.5 times the observed global average over the last 50 years. Climate change is thus already a measurable reality in the country where it is negatively impacting on water resources, biodiversity, ecosystems, health and food security. Subsistence farmers especially, are envisaged to be facing challenges from climate change due to their limited knowledge, assets and financial resources. Little, however, is known about the adaptation process involving subsistence farmers. This study thus sought to assess the effects of subsistence farmers’ knowledge and perceptions on climate change adaptation and the role played by assets in enhancing farmers’ adaptive capacity. To collect data, the study used quantitative and qualitative research approaches which consisted of a questionnaire survey as well as in-depth interviews. Data was collected from 148 households in Ward 24 of Polokwane Local Municipality. Survey results indicate that 58% of the farmers were engaged in crop farming only, 3% in livestock farming only and 39% in mixed farming. Generally, subsistence farmers had knowledge of climate change. Their knowledge and perceptions were in line with current scientific observations on climatic and environmental changes in the country. Even though some farmers were adapting to climate change, the majority were hindered from adaptation by lack of financial resources. Assets played a significant role in climate change adaptation as households possessing different assets were using these assets to enhance their adaptive capacity and reduce their vulnerability. The study concludes that farmers’ adaptation strategies to climate in the ward was primarily influenced by the knowledge and perceptions that the farmers had on climate change. Additionally, possession of household assets played a central role in the adaptation process. The more assets that a household possessed, the more adaptive and resilient to climate change that the household was likely to be. Given this conclusion, the study recommends deploying agricultural extension officers in the study area to provide more information on climate change regarding causes, effects and the range of adaptation strategies available. Improved farming approaches should be instituted to enhance farming output, which will enable farmers to buy assets that are central to the adaptation process. Poverty alleviation programmes should also be introduced to reduce poverty and enhance the subsistence farmers’ capacity to adapt and secure their livelihoods. / National Research Foundation (NRF)

The land reform process in Zimbabwe has raised critical questions about land with regard to ownership and access, productivity of land and the most suitable size of land (small scale or large scale). Over a decade after the most recent phase of land reform in Zimbabwe, critical questions about land are continually debated in an ever-growing literature on land. These questions span a wide margin, from ownership, access, and productivity to who exactly should benefit from land reform processes. One important debate has centred on the question of whether the primary consideration of land reform processes should be aimed at addressing the more ideational aspects of land (return to ancestral land, land as central to personal identities and the subsequent political and social processes of determining who belongs and who is a stranger) or material concerns (relating to questions of food security, livelihood making and the concerns with environmental change). Subsequently, literature dealing with land is often organised around a particular theme such as identity, tenure, politics, political economy, livelihoods and questions relating to environmental change. Using the case of small scale commercial farming families of Mushawasha in Masvingo Zimbabwe who came to own the land as purchase area farmers as a result of the 1930 Land Apportionment Act, this thesis constitutes an attempt to integrate multiple approaches to the question of land, using a critical realist framework. I argue that the link between people and land, which is explored generationally and in the context of broader economic, political, historical and social change in Zimbabwe, is ever changing and is influenced by a number of factors. For that reason, viewing the question of land in a reductionist fashion from either an ideational or a material paradigm is unsatisfactory. What this research reveals is that the links between people and land are tempered numerous factors including generation, gender and residential status. / Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Sociology / MSocSci / Unrestricted

Problem Statement: The world population is expected to rapidly increase, raising food security concerns across the world. This will impact Africa most severely. The use of innovative farming techniques and technology has proven to accelerate the production yields and improve resilience to vulnerabilities which impact agricultural productivity. The use of smart technologies in farming is mainly present among largescale commercial farms, with minimal representation in the smallholder farming sector. On the other hand, a substantial amount of food in developing countries is produced by small scale farmers. Research Objective: The purpose of the study is to investigate the usage of smart technologies by smallholder farmers in South Africa, and to establish how smart technology could support smallholder farmers in increasing productivity through a three-dimensional view that takes into consideration capital, labour, and land utilization. To this end, an interpretive research philosophy was adopted. Research Design: The study collected the data using semi-structured interviews. The sample for the study constituted of 10 smallholder farmers and 12 subject matter experts within the agriculture and technology domain. To strengthen rigour within the study, the interviews were supported by documents containing viewpoints about how technology is applied in the African context and how it may be introduced and ultimately applied in the South African context. The study employed a deductive approach to theory, applying the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) as theoretical underpinning for the study. SLA consists of a pentagon of livelihood assets: physical, social, human, natural, and financial assets. The framework was extended to include technology as an asset due to its potential to contribute to improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Findings: The study found minimal to no use of smart technologies by smallholder farmers in South Africa. The factors which limited the use of technology include PEST (Political, Environmental, Social and Technological) factors. To achieve successful usage of smart technologies, collaboration is required from government, the private sector, smallholder farmers, and communities. Research Contribution: The study aimed to expand on the limited literature on the use of smart farming in the context of smallholder farmers in a developing country context. In addition, it contributed to extending the pentagon of livelihoods to include smart technologies with respect to smallholder farmer livelihoods. Therefore, the findings of this study contributed to the broader body of knowledge. In addition, insights from this study may be gained by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, smallholder farmers, agricultural entrepreneurs and technologists in formulate developmental strategies and policies to improve the productivity of smallholder farmers as well as their livelihoods as a strategy to increase their contribution to food security in Africa while alleviating household poverty.

The research draws on an ethnographic research and explores the everyday practice of collective action in Ugbawka in Enugu State by using interviews and participant observation. The study reveals that smallholder collective action is not best fitted into formal institutional arrangement but takes place within a complex and intricate process that involves interaction with diversity of institutions and actors. Equally, the interactions that occur amongst actors are mediated at the community level through interplay of socio-cultural and political factors. This study recognises and places emphasis on understanding of agency and the exercise of agency at the local level arguing that smallholder farmers are not robot but active individual who exercise their agency purposively or impulsively depending on conditions and the assets available at their disposition as well as their ability to navigate the intricate power dynamic inherent at local context. The thesis thus questioned the simplistic use of formal institutional collective action framework in smallholder collective action at the community level and argues that institutions are not static and do not determine outcomes but are informed by the prevailing conditions at the community level. The study emphasises the role of existing institutions and socially embedded principles in community governance and argues that actors should be the focus of analysis rather than the system in understanding smallholder collective action. The study concludes by advocating for further research that could explore the possibility of hybrid approach that accepts the advantages of both formal and informal institutional forms of smallholder collective action.

This thesis considers Central Florida's emerging local food movement from an anthropological perspective. Area farmers and organizations spearheading this movement and the benefits of purchasing and consuming locally grown food are ethnographically explored. Interviews with natural and organic farmers highlight the challenges affected farmers face in creating a sustainable local food movement in the greater Orlando region. Their motivations for farming organically and the counter-hegemonic tendencies inherent in this mode of cultivating are critically analyzed. Taken as a whole, this work addresses the limitations and opportunities afforded to farmers amid the popularity of local food consumption as a social movement. The farmers interviewed for this project are new to producing food for local consumption. They all share an interest in promoting financial and environmental sustainability for small farms. Key challenges they face include those grounded in access to arable land and agricultural policies that disproportionately favor large-scale producers. This research has significant implications for both those organizations and individuals building sustainable local food movements and those in local, state, and national government developing agricultural policy.