Many of the world’s children, particularly those living in developing countries, subsist on diets that seldom vary and often do not allow for an adequate intake of the complete range of nutrients required for healthy living. Of concern is the absence of regular consumption of fresh vegetables and fruit that provide vitamin A which, if deficient, impairs children’s growth and development. In South Africa about 21% of children under the age of six years attend crèche facilities on a daily basis. The nutritional state of meals provided to children at many crèches tends to lack micronutrients, particularly vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency is the main nutritional problem facing crèche children in South Africa today. Underlying causes are unsatisfactory diets restricted in variety and minimal knowledge of optimal dietary practices, a situation exacerbated by a high incidence of food insecurity. Limpopo is a province seriously affected by vitamin A deficiency. A South African study, based on a quantitative research paradigm, was undertaken (April-September 2007) in Thulamela municipality with the aim of developing and implementing nutrition strategies to improve crèche children’s consumption of vitamin A-rich vegetables and fruit, as advocated by an officially recognised food-based dietary guideline. Through convenience sampling, 100 caregivers from 20 crèches in the study area responded to questionnaires and participated in a game. Ongoing observation continued. Information about the participants, their nutrition knowledge and the meals provided was collected following the triple-A cycle approach (assessment, analysis and action). The research process was structured in three phases. Phase one involved a situational assessment and analysis that provided baseline information. Limitations contributing to the problem under investigation were identified and data showed that the children’s intake of vitamin A from vegetables and fruit at crèches was low. This was found to be due to a lack of knowledge and information about vitamin A, coupled with the unavailability and inaccessibility of food primarily due to non-production and affordability. Food preparation, storage and preservation also posed challenges to caregivers. Using evidence from documented studies and the findings from phase one, nutrition strategies were developed and implemented in phase two. Caregivers were shown how to increase the availability and use of foods rich in vitamin A and were encouraged to grow, and use, both cultivated and non-cultivated vitamin A-rich vegetables and fruit. Furthermore, the concept of the food-based dietary guideline “eat plenty of vegetables and fruits everyday” was introduced to the caregivers and became part of the developed nutrition strategies. Follow-up data collected in phase three showed substantial advancement in caregivers’ knowledge and skills. Access, availability and utilisation of vitamin A-rich vegetables and fruit had improved markedly. Flourishing vegetable gardens, planned menus and well prepared meals were concrete evidence, and vegetables and fruit were more frequently served to children. Implementation of the developed nutrition strategies epitomised the envisaged outcome of this study. Based on the research results, important recommendations are made to enhance the appropriate consumption of vegetables and fruit rich in vitamin A, leading to a reduction in disease and death caused by vitamin A deficiency among children. / Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Consumer Science / unrestricted

This diploma thesis pursues the phenomenon of urban gardening. It especially focuses on urban gardening in the form of community gardens, whose number has multiplied in Prague in the recent years. This trend has also caused an interest of the media and thus its is natural to research the motivation of the people, who participate in this activity, whether it is deeper or if it is just a fad. As a theroretical footing the ideas of Manuel Castells about urban social movements as well as the ideas of Henri Lefebvre about the right to the city were used. These authors believed that in the city the human scale is the most important and not financial value of the urban space. In the next part of the theoretical work the problem of public space and its interpretation in social sciences is presented. The analysis is dedicated to urban gardening in Prague. It aims to find whether it is just a temporary fashion or if the gardens could become permanent part of the public space in Prague. The function of community gardens is analysed with the use of a case study of one such garden. The work also tries to find out if the gardens in public space only bring positives or if they can also cause conficts.

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Gardening has been proven to have multiple health benefits, both mentally and physically. It is a common activity and it’s estimated that almost 78% of home-owners in the USA do it on a regular basis. Cities are growing and have created the challenge to make room for new green spaces to preserve the current biodiversity. This makes preserving or creating garden diversity more important than ever. This study investigates if a user interface could potentially impact and create incentive in gardening for users, with the help of personalized garden information. A prototype was developed and tested in collaboration with Husqvarna Group. The prototype was tested on 5 participants over a 10 day period combined with a qualitative interview to find out if it generated incentive for gardening. The study was done as a conceptual proof of concept and the results were evaluated using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The result implied that the conceptual solution would be perceived useful and accepted on the condition that it provides a personalized user experience. Future research is suggested to look into how to achieve a personalized user experience for user interfaces for gardening. / Trädgårdsarbete har visat sig ha flera hälsofördelar, både mentalt och fysiskt. Det är en vanligt förekommande aktivitet och det uppskattas att nästan 78% av att alla husägare i USA gör det regelbundet. Moderna städers tillväxt har resulterat i en utmaning att skapa nya grönområde för att bevara den nuvarande biologiska mångfalden. Den tillväxten gör det viktigare än någonsin att bevara eller skapa ny biologisk mångfald i trädgårdarna. Denna studie undersöker om mobila gränssnittet potentiellt kan påverka och skapa incitament i trädgårdsarbete för användare med hjälp av personlig information om trädgården. En prototyp utvecklades och testades i samarbete med Husqvarna Group. Prototypen testades på 5 deltagare under en 10-dagarsperiod i kombination med en kvalitativ intervju. Detta för att ta reda på om det genererade incitament för trädgårdsarbete. Studien gjordes som ett konceptet-test och resultaten utvärderades med efter: Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Resultatet visade att den konceptuella lösningen skulle upplevas användbar och accepterad, under förutsättning att den ger en personlig användarupplevelse. Framtida forskning föreslås att undersöka hur man kan uppnå en personlig användarupplevelse med gränssnittet för trädgårdsarbete.

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This research investigates how a communication system could support urban gardeners intheir activities. By looking at agriculture not as a mere activity for food production but as arich social practice, this research addresses gardeners dual need of acquiring knowledge and develop social relationship.Findings from an ethnographic research of two local agriculture communities are described.Participatory design has been used to identify design opportunities and co-create conceptideas. Prototypes have been used to evaluate key aspects and refine the final concept. Byinviting intended users to take an active role during the entire design process, the result of this research is grounded not only in the theory but also on people's aspirations and realexperience.

This thesis explores the historical practice of managing lakes and other bodies of water with the idea to create good fishing waters for fishers and anglers. The starting point for the thesis is the use of rotenone as a piscicide to exterminate the fish populations in Swedish lakes between 1950-1970. Rotenone was used to create empty waters for the purpose of fish stocking with species of fish that were seen as more valuable for recreational fishermen. The study analyzes the use of rotenone as a method for controlling parts of nature for human profit and use. From a perspective of conservation, fishers advocated for the use of rotenone as a way to ensure the success of the fish stocking practices. I show that how metaphors connected to gardening and farming was used during the legitimization of the rotenone method to describe the species of fish which were the targets for eradication. The fish deemed unvaluable were described as weeds or trash which connected to the idea of extermination of those species. Furthermore, the treatment with rotenone was part of a bigger project in Sweden, for the establishment of public areas in nature in which citizens could practice outdoor recreation. With a framework of more- than-human entanglements I analyze the rotenone project as acts of domestication of water and fish, which additionally connected to the idea that humans should be in control of nature. The question of animal agency entered the discourse surrounding rotenone, because of the weed- fish’s tendency to return to the treated waters. The fish’s agency and intentionality were most often referred to through an anthropomorphic lens, and they were thus attributed with a human understanding of intent. I argue that the inability to see the fish’s own agency and the desire to control nature through separation were contributing factors in the failure of the rotenone project.

Vegetable research was conducted to support the diversification and development of small farms in East Central Virginia. Experiments at 12 sites were successfully conducted over a 2 year period to establish superior production practices for the area’s 2 major commercial vegetable crops, cherry tomato and bell pepper. For cherry tomato production, black plastic and straw mulches significantly increased total yield. Black plastic mulch also significantly increased early yield, but neither of the mulches were cost-effective. String-weave staking generally did not affect yield or net economic returns, and it reduced yield on sandy soils during droughty conditions. Irrigation had a positive, but non-significant impact on yield when tested during a growing season with normal amounts of rainfall. Nitrogen applications of 84 kg/ha were most cost-effective, with higher rates found beneficial for irrigated plantings on lighter soils. Plant populations of 13,450 plants/ha produced similar yield and net economic returns as populations of 17,930 plants/ha. <i>Castlette</i> and <i>Small Fry</i> were superior cultivars. For bell pepper production, steady but non-significant increases in yield and net economic returns were detected as nitrogen rates rose from 79 to 158 to 235 kg/ha. Black plastic mulch significantly increased yield and net economic returns, mostly due to moisture conservation benefits. A single-row pattern with an in-row spacing of 41 cm was the most cost-effective planting scheme. <i>Gator Belle</i>,<i> Keystone Resistant Giant #3</i>, and <i>Giant Ace</i> were superior cultivars. On-farm testing improved researchers’ understanding of farm family needs, accelerated the adoption of new technology, and identified deficiencies of technology which were masked at the field station. Field station research was valuable for screening risky treatments, but yields at the station were uncharacteristically high. Extension staff were valuable in the designing of research, but they selected a disproportionate amount of college-educated, medium- and large-scale farm operators as participants for on-farm testing. Paraprofessionals, female personnel, and social scientists were beneficial in strengthening linkages between project personnel and farm families. Marketing was a major obstacle. / Ph. D.

Urban agriculture is gaining more attention because of the current global trends such as urbanization and global economic and food crisis. The numbers of people who practice urban agriculture are estimated to 800 million. Based on this scale and other claims made about urban agriculture, it is argued that urban agriculture must be integrated to urban policy and planning. The premise of this dissertation was to understand motivations and determinants of urban agriculture, and how these can inform policy. The intention of the dissertation was to understand which urban residents in KwaMsane Township of uMkhanyakude district at KwaZulu-Natal province cultivated gardens and why. This was critical considering that generally urban areas are better than rural areas in terms of employment opportunities, infrastructure, and provision of basic services. In pursuit of this objective, the dissertation assessed KwaMsane Township households cultivating gardens in terms of assets, resources, and livelihood strategies with an aim of identifying motivations and determinant factors. The central idea of the dissertation from the onset was to validate the claim that since there is diversity in terms of household composition among those cultivating gardens there are different reasons for engaging with the activity. Using qualitative with borrowed participatory action tools, and quantitative (STATA 11) methods guided by the sustainable livelihood approach, the findings showed that only 9.7% of KwaMsane Township residents cultivated gardens. Of the households 92% were cultivating gardens and consuming their produce because of food demand due to large household size and children, their awareness about nutritional content of fresh vegetables from the soil, their agricultural background of cultivating gardens for subsistence purposes, high food prices from the market, and their lack of necessary skills to create and sell in the local market. The binary logistic regression showed that the determinants for households to cultivate gardens at KwaMsane Township were the presence of children, agricultural assets, governmental grants, and pensioners in a household. The two common factors between the above mentioned determinants were income and time availability which incentivized the practice. The dissertation also showed that the majority of gardeners from KwaMsane Township were in their productive ages (in this case between 29 and 61 years of age), females were more predominant in the activity with few males, and most of the gardeners were educated, and employed. However, gender, education, and employment had little relationship with cultivation of gardens. On average gardeners were older than non-gardeners. It was also shown that gardeners consisted of different income groups but mostly middle income group. The dissertation indicated that the use of urban agriculture by KwaMsane Township gardeners was informed by their motivations which contributed to food security, food sovereignty, and poverty alleviation. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.