A la quête de meilleures conditions de vie, les citadins se sont souvent approprié les technologies de l'information et de la communication (TIC). Ces TIC ont atteint aujourd’hui le milieu rural et il est utile de s’intéresser aux transformations structurelles qu’elles apportent en milieu agricole. Cette quête d’information est au centre de la curiosité qui fonde la conduite de cette recherche. L'imaginaire collectif semble considérer le milieu rural comme l'espace du chaos où la pénibilité déconstruit l'ambition du progrès. A l'ère de l'expansion technologique, nous nous interrogeons sur les transformations organisationnelles induites par l'intégration et l'usage des technologies par le citoyen vivant en milieu agricole. Le travail de la terre est certes sa première activité, mais en quoi est-ce que l'exploitation des technologies mobiles manipulables à distance lui facilite l’activité agricole et la relation avec la clientèle ? Les facilités de transformations structurelles attribuées à l'implémentation des technologies en milieu agricole sont-elles effectives ? Si Oui, induisent-elles des améliorations de conditions de vie ? Pour dissiper nos doutes, nous avons revisité les travaux réalisés en sciences de l'information et de la communication, en sciences agronomiques, en télécommunications et en sciences de l’ingénierie. Les constats sont inéluctables et confirment la disparité de vie entre le milieu agricole et celui citadin. Nous n’avons pas pensé le contraire mais nous nous sommes dit que les fossés ne sont pas aussi profonds aujourd’hui que par le passé. L'usage du téléphone mobile est basique au sein des enquêtés de notre milieu d'étude. Nous nous sommes spécifiquement intéressé aux acteurs en charge de la production et de la vente de l'ananas frais. Deux tiers des producteurs d'ananas interrogés par l'enquête de terrain utilisent le téléphone pour annoncer la disponibilité du produit, mais le bouche à oreille reste le moyen le plus utilisé pour la publicité. Lesdits téléphones et autres équipements mobiles n'interviennent donc presque ni pour collecter les informations culturales ni pour le transfert financier. Les technologies de maîtrise d'eau dans les espaces cultivés et les machines agricoles sont encore très peu accessibles. La main-d'œuvre locale est de ce fait fortement sollicitée. Les conditions de travail se révèlent alors assez difficiles en général. L'internet et les réseaux sociaux sont encore un luxe. Malgré la moyenne de cinq personnes à charge, ils s’assurent les trois repas quotidiens. La production d'ananas est faite par la plupart des enquêtés, en complément d'autres activités. / In search of better living conditions, city dwellers almost use information and communication technologies. What about the situation in rural areas? It is an interrogation that has nourished the curiosity that underlies the conduct of this research. The collective imagination most of the time considers the rural environment like a space of chaos, where the penury destroys progress ambitions. In this age of technological expansion, we wonder about the changes brought by the integration and use of technologies in the life of the citizens living in agricultural areas. Farming is indeed their first occupation, but does the use of the mobile handling technologies makes the labour conditions easier? Are the structural transformation facilities attributed to the implementation of agricultural technologies effective? If so, do they induce improvements in living conditions and limit the mass exodus to urban areas, seeking betterment? To alleviate our doubts, we revisited studies existing in information and communication sciences, agronomics and telecommunications. The results are inescapable and confirmed the disparity of lifestyle between agricultural and urban environment. The use of the mobile phone is basic within the surveys of our study environment. We are particularly interested in the actors in charge of the production and sale of fresh pineapples. Two third of pineapple producers interviewed while conducting our field investigations, use the phone to announce the availability of the product, but mouth to mouth remains the most used medium for advertising. Television, telephones and other mobile equipments do not intervene neither in the collection of the agricultutal related informations nor for the financial transfer. The technologies to control water in the fields and agricultural machinery are still very inaccessible. As a result, the local labor force is heavily involved. Working conditions are generally rather difficult. Internet and social networks are still a luxury. Despite the average of five dependents, they make three daily meals. Pineapple production is made by most of the concerned, in addition to other activities.

Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology (Food Technology) Department of Food Technology Faculty of Applied Sciences Cape Peninsula University of Technology / The nutrient profile of meat and meat products make them a major protein and minerals source for non- vegetarian human beings. However, their high fat content and the saturated fatty acid profile associate them with increased risk of lifestyle diseases and occurrences of cancers. Researchers have focused on fat replacement and fatty acid profile modification without compromising the physico-chemical and sensory characteristics of meat products. Leaner ingredients are expensive hence the use of low/non-calorie adding ingredients such as water, vegetable oils and oat bran. In this study, three pineapple dietary fibres (PDF), NSP 60, NSP 100 and NSP 200 with water binding capacities (WBC) of 1: 8; 1: 7.4; 1: 7.8 (g/g), respectively, were assessed for their WBC in species sausage at levels 0%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%. Water was added in accordance to the specific WBC capacity of the fibres, replacing pork back fat. The WBC of the fibre in the meat emulsion was assessed by extracting the loosely bound fluid by centrifugation. Fibres NSP 100 and NSP 200 proved to be of better water binding than NSP 60 which had the highest total expressible fluid (TEF) at all levels. Although differing significantly in WBC at all levels, all the fibres excellently bound water at 1% level. The three PDF (at 1% level) were then assessed with regard to chemical, physical, and textural attributes in species sausage. Proximate analysis showed that the control sausages (no fibre), differed significantly from the sausages containing PDF. Emulsion stability analysis was based on TEF, cooking loss and purge. Sausages containing NSP 200 PDF did not significantly differ to the control in terms of TEF and cooking loss. Sausages containing NSP 100 had the lowest cooking loss although not significantly different to the control and NSP 200 containing sausages. NSP 60 PDF performed significantly poorly in terms of TEF and cooking loss. The control had a significantly lower purge comparing to sausages containing which were not different. The pH value of the control was significantly higher than the samples containing fibres which also differed from each other. Inclusion of fibre in the species resulted in a significant increase in lightness, hue and chroma as compared to the control. Textural parameters for the control were significantly higher than the fibre containing sausages, except for cohesiveness which was similar for all sausages. This study concluded that NSP 100 could be the most suitable for use in species sausage, followed by the NSP 200 and lastly the NSP 60. Addition of PDF, in combination with water to a species sausage can be a viable way of cutting costs since the formulation cost of all the fibre containing sausages was lower in comparison to the control. Fibre and water addition can be a positive means of reducing the lipid fraction in sausages and other meat products, increasing the dietary fibre component and hence improving the health status of meat product consumers.

Drying of fruits has been done for many years and different techniques have been developed. For preservation of fruit, drying is a good method for producing sustainable food products that avoids waste. The interest in producing sustainable food products that are nutritious and safe from bacterial growth has increased. In developing countries large amounts of food are destroyed, while many people are undernourished. Every year large amounts of pineapples are produced in Ghana. The pineapples are either being sold fresh or distributed to juice producers. To minimize the wastes and improve the economy in rural areas, drying is an interesting method. The unreliable power supply system is a problem in Ghana. Power failure is frequent. During dry season, sun drying is a suitable method for Ghana, which has a tropical climate with dry and rain seasons. A solar dryer for pineapples has been developed, constructed, modified, tested and implemented in the village Edumafa, in a rural area of Ghana. The only energy source that has been used to dry the pineapples is the sun. Before the trip to Ghana, drying tests were made in a laboratory in Sweden and a prototype of the dryer was built in the university workshop. This was done to facilitate the work in Ghana by gaining experience from drying and constructing. The prototyping also clarified which type of tools that would be needed so the tools could be transported from Sweden. The results from drying pineapple slices at 70°C in an oven in Sweden resulted in slices with hard shells and a soft, moist content (the moisture could not be removed since it became enclosed inside the slices).The conclusion was drawn that the pineapples cannot be dried in such a high temperature. Slices were in good quality when dried at 50°C. Since the citizens in the village Edumafa have never dried pineapples before, it is important for them to learn how to use the dryer and keep it in good working condition. During wet season it is important that the dryer is protected against rain. In the mid of a sunny day, when the temperature in the ambient air was 30°C, the temperature in the drying chamber could be around 50°C. Temperatures over 50°C were possible to achieve and there were no risk for getting to high temperature in the drying chamber. Therefore good drying temperatures can be achieved. To change the economy in considerable proportions for the citizens in Edumafa, a bigger dryer is necessary. The villagers need investment help to afford a bigger dryer of this type. The dryer can minimize losses of pineapples and create bigger incomes if the solar dryer is maintained in good condition and the villagers use it often to dry pineapples. / Att torka frukt har gjorts i många år och olika tekniker har utvecklats. Torkning av frukt är en bra metod för att förlänga hållbarheten och minimera spill. Att producera mat som både har en lång hållbarhet, är näringsrik och har låg mikrobiologisk tillväxt har idag blivit mer och mer aktuellt.  I utvecklingsländer förstörs stora mängder av mat samtidigt som det finns ett problem med undernärda människor. I Ghana skördas stora mängder ananas varje år och säljs antingen färska eller skickas iväg för juiceproduktion. För att minimera spill och förbättra ekonomin på landsbygden, torkning är en intressant metod. Ett problem i Ghana är det instabila elnätet. Strömavbrott är vanligt förekommande och därför är det bra om torkningen sker med metoder som inte kräver elektricitet. Klimatet är tropiskt med torr- och regnperioder, och soltorkning passar sig bara under torrperioden. En soltork för ananas har utvecklats, byggts upp, modifierats, testats och implementerats i byn Edumafa på den ghanesiska landsbygden. Den enda energikällan som används av torken är solen. Inför resan till Ghana har i Sverige torkförsök gjorts i ett laboratorium samt en prototyp av en soltork byggts upp i universitetets verkstad. Detta för att underlätta arbetet i Ghana genom att få erfarenheter från torkning och byggande. Byggandet har även klargjort vilken typ av verktyg som kan tänkas behövas så att de kan bli transporterade från Sverige. Resultatet av torkförsöken i Sverige visade att vid 70°C blir ananasen bränd på ytan (fukten kan inte transporteras ut eftersom den blir instängd inuti skivorna), vilket gör att ananasen inte går att torka vid en sådan hög temperatur. Ananasskivorna fick bra kvalité vid torkning i 50°C i laboratoriets ugn. Eftersom soltorkning av ananas är något som byborna i Edumafa aldrig har gjort tidigare, är det viktigt att de förstår hur torken fungerar samt att de kan torka ananas på egen hand.  Under regnperioden är det viktigt att torken skyddas från regn. Mitt under en solig dag då utetemperaturen är cirka 30°C kan temperaturen i torkkammaren bli cirka 50°C. Temperaturer över 50°C var möjliga att uppnå och det blev aldrig för varmt i torkkammaren. Vilket tyder på att bra torktemperaturer kan uppnås. För att kunna få till stånd en betydande förändring i ekonomin i Edumafa, är det nödvändigt att bygga en större tork. Invånarna behöver ekonomisk hjälp till investeringen för att ha råd med en större tork av denna typ. Torken kan minimera spill av ananas och generera större inkomster, om torken bevaras i ett gott skick och invånarna använder den ofta för att torka i.

M.A. / This study attempts to trace the interrelationship between literature and its historical contexts in six stories by South African women writers. Six South African writers have been selected because their work foregrounds the theme of oppression and because they are representative of the different groupings of the South African population. In her story "The Sisters", Pauline Smith explores the silencing effects of gender oppression in a patriarchy. In "The Apostasy of Carlina", Bertha Goudvis writes of women-on-women oppression between the white and black races. Jayapraga Reddy explores the complexities of intercultural relationships in "Friends". In "Let Them Eat Pineapples", Lizeka Mda explores the oppressive effects of industrial-development on the tribal system in Transkei. In "Last Look at Paradise Road", Gladys Thomas, like Goudvis before her, focuses on the racial discrimination practised by whites against blacks. Gcina Mhlope reveals women-on-women oppression practised both by white-on-black and black-on-black. A chronological ordering of these short stories reveals certain changes in the extent to which attitudes to oppression are revealed and criticized. This study suggests that while there has not been a significant decrease in the degree of oppression to which South African women have been subjected, the increasing awareness and exposure of gender oppression suggests the promise of self-actualization in the struggle for democracy in South Africa.