A field trial was conducted to test the anthelmintic effect of a single dose of 4g of copper oxide wire particles (COWP) in bolus form in indigenous goats belonging to small scale communal farmers in three areas in the Bergville district of Kwa-Zulu Natal Province, South Africa namely Dukuza, Ogade and Hoffenthal. Faecal egg counts (FECs) determined by both the McMaster and Pitchford–Visser methods, FAMACHA / Dissertation (MSc (Veterinary Tropical Diseases))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Veterinary Tropical Diseases / unrestricted

<p>Aflatoxins, secondary metabolites produced by the molds <i>Aspergilllus flavus</i> and<i> A. parasiticus</i>, are estimated to affect upwards of 25% of the world’s global food supply. For Low and Middle-Income Countries like Kenya, a combination of trade, economic, and health challenges related to aflatoxin contamination present a serious threat to food and national security. One option for reducing aflatoxin risks in countries like Kenya is deploying small-scale, reprocessing technologies that degrade aflatoxin in contaminated food products. One potential technology for reprocessing is small-scale extrusion (60 pph) like the TechnoChem Mini-Extruder™.</p><p> First, to understand the extent of aflatoxin contamination in Kenyan maize, two field work trials were conducted in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. Aflatoxin levels from each sample were analyzed and compared to a variety of agro-economic variables (e.g. farm size) using a stepwise multiple linear regression. Upon analysis, only 5% of maize samples collected during field work tested positive for unsafe levels of aflatoxin ( >10 ppb). Thus, the resulting regression model is highly biased towards predicting low aflatoxin levels. Such bias makes any inferences to predict high aflatoxin levels in maize largely inconclusive. The inherent heterogeneity of aflatoxin and the history of wide-spread contamination in Kenya further supports the conclusion that more studies are needed to understand the true extent of aflatoxin contamination in Uasin Gishu maize.</p><p> Second, to test the effectiveness of small-scale extrusion on aflatoxin degradation in maize, contaminated samples were processed at varying motor frequencies (15, 38, and 50 hz) and moisture contents (35, 40, 45 %wb). Moisture content is significant (p-value < 0.05) in aflatoxin degradation. Total aflatoxin degradation varied between 11 and 83% depending on processing conditions. Maximum degradation occurred at 40 %wb product moisture with a residence time of 265.1 s and an effective shear rate of 56.5 1/s. Thermal degradation is considered negligible due to low temperature increases. Consequently, all degradation is attributed to shear forces inside the extruder. Shear rates were approximated using the Harper model with moisture content and residence time being the most significant factors affecting shear effects on aflatoxin degradation. Although significant aflatoxin degradation occurred in the extruder, further studies are necessary to understand the role of processing parameters on aflatoxin degradation before small-scale extrusion can be confirmed as a viable reprocessing technology.</p>

With the ever-increasing level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, there is an enormous need to find new ways to minimize CO2 emissions. One way to tackle this problem is with Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). BECCS is a new technology, which captures CO2 from biomass and stores it geologically. As biomass is considered to be CO2-neutral, this technology creates negative emissions and could thus in the long run decrease the level of CO2 in the atmosphere. There is currently a large unawareness of BECCS as a mitigation technology, preventing the break through as it does not receive enough attention and most importantly enough funding or promotion by incentives. By introducing small-scale showcase units to policy makers and the industry, BECCS as a technology with its many benefits can be successfully demonstrated. During this project, an extensive literature review has been done in order to evaluate the current status of the technology and to investigate the maturity and possibilities in the field to introduce small-scale units. Injection sites worldwide have been contacted, to research the possibilities of external small-scale projects to inject CO2. These sites are strictly regulated and it is therefore difficult to inject as an external partner. Industry and field experts were also contacted regarding the different technologies and their scalability. The various capture technologies have potential to work in small scale. As most technologies, the capture technologies used in BECCS processes are first developed in micro-scale in laboratories. This means that the technologies are known to work in small scale, the problem being that they are not commercially available and therefore questions regarding reliability and economy remain to be solved.

This MSc thesis was a project performed in a start-up that develops sustainable devices to exploit renewable energies, specifically in the field of energy harvesting in small scale. The objective of the thesis is to demonstrate the importance of developing the technical side of a project together with the development of the market. The idea is to enhance the success possibilities and work to get to the market as fast as possible with a minimum sellable product using the resources as efficiently as possible. The market analysis was the first step to be performed to understand what the start-up was getting into, at the beginning it was clear that the generator should be targeted to power remote applications that require small amounts of energy and a market that is not suitable for present technologies such as solar PV or micro wind turbines. After this a series of potential markets were identified in order to limit the research and three opportunities were selected. The buoy market was chosen, it has several sub-markets and the AtoN buoys, Fishing buoys and Meteorological buoys were considered the most important and suitable ones. Once the market was defined, the needs of the clients and users were discovered through research in the form of interviews and bibliographical research. Later on an experimental rig was used to test several models of the prototype under different parameters to select one that was close to what was demanded and that can actually be built. This approach was useful to dedicate resources efficiently, specially time and money. The last part of the thesis was to propose a sustainable business model describing a go-to-market strategy that considered both the limitations of the technology and the testing performed in the scope of this project and the expectations of the market for the proposed product. The methodology was a mixed use of business tools learned in the courses and the experiences of the people who were close to the start-up. There is a final reflection at the conclusions that describe the day-to-day of the start-up and the experiences learned as well as the recommendations for future work.

Every day 493 tonnes of waste containing 67% of organic material is generated in the city of El Alto in Bolivia. The majority of the waste is disposed to a landfill that is expected to reach its maximum capacity by 2015. Therefore, new waste treatment methods need to be explored. The high content of organic material in waste makes biogas technologies a potential solution for waste treatment in El Alto. These technologies can generate a renewable energy source and organic fertilizer that can provide several benefits to the city. The objective of this study is to investigate the techno-economic feasibility of a small-scale biogas plant for treating organic market waste in the city of El Alto. To this end, a multi-criteria analysis was performed to identify a suitable technology. The garage-shaped digester was selected as the most appropriate technology for the conditions of El Alto. By implementing this technology, 1.8 GWh of electricity and 2,340 tonnes of organic fertilizer can be produced annually. Furthermore, an economic analysis of two scenarios was conducted. The Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return, Payback time, Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) and sensitivity analysis were evaluated. The biogas plant resulted economically viable in both cases. However, the LCOE estimated (0.17-0.26 USD/kWh) were very high in comparison to the LCOE from natural gas in Bolivia (0.026 USD/kWh). Regarding the sensitivity analysis, several parameters were evaluated from which the compost price was the most influential on changing the NPV. The study also included the estimation of the emission savings. A total of 900 tonnes of CO2/year could be avoided for producing electricity from biogas. Moreover, social benefits could also be generated such as new job opportunities. The use of a small-scale biogas plant for treating organic market waste in the city of El Alto is a cost-effective option. Though, it is fundamental that the government support the waste-to-biogas technologies by introducing economic mechanisms and promoting awareness to ensure the markets for both, biogas and organic fertilizer.

Thesis (M. Sc. Agriculture (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Small-scale farmers are the drivers of many countries in Africa and play an important role in livelihood creation among the poor in rural areas (DAFF, 2012). The efficient use of scarce resources in promoting agricultural production has encouraged a considerable amount of research in determining efficiency differentials of small-scale farmers (Chiona, 2011); especially those engaged in maize as a staple commodity in many parts of the world. The study examined the effect of access to tractor service on technical efficiency of small-scale maize farmers following the implementation of the Masibuyele Emasimini programme in the Mpumalanga province. The objectives of the study were to: (i) Compare and identify the socio-economic characteristics of small-scale maize farmers in the three selected districts of the study, (ii) analyse the socio-economic factors influencing small-scale maize farmers’ access to tractor service, and to (iii) measure technical efficiency of farmers who have access to tractor service. The data collection was carried out in three districts of the Mpumalanga province, that is, Ehlanzeni, Nkangala and Gert Sibande. Farmers producing maize were purposively selected for the study because maize is the most staple food produced in the province, especially on a small-scale level. To effectively cover the study area, a simple random technique was used for sampling with a semi-structured questionnaire administered to 101 farmers. The three districts are heterogeneous in technical aspects, and were therefore treated separately in terms of data collection, analysis and report of findings. The data were further analysed using descriptive statistics, the logistic regression and Cobb-Douglas production function model to address objective one, two and three mentioned above, respectively. The results of the logistic regression model indicated that out of the 9 (Nine) socio-economic variables included in the analysis, 6 (Six) of them (Farmer’s association, irrigation, farmer’s level of education, gender, ownership of land and household size) were found to be significant and influencing access to v tractor service by small-scale maize farmers. Technical efficiency levels revealed that farmers with access to tractor service were more technically efficient than those without access in all districts of the Mpumalanga province. For example, the average technical efficiency for small-scale farmers with access to tractor service in the Ehlanzeni district was 0.68; about 41% higher than those without access with an average technical efficiency of about 0.27. The Cobb-Douglas results on the other hand, revealed that farmers in the Mpumalanga province are experiencing technical inefficiency in maize production due to decreasing returns to scale. Access to tractor service was also negatively insignificant towards maize production in both the Ehlanzeni and Nkangala district, and was found to have a positive but insignificant effect in Gert Sibande. Policy implications are that to improve the efficiency of tractor service (rendered by the Masibuyele Emasimini programme) towards maize production; government should focus on significant factors influencing the access of the following by small-scale maize farmers and the factors are machinery, irrigation, gender, and ownership of land, farmer’s level of education, farmer’s association, and household and land size per district. / National Research Foundation (NRF)

Trail running is thriving as a niche sport and lucrative sport tourism concept around the world. Whether it is for personal conquer, the experience of pure nature or just to stay healthy it is growing as a sport. The purpose of this exploratory study is to give an insight to the essence of trail running and what regulates the sport in Sweden. It also aims to investigate the impact of sport tourism and analyze trail race organizers perception of trail running as a potential lucrative business in Swedish mountain areas.     Data was collected and interviews were held with six different trail race organizers. This study gives an insight to the sport trail running itself, what rules regulate it, the impact of sport tourism on local tourism and investigate trail running event organizers  perception of trail running as a potentially successful niche of sport tourism in Swedish mountain areas.    This study show that trail running is an autonomous sport practiced in diverse terrain with not more than 20% hardened surface. The sport is regulated by ITRA and as a niche sport it can benefit both tourism and society. The interviews performed indicate that most of the organizers believe in trail running as a potentially successful niche of sport tourism when the right conditions are in place. Tough there are several indications why this could be difficult in certain areas in northern Sweden. This study is valuable for the development of niche sport tourism, like trail running, in Swedish mountain areas.

Large Scale Wind Turbines (LSWTs) have been extensively examined for decades but very few studies have been conducted on the small scale wind turbines (SSWTs) especially for the applications near ground level where wind speed is of order of few meters per second. This study provides the first systematic effort towards design and development of SSWTs (rotor diameter<50 cm) targeted to operate at low wind speeds (<5 m/s). An inverse design and optimization tool based on Blade Element Momentum theory is proposed. The utility and efficacy of the tool was validated by demonstrating a 40 cm diameter small-scale wind energy portable turbine (SWEPT) operating in very low wind speed range of 1 m/s-5 m/s with extremely high power coefficient. In comparison to the published literature, SWEPT is one of the most efficient wind turbines at the small scale and very low wind speeds with the power coefficient of 32% and overall efficiency of 21% at its rated wind speed of 4.0 m/s. It has very low cut-in speed of 1.7 m/s. Wind tunnel experiments revealed that SWEPT has rated power output of 1 W at 4.0 m/s, and it is capable of producing power output up to 9.3 W at wind speed of 10 m/s. The study was further extended to develop a piezoelectric wind turbine which operates below 2.0 m/s wind speed. The piezoelectric wind turbine of overall dimension of 100mm x 78mm x 65mm is capable of producing peak electric power of about 450 microwatt at the rated wind speed of 1.9 m/s. / Master of Science

Purpose – This thesis is to identifying key success factors for autonomous agile teams at the small-scale. Furthermore the purpose leads to an improvement of their working process. Method – This study is based on a comparative case study of a company with offices located in Jönköping and Ängelholm. The data is gathered by semi-structured qualitative interviews and by a survey with qualitative and quantitative answers. Findings – The results from RQ1 shows that there exists a difference between established and non-established autonomous agile teams in order to achieve success for projects. ​The findings from RQ2 present six themes that each represent key success factors in an autonomous agile team-based IT project at the small scale. The themes are ​Customer Oriented, Architecture, Individual Development, Team Setup, Entirety and Privilege. The findings from RQ3 resulted in six different elements (​Freedom and Flexibility, Trust and Responsibility, Clear directions, Environment, The work gives value ​ and ​Shared knowledge) ​ that make an individual team member satisfied in an autonomous agile team. Limitations – A fair limitation of this study is too few people to answered the survey. More respondents would have increased the trustworthiness of the results. Keywords – Autonomy, Self-organizing, Success factor, Agile development, Small-scale, Job satisfaction

In most of the developing countries, small scale farmers (SSFs) are usually the primary agricultural producers of staple crop. Furthermore, they highly depend on rainfall for their rain-fed agricultural production. SSFs have limited capacity to adapt to extreme climate variability, thus rendering them to be among the most vulnerable to climate change. Some recent studies show that agricultural production and productivity is being negatively impacted by climate change and variability in most parts of Southern Africa. This is likely to continue for decades into the future, unless corrective or adaptation measures are implemented to reduce the impact on agriculture. Conservation Agriculture (CA) is one of the climate change and weather variability adaptation measures being promoted for SSFs in Kalomo District of Zambia. CA is not only being promoted to improve production and productivity for food security for the majority rural population, but also as an adaptation measure for sustainable agricultural production. The present study analysed the CA practices being promoted in Kalomo district of southern Zambia and the associated challenges in the management and implementation, as well as, how best these challenges can be addressed. Semi-structured interviews and literature review were used as methodologies of data collection for the study. The findings of the study indicate that among the three principles of CA, minimum tillage is mostly practiced compared to crop rotation and retention of crop residue. Within minimum tillage, ripping was found to be practiced on a larger scale compared to making basins. The major challenges include planning and human resource development, financial resource and policy constraints and cultural barriers to adoption of CA.