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This thesis looks at concepts of progress and agricultural deveIopment in the Cape Colony in the aftermath of the South African War (1899-1902). The first decade of the twentieth century was one of economic crisis. War was followed by a severe depression exacerbated by a slump in the diamond industry, which prompted doubts about the longevity of the country’s mineral resources. It was also a period of recurrent drought which aroused concerns about food security and criticisms about the Colony’s reliance on imported victuals and primary products such as timber. In this context, self-professed ‘progressive’ politicians and commercial farmers looked to the land as the most viable source of national wealth. Politically this period was dominated by Leander Starr Jameson’s Progressive Party, which held office from February 1904 until February 1908. The thesis analyses how this Party, usually associated with mining capital and Rhodes’s legacy, deliberately promoted itself as the progenitor of agricultural progressivism in terms of its rhetoric and the policies it pursued. Agricultural amelioration was linked to conservation. Scientific methods and systematic land management strategies were advocated to protect and enhance scarce water resources, soil fertility and pastures on which the rural economy depended. The state positioned itself as the provider of scientific expertise and introduced legislation to promote and regulate the agricultural economy and environment. The Cape was influenced in part by conservationist developments, which occurred contemporaneously in Australia and, in particular, in the United States. Historians of American history have identified the early twentieth century there as the ‘Progressive Era’. This thesis explores the scientific links that emerged between the governments of these two countries and argues that the Cape too self-consciously promoted itself as a progressive state with agricultural development and conservation constructed as two of the principal pillars of progress.

Os trabalhos de planejamento e gerenciamento ambiental requerem informações de recursos naturais como: litologia, relevo, água; vegetação e uso de solos para identificar aptidões ou limitações de classes de solos. A integração dessas informações, bem como o processamento desses dados, pode ser realizada através do uso de Sistemas de Informações Geográficas. O presente trabalho objetivou, um estudo de classes devulnerabilidade à erosão e proposta de adequação de uso à aptidão agrícola do solo de uma área localizada no Municipio de Paiçandu, região noroeste do Paraná, Sul do Brasil, através de geoprocessamento. Na pesquisa, foram utilizadas arquivos digitais no formato matricial referente a imagens orbitais, na identificação da cobertura vegetal; e em fontes secundárias obtiveram-se dados, relativos as temáticas: geologia, geomorfologia, pedologia; e planilhas de índices pluviométricos. A edição dos arquivos vetoriais, cruzamento de dados alfanuméricos cartográficos e edição dos mapas finais foram organizados em planos de informação e processados em ambiente computacional empregando como ferramenta recursos de um Sistema de Informações Geográficas. Na atualização e validação das informações processadas, as informações produzidas foram averiguadas em campo, especialmente das características de classes de solos, uso do solo e da hidrografia. Constatou se que o estudo, na proposta metodológica utilizada, para áreas com explorações consolidadas, possibilitou identificar e mensurar diferentes graus de vulnerabilidades a erosão dos solos conferindo ao ferramental eficiência e relativa rapidez na integração e processamento de dados espaciais e alfanuméricos no diagnóstico ambiental. No estudo realizado foram identificadas e quantificadas áreas de vulnerabilidade à erosão e respectivos valores: Muito Baixa - 0,22%; Baixa - 29,16%; Média - 62,84%; e Forte - 7,79%. Quanto à aptidão agrícola das terras identificaram-se e quantificaram-se: os Subgrupos de terras Boas, Regulares e Restritas, para culturas temporárias, em 69,71%; terras Boas, para pastagens cultivadas e/ou culturas permanentes, em 9,49%; terras Regulares, para pastagens cultivadas e/ou culturas permanentes e terras Boas para silvicultura, em 15,20%; terras Restritas, para pastagens e terras Regulares para silvicultura, em 0,26%; e terras Sem aptidão agrícola em 5,33%. Com base nos resultados deste estudo, foi efetuada avaliação da intensidade de uso e recomendação de adequação de uso / ocupação de acordo com os parâmetros de aptidão agrícola das terras. / Work planning and management of natural resources require information rocks, relief, class, and use of soil, water and vegetation. The integration of this information be as rapid processing of data, can be realizedwith the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This study aimed a study of classes of vulnerability to erosion and proposal of usability to agricultural soil suitability of an area located in the City Paiçandu, northwest of Paraná, southern Brazil, through GIS. In the survey, digital files were used in matrix format referring to satellite images, the identification of vegetation cover, and secondary sources yielded data on the themes: geology, geomorphology, pedology, and spreadsheets rainfall. The editing of vector files, employed alphanumeric mapping data and editing of the final maps. The information ware organized and processed using computational environment as a tool features a Geographic Information System. For updating and validation of information processed, the new information were verified in the field, especially the characteristics of soil types, land use and hydrology. Noted that the study, the methodological approach used for areas with consolidated holdings, enabled us to identify and measure different degrees of vulnerability to erosion, giving the tooling on efficiency and speed in the processing and integration of spatial and alphanumeric data in environmental assessment. were identified and quantified areas of vulnerability to erosion and their values: Very Low - 0.22%; Low - 29.16%; Average - 62.84%; and Strong - 7.79%. In the study for land suitability were identified and quantified the space agricultural. Subgroups of the land Good , Regular and Restricted to temporary crops, 69.71%; Good land to cultivated and/or permanent crops, 9.49% pasture ; Regular land to cultivated and/or permanent crops and pasture lands Good for forestry, in 15.20% ; Restricted land , land for pasture and forestry Regular, 0.26%; Without land and agricultural suitability in 5.33 %. Based on the results of this study, was conducted assessing the intensity of use and recommendation of suitability of use / occupancy in accordance with the parameters of agricultural land suitability.

This study investigates the impact on water quality of combined agricultural best management practices cover crop and minimum tillage, alongside an examination of techniques used to collect those samples. Edge-of-field (EOF) water quality samples were collected from 11 working farms during a two-year paired field experiment. Results showed significant reductions in nutrient concentrations, increased discharge, and mixed findings regarding nutrient mass transport post-treatment. A suite of EOF collection techniques were compared using in-situ automated water sampling systems sampling the same runoff events. Sampling protocols influenced nutrient concentrations in composite samples, but unexpected variance in velocity sensors affected measured discharge, making it challenging to confidently attribute differences in nutrient loading estimates to sampling protocol. The findings provide regionally specific evidence for mitigating on-farm nutrient enrichment in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley and enhancing monitoring techniques.

The Homesite Severance Policy of British Columbia’s Agricultural Land Commission permits the subdivision of the farmer’s home from the farm property. Its purpose is to balance the protection of the agricultural resource with fair treatment for retiring farmers. This study documents the land use implications of the policy as well as its development, charting its origins and changes over the decades. Critics of the policy have noted two major problems. Urban sized lots have been scattered throughout the agricultural community, increasing the possibility of urban - rural conflicts (over the noises and smells of farming). Scarce arable land has also been lost, through construction (of the home or barns), on the remnant property. To determine if the agricultural resource has been compromised by the policy the frequency, location and actual area taken by homesite severance will be reviewed. In addition the study will explore the rationale and results of the two reviews of the policy. Suggestions will be offered (as they emerge from the findings and discussion) to alleviate the negative effects of the policy.

The broad scope and intent of this thesis is to contribute to the body of research and writing about the loss of agricultural land due to development and the transformation of rural agricultural communities. At the more specific level, through interviews and secondary research, this thesis considers municipal land use planning in Alberta under the revised 1995 Municipal Government Act in the Municipal District (MD) of Pincher Creek No. 9, where cattle ranching, wildlife, and now, acreages vie for land resources. The critical questions addressed are: What are the conflicts between ranching and habitat conservation, and conversely, what opportunities do they share? What role can and does a municipality play in promoting sustainable ranching and conservation through its land use policy and jurisdiction? Set in southwest corner of Alberta, the MD of Pincher Creek is endowed with a remarkable history of ranching, ample resource wealth, and a unique climate and topography that supports a spectacular, rich, diverse ecosystem. Within the past few years, private agricultural land near Waterton Lakes National Park and the Castle River wilderness in the MD has come under speculative and development pressure predominantly for country residences, often retirement homes, and for tourism interests. Recent Municipal Act amendments have delegated substantially more land use control to rural municipalities, as a result the MD of Pincher Creek has more authority to make decisions that shape its future community profile, to mediate between competing land use interests, and to impact local ranching and habitat. The thesis analysis explores how the best practices of ranching or "sustainable ranching" can help to conserve and enhance habitat and how ranchers' attitudes can evolve to be more tolerant of wildlife. This thesis also explores and supports the efforts of a budding local land trust, SALTS, which plans to protect local agricultural land and habitat through conservation easements. Finally, the thesis concludes by envisioning ways the MD government can encourage habitat preservation, conservation easements, sustainable and economically viable ranching, as well as the control and direction of country residential development, all with a view to ensuring that future economic development opportunities remain available for local residents.

For nearly thirty years, the Subdivision Control Act of 1967 (SCA) was the state statute that governed land division in Michigan. The SCA allowed for an indiscriminant pattern of large lot, rural land division that challenged, if not destroyed, viable land resource production. In 1996, the Michigan Legislature passed the Land Division Act (LDA), which repealed and replaced the title and certain sections of the SCA. The LDA attempts to eliminate many of the results that the former statute had on rural land by establishing fewer division before platting is required and offering incentives to retain greater percentages of the parcel being partitioned. This research examines the current efficiency of the incentives, to retain 60% or more of the original parcel, in Eaton and Montmorency counties, which represent two scenario locations. The findings reveal that the incentives have not been utilized in Montmorency County and minimally utilized in Eaton County. Those unplatted land divisions that utilized the incentives, commonly referred to as "bonus" parcels, are located in rural regions, with predominantly agricultural land cover, in proximity to urbanized areas. The results indicate that the incentives under the LDA have been minimally applied and have not yet helped retain significant portions of resource productive land in Michigan. / Department of Urban Planning

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Grazing management in the semi-arid communal areas of Namaqualand is investigated in this study. Paulshoek, situated in the Leliefontein Communal Reserve area, is delineated as the study area and consists of 20 OOOha.Cattle farming is practised by most households primarily on a subsistence basis. It is also used as a source of income when financial problems arise. The management of grazing-land in terms of formal rules and regulations is non-existent with only mutual relationships between farmers. The aim of this study is to develop a spatial framework for the management of a sustainable grazing regime with the aid of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. This aim is reached through three overlapping goals which are researched individually. The goals are to create a spatial image of the physical resource base as well as resource usage and from this the development of a computerised (Excel spreadsheet) spatial management framework for sustainable grazing management. Through the use of existing data available from the National Botanical Institute (NB!) as well as other sources and with the aid of GIS technology, coupled with Indigenous Knowledge, these goals were reached. The stockpost as individual entity is studied to give a broader understanding of how the herdsmen see their immediate environment. The grazing management system, as presented in this thesis, consists of a simple Excel Spreadsheet, with inputs from GIS technology and Indigenous Knowledge. The area is overgrazed, as is seen in the widespread occurrence of kraalbos cross the Paulshoek landscape. The recommendations are that this management system should be implemented, which could minimize the futher overgrazing of the area. The management system relies heavily on the cooperation of the community and the integration of existing management systems and policies. It will give a more detailed account of who may own how many stock and where they may graze in the communal rangelands which will also help in the establishment of new permanent waterpoints in the area. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Weidingsbestuur in die semi-ariede gemeenskaplike gebiede van Namakwaland is in hierdie studie ondersoek. Paulshoek, geleë in die Leliefontein Gemeenskapsreservaat gebied, word as studiegebied afgebaken en beslaan ongeveer 20 OOOha.Veeboerdery word deur meeste van die huishoudings primêr as bestaansboerdery beoefen. Dit word ook gebruik as 'n bron van inkomste wanneer finansiële probleme ondervind word. Die bestuur van weivelde in terme van formele reëls en regulasies is glad nie ter sprake nie, slegs onderlinge verhoudinge tussen veeboere bestaan. Die doel van hierdie studie is om 'n ruimtelike raamwerk te ontwikkel vir die bestuur van 'n volhoubare weidingsregime deur die aanwending van Geografiese Inligting Stelsels (GIS). Hierdie doel word behaal deur drie oorkoepelende doelwitte wat elk afsondelik behandel word. Die doelwitte is om 'n ruimtelike beeld van die fisiese hulpbronbasis asook die benuttingsregime van die hulpbron te skep, en hieruit 'n rekenaar-gesteunde (Excel sigblad) ruimtelike bestuursraamwerk vir volhoubare weidingsbestuur te ontwerp. Deur gebruik te maak van bestaande inligting afkomstig vanaf Nasional Botaniese Instituut (NBI) asook ander bronne en met die koppeling van GIStegnologie en Inheemse Kennis (IK) is die doelwitte bereik. Die veepos word as entiteit behandel om 'n beter verstandhouding op te bou van hoe die veewagter sy onmiddelike omgewing bestuur. Die weidingsbestuurstelsel, soos voorgestel in hierdie tesis, bestaan uit 'n eenvoudige Excel sigblad, gekoppel aan GIS-tegnologie en Inheemse Kennis. Die gebied is oorbeweid, soos gesien kan word aan die verspreiding van kraalbos regoor die landskap van Paulshoek. Die aanbevelings is dat die bestuurstelsel geïmplementeer moet word om te verhoed dat die gebied verder onderhewig sal wees aan intensiewe beweiding. Die bestuurstelsel berus op die samewerking van die gemeenskap en die integrasie van bestaande bestuurstelsels. Dit sal tot gevolg hê 'n meer volledige opname van wie hoeveel vee mag besit en wie waar mag vestig in die weiveld gebied, wat gevolglik ook die skepping van nuwe permanente waterbronne sal vergemaklik.

Land degradation is a serious problem that many poor communities face and this worsens their vulnerability and therefore, poses a threat to food security, as it reduces yield, forces farmers to use more inputs, and disproportionately affect the smallholder farmers in remote communities that also suffer diverse infrastructure disadvantages. In response to that, the international development agencies, donors, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), especially faith-based organizations have turned towards sustainable farming approaches. Much attention has been paid to a combination of sustainable farming measures which are packaged under the “Conservation Agriculture” (CA) banner. The previous work in the KZN Province and elsewhere has demonstrated that CA has the potential to improve the soil structure, thereby reversing the effect of soil degradation. Consequently, many of the farmers in the areas in which these demonstrations have been conducted appreciate the ecological and economic value of adopting CA. However, the on-farm financial benefits of adopting a CA specific tillage practice are not as well known or thought to be as pronounced. By means of integrating field survey, reviewed literature, and econometric analysis, this study assessed the farm level cost-benefit analysis of conservation agriculture for smallholder maize farmers in OLM, specifically in one demonstration village of Bergville town. The analysis is based on the case study of the NGO’s work in which they had selected a community and participating households who received assistance in a number of ways such as maize seed, soil preparation, and CA planters. To analyse the farm level cost-benefit analysis, descriptive, linear regression, gross margin (GM) and appraisal indicators such as Net Present Value (NPV), Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) were used. The descriptive analysis, used to analyse the factors affecting the extent of adoption of CA revealed that socio-economic characteristics have the influence on the level to which a farmer responds to incentives. Linear regression model used in this study showed that years in farming, involvement in joint farmer’s group, and use of cover crops have the significant effect on the extent of adoption of CA. Moreover, the calculated gross margins of the two tillage systems were different, revealing higher Gross Margins for CA plots than for conventional plots. The major cause of the difference was found to be differences in the variable costs. When using appraisal indicators (NPV, BCR, and IRR) the study projected a 10-year period at 8% and 10.5% discount rates. The study also revealed positive NPVs for both CA and conventional agriculture. The positive sign implies that there are positive pay-offs for investing in both trial and control plots. However, trial plots have larger NPVs compared to control plots, meaning that there are less additional returns for investing in control plots compared to trial plots. Results also reveal that with 10.5% discount rate, the NPVs are lower than with 8% discount rate, showing that lower discount rates are consistent with higher performance over the long term. This therefore means that at lower discount rate, it is more viable to produce maize using CA than using conventional tillage system. In the case of BRC presented in the study, it was revealed that at both low and high discount rates, the trial plots were more viable than the control plots. Finally, the IRR presented in the study reveal that the trial plots would be able to pay their way much faster than the control plots. Overall, the study found that there are incentives to adoption of CA compared to conventional farming. The message from the different results arising from the use of different discount rates is that farmers should receive assistance at low cost of capital in order for their operations to be viable and this works out well over the long term as shown by the 10-year period projections.

The Homesite Severance Policy of British Columbia’s Agricultural Land Commission permits the subdivision of the farmer’s home from the farm property. Its purpose is to balance the protection of the agricultural resource with fair treatment for retiring farmers. This study documents the land use implications of the policy as well as its development, charting its origins and changes over the decades. Critics of the policy have noted two major problems. Urban sized lots have been scattered throughout the agricultural community, increasing the possibility of urban - rural conflicts (over the noises and smells of farming). Scarce arable land has also been lost, through construction (of the home or barns), on the remnant property. To determine if the agricultural resource has been compromised by the policy the frequency, location and actual area taken by homesite severance will be reviewed. In addition the study will explore the rationale and results of the two reviews of the policy. Suggestions will be offered (as they emerge from the findings and discussion) to alleviate the negative effects of the policy. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate