Food insecurity remains a major challenge affecting the rural poor households in South Africa. The consumption of green leafy vegetables is important to address micronutrients deficiency in rural communities and, at the same time, it contributes to fibre intake. This study investigated the people’s attitude towards the cultivation and utilisation of ILVs in rural communities. A cross-section survey study was conducted among 1 000 respondents in randomly selected households in communities. The majority of respondents were not willingly consuming ILVs. This is because most consumers were black and of the low-income group. ILVs that are consumed grow mainly in the wild. The regular consumption of these vegetables as indicated in this study is interesting, as this will help in mitigating micronutrient deficiency. Furthermore, these vegetables could be incorporated in formulated food to improve iron and zinc, especially in infant foods formulation. Based on the findings of this study it would be important to find ways of encouraging cultivation of ILVs for both nutrition and as income generating activities. / Business Management / M. Consumer Science

Current food production methods in the United States contribute to environmental degradation as well as food insecurity. Food production by means of community gardens has the potential to reduce the deleterious effects of current production methods. However, many community gardens face challenges that hinder their longevity, thereby reducing the likelihood of the support they might provide for environmentally sustainable food production and decreased food insecurity for community members. A behavioral systems science approach was combined with ethnographic research methods, matrix analysis, and a literature review regarding best practices for community gardens to study the cultural practices of three established community gardens in the southwest region of the US. The results of the analyses conducted are presented in terms of recommendations to support each target community garden's sustainability. Recommendations regarding future research include environmental manipulations to identify functional relations and potential outcome measures for improving the longevity of community gardens are provided.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / This research investigates the impact of urban agriculture on food security through urban food garden projects in Kayamandi. Food insecurity is a major global challenge, 795 million people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition and 780 million of these are from developing countries. In South Africa, poverty, unemployment, and inequality play pivotal roles in the dynamics of food security. These indicators have shown that chronic poverty and food insecurity are mostly found in urban and peri-urban areas, affecting the most vulnerable groups such as women, children, and the elderly. In addition, food insecurity exists in Cape Town. In 2008, 80% of poor households in Khayelitsha, Philippi and Ocean View were either moderately or severely food insecure. Similarly, in Manenberg, a study revealed that 64% of the households were food insecure. Only 18% of poor households were food secure compared to the 74% and 94% for middle and high income households. Although there is numerous research on food insecurity in Cape Town, the contribution of urban agriculture to household food security in Kayamandi has not been addressed adequately. This study assessed the current state of food security in the Kayamandi settlement. The study also identified the impact of urban agriculture on food security in Kayamandi, as well as investigating the outcomes of an urban agriculture project in Kayamandi provided by the NGO, Love2Give. Qualitative research method was used to deeply understand the extent in which urban agriculture contributes to food security. In this process, 12 participants were purposively selected from the urban gardeners of the Love2Give organization including 2 key informant interviews. The Sustainable Livelihoods approach was applied to this study in order to understand the role Love2Give plays in building a sustainable community. As a theoretical framework, the Sustainable Livelihoods approach identified the mechanism Kayamandi gardeners use to secure their household food security. This is in alignment with the initial hypothesis, which is that Kayamandi households are food insecure. The majority of the participants in Kayamandi were either moderately (33.3%) or severely (33.3) food insecure whilst only four households were food secure (33.3). The high food insecurity in the area can be attributed to the high unemployment rate of 84% of the participants. Urban agriculture contributes to the household food security of participants. 75% of respondents engaged in urban farming for consumption purpose while the rest practice urban farming to generate income. Although participants generate little income from urban cultivating, it contributes significantly to their lives especially when they mix this with other livelihood diversification methods. Lack of water, land and enough farm equipment hinders the potential impact of urban agriculture. Therefore, there is a great need of intervention from multi-stakeholders such as NGOs, government and municipal authorities to intervene and promote urban agriculture as a means to reduce poverty and food insecurity.

Magister Artium - MA / Overindulgence is widely regarded as a serious social problem in South Africa leading to obesity and associated medical and psychological issues. This study investigated overindulgence from the perspective of Islamic Studies. In the Muslim tradition, overindulgence is regarded as a vice which is contrasted with the virtue of temperance in the Qur’an and the Hadith. There is a long tradition of Muslim virtue ethics that draws from Greek philosophy but also from medieval Arabic sources. This study required an overview of such literature in order to profile contemporary discourse on the virtue of temperance against this historical background. Even though the virtue of temperance is praised, and the vice of overindulgence is frowned upon in Muslim communities, this does preclude overindulgence amongst Muslims, not even in the holy month of Ramadan. This may be understood in terms of the classic problem of moral formation where it is recognised that virtue cannot be taught. Knowledge of the good does not suffice for the realisation of the good. In terms of this study, this begs the question what kind of considerations play a role in motivating some Muslims to overindulge despite Muslim teachings in this regard, even amidst contexts of food insecurity. In this study, I investigated the perceptions of such considerations found within Muslim households associated with the Rylands and Belhar mosques. This required a Qualitative Approach where Semi-structured Interviews were conducted with around 10 households associated with each of these mosques. The local Imam in each case was asked to select ten such households of good moral standing. These interviews were recorded and analysed in order to describe the perceptions amongst Muslims of good moral standing with regards to the considerations that play a role in habits of over-indulgence. The study found several determinants of overindulgence within the selected Muslim households associated with the Rylands and Belhar mosques namely, food insecurity, spiritual apathy, emotional eating, conspicuous and hedonistic consumption as well as social environmental cues. However, food insecurity was exclusive to the Muslim community of Belhar who are distinctive from the inhabitants of Rylands in terms of social-economic status as well as race. This community is largely of Malay origin and is disadvantaged economically compared to their counterparts who are predominantly of Indian descent and enjoy a high-income status. The study found in both communities that Ramadan; a month of restraint, self-reflection, devotion, and worship had been turned into a month of indulgence and unhealthy eating. It was perceived that most Muslims squeeze a five-course meal in the few hours they can eat. The research further revealed that such individuals to be very meticulous of what type of food they consume when breaking their fast and would prefer oily fried foods to healthy food. This causes weight gain, health complications and sluggishness which stands in the way of worship. It was concluded that the majority gain weight due to their lifestyles. With regards to the implementation of moral formation, the study revealed self-discipline, leading by example and parents, educators and leaders playing an active role to be key in the formation of good morals. Additionally, the study found good moral formation can be achieved through habituation. Finally, the study found that the major constraints to moderate and healthy eating to be lack of self-discipline, the absence of virtue ethical education in Islamic institutions and finally Muslim leaders have prioritized the ḥalãl aspect of food and in the interim have forgotten to preach the importance of wholesome pure foods. The explanations offered in this study indicated the importance of the virtue of temperance in the fight against obesity and in the attainment of physical and spiritual wellbeing. This virtue which is a mean between two vices, namely self-indulgence and insensibility help in the journey towards a higher lifestyle and helps release all the dynamic forces that spiritually weigh down those in affluent as well as food insecure communities.

Magister Legum - LLM / The unemployment rate in South Africa is alarmingly high. In the year 2018, the unemployment rate was recorded at 27.2%. Many people are forced to do desperate, and even dangerous things in order to sustain themselves. This includes people going into landfills to collect recyclable materials to sell and look for a meal. Collecting and retailing recyclable waste has become an informal source of income for thousands of people in South Africa. Waste pickers are individuals whose survival largely depends on collecting, sorting and selling recyclable waste. Waste pickers are defined as people who “collect, sort and sell reusable and recyclable materials”. They embark on waste picking as a means of survival. Given the fact that informal waste management is not regulated by the government, waste pickers are left vulnerable to exploitation and hazardous working environments. Waste pickers are denied access to landfills by either private companies, where municipalities have outsourced this function, or by municipalities themselves. Depending on the management of the landfill, waste pickers could also potentially be faced with crime on landfills with gangsters robbing them of their recyclables and/or hard earned money.

Magister Artium - MA / Overindulgence is widely regarded as a serious social problem in South Africa leading to obesity and associated medical and psychological issues. This study investigated overindulgence from the perspective of Islamic Studies. In the Muslim tradition, overindulgence is regarded as a vice which is contrasted with the virtue of temperance in the Qur’an and the Hadith. There is a long tradition of Muslim virtue ethics that draws from Greek philosophy but also from medieval Arabic sources. This study required an overview of such literature in order to profile contemporary discourse on the virtue of temperance against this historical background. Even though the virtue of temperance is praised, and the vice of overindulgence is frowned upon in Muslim communities, this does preclude overindulgence amongst Muslims, not even in the holy month of Ramadan. This may be understood in terms of the classic problem of moral formation where it is recognised that virtue cannot be taught. Knowledge of the good does not suffice for the realisation of the good. In terms of this study, this begs the question what kind of considerations play a role in motivating some Muslims to overindulge despite Muslim teachings in this regard, even amidst contexts of food insecurity. In this study, I investigated the perceptions of such considerations found within Muslim households associated with the Rylands and Belhar mosques. This required a Qualitative Approach where Semi-structured Interviews were conducted with around 10 households associated with each of these mosques. The local Imam in each case was asked to select ten such households of good moral standing. These interviews were recorded and analysed in order to describe the perceptions amongst Muslims of good moral standing with regards to the considerations that play a role in habits of over-indulgence. The study found several determinants of overindulgence within the selected Muslim households associated with the Rylands and Belhar mosques namely, food insecurity, spiritual apathy, emotional eating, conspicuous and hedonistic consumption as well as social environmental cues. However, food insecurity was exclusive to the Muslim community of Belhar who are distinctive from the inhabitants of Rylands in terms of social-economic status as well as race. This community is largely of Malay origin and is disadvantaged economically compared to their counterparts who are predominantly of Indian descent and enjoy a high-income status. The study found in both communities that Ramadan; a month of restraint, self-reflection, devotion, and worship had been turned into a month of indulgence and unhealthy eating. It was perceived that most Muslims squeeze a five-course meal in the few hours they can eat. The research further revealed that such individuals to be very meticulous of what type of food they consume when breaking their fast and would prefer oily fried foods to healthy food. This causes weight gain, health complications and sluggishness which stands in the way of worship. It was concluded that the majority gain weight due to their lifestyles. With regards to the implementation of moral formation, the study revealed self-discipline, leading by example and parents, educators and leaders playing an active role to be key in the formation of good morals. Additionally, the study found good moral formation can be achieved through habituation. Finally, the study found that the major constraints to moderate and healthy eating to be lack of self-discipline, the absence of virtue ethical education in Islamic institutions and finally Muslim leaders have prioritized the ḥalãl aspect of food and in the interim have forgotten to preach the importance of wholesome pure foods. The explanations offered in this study indicated the importance of the virtue of temperance in the fight against obesity and in the attainment of physical and spiritual wellbeing. This virtue which is a mean between two vices, namely self-indulgence and insensibility help in the journey towards a higher lifestyle and helps release all the dynamic forces that spiritually weigh down those in affluent as well as food insecure communities.

The aim of this study is to investigate the outcomes of the Land Consolidation Programme (LCP) in household food productivity. The implementation of the 2004 Rwandan National Land Policy (which incorporates LCP) has been one of the Rwandan government strategic attempts to improve the livelihood of the Rwandans. In this study we look at some of the social-economic factorsbenefited by household farmers through the LCP since its implementation in 2007. In Sub-Saharan Africa many people depend on land for their livelihood and consequently, one of the obvious negative impacts has been the fragmentation of land. Historically the customary land management, in which inheritance is the major mode of land acquisition, has been the main way of allocating land in African societies. This communal tenure is viewed as unstable and leads to detrimental implications, in the form of mismanagement and overexploitation of the available land. The demographic pressure has also aggravated the issue of land scarcity and land fragmentation. The latter has consequences on agricultural productivity since it makes harder the efficient use of land. In this study the researcher explores the outcomes of the LCP in Rwanda as a type of land reform that aims at preventing fragmentation of land and enhancing the livelihood of household farmers. For achieving this objective, the study used a case study of household farmers from Gisenyi village of Bugesera district (in Rwanda) who are involved in the LCP since its implementation. Empirical data was obtained through in-depth interviews with 20 household farmers and 8 key informants. The emphasis in the study was put on investigating the state of household food productivity in Gisenyi. The study was guided by the property right theory and its basic conceptual assumption of enhancing the income through credit access. The findings of the study demonstrate that household farmers in Gisenyi village have benefited from the LCP. Household farmers confirmed that agricultural productivity has increased due to the new farming techniques brought by the programme. The study concludes that once the programme is properly and fully implemented, the LCP will highly enhance food self-sufficiency situation in Rwanda, improving also the livelihood of rural areas through other benefits such as infrastructure development.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (International Relations), 2017 / Through a close reading of the changes that have occurred within African agriculture using Food Regime Theory, this study will attempt to further understand the impact that has been felt by small-scale farmers who are a dominant feature of African agriculture. This paper will seek to understand the influence that the increased corporatization of agriculture through globalization has had on the small-scale farmer in Africa. As agriculture has become more and more corporatized and commodi:ied, it becomes important to consider the changes that have occurred for those actors within the industry and how these changes will impact them. This paper is attempting to do that through a close reading of the changes that have taken place within an integral part of the agricultural process: the seed. / GR2018

Computerised integrated models from science contribute to better informed and holistic exante integrated assessments of multifaceted policies and technologies. This view has lead to considerable effort being devoted to developing integrated models to support decisionmaking under Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). Nevertheless, an appraisal of previous and ongoing efforts to develop such decision support systems shows that attempts to address the hydro-socio-economic effects on livelihoods have been deficient and fragmented. To date, no universal standard integration method or framework is in use. Existing integrated models application failures have pointed to the lack of stakeholder participation. In an endeavour to close this gap, this thesis focuses on an integrated model development with prediction capability, ICHSEA, developed in Avenues script language in ArcView 3.3, to take advantage of the mapping capability of ArcView. This model couples existing hydrology (SWAT), agronomy (PARCHED-THIRST) and socio-economic (OLYMPE) models to link livelihoods of resource-constrained smallholder farmers to water resources availability at catchment level in the semi-arid Olifants subbasin, South Africa. These three models were calibrated and validated using observed data and local stakeholder participation, prior to coupling in the integrated model. All the models performed well in representing the study conditions, as indicated by the statistical performance. The integrated model is generally applicable to any catchment. The study methodology was inspired by the need to enhance rural livelihoods and to close the gap of stakeholder involvement in building and applying integrated models to ensure acceptability and application in decision-making. Over 20 years, the predicted impacts of untied ridges and planting basins versus conventional rainfed tillage on surface runoff reduction were 14.3 % and 19.8 %, respectively, and about 41─46 % sediment yield reduction in the catchment. At 90 % confidence interval, family savings improved from US$ 4─US$ 270 under conventional rainfed to US$ 233─US$ 1 140 under supplemental irrigation. These results underscore the economic and environmental benefits that could be achieved by adopting the new crop management practices. A relationship between maize crop evapotranspiration and family savings under different crop management strategies was also derived for five farm typologies in the catchment.

The Mackenzie River Delta is an ecologically rich freshwater environment in Canada’s Northwest Territories. It is vulnerable to multiple stressors such as climate change, resource development activities (oil and natural gas) and upstream-downstream linkages related to extraction activities in the southern part of the Mackenzie River watershed. Resultant socio-ecological impacts affect fishing livelihoods, which represent a significant component of the country food system and ways of life for Inuvialuit (Inuit of the Western Arctic), whose Settlement Area overlaps with the Delta. This thesis analyzes the implications of socio-ecological changes in the Mackenzie River Delta for Inuvialuit fishing livelihoods and the country food system, drawing from Local and Traditional Knowledge. In collaboration with the Fisheries Joint Management Committee in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, the westernmost Inuit region in Canada, I undertook a participatory-qualitative research, while also drawing on relevant literature and complementary data. Using 28 semi-structured interviews about changes in the Mackenzie River Delta and the importance of fishing livelihoods, results indicated that fishing livelihoods are essential contributors to the Inuvialuit food system, as well as cultural practices surrounding fishing as an activity. Moreover, some results imply the importance of previously ignored species for food security, such as burbot and inconnu, which receive limited attention in other studies. Key findings also indicate that multiple environmental changes are occurring in the Delta, including lower water levels, increasing land erosion, decreasing fish populations, and changes in Delta-reliant wildlife populations (e.g. more beavers), warmer water temperatures, poorer fish quality (e.g. softer flesh, parasites), thinner ice, climate variability, and an escalating cost of living. These changes affect primarily fishing access and raise important concerns about the safety of fish consumption for human health. Ultimately, limited access and declining fish quality have a negative impact on food security, given the key role of fish in the country food system and the importance of socio-cultural dimensions such as fishing knowledge and skills, and sharing practices.