MRDV / Institute for Rural Development / Food and nutritional insecurity, poverty and hunger are some of the 21st -century challenges baffling most developing economies. Worldwide, 1.2 billion people are estimated to be living in poverty. Since 1990, the number of people living in extreme poverty has increased by over 50 million in 2014. Among the many public and private institutions that have made several gritty efforts to address the poverty challenge is the Heifer international through its Heifer International Pass on Programme (HIPP). Under the HIPP, the Pass on the Gift programme has been implemented in Ward 1 of Mberengwa District for over two decades targeting the food and nutritional insecure, hungry and poverty-stricken people who are given a gift in form of cattle, goats, chicken etc. This was done with the belief that the gift will add value to their asset base and serve as stepping stone out of poverty, food and nutrition insecurity. Various reports have been written on how the programme helped in improving household livelihood. However, the voice of the beneficiaries was not being heard. This study explored how the Pass-on-the-Gift programme influenced the household‘s livelihoods in Ward 1, Mberengwa District of Zimbabwe. A multi-stage integrated approach was employed. Both the case study and a cross-sectional survey designs were employed. Two sequentially integrated phases were followed. On the first phase, a case study was used to gather data from the Heifer International Pass on Programme beneficiaries and other key stakeholders. During this stage, data were collected using a semistructured interview guide. Results obtained from the first phase informed formulation of the questionnaire used in the second phase. Respondents were purposefully sampled in both stages. Data obtained through semi-structured interviews were analyzed using Atlas ti 8 software while that from a survey was analyzed using IBM SPPS version 25 software to generate descriptive statistics and inferential statistics components. Results from the first phase of data collection were triangulated with those from the second phase. This synchronized the two data sets and allowed subsequent discussion of the results. The research findings revealed that the HIPP influenced all the households of the participating farmers financially, socially and economically where p= 0.000. Thus, the study confirmed that the notion that cattle ownership can be used as an avenue of confronting the multi-dimensional rural development challenges. Furthermore, it was revealed that cattle ownership empowers the rural smallholder farmers and has potential to assist households dismantle the perpetual dependency on external support, improve their livelihoods and contribute to sustainable development goals. / NRF

Thesis (M.Sc. (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Livestock production is the most important sub-sector in agriculture in South Africa. It contributes a very large proportion to the agricultural gross domestic product. It has been identified as the sub-sector that has potential in improving food security and livelihoods of the rural people. The current study analyses the determinants of market participation and profitability of IDC Nguni smallholder farmers in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. The aim of the study was to contribute to the body of knowledge that exist in the study area, particularly of Limpopo Province livestock marketing by analysing determinants of market participation and profitability. The primary data were collected using structured questionnaires. All IDC Nguni Project beneficiaries (62 famers)were included in the survey. Descriptive data were analysed using Version 23 of SPSS. The logistic regression was used to analyse market participation data, multiple regression was used for profitability data and livelihood model for assessing the contribution of the project to livelihoods. The models were analysed using Stata 14. The results revealed that 59% of the respondents participated in the market and 41% of respondents did not participate. The study revealed that 54% of the respondents indicate that market access was easy and only 38% of respondents indicated that market access was not easy and 8% of respondents revealed that they do not know how the market access was because they were not yet selling. Seventy percent of the farmers perceived their livelihoods being improved after joining IDC Nguni Cattle Project whereas 23% of the farmers perceived their livelihood not improve after joining IDC Nguni Cattle Project. Gross margin computation showed that 52% of the farmers made gross margins ranging between R2 000 and R481 200 during the 2015 production/marketing season. The overall gross margins showed that 46% of the farmers made loss ranging from R7 300 to R170 500 during the 2015 marketing season, and 2% of the smallholder farmers were operating break-even point. The average gross margin for Community Property Associations was R6 031 while for individual farmers it was R16 082. The decision making process, for example to sell vii livestock, may be complex in the CPAs and hence a higher gross margin results for individual farmers than for CPAs. Thirty-six percent of CPAs made a loss, while 49% of individual farmers also made loss during 2015. The results of logistic regression showed that marital status, education level, loan repayment, price of an animal and household income were all significant factors (at various probability levels and with different signs), influencing market participation in the study area. A multiple regression model revealed that empirically the herd size, farm size and distance travelled to the market were significant at various probability levels and with different signs influencing profitability in the study area. Livelihood model results revealed that recent increase in farm income and farm size were all significant at different probability levels and with different signs influencing smallholder farmers' livelihood improvement in the Limpopo Province. The study identified some challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Limpopo Province. The major ones were inadequate access of market information, high transactional costs, poor conditions of the animals and poor access to markets. Policy makers should come up with policies that support the smallholder farmers with formal training, seminars and workshops to improve profitability of the farmers. Basic training of production and marketing may enable the smallholder farmer to increase profits. Other recommendations were formation of farmers' organisations, access to financial resources and private-public collaboration to establish central selling points. / Department of Science and Technology-National Research Foundation (DST-NRF) Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Food Security and National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC)

Thesis (M. Sc. Agriculture (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / This study investigated the food security indicators in the rural communities of Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality of the Limpopo Province. Quantitative data were gathered from five villages in the municipality using the probability proportionate to size. Data were collected from 185 households. The analytical tools that were used in this study include: Descriptive Statistics, Food Security Indicator Measures and the Logistic Regression Model. Food security is a multidimensional concept; thus it is difficult to measure it comprehensively. Hence, three food security indicators measures, namely; the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) and Coping Strategies Index (CSI) were combined in this study to measure food security in the study. Each indicator measure was used independently. The Logit Regression Model was used to determine the factors affecting the status of household food security. Certain explanatory variables, namely; household size, marital status and receiving government grant, had a negative relationship with the dependent variable. On the other hand, other variables such as educational level, employment status, gender distance to the markets and health status of the household head were positively correlated with the household’s food security status. The study rejected the null hypothesis which stated that socioeconomic factors do not have influence on the households’ food security status in the Ba-Phalaborwa local municipality. Out of the 11 variables, only four variables were significant, with the household size at 10%, educational level at 5%, household monthly food expenditure at 1% and distance to the market at 10%, respectively. Therefore government should direct more focus should on the introduction of feeding schemes in order to reduce the burden on the poor and at the same time, make it easier for young children to attend school to improve their educational statuses. The households in the study area are not food secured because 65.4 % of households could not afford the food that they preferred and were depending on borrowing food from their relatives and creating debts.

Thesis (M. Sc. (Geography)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Great interests in the geographical dimensions of poverty, food security, natural resources such as land and water, and livelihoods have been motivated by global efforts of reducing poverty and food insecurity, as part of the millennium development agenda. The achievement of household food security is a major concern facing the world at large, including South Africa due to the lack of land and water resources availability and accessibility. The study aimed at evaluating the potential reuse of greywater to improve household food security in two villages of Fetakgomo Local Municipality. The objectives of the study were to establish background characteristics, determine household food accessibility and availability, assess the reuse of greywater in relation to home gardening activities, ascertain the perceptions on greywater reuse and lastly to determine the household food security status of the households. The study adapted a mixed research approach and a 4% sample size was used. Ninety five and seventy eight households were randomly selected for Ga-Seroka and Ga-Nkwana villages, respectively. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and the results were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version-23 software. General Household Survey (GHS) in combination with Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) were used to assess household food security status of the two villages. The key results revealed that background characteristics of importance on greywater reuse include household size, educational level and employment status even though they varied in these two areas. Accessibility and availability of food was found to be more of a challenge in Ga-Seroka village than in Ga-Nkwana village. Respondents from Ga-Seroka village reused their greywater more as they drained it directly into their gardens. According to the HFIAS classification measure, 85% and 73% of households were categorised as least food insecure, 15% and 26% as medium food insecure and 0% and 1% as severely food insecure in Ga-Nkwana and Ga-Seroka villages respectively. Ga-Seroka village respondents preferred to reuse their greywater more often as compared to respondents in Ga-Nkwana village and were not reluctant to use it in their gardens. In conclusion, reuse of greywater has a potential to improve household food security. There is a need for the government to subsidize the households with incentives such as quality seeds and fertilizers in order to enhance their productivity and thus improving their household food security. Keywords: Food security, availability, accessibility, land, water, Fetakgomo Local Municipality, greywater reuse. / National Research Foundation (NRF)

Thesis (M.Sc. Agriculture (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Food insecurity is prevalent in less developing countries and it remains a major issue in South African households, especially among those living in rural areas. Therefore, the study examined the factors influencing food security among small-scale maize farmers in Polokwane Local Municipality. The aim of the study was to assess the factors influencing food security among small-scale maize farmers. The objectives of the study were to: identify and describe the socio-economic characteristics, determine the household food security status, examine factors influencing food security of small-scale maize farmers, and identify the constraints faced by the small-scale maize farmers in ensuring food security. Primary data was collected from a sample size of 150 farmers through wellstructured questionnaires, while HFIAS was used to determine the food security status and Logistic Regression model was employed to analyze the data. The descriptive statistics showed that 56.7% of the participants were females, whereas 43.3% were males. It was further indicated that the average age of youth was 34.2%; whilst 65.8% was average age of adults and 69.3% of the farmers have attended school while 30.7% have never attended school. The HFIAS results showed that 53% of households were food secure and 47% were food insecure which include 16.0% mildly, 21.3% moderately and 9.3% severely food insecure. The logistic regression results revealed that among twelve variables included, only six variables including age of the farmer, educational level, household size, household income, farm size and access to credit were found to have significant relationship to food security status of the farmers. The study therefore recommends that there must be provision of agricultural information that will motivate adults to continue farming. Training of farmers on improving food security should be provided through workshops as well as family planning programmes to reduce family size. Furthermore, there must be expansion of off-farm income generating activities as well as increase in farm size and enhancement in access to credit institutions such as MAFISA, Land bank and Commercial banks that will assist in improving the food security status of the respondents / NSFAS (National Students Financial Aid Scheme) and NRF (National Research Foundation)

The purpose of this study was to discover whether learning garden programs increase access to locally grown foods and successfully empower and include food insecure populations. This study examined the Oregon Food Bank's Seed to Supper program which situates garden-based learning in food insecure communities. Through a mixed-methods community-based research process, this study found that community building, learner empowerment and sustainability leadership in place-based learning garden programs increased access to locally grown foods for food insecure populations. When food insecure populations participated in these learning garden programs they often engaged in practices described in the literature as the "web of inclusion" (Helgesen, 1995). When food insecure populations were engaged in these practices, participation in food democracy and food justice increased. Additionally, participation in learning gardens led to sustainability leadership and increased access to food literacy, which led to greater community health and engaged, local community food systems.

Thesis (Ph.D. Agriculture (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / In South Africa, the presence of inland waterbodies provides opportunities for households to engage in fishing activities. The existence of fish and the availability of several waterbodies in the country's inland provinces provide households with alternative means of generating income and food security. With the prevalence of food insecurity, high unemployment, and poverty in the country, inland fisheries serve as an economic safety net, food, and source of income for rural poor households who live near impoundments. However, policymakers in South Africa have overlooked inland fisheries as a means of supporting rural livelihoods. Furthermore, the sector's economic and social contribution is frequently overlooked and underappreciated. Thus, inland fisheries are classified as informal due to the lack of legislation, despite the fact that rural households rely on this sector for income and food. Furthermore, the inland fisheries value chain is short, with little evidence of post-harvesting activities, and the roles and functions of rural households in this value chain are unknown. Despite this, inland fisheries provide a low-cost source of protein for households, and hence this sector has the potential to help reduce poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity. Given this background information, the study aimed at assessing the contribution of inland fisheries to income generation and food security in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The objectives of the study were to identify and describe the socio-economic characteristics of households and their different roles and functions played along the inland fisheries value chain in the Limpopo Province, to determine the contribution of inland fisheries to household income in the study area and to determine the contribution of inland fisheries to household food security in the study area. The study was conducted within three districts of the Limpopo Province namely, Sekhukhune District Municipality (SDM), Mopani District Municipality (MDM) and Vhembe District Municipality (VDM). Multistage and proportional sampling procedures were used to select 400 participants. In the study, both fishing and non-fishing households were interviewed. The motive behind interviewing non-fishing households is that they are mostly consumers of inland fish. Therefore, snowball and purposive sampling techniques were used to identify households who participate in inland fisheries. Snowball and the Convenient sampling technique were also used to identify the role players of inland fisheries. This was done to obtain information about the roles that households perform along the value chain of inland fisheries. Of the 400 households, about 193 are fishers who play either single or multiple roles within the value chain. A structured questionnaire was therefore used to collect data to achieve the objectives of the study. The collected data was captured on Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 27 for analysis. Several analytical tools from SPSS were employed to run the analysis. For instance, the descriptive statistics was used to identify and describe the socio-economic characteristics of households and their different roles and functions played along the inland fisheries value chain in the Limpopo Province. On the other hand, Pearson Chi-square and Pearson Correlation Moment were used to check the relationship between the socio economic characteristics of households and their functions along the inland fisheries value chain. To determine the contribution of inland fisheries to household income, the study calculated the share of both fishing and non-fishing income activities to the total household income of households who only participate in inland fisheries. This was derived by using income share. To check the level of income diversification for fishing households, the study utilised the Simpson Income Diversity index (SID). The Multiple Linear Regression model was used to analyse factors that influence the income of fishing households. To determine the contribution of inland fisheries to household income, two food security measures were used. This includes Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) and Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS). Data were analysed for both fishing and non-fishing households to check the food security differences. Binary Logistic Regression model was employed to analyse the determinants of rural households’ dietary diversity using HDDS which was grouped into Low dietary diversity and High dietary diversity. Furthermore, Multinomial Logistic Regression model was used to determine the effects of inland fisheries on household food security status. Based on the findings, the study concludes that males dominate inland fisheries activities over females. Fishing is practised for food by both males and females, but there is also an aspect of income generation. Furthermore, most fishers prefer to capture fish at state dams, with Tilapia being the most common species in all the three investigated districts. However, Carp, Bass and Catfish are also amongst the preferred fish species. Additionally, households are likely to consume fish from inland waters at least once a week. The findings also show that selling raw fish contributes more to the overall household income in all the three districts. On average, households in SDM and VDM have a medium level of income diversity, whereas households in MDM have a low level of income diversity. Furthermore, the marital status of the household head, access to credit, and average quantity of fish are among the factors influencing the income of fishing households, whereas level of education, distance to fishing area, and number of years fishing are some of the determinants of dietary diversity. Similarly, gender of the household head, total household income, and type of agricultural activity are some of the significant variables that influence the food security status households in the Limpopo Province. Additionally, the results show that there is a significant difference between the household food security of small-scale fishers, subsistence fishers, recreational fishers and non-fishing households. However, households in SDM and VDM are likely to be mildly food insecure where else households in MDM are likely to be severely food insecure. The study found that rural households in the study area play various roles within the inland fisheries value chain. These roles include input suppliers, fishers, traders, processors, and consumers. Additionally, there is exist a relationship between socio-economic characteristics of the households and their functions along the inland fisheries value chain. Lastly, the study concludes that the value chain of inland fisheries is short due to the lack of exports and formal markets in the study area. To this end, the study recommends that policy makers should recognise inland fisheries as another way of sustaining rural livelihoods translating to income and food security. Moreover, awareness of the inclusion of inland fish in household food and the available opportunities for rural households in the value chain should be given attention by the government and relevant institutions. However, sustainable fishing practices is the central issue that should be prioritised by households under the guidance of the government to maintain a long and lasting livelihoods. / Nationa Research Foundation (NRF)

No description available.

The transnationalisation of economic relations and the emergence of supranational sites of policy-making and governance have been of concern both to ¿affected publics¿ subject to the remote decisionmaking that such developments entail (and who have mobilised extensively to demonstrate their opposition to these bodies), and scholars keen to locate the possibilities for a democratic politics in the context of the state¿s subsequent diminishment (O¿Brien et al., 2000; Scholte, 2001; Patomäki and Teivainen, 2004; Rittberger et al., 2008). One such group of scholars are public sphere theorists, who, taking up an ongoing concern with the conditions for, and criteria of, effective democratic participation in politically authoritative policy debates, and responding to these new dynamics, have begun to define a new research agenda in search of ¿transnational public spheres¿ (Habermas, 1989; Fraser, 1991; Fraser 2007). That is, they have begun to look to the transnational for sites in which those affected by the exercise (or, indeed, absence) of political authority at this level strive to engage that authority in policy debate. In this thesis, I argue for the existence of one such transnational public sphere, which, being both provoked and constituted by the transnational peasant and small farmers social movement La Via Campesina, promises to be institutionally realised by the recently reformed United Nations Committee on World Food Security (CFS). Identifying and exploring key dynamics relevant to the CFS¿s aspirations for political centrality, inclusivity, and policy debate, moreover, I lay bare the challenges that confront the attainment of this promise.

Master of Arts / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / Matthew R. Sanderson / Food crises in Kenya are recurring phenomena. Despite widespread and perennial famines, Kenya is exporting food while importing food aid. This study focuses on the concept and question of food security in Kenya. If Kenya can produce and even export food products, why does the country still import food aid every year? Why is the country classified as food insecure? And why does the country still suffer from recurrent famines? Drawing on social science theory from the political economy of food and agriculture, this study postulates that the contradiction between exporting food and importing food aid is related to Kenya‟s subordinate position in the world economy. Using a comparative-historical, in-depth case study research design, this research descriptively explores the relationship between trends in food aid, trade, production and food security. The study finds that the relationship between food trade and aid with food security is mixed in Kenya. Aid and trade have not strongly enhanced food security in Kenya, but food insecurity in Kenya has not gotten markedly worse.