Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1982. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-107).

Thesis--Giessen. / Lebenslauf. "Schriftenverzeichnis": p. 14-16; "Quellenverzeichnis": p. 16, 68-70.

Thesis--Freiburg im Breisgau. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [14]-17) and index.

Inaug.-Dis.--Halle. / Lebenslauf. Only part of the dissertation. To be published in full with maps later. Cf. Vorwort.

Akademisk avhandling--Uppsala. / Bibliography: p. [163]-171.

Diss.--Halle, 1957.

Small-scale Fisheries (SSFs) play a key role in poverty alleviation of rural coastal populations through the provision of food security and income generation. Yet, many SSFs fail to maximise the value potential of the seafood products they produce as a result of post-harvest losses and marketing challenges. SSFs within South Africa are no exception and are particularly disadvantaged as a result of historical discrimination, marginalisation, management, data deficiencies and inequitable market access. The financial, technical and information challenges that characterize small-scale fisher households present many barriers to accessing and maximizing market opportunities. Worldwide, and in South Africa, understanding of post-harvest losses, limitations and market constraints, is limited. Therefore, this research aims to better understand the post-harvest activities of the small-scale fishers of the Olifants estuary in order to identify opportunities for value addition and improved market access. A mixed-methods approach was employed including analysing data from community fisher logbooks and conducting semi-structured interviews with both fishers and marketers. This research has demonstrated that inadequate facilities, lack of technology and transport as well as limited knowledge have all contributed to post-harvest losses and affected the income potential for these fishers. Inequitable market forces have been shown to exist in the Olifants fishery value chain. Consequently, these small-scale fishers are price-takers since they lack the capacity required to participate in value chain negotiations and development. Furthermore, these fishers are vulnerable to the consequences of poor governance, the vagaries of marketers and the misperceptions and preferences of consumers regarding their fish products. Recommendations include building capacity and skills of the Olifants fishers to professionalise their operation, adjusting several of their postharvest activities and incorporating those suggestions offered by the marketplace that are achievable.

Transboundary landscapes were introduced to southern Africa through colonialism and persist in the present day. These transboundary landscapes are constructed through political boundaries separating states as well as through the linkage of nature reserves and game parks located in adjacent countries. These landscapes have caused shifts in the livelihoods of the rural communities existing near them. This is the case for the Mbangweni rural area in northern KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. This rural area, located in a transboundary landscape formed by the national border that separates Mozambique and South Africa, sits in between Ndumo Game Reserve and Tembe Elephant Park. The proposed linkage of these two nature reserves to each other and to the Maputo Special Reserve in Mozambique seeks to create a transboundary landscape that has negative consequences for the livelihoods of the Mbangweni community. Through the analysis of this rural community and the nature reserves on either side of it, this research sought to enhance understanding about how rural communities interact with transboundary landscapes, as well as the perceptions held by these rural communities and other actors (especially within the conservation sector) about how these landscapes influence rural livelihoods as well as the consequences of these landscapes on rural livelihoods. The study sought to also understand the level of institutional fit and interplay that exists between the institutions that govern over this landscape as well as between the institutions and the lived realities of the Mbangweni community by documenting the historical and current transboundary livelihood practices of the people of Mbangweni, determining the manner in which government actors and conservation authorities perceive and conceive of the transboundary landscape, determining whether or not (and to what extent) local and government perceptions about the transboundary landscape in Mbangweni are similar, and if not, how that affects livelihood activities on the ground and visually mapping out the different perceptions of the landscape held by the Mbangweni community and associated governing institutions. Qualitative data collection methods were used. These included 10 oral history interviews, 2 focus groups and 3 key informant interviews. The findings of this study reveal that the initial establishment of the transboundary landscape in this region led to the separation of the population of the Maputaland. The communities in northern KwaZulu-Natal and those in southern Mozambique once lived as a single population group. The national border separating South Africa from Mozambique was introduced and forced some of the population to settle on one side of the border and the rest on the other side. Although initially very rigid, the border's laws now allow for the informal movement of people and trade of goods between the southern Mozambique and northern KwaZulu-Natal areas. The study, therefore, found that the border's porous nature had a positive impact on the livelihoods of the people of Mbangweni. The findings also revealed that in addition to the national border, other institutions and entities were considered important for the livelihoods of the community. These institutions and entities include the traditional authority, the local municipality and the nature reserves adjacent to the Mbangweni community. These key role players each contributed to and impacted the rural livelihoods with the traditional authority having the biggest influence and most positive impact, the local municipality having the smallest influence and not much of an impact and the nature reserves having relatively minimal influence on the daily conduction of livelihoods but the most negative impact on how these livelihoods are conducted and sustained. Furthermore, the study showed that the key role players hold differing perceptions of the landscape and that these perceptions also differ from those held by the Mbangweni community. The study showed that the disconnect in perceptions of the landscapes results in isolated and fragmented land use by the entities and institutions occupying the same space. Conflict then arises due to the entities understanding and viewing the landscape as a space for different priorities. The nature reserves and their governing institution prioritise natural resource conservation and the Mbangweni community and the traditional authority, as its governing institution, prioritise their livelihoods and access to natural resources. These differing perceptions of the landscape perpetuate the institutional misfit and lack of interplay between the entities and governing institutions. The study found that even with different understandings of the landscape they occupy, each entity and relevant governing institution have the potential to facilitate institutional bricolage which would require adjustments of and changes to their mandates and goals to accommodate the mandates and goals of other institutions, other entities as well as the lived realities of the Mbangweni community. By fostering this bricolage, a transboundary landscape that adequately serves the needs and purposes of all its entities, whilst minimising opportunities for conflict between them, would be created.

Cities across sub-Saharan Africa are faced with challenges in urban planning and service delivery due to insufficient capital for long-term investment projects. Despite the success of municipal bonds as a tool to assist in closing this financing gap in much of the rest of the world, there have been limited examples of success in this region. This study looks at the universal obstacles limiting sub-national governments from using municipal bonds as a financial instrument before examining four case studies - Johannesburg, Douala, Dakar and Kampala - to better understand their approaches to municipal bond issuance. Based on the findings from research, the thesis concludes that the chief obstacle blocking the uptake of municipal bond issuance as a means for raising funds stems from a variety of elements in the constitutional and regulatory systems in each country. This represents a significant departure from the commonly-held understandings that cities in the region are not eligible for long-term debt and are ill-managed, lack capacity, or are not viewed as creditworthy by institutional investors and other purchasers of municipal bonds. The success of municipal bond issuance appears to be contingent on strong interlinkages between central and subnational governments. This dissertation offers a critical review of the explicit and implicit powers granted to local governments under the constitutions of each of the countries, specifically the legislation that enables or prohibits municipalities from issuing bonds. Reform to the existing regulatory and legal environments across the African continent, ones that govern a financially-sustainable level of indebtedness for sub-sovereign governments, is an essential step in ensuring the future growth of Africa’s cities.

The consequences of changing climate mainly impact negatively on agricultural production, particularly smallholder producers. Despite increased research on vulnerability and adaptation, African countries have still not realized their full potential in adapting to changing climate. Climate vulnerability assessments show limited use in guiding decision support for adopting proposed adaptation responses identified. This study examines climate vulnerability of smallholder producers and economically evaluates adaptation strategies identified. This is to enhance vulnerability assessment practice and provide support for decision-making on adoption to influence local level planning and actions on climate adaptation. The study further explores approaches to vulnerability assessment that link climate adaptation process. Smallholder horticultural production system in Ghana provided an appropriate case for this study. Mixed methods approach that combined field surveys, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and field observations in two horticultural growing municipalities in Ghana (Keta and Nsawam) were adopted. Both qualitative and quantitative inputs for analysis were obtained. Specifically, a combination of theoretical insights from livelihood analysis (Livelihood Vulnerability Index) with an appraisal method (Cost Benefit Analysis) arising from an investment in adaptation options was used as the analytical framework for the study. Smallholder farmers in both case study sites showed different vulnerabilities based on their levels of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. Local knowledge, perceptions and effects of climatic trends (eg. increasing temperature and decreasing rainfall) on farmers' livelihoods resulted in identification of about twenty-four strategies practiced by farmers to manage changing climate. Costs and benefits analysis of the first five adaptation strategies indicated economic effectiveness both privately and publicly if adopted. However, in consideration of other factors like capital required, payback period for investments made and risks from implementation, two of the adaptation strategies particularly appeared as most suited choices while the role of targeted and dedicated external institutional, policy and stakeholders' support turned out to be paramount for successful adaptation. These observations have implications for the degree of influence vulnerability assessment has for local level planning and actions on climate adaptation. The study underscores vulnerability and adaptation should be considered synergistically. It therefore proposes a framing of vulnerability assessment to explicitly incorporate adaptation actions and their benefits to reduce vulnerability and provide better linkages to decision-making and policy relevance. Making decision support a major outcome from vulnerability assessment extends assessment outcomes from identification of vulnerable people/places to include identification and evaluation of adaptation responses, which facilitate the prioritization and selection of adaptation options for adoption. It concludes by highlighting pathways to reduce the vulnerability of farming communities such as exploring opportunities to expand a system's adaptive capacity through empowering farmers' socially and economically. Extra knowledge and policy interventions in vulnerability and adaptation discourse are further suggested to promote and encourage adaptation efforts.