Poultry-based PAPs are important to improve the livelihoods of rural communities. The environments in which they operate determine their ability to succeed in terms of self-reliance and income generation capabilities. A positive adequate and supportive extension service enables the PAPs to contribute to food security and job creation. However, in South Africa despite the government, and NGOs huge investment in the PAPs, high mortalities of the poultry, and ineffectiveness in reducing food and nutrition insecurity, remain major concerns because most of them collapse soon after cessation of donor or government funding. Information on why most of the PAPs fail is still inadequate. Thus, the main objective of current study was to characterize poultry-based PAPs in order to suggest intervention strategies to strengthen their performance. The specific objectives were to: (a) identify the constraints to the successful implementation of poultry-based PAPs; (b) determine the coping strategies applied in poultry-based PAPs; and (c) suggest interventions for improved performance of the poultry-based PAPs. This case study was undertaken in Bushbuckridge Municipality of Ehlanzeni District in Mpumalanga Province. A mixture of qualitative and quantitative research methods and techniques were applied in the two-phased study. Purposive sampling was used to select ordinary members and chairpersons of PAPs as well as some government officials who served as respondents. In phase 1 of the study face-to-face interviews were conducted using open-ended questions with 10 Chairpersons, 20 ordinary members and 5 government officials involved with poultry-based PAPs. Qualitative data were analyzed using Atlas ti7.0.81. Thereafter, the qualitative results of phase 1 were consolidated to produce a questionnaire administered to (n=16) focus group participants of the same categories of respondents. The Statistical Pacl<age for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 was used to analyse data and to compute the means of ranks assigned to perceptions relating constraints, coping strategies and intervention strategies in terms of institutional, production, marketing and sustainability. The results of phase 2 revealed that most of the 116 respondents (57 %) were members of poultry-based PAPs in the northern region of Bushbuckridge local Municipality. Females constituted more than half (58 %) of the respondents. The respondents were mainly 51-60 years old (39 %), closely followed by those aged 36-50 years (37 %). Only (13 %) of the respondents were 35 years old. With respect to the highest level of education attained, (45 %) of the respondents had completed prima1y schooling. An almost similar proportion (44 %) had secondary school education but had not matriculated. The remainder had never attended school. The respondents experience in PAPs was greatly variable. Slightly more th'an half of them (54 %) had been members of their projects for 5-10 years. Approximately, (25 %) had been involved in the PAPs for 10-15 years, with the rest ranging from 1-5 years (3 %) and also at least 15 years (17 %). It was revealed that the top ranked constraints facing poultry-based PAPs in Bushbuckridge were: Lack of regulation of poultry feed, lack of government start-up capital/subsidy, inadequate training, especially with respect to financial management and inadequate markets. Buying chicken feed in small quantities from middlemen, use of substandard day-old chicks, purchasing water from people having boreholes, and selling produce to the local community at reduced prices were the top ranked coping strategies that PAPs relied on. The top ranked intervention strategies proposed to deal with the challenges faced by PAPs were: develop a funding strategy, regulate prices of chicken feed, upgrade available infrastructure, develop marketing outlet points, and offer tailor-made training th?t includes financial management and record keeping. It is recommended that in order to ensure sustainability feasibility studies should be conducted prior to implementation of the poultry-based PAPs. This would eliminate the possibility of running 'hand to mouth' PAPs. The need for introducing appropriate monitoring and evaluation systems was also evident. Key words: Intervention, project, poverty alleviation, poultry and successful PAP

Land and land reform have long been contentious and highly charged topics in South Africa, with land performing the dual functions of redress for the past and development for the future. This research explores both these aspects of land, with the focus being on the impact of land receipt on household welfare and food insecurity, and social preferences for fairness and redistribution more generally. One of the main aims is to contribute to the land reform debate by providing previously-lacking quantitative evidence on the aggregate welfare outcomes of land redistribution, as well as the extent of social preferences for redistribution in the land restitution framework. In exploring these issues, the welfare outcomes of land are first explored using the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) data and unconditional quantile regression analysis. The focus is then narrowed to the food insecurity impact of land receipt, beginning with a methodological chapter outlining the development of a new food insecurity index applying the Alkire-Foster method of multidimensional poverty measurement (2009; 2011). This is followed by the presentation and discussion of food insecurity profiles of land beneficiary and non-beneficiary households. The new index is also used as an outcome measure in exploring the determinants of household food insecurity. These two sections again use the NIDS data. The final section shifts the emphasis from the economic welfare benefits of land redistribution to notions of fairness and social justice encapsulated by land restitution. A behavioural laboratory experiment is used to investigate social preferences for fairness, and the factors that influence redistributive inclinations, by exploring the relative weights placed on fairness considerations and self-interest, as well as the fairness ideal. The findings indicate that beneficiaries do not use the land received for productive purposes, a possible explanation for the limited economic welfare impacts of land reform that are observed. Despite this limited developmental impact, the laboratory experiment makes it clear that land reform plays an important role in addressing other needs and wants in society, particularly in respect of preferences for fairness and addressing historical injustices.

Doctor Educationis / Improving South Africa’s educational attainment levels has always been one of the policies of the democratic government en route to alleviating poverty and unemployment. The endeavours are mostly evident in the fiscal budget where a large portion of the government expenditure is devoted to education. Despite such efforts, poverty reduction and unemployment curtailment probability effects of education have been gradual. To date, the youth is faced with obstacles of extreme poverty and alarming levels of unemployment. This study examined the impact of educational attainment levels on youth poverty in South Africa. Taking account of the intricate nature of poverty, the study applied both moneymetric and non-income welfare indicators to determine poverty. Moreover, this research will enable an investigation on whether the extent of youth poverty reduction possibility, due to higher educational attainment, is the same with the non-youth cohort aged 35-59 years. Using the Living Conditions Survey (LCS) data set of 2008/09 and 2014/15, the study employed the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke poverty measure with the lower-bound poverty line approximated at R689 per capita per month (in 2016 December prices) to identify the moneymetric poor. For non-money metric poverty, the study adopted the relative approach and FAderived welfare index valued at 40th percentile. Additionally, descriptive and econometric (probit and bivariate probit models) analyses were conducted to explore the impact of educational attainment levels on poverty.

Bibliography: leaves 86-90. / Involuntary resettlement due to planned economic interventions for the purpose of economic growth, is a political and socio-economic phenomenon. It is associated with development and poverty, as it affects livelihoods of those involved. This process impacts differently on different individuals, depending on their capability to regain earning and productive bases, to access support systems, as well as to access opportunities and widen choices that sustain their lives. The study investigates the assumption that their vulnerability, ineligibility for compensation provisions and lack of specific programmes to address their needs affect their capability to adjust in new areas. In view of this, the purpose of the study is to explore the impact of resettlement on vulnerable groups (the landless, unemployable aged and disabled). The overall objective is to highlight their situation, because of a concern for their long-term welfare, possible marginalisation from mainstream development and risk of poverty. The coverage involved vulnerable groups in stage one resettlement. A stratified sampling technique was employed to select 31 respondents who represent these groups. In the study, primary and secondary data were collected by making use of In-depth interviews, focus-group discussions and content analysis of related literature. A semi-structured schedule with open-ended questions was employed to gather information that was qualitatively manipulated. The findings suggest that the resettlement process has resulted in the disruption of support systems, limited opportunities in host areas, and inadequate restorative measures to sustain livelihoods of vulnerable groups. As a result, these groups are disempowered, marginalised and excluded from mainstream social and economic development, which compounds their risk of impoverishment.

South Africa is food secure at the national level; however widespread food insecurity persists at the household level. To understand the dynamics of micro-level food insecurity this dissertation investigates how two different aspects of 'food access' - diet quality and diet quantity - affect two outcomes of 'food utilisation' - hunger and nutrition. Diet quantity is captured by food expenditure in Wave 1 of the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS). To capture diet quality I use dietary diversity, which is not directly available in NIDS. I build and test a food group dietary diversity score and a food variety dietary diversity score using NIDS Wave 1. Both dietary diversity indicators are found to usefully summarise information about food security in South Africa by using methods found in the dietary diversity literature. The dissertation then turns to testing whether the theoretical differences between diet quality and quantity play out empirically in the case of nutrition (adult BMI) and hunger (self-reported household hunger). The results reveal that food variety and food quantity are complementary in explaining the chance of household hunger, with food quantity having a slightly more important effect. The pathways to BMI differ by gender. Dietary diversity and food expenditure are substitutes in the case of male BMI; however, food variety and food expenditure are complementary to explaining female BMI when food expenditure enters into the model as a quadratic. Overall, food variety proved to be a stronger and more significant correlate of both outcomes than the food group dietary diversity score.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Social Work at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2015 / This study paper examined community development as a strategy to alleviate poverty in Nkandla by examining the community development programmes in place and their effectiveness in alleviating poverty. According to the 1996 population census, some 135 000 people live in the Nkandla District. Out of these, 57% are females and 61% of households are headed by women. Over 14% of the population is under the age of five, and 46% of the population is aged 14 years and under. An evaluative study was undertaken to research the effectiveness (which is the outcome, importance, meaning and efficiency), the relationship between the “input” and “output”, and the two considerations being utilised in poverty alleviation programmes, as part of community development strategy to alleviate poverty in the area. According to the Millennium Goals Report (2005:6), overcoming poverty and hunger is possible because the causes of poverty have been analyzed intensively by the World Bank and by other organisations but poverty still persists. The poverty programmes to determine the nature and the extent of poverty in Nkandla, the copying mechanisms of the locals, the eradication processes which are implemented, and the level of participation by community members, the effectiveness of community poverty in Nkandla were all evaluated in this study. The sample for this research consisted of 50 respondents who were either direct or indirect beneficiaries of community development programmes in the Nkandla Municipality. Data were gathered via face to face interviews and the semi- structured questionnaires were administered to respondents.

Submitted in the fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts (Community Work), University of Zululand in the Department of Social Work, 2010. / The flagship program is a developmental approach aimed at facilitating economic, educational and training opportunities for rural women and children under the age of 15 in order to break the cycle of vulnerability and poverty in South Africa. In Msinga alone, the Integrated Development Plan document (2001:2) indicates that at least 85% of Msinga population is unemployed thereby trapped in poverty. For them to earn a proper living, they depend on subsistence farming which at times successful due to lack of adequate resources like water, gardening equipment and accessible roads, and more. This is supported by Cloud (1985:7) who argues that even those women who have access such resources, it is of a particular concern to the kind of access they have to such resources for carrying out their activities, and the command they have over the benefits thereafter. Therefore, the study was based on assessing the impact of Mashunka Flagship project as an approach to poverty alleviation, under the Msinga Local Municipality funded by the Department of Social Development. The Evaluative research method was used and the interview questionnaires were used to gather information from the sample twenty respondents that were used. Relevant literature was reviewed to gather more information from experts who have done the research before on the topic and the recommendation were made based on the findings of the study. The findings have revealed that the women and children have benefited from the program in many ways, including the community at large, in terms of electricity, access road and water. They received funding from various donors both private and public. All women in the project were trained on various skills. Children are attending early childhood development in the nearby and they eat everyday form the scheme. The findings also revealed the importance of intersectoral collaboration and training of the project members as the important tools towards the sustenance of the project and comprehensive service delivery.

The plight of the poor has played a role in America’s politics for decades. In the 1930’s, Franklin Roosevelt’s Democratic Party vowed to fight the Great Depression, and by implementing countless anti-poverty initiatives and agencies it won enormous favor with the public and ushered in a period of Democratic dominance. In modern politics, narratives surrounding the poor and programs designed to help them are utilized by Republicans and Democrats to further their party’s agenda. I examine the influence of various demographic factors on the attitudes of Mississippi residents towards spending by the government intended to alleviate poverty, using the Mississippi Poll’s results from the years 2004-2014 as my dataset and using cross-tabulation analyses to draw conclusions. I find that gender and religiosity are relatively weak predictors of poverty spending attitudes, while income, education, and age are stronger predictors, and race and party identification are very strong predictors.

This research study began with an interest in understanding how social workers address poverty and/or low income in hospital settings. It discusses the ways in which hospital social workers address poverty in front line practice, while connecting how the experience of poverty and/or low income can further complicate one’s health and access to healthcare. This paper also discusses the ways that macro political ideologies, structural barriers and societal stigma impact how social workers address poverty in frontline hospital practice. Poverty is a social determinant of health, which is why understanding how hospital social workers address poverty in front line practice is important. Given the influence of neoliberalism and its impact on the growing gap between the rich and poor, it is suggested that poverty and low/income will continue throughout Canadian society. This paper also discusses, how accessing healthcare and navigating the system may become difficult for those experiencing poverty. This study is based on a thematic analysis of the findings from six semi-structured interviews with individuals practicing as social workers in two large teaching hospitals in southern Ontario. The data is interpreted and discussed using a critical framework, specifically, anti-oppressive practice and Marx theory. The subsequent findings indicate that in practice front-line social workers address poverty in practical ways. Major themes that emerged from this research include: addressing stigma, navigating “the system”, systemic and structural barriers, no family, no friends, and connecting with resources. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

Energy poverty is a new term in the Swedish context, though it is becoming increasingly more relevant because of inflation and higher prices for electricity. Because research on the matter is scarce in developed countries such as Sweden and similar contexts in the EU, it creates uncertainty whether there is a ‘correct’ way of conducting energy poverty research. This paper aims to come up with a definition of energy poverty in the Swedish context of Uppsala municipality and construct a model calculating energy poverty that is applicable for developed countries, with regard to local contexts and localities of datasets. Consequently, the results should support an estimate of the prevalence of energy poverty given the case study of Uppsala municipality, furthermore, what socioeconomic factors might be in correlation with energy poverty. The results were achieved through a collection of income and energy consumption datasets. First, each area's energy use was estimated, and then the cost for consumed energy use was calculated based on which energy carriers were most common. The proportion of household income relating to energy bill expenditure and a linear regression model of socioeconomic factors was then computed. Data collection on consumption and income data is challenging due to this information, to some extent, being confidential. The results include a definition of energy poverty as 10% of income spent on the energy bill, which means that 9,78% of the population of Uppsala municipality is in energy poverty. The affected areas are Tuna Backar, Ultuna, Bäcklösa, Kåbo, Flogsta Ekeby and Rosendal. Three socioeconomic factors showed to have the highest correlation rate with energy poverty including gross income, pre-high school has the highest education and whether someone is on social welfare provision. The conclusion of this paper is that energy poverty can be defined as A household that has problems accommodating their basic energy needs, and that inability negatively affects their everyday life. This inability must have a conjunction with limiting social or/and economic factors. Furthermore, a significant part of the household's income must go to cover energy bills. However, to fully capture the meaning of energy poverty further research is needed.