Thesis (M.Sc. (Agricultural Extension)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / The study was undertaken to understand the beneficiary and non–beneficiary evaluation of the CASP-Extension programme and how it can be used to improve future programme delivery. This study was conducted in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality between October 2014 and February 2015. In this study a survey design was used. The study used both qualitative and quantitative methods. Data for this study were gathered through semi–structured questionnaires. The respondents of this study included sixty farmers made up of LRAD farmers receiving CASP-Extension and those not receiving CASP-Extension. The farmers were chosen by systematic sampling. Independent t-test and Chi-Squared tests were applied to analyse the data using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results revealed that receiving CASP-Extension support does not contribute to yield increase over non-recipients. Regarding participation in CASP-Extension, recipients of CASP-Extension support indicated receiving at one visit by Extension agent per month which is slightly less than what the literature suggests. The image of CASP-Extension as perceived by Non-CASP-Extension recipients is a poor one compared with a good image painted by CASP-Extension recipients. This notwithstanding, most Non-CASP-Extension recipients have the ambition to receive CASP-Extension support. CASP-Extension could improve its image amongst Non-CASP-Extension recipients by addressing the areas of dissatisfaction indicated by respondents in the study. KEY CONCEPTS Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme; Evaluation; Land Redistribution of Agricultural Development; Extension

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017. / Recent changes in South Africa have exerted a lot of pressure on the government to redress the past injustices on the land redistribution among its citizens. The community of Hoedspruit is not excluded from the above challenges, hence the study on the effect of management of land tenure in Hoedspruit. The management of land tenure in Hoedspruit was fraught with challenges such as lack of clarity on policies, managerial skills, resources, institutional support, inadequate training programmes, lack of financial support, alternative strategy, monitoring and evaluation. This study also seeks to investigate the factors that hinder the effective management of land tenure. Data was obtained by means of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. These were used to have a deeper understanding of the challenges that were encountered by the new land owners in the area of the study. The main findings of the study confirmed that there were challenges associated with the management of land tenure. Lack of financial support and relevant training were regarded as the main problems that hinder the management of land tenure in Hoedspruit. In conclusion, the study also suggested some strategies and recommendations that can enhance the effective management of land tenure in Hoedspruit.

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / Land reform in a form of land redistribution has been implemented in developing countries including South Africa. Land reform in South Africa was introduced to address the effects of the racial discrimination practices of the apartheid government, which led to black people being denied access to land prior 1994. The objective of land redistribution is produce commercially viable land reform projects, which will be able to sustain livelihoods of the poor. However evidence from some studies suggest that a large number of these projects have failed. This study aimed to explore the impact of land redistribution programme on the livelihoods of beneficiaries of the Monyamani, Lwalalemetse and Maboi3 (MOLWAMA) farms in the Polokwane municipality, Limpopo province who have benefited from Settlement Land Acquisition Grant (SLAG) a sub-programme of land redistribution. A quantitative research design was used. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire and analysed using the SPSS software. Since the main objective was to determine how the standard of living, the researcher used key indicators such as household income, access to services, production of food for food security, empowerment, security and health. The main findings of the research are that while beneficiaries indicated a positive change on their standard of living, it was evident that because the land was not optimally utilised, the benefits could be much higher but for a number of challenges that they were still experiencing. Beneficiaries highlighted a number of challenges which include water shortages, drought, financial mismanagement, conflict amongst beneficiaries, uncommitted beneficiaries, low wages, low representation of women and youth and lack of financial assistance. In order to resolve these challenges, the study recommends a number of policy interventions. Specifically, on building capacity of beneficiaries by providing entrepreneurship and financial management trainings. The government and other stakeholders should encourage the youth to participate in land reform projects and provide them with necessary skills which, will enable them to work productively. Provision of infrastructure such as access roads, water, electricity and markets is very crucial for successful and sustainable projects.

Risk adjustment models are used to predict health care costs of insurees and represent an important part of mechanisms for redistribution of funds among insurance companies. In the Czech Republic, pharmacy-based cost groups (PCGs) were introduced into the risk adjustment model in 2018, reflecting the costs of chronic diseases in addition to age and gender. The thesis reviews the model for the most expensive chronic disease - renal failure. Using the sample of General Health Insurance fund (GHI) insurees reported with typical health care consumption for kidney disease in years 2015-2018, we tested the current model and subsequently modified the classification criteria for PCG "renal failure". The classification based on the number of dialysis procedures proved to be much better indicator of costs than the currently used consumption of typical drugs. The incorporation of dialysis-based approach into the PCG model improved the explained variation from 26 % to 49 %, and the predictive power increased substantially. The study suggests improvements of the Czech risk adjustment model and proposes a fairer fund redistribution among insurance companies, while no additional data collection is needed.

This thesis researched whether or not Sweden’s Economic Equalisation for Local Government evens out differences in regions’ healthcare quality that are due to structural differences, such as differences in demographic and geography. To be able to analyse healthcare quality amongst Sweden’s regions six healthcare quality indicators were created. By performing regression analysis it was researched whether or not they correlate with the healthcare aspect of the cost equalisation system. If the correlation is high then it is assumed that there are systematic differences in healthcare quality, but if the correlation is low to non-existent it is assumed that there are few to no systematic differences amongst regions. But even if regions’s healthcare quality does not systematically differ this does not necessarily mean that it is due to the equalisation system. Some regions may simply be spending more per capita on healthcare than other regions to be able to provide a comparable healthcare quality. This thesis therefore also analysed whether regions’ healthcare expenditure rates systematically differed or not.  How regional decision makers decide to spend the money received from the equalisation system is also of importance. Even if the equalisation is sufficient (ie. if the money from the system is actually enough to be able to even out structural differences in healthcare quality) does not mean it will actually be spent on healthcare. Therefore it is of interest to determine how regional decision makers spend the money. Because there is a distinct lack of theories on this specific subject, I myself created two models which were based on the wider schools of thought sociological institutionalism and rational choice theory and these were used to help model the different possible outcomes of the study and to thereby help explain on what basis regional decision makers make their decisions when it comes to healthcare. From these models I created four hypotheses that were then tested.  The results of my study gave some modest support for the fact that the economic equalisation system fulfills its aim ie. it evens out structural differences in healthcare quality. It also supported the hypothesis that regional decision makers act in accordance with sociological institutionalism. But three outliers were found when it comes to healthcare expenditure, which if examined further may change the results of this study. More research is therefore needed on this topic.

Food waste is a serious problem in today’s society. Functional food waste is going to waste treatment while people are suffering from food insecurity. Food redistribution in form of a central food bank which collects food waste at food companies and delivers it to social organizations is a measure to deal with this issue. Stockholm City Mission plans to start up a central food bank in Stockholm and it is this implementation that is of focus in this report. The purpose of this study is to compare two scenarios, with and without a food bank, and evaluate this food bank regarding the possibilities for reduced climate impacts and the economic outcomes of the involving actors (food companies, the central food bank and social organizations). The methods used are literature studies, interviews and a material flow analysis to be able to follow the flows of food through the redistribution system. The results found are that costs can be saved for the actors involved and whether the food bank will go with profit depends on the revenues that can be collected from the involved actors and external investors. Climate impacts are reduced as a result of the implementation, mainly in terms of that functional food waste avoids waste treatment and can be of use.

No description available.

Magister Economicae - MEcon / When looking at South African land policy, one would agree there is a clear commitment to ensuring land ownership for the previously disadvantaged. South Africa’s 1996 Constitution is widely regarded as among the most progressive in the world in terms of its emphasis on human, social and economic rights. Despite this, many South Africans desiring land ownership and access through land redistribution instruments, generally struggle to do so. This study is a mixed-method study, through its survey and interviews, calls into question the criteria used for land redistribution in South Africa. Furthermore, it makes a case why landlessness should be prioritised in the allocation criteria. Because of its interest in livelihoods and capital asset framework of the poor, the study’s basic points have caused us to explain the meaning of landlessness using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework. However, the study believes the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework is not adequate to conceptualise landlessness; therefore, it comes up with a new conceptual framework to landlessness that is rooted in the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework The study uses Fezile Dabi District Municipality as a case study and, as a result, this process has now created an opportunity for the study to identify the broad typologies of landlessness which exist within the municipality. The thesis believes that considered holistically, the social and economic (tangible and intangible) assets of the rural poor will ensure that the land redistribution leg of South African land reform will achieve its main objective which is poverty alleviation.

The purpose of this study was to develop a model to predict water extraction patterns and therefore salt distribution patterns in a one dimensional homogeneous soil profile for a specified root distribution . Water extraction was simulated as a function of the total potential and the root density at any level of the profile. Salt redistribution caused by irrigation was simulated by assuming a partial and proportional displacement of the water in each soil layer. A computer program was written for the model in Fortran language and implemented on the Vax. To evaluate the performance of the model, test studies were carried out in the laboratory using two lysimeters and wheat as a crop. A neutron probe and the four-probe electrode method were used to follow the change in the soil moisture and the salinity in the profile during the growing season. Comparisons were made between the measured and simulated values of water content and salinity. Application of the model results and recommendations for further research were suggested to improve the performance of the model.

The demand for recreation on public lands has been growing steadily, resulting in undesirable impacts on certain resources as well as recreation experiences. The problem addressed by this research is the uneven distribution of recreational use that causes a concentration of impacts. This thesis describes the development and testing of a method to reduce the uneven/concentrated recreation use occurring on the public lands. The basic objectives of the study were to determine the effectiveness of redistributing recreationists by the use of photographs and a decisional process using photographic information and to identify its potential as a tool in meeting management objectives. The experimental treatment device was the Visual Decision Making Process consisting of color photographs, a map and a selection matrix used in the decision-tree to match people to places that would best suit their needs. Recreationists were surveyed on three different weekends during the spring season of 1980 in the San Rafael Swell of southeastern Utah. People who had been contacted during that time were randomly assigned to treatment or no-treatment control groups. A home interview was conducted prior to the 1981 spring recreation season. After the season, both the treatment and no-treatment control groups were contacted for posttest questioning. Data were collected from the contact questioning, observation, and posttest questionnaires. The results indicated that recreation use was influenced by the Visual Decision Making Process, but only a small percentage of people who went through the process went to an area they chose. While the major influence of the process was not significantly proven, there seemed to be a trend in change behavior. This small percentage of change may be an adequate amount to meet management objectives of lessening impacts. It was also found that persons driving four-wheel drive vehicles and larger groups were significantly more influenced to redistribute than car/pickup drivers and smaller groups. Recommendations are made for management practices to reduce uneven/ concentrated recreation use and suggestions for further research are offered.