This thesis identifies determinants of market participation of smallholder sorghum and millet farmers and proposes strategies for improving their market participation. The study used survey data from 195 smallholder communal and resettled farmers, and agribusiness firms dealing with sorghum and millet. The farmers were selected from three sorghum and millet producing districts of Zimbabwe. The firms were located in Bulawayo and Harare. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews with the sampled farmers and firm representatives. The thesis also explores the way the small grains have been marketed and the extent of field crop contracting in Zimbabwe. In addition, literature on determinants of market participation for other commodities was reviewed. Recommendations were then drawn on strategies for improved market participation for smallholder farmers. Transaction cost related factors are an important component of marketing that determines the extent of market participation for smallholder farmers. Results of the multiple regression and the probit models showed that transaction cost related factors, such as previously agreed prices (PRICEAGREE), confidence and trust in the buyer (CONFIDENCE), the difference in price knowledge (PRICEKNOW) and delayed payment for sold grain (DELAYPAY) have a significant impact on the quantity of grain sold and the extent of smallholder farmer participation in the market. Discriminant analysis was used to identify factors discriminating sorghum and millet sellers and non-sellers. The division was made according to whether or not a household sold sorghum and/or millet during the period 2004/05 to 2006/07. Of the fourteen potential discriminating variables, six explained group differences with statistical significance. The six important variables in the discriminant function analysis were: number of donkeys owned by a household, crop production levels, source of household income, method of transporting grain to the market, district and area cultivated. Five of the six discriminating variables point to wealth-ranking factors (household asset endowments) implying that poorer households are unable to participate in markets effectively. Farmers identified issues that need to be addressed for sorghum and millet production and marketing to be improved. The identified issues offer guidelines for priority areas to focus on when addressing limitations that are currently inhibiting farmer market participation. The major issues which included; seed unavailability, lack of access to draft power, lack of access to fertilizer, establishment of irrigation schemes; provision of transport to the market, production of marketable surplus and establishing a local market, all point to the need for external assistance to farmers. A review of literature confirms that contracting is an effective way to coordinate and promote production and marketing in agriculture. Sorghum and millet can be grown under contract successfully. The presence of successful contracts for other commodity crops is an indicator of the potential to increase marketing of sorghum and millet through contracting. However, for contracting to succeed, it is necessary to improve sorghum and millet productivity with an assured quality of the grain. The conclusion is that small grains are important food crops for smallholder farmers in drier environments but their productivity is low. Hence, to enhance farmer access to markets, it is necessary to increase the productivity of sorghum and millet and thus, enable smallholder farmers to produce adequate marketable surplus. Interventions by government and private sector should aim at addressing the major factors that determine market participation. Important to note is that, if poorer households are unable to effectively participate in markets, then interventions to increase households’ productive assets or the public goods that support agricultural production and marketing may be necessary. Based on the study findings, the thesis proposes possible key intervention ingredients for successful contracting of sorghum and millet in Zimbabwe. An enabling environment and legal framework created by government and private sector, addressing identified priority areas, primarily will largely determine the level of market participation of smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. Copyright / Dissertation (MScAgric)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

Marshy soil and sediment samples were collected during dry and rainy seasons within Warri, and Agbarho, 20km away as control. Levels of 16 USEPA priority Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons PAHs were determined using GC-FID. Source prediction analysis was also done. The study was in Niger Delta region, Nigeria from January to March and June to August 2012 in dry and wet seasons. Benzo(a)pyrene had highest total concentration of 3.302mg/kg and mean value of 1.651mg/kg in dry season soil samples. However, sediment samples had highest levels for total concentration of PAHs of 19.362mg/kg and mean of 4.840mg/kg for both dry and rainy seasons within Warri. PAHs concentration was higher in dry than rainy seasons for soil and sediment samples. Source prediction analysis revealed that PAHs in sediments for dry season were pyrolytic while rainy seasons were petrogenic sources. For soils, the dry season was mixed sources while the rainy season was petrogenic. / Environmental Science / M. Sc. (Environmental Science)

No description available.

Strandveld vegetation around the Groen river mouth was sampled using complementary ordination and classification techniques (DCA and TWINSP AN). Four communities can be recognised, although samples are primarily divided into inland and coastal plots. Two inland communities are: Stoebaria utilis-Salvia lanceolata community, characterised by tall vegetation(> 1m), on deep, loose soils; Hermannia spp-Leserlia diffusa community of short (<0.6m) vegetation on shallow soils with a hardpan dorbank layer. Two coastal Strandveld communities are: Vanzylia amulata-Limonium peregrinum community which has short vegetation ( <0.5m) on characteristic shallow soils with a calcrete layer at 50 cm deep; Ruschia hutchensonia-Sasola nolothensis community characterised by deep alkaline soils. Of the environmental variables sampled, soil resistance and the presence of calcium carbonate in the soil best explain the distribution of plots and species in ordination space. Communities classified in this study differ subtly from the Tall, Medium and Short Strandveld communities and Strand communities proposed by le Roux and Boucher, 1989 and 1993.

In environmental terms, New Orleans is a city that should not exist. With the Mississippi River eager to escape its engineered confinement, the topography of the city sinking slowly due to subsidence, and the steady rise of sea level partnered with wetland and coastal erosion, the future of New Orleans is wet and it is fast approaching. Initial settlers built on the naturally elevated sediment deposits of the Mississippi River, but over time and as the city grew, swamps were drained and occupation spread into lower, more saturated ground. For over two hundred years, humans have interfered with water's natural authority over this area. We have contained, diverted, drained, and regulated rivers, lakes, and swamps to maintain a constructed version of the ground plane that subverts natural processes to the regions' detriment. Plans for the future of New Orleans have been debated since Hurricane Katrina served as an expose to our synthesized and extremely fragile system. From the Dutch Dialogues, a comprehensive u an redevelopment plan, to smaller scale water management studies such as the Mirabeau Water Gardens, the drawing board has rarely been empty. Proposals have met resistance from the community, and ten years after the disaster, no coherent plan has been outlined. New Orleans isn't the only city searching for answers; delta and coastal cities the world over are recognizing the need to rethink resiliency and sustainability in light of global environmental changes. This project proposes neighborhood-scale interventions that bring previously concealed water processes to light by exhibiting them in a sustainable community-centered resource. Rather than altering existing infrastructure, this strategy would utilize current neutral ground conditions in order to take pressure off the City's drainage network. By accepting and accommodating water within the urban fabric, New Orleans can address the deficiencies in defensive water infrastructure to define a new resilience. / 0 / SPK / specialcollections@tulane.edu

The Upper Souris River was placed on the Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) impaired waters list for low dissolved oxygen (DO). A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study was conducted to determine possible causes of DO depletion. From sampling and site visits it was determined nonpoint sources contributed the majority of organic loadings to the Upper Souris River. Through preliminary testing, it was determined that sediment oxygen demand (SOD) played a key role in depleting DO levels during winter months and required further investigation. River profile surveying, water quality sampling, and laboratory testing of SOD were carried out to determine parameters required for water quality modeling. SOD tests were conducted to determine impacts of sediment organic contents and temperature on SOD rate. Sediment oxygen demand rates ranged from 0.37 to 1.22 g O2/m2/d. The QUAL2K model was calibrated to simulate DO variations along the study reach under ice covered conditions.

The dissertation focuses on regenerating and adapting a part of the Prinshof Medical District. The site is identified as an abandoned, left-over space which is located adjacent to the Apies River in Pretoria's urban context. The site's forgotten natural and historical layers, formerly part of the historical Hove's Drift, and the chronological narrative of the Apies River, are investigated in this study. A regenerative water design method is used to catalyse these lost layers in the aim of cultivating a functional and poetic water-conscious design intervention. The programme proposes the creation of a hydrotherapy centre for use by the surrounding institutions in the Prinshof Medical District as part of the continuing narrative for the site and that of the Apies River respectively. Regenerative Biohistoric Waterscapes is able to synthesise the river's natural, historical, and Modern infrastructure narratives and contribute an alternative meaning towards the eco-systemic understanding of the river's potential for Pretoria's future generations. / Hierdie verhandeling konsentreer op die hernuwing en aanpassing van 'n gedeelte van die Prinshof Mediese Distrik. Hierdie terrain is ge?dentifiseer as verlate, 'n oorblewende spasie wat gele? is langs die Apies Rivier in Pretoria se stedelike konteks. Hierdie terrain se vergete natuurlike en historiese agtergrond, voorheen gedeelte van die geskiedkundige Hove's Drif, en die kronologiese relaas van die Apies Rivier, word in die verhandeling ondersoek. n' Hernieude water ontwerpte metode gebruik om hierdie verlore agtergrond gedeeltes in te sluit met die doelwit om 'n funksionele en kunstige water bewuste ontwerp te winkel. Hierdie program stel die skepping voor van 'n hydroterapeutiese sentrum vir die gebruik deur die omliggende inrigtings in die Prinshof Mediese Distrik as deel van die deurlopende relaas vir die terrain en die Apies Rivier onderskeidelik. Die Hiernieude Biohistoriese Waterterrein sal die rivier se natuurlike, historiese en moderne infrastruktuur saamvoeg en sal tot 'n alternatiewe betekenis bydra met betrokking tot n' eko-sistemiese begrip van die rivier se potentsiaal vir Pretoria se toekomstige nageslagte. / Mini Dissertation (MArch (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Architecture / MArch (Prof) / Unrestricted

Cercopithecus mitis is a polytypic, pan-African guenon species with a complex evolutionary history. The Lomami River Blue Monkey, C. m. heymansi, occurs within the Tshuapa-Lomami-Lualaba (TL2) Conservation Landscape and exhibits high pelage variation. Previous studies have shown discordance between the mitochondrial and Ychromosome gene trees of C. m. heymansi. The objectives were to test the phylogenetic pattern found in the mtDNA tree using a larger sample size of C. m. heymansi, determine the genetic diversity of the population, and hypothesize methods of speciation. While many species within the C. mitis radiation depict paraphyly, I determined that C. m. heymansi forms highly supported monophyletic clades in both mtDNA and Ychromosome gene trees. These results suggest that C. m. heymansi is a distinct lineage within the C. mitis radiation. Future genomic analyses are important in resolving the evolutionary history of this population and discerning its taxonomic classification and conservation value. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Rivers once had meaning to societies. This meaning was associated with agricultural practices, spiritual connection with nature, social interaction and the combination of all these different activities and functions which were enjoyed by the whole community. Today these rivers have little (if any) meaning to society. Meaning has been lost due to neglect, pollution and crime. The spirit of community once associated with these rivers is now under threat. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential of a river system in creating meaningful places for a shared sense of community. It therefore presents an attempt at re/claiming this meaning, through the application of community design theory, with a river’s edge intervention that connects people with others, and communities with the river. The design process started with a site analysis to highlight the challenges and opportunities of the study area, local framework area, masterplan area and focus site. Existing frameworks and precedent studies assisted in compiling guidelines and design principles for the project. The study found that by dealing away with the current negative image of the river and re-introducing activities that the community values, these spaces can be re/claimed as meaningful people spaces. Community design, informed by the concept of place-making, is an appropriate theory for revitalising the river systems which cut through urban landscapes and disconnect communities. This study suggest that a landscape design based on community ethics, aspirations and cultural values i.e. social aspects of landscape architecture, is most likely to succeed in the long run as it creates a sense of belonging and ownership. / Dissertation (ML(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Architecture / unrestricted

This study conducts watershed analysis using biological and geo-spatial techniques. Incorporating landscape features with biological attributes has been shown to be an effective method of monitoring environmental quality within watersheds. In situ biomonitoring using the Asiatic Clam, Corbicula fluminea, habitat suitability, and water quality data were evaluated for their potential to describe ecological conditions in agricultural and urban areas within the Upper Trinity River watershed. These data were analyzed with GIS to identify effects of land use on ecological conditions. C. fluminea downstream of point source effluents was effective detecting in-stream toxicity. Ambient toxicity appears to have improved in the Trinity, although urban influences limit aspects of aquatic life. No association between habitat quality and land use was identified.