The economic impact of irrigation agriculture: Methodological aspects and an empirical application

This article considers the regional economic impact of irrigation development by means of a case study. Theoretical aspects of irrigation development are discussed, followed by a brief overview of methodological alternatives for the determination of the economic impact of irrigation development. A case study of the south‐western Orange Free State is used to test some of the theoretical principles that have been put forward. First the deduction of a regional input‐output table is discussed. This is followed by the determination of the economic impact of irrigation agriculture in the south‐western Orange Free State. The article concludes with a discussion of the major findings.     

Improving food security in the rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal province,South Africa: Too little,too slow

Food insecurity is still remarkably high in the poorest areas of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. Many rural households struggle to have sufficient access to the food they need or prefer. This article explores the extent of food access insecurity and assesses the perceived impact on food security of an Empowerment for Food Security Programme that was launched in the Province in 2007. One of the programme aims was to improve agricultural practices in community gardens, home gardens and broiler production. Data were collected among 390 beneficiary households involved in these agricultural projects in 2010. Findings confirmed that experience-based food insecurity levels were still high, despite the agricultural support programme and the government income transfers. Nevertheless, respondents attribute an improved dietary diversity and better access to resources to the programme.     

The identification of towns in the Free State for an urban upgrading and development programme: A proposed method for consideration

This article describes how small towns in the Free State were assessed for a German‐South African urban upgrading and development programme. The assessment first determined where the programme would have a significant impact on the recipient community and, secondly, where it would have a high probability of success. Two criteria were used: quantitative (settlement types, demographic and economic trends, financial and management capacity and performance, and access to services and housing) and qualitative (level of community‐based participation in existing projects, the spirit of the place, economic potential and delivery record in terms of projects). These criteria reduced the number of appropriate towns to eight. A provincial steering committee (representing the political dimension) was appointed to incorporate the towns into the programme. They are representative of towns across the province, as well as a variety of settlement types. This method can be considered on a provincial or regional basis elsewhere for evaluating and ranking small towns for development support.     

Towards developing financial management strategies for land reform beneficiaries in the Bloem‐fontein/Thaba Nchu area of the Free State province of South Africa

This article is based on research that was carried out to design financial management strategies for emerging farmers, and examines the financing problems anticipated for the beneficiaries of land reform in the Free State province. Discussions focus on criteria for detecting impending financial problems, in particular liquidity problems, and are based on the analysis of data gathered from emerging farmers by means of interviews and a questionnaire.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
"Problems of Transition" (University of Natal Press, pp. 285, R2.75), is the record, edited and revised by J. F. Holleman, Joan Knox, J. W. Mann and K. A. Heard
The Research Needs of the South African Textile Industry — A Techno-Economic Survey by D. G. Van der Walt
The Economies of Large-Scale Production in British Industry: An Introductory Study. By C. Pratten and R. M. Dean, in collaboration with A. Silderston.
Economic Analysis and Policy in Underdeveloped Countries. By P. T. Bauer. Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd.
Statistical Year Book 1964. Compiled by the Bureau of Statistics
Multilateral Commercial Diplomacy: The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and its Impact on National Commercial Policies and Techniques. By Gerard Curzon
Financial Intermediaries in India. By M. S. Joshi.
In the Common Interest — The Story of the Transvaal and Orange Free State Chamber of Mines     

Photovoltaic water pumping in developing areas — A case study

Provision of adequate water supplies is probably the most keenly felt need in rural developing areas. Much time which is at present used in collecting water could be used far more productively if water was pumped where this was appropriate. However, many pumping systems are inappropriate for developing areas because of their high maintenance requirements and complexity. Photovoltaic (solar‐electric) pumping provides an attractive alternative: in addition to having low maintenance requirements, it is convenient and environmentally sound. However, tt has two major disadvantages: (i) it has a high initial cost; and (ii) it is an inherently high risk option as expensive equipment is necessarily placed in the open with little natural protection. This paper is based on a case study of a photovoltaic water pump installed in a community vegetable garden in KwaZulu. The study examined the effect of the pump on the garden's productivity, the economic competitiveness of PV pumping with dlesel and electric pumps, the suitability of PV pumping to the community, the attitudes of the gardeners to PV pumping and possible methods of financing PV pumps for disadvantaged communities.     

The socio-economic differences between landfill and street waste pickers in the Free State province of South Africa

Waste picking is an important survival strategy of many people throughout the developing world. South Africa has a sizeable waste picker population who ply their trade on municipal landfill sites as well as on the streets of cities and towns. This study lifts the lid on this neglected area of research by analysing and comparing landfill and street waste pickers side by side in a socio-economic context. Samples of waste pickers were drawn from the three main municipalities of Mangaung, Matjhabeng and Metsimaholo in the Free State province of South Africa and a questionnaire-based survey was conducted. Among the findings was that waste picking offers a financial lifeline when, due to inadequate schooling and grinding poverty, individuals would be hard pressed to find employment in the formal economy. The study lays an important foundation for further comparative and qualitative research into this important segment of South Africa’s informal economy.     

Who received what,where in the Free State? An assessment of post-apartheid housing delivery and policy (1994–98)

This article reflects on the differences and similarities between the housing policies of the World Bank and that of South Africa. It also focuses on the application of South African policy in the Free State and especially pays attention to who the end-beneficiaries are, what the end-product is and what the regional and locational priorities of housing investment are. Furthermore, this article assesses the spatial distribution of housing subsidies, the income levels of end-beneficiaries, and the type of end product that has been delivered. Among other things, it concludes that cities in the Free State have been neglected in terms of housing investment, that the majority of end-beneficiaries fall in the lowest income category, and that double subsidisation has been a common phenomenon in the Free State. A number of critical reflections are also made in terms of future housing policy.     

HEALTH FACILITY CHOICE IN HIV- AND AIDS-AFFECTED HOUSEHOLDS IN TWO SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNITIES

This paper analysed differences in the choice of health-care facility by ill individuals in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)- and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-affected households in the Free State province of South Africa. Secondary education, access to medical aid and household income were significant determinants of choice as were severity and type of illness, and type of health care required. Ill persons with HIV- and AIDS-related illnesses are significantly more likely to opt for public health care, although the strength of this preference declines as household income increases. Those with severe and particularly severe HIV- and AIDS-related illness, in turn, are significantly more likely to opt for private health care, especially at higher levels of income. The public health care sector therefore is likely to remain the backbone of health-care provision to those infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS, highlighting the need for equitable access to efficient, quality public health services.     

‘Fit to play’: Labour market behaviour in a cohort of public-sector antiretroviral treatment patients

Given the rapid scale-up of antiretroviral treatment (ART), it is necessary to explore the impact of ART on labour force participation, employment and labour productivity. This article investigates labour market outcomes in a prospective cohort of public-sector ART clients in the Free State province of South Africa. Empirical results suggest that labour force participation increased markedly as the proportion of those too ill to work declined, becoming indistinguishable from participation rates in the general population. Unemployment rates, however, remain above those reported for the general population. ART and its health-related benefits therefore translate into increases in labour force participation, but not employment. Employment status at HIV diagnosis strongly predicts absorption in the labour force. Public-sector ART clients should be referred to vocational rehabilitation and occupational therapy programmes, and to welfare-to-work programmes, and the unskilled to adult education and training and further education and training programmes.     

Further progress in the desegregation of South African towns and cities, 1996–2001

Between 1996 and 2001 South African towns and cities have continued the slow process of residential desegregation which was first noted in the previous inter-census period. The changes have been group-specific and place-specific, and the experiences of different groups and regions have differed substantially. The key African–White index of dissimilarity remains exceptionally high throughout the country, although it has now shown some evidence of decline. The Free State stands out as being significantly more segregated than the rest of the country. KwaZulu-Natal continues to be the most desegregated province and significant changes are evident in this respect for most inter-group indices. Nevertheless, the vast majority of the urban population continues to live in highly segregated suburbs.     

Using group ratings to assess household food security: Empirical evidence from southern Africa

This article addresses the reliability and validity of household welfare rankings using the Group Ratings (GR) method. The GR aimed to measure the food security status of 142 households in seven villages in Malawi. Sets of informant groups rated households from their own community. Results show that the reliability of the method was no more than fair to moderate, and was particularly low for households falling in the middle category of 'intermittently food insecure'. Consensus ratings from the GR sessions were then compared with a number of alternative indicators of food security from a quantitative household survey. GR were associated with the more visible aspects of food security, such as household asset and livestock holdings, but associations with less visible aspects of food security were weaker. The strength of these associations varied from village to village.     

基于居民旅游影响感知的社区治理研究——以河源市埔前镇为例

河源市埔前镇高埔岗是河源旅游度假产品发展的聚集区,该地辖区内开发了客天下水晶温泉度假区、春沐源小镇、巴伐利亚庄园、七寨湖公园、大水井民宿区等休闲度假文旅项目,吸引大量省内外游客前来度假旅游。随着当地旅游业快速发展,如何处理好当地居民、旅游相关企业、旅游景区以及政府管理部门之间的关系,是社区治理的重要问题。为了更好地厘清当地旅游社区治理的发展现状和存在问题,从当地居民对旅游影响感知的角度出发,探索当地旅游发展对社区产生的影响,并发现在旅游社区治理过程中存在的主要问题,为旅游社区参与和社区治理提供理论参考和实践借鉴。     

Chieftaincy and democratic local governance in rural South Africa: Natural resources management in QwaQwa

This paper examines the changing role of chieftaincy in relation to democratic institutions of local governance in QwaQwa in the Eastern Free State and in particular the implications for the management of natural resources. Referring to a case study of grass usage, the paper identifies the shift from chieftaincy to democratic local governance as one of the factors that have undermined the chiefs' control over the use of natural resources, as infrastructural development takes precedence over management of natural resources in municipal planning and service delivery. The ensuing absence of control over the use of grass broadly reflects the unclear institutional framework for natural resources management on communal land in rural South Africa. However, despite the power struggle that generally goes on between chiefs and elected councillors of QwaQwa, there is potential for building on areas of common interest to improve natural resources management in the area.     

自由贸易试验区对福建跨境电子商务的影响及对策

中国建立自由贸易试验区在于进一步明确政府在市场经济活动中的定位,对金融体系进行全面改革,培育适应新时代需要的对外贸易发展新模式。剖析自由贸易试验区对跨境电子商务的影响、福建跨境电子商务发展基本状况及面临的困局, 提出对策建议, 有利于推动福建省因地制宜地建设具有中国特色、可持续发展的跨境电子商务,并对我国跨境电子商务的发展起示范作用。     

重庆渝北国家农业科技园区9年建设的使命寻踪城市与乡村的对话

这是中国新农村建设的一次有益探索,这是城市与乡村的一场真诚对话! 　　重庆渝北国家农业科技园区的存在,为企业提供平台和更大市场,同时为农户提供技术及就业机会实现双向连接,使产业链更趋高效和完整.     

Poverty,gender and migrancy: Lesotho's migrant farmworkers in South Africa

During the 1990s, eastern Free State vegetable farmers increasingly relied on migrants from neighbouring Lesotho for seasonal labour. This coincided with a major downsizing of the mine labour force in South Africa, hitherto the major employer of Basotho migrant workers. However, there was no simple process of transfer of unemployed migrants from the mining to the farming sector; rather, decisions were mediated by domestic relationships and household poverty in Lesotho. Basotho women and girls have been a major casualty of mine retrenchments and the drying up of remittances, and those with domestic skills but little formal training have been forced into the labour market, mainly domestic work in towns and labour on farms. This article examines the Basotho migrants' experiences and conditions of employment, the regulatory environment within which they are recruited and employed, and their future in the context of changing immigration and migration legislation in South Africa.     

Home economics and development

The development of home economics shows that the satisfaction of people's social and economic needs has always been its broad aim through history. Home economics focuses on the family as ecosystem and the improvement of the individual's interaction with the environment. Effective management of available resources in order to satisfy the food, housing and clothing needs of the family is an important factor in the improvement of quality of life and also of the functioning of families within the community. Home economics extension helps to maintain the balance between economic and social factors in community development. The learning of physical skills or tasks to satisfy short terms needs therefore serves as the starting point for ultimately developing people's abilities, attitudes and values which will lead them to self‐determination.     

The impact of a labour-intensive road construction programme in the Vhembe District,Limpopo Province

This study investigates the distributional impacts of labour-intensive projects under the Gundo Lashu programme in the Limpopo province. The aim was to evaluate infrastructure effectiveness of the Extended Public Works Programme, focusing on the interface between road investment and economic development as the central premise. The objective was to evaluate the impact of the programme on the participants and their communities. Specific areas of impacts investigated are mobility, income, work opportunities, poverty reduction, sustainable livelihoods and opening of access to market opportunities. A matched case–control study design was adopted. The study found that the programme had achieved its objectives related to the total number of jobs created and the total road length constructed. However, the programme showed mixed results on communities' socio-economic outcomes and the impacts of the programme on poverty and sustainable livelihoods.     

居住区光声水一体化景观与活动设施综合设计——以“绍兴县柯桥城市花园”为例

本文主要通过对居住区中的景观设计(光声水环境)、老人与儿童活动空间以及居住区中的安全与交通问题等的研究,并以"绍兴县城市花园"这一居住区作为案例来研究,给将来的居住区规划打下理论基础,为我国居住区规划设计水平的提高做出贡献。