Conceptualising community radio: from global histories to the Kenyan example
- Authors: Korir, Geoffrey Kiplimo
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Community radio , Community radio -- Kenya , Community development -- Kenya , Social change -- Kenya , Radio broadcasting -- Kenya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/165766 , vital:41279
- Description: This study sets out to gain insight into the way that the establishment of community radio in Kenya is located within the global history of ideas about such radio. The first four chapters in this study provide terms of reference for this examination through a series of literature reviews. It sets out, firstly, to locate the internationally shared conceptualisaiton of community radio within an existing spectrum of approaches to social analysis. It proposes that community radio can be located at the critical, emancipatory end of this spectrum. It then maps out the global circulation of ideas about community radio and proposes that such circulation was informed by the broader history of critical, emancipatory social analysis. The final literature review then deals with community radio in Kenya and examines the way in which the establishment of this sector was shaped by the social and political history of this country. It is argued that the establishment of a community radio sector became possible only when support for emancipatory approaches to media became acceptable in Kenya, in context of the establishment of multiparty democracy. It is proposed, further, that the articulation of a vision for community radio in Kenya depended in part on the existence of international support for such radio and in part on the efforts of local actors in civil society. The empirical component then focuses on the way global ideas about community radio have become realised in Kenya. The study achieves this purpose by drawing on qualitative interviews with individuals from within civil society who have participated in the history of the establishment and growth of community radio in Kenya. These individuals demonstrate consciousness of the internationally shared set of principles that can facilitate a successful establishment of community radio. However, they are also sceptical of the assumption that guidelines for community radio are universally applicable. They point, in particular, to the challenges involved in the realisation of these guidelines in an environment in which economic resources are limited, and which is characterised by extreme social inequality and conflict. The study concludes that it is individuals such as these participants, who are embedded within the local context, who are best placed to articulate locally appropriate alternatives to these guidelines.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Conserving land for people: transformative adaptive co-management of sustainable protected areas in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
- Authors: Kalyongo, Kujirakwinja Deo
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Protected areas -- Congo (Democratic Republic) , Protected areas -- Government policy -- Congo (Democratic Republic) , Protected areas -- Management -- Congo (Democratic Republic) , Conservation of natural resources -- Congo (Democratic Republic)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/165912 , vital:41296
- Description: Conservation practices and approaches in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as in other parts of the world, have evolved from traditional to fortress and collaborative contemporary approaches such as adaptive co-management. These approaches aim to include multiple decision-makers using diversified resources and, existing formal and informal governance structures. Collaborative approaches also consider conflict resolution and external factors that can influence conservation outputs and outcomes. In the DRC context, conflicts over resources are related not only to resource access and power but also to the ineffectiveness of collaborative approaches that exclude stakeholders such as local communities. These conflicts have negatively affected protected areas and weakened the management and governance of protected areas. Therefore, evolving approaches such as adaptive co-management that consider power relations, the multi-scaled involvement of actors and learning loops to adjust strategies are seen as better options to improve the governance of protected areas and minimise the degradation of key ecosystems. My research explored the gazettement processes of three protected areas in the eastern DRC (Itombwe, Kabobo and Okapi Reserves). I focused on the influence of social-political, historical and psychological factors on the management and governance of protected areas in the DRC. In addition, the research reveals the inclusive gazettement processes of protected areas is the foundation of successful co-management approaches. I found that values and good governance practices play a key role in influencing local perceptions and support to conservation interventions. Whilst some conservation practitioners believe that economic benefits to communities are the most predominant motivating factor, I found that good conservation management practices can motivate communities to support protected area management. Bad management practices were related not only to inadequate conservation approaches and practices but also to factors such as corruption, inadequate law enforcement and the inappropriate equipment of rangers. Therefore, I suggest that long term protected area management in DRC should consider how the value of resources for communities and protected areas have been changing throughout the history of conservation, and how to best share power and responsibilities with local resource users and stakeholders. This is only possible if conservation practices and approaches, governance process and institutions are transformed at multiple levels.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Design ethnography: methodological considerations for rebalancing socio-technical phenomena in CMS performativity
- Authors: Jordaan, Leandra
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Database management -- Social aspects , Information technology -- Social aspects , Management information systems -- Social aspects , Database management -- Philosophy , Information technology -- Philosophy , Management information systems -- Philosophy
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164781 , vital:41164
- Description: As a practitioner, I had been part of two Content Management System (CMS) Projects in a particular setting that did not deliver on the expected outcomes. The expected outcomes of the projects included streamlined processes, better access to information, functionalities to drive engagement, reduced time searching for information, and improved reusability of content. As I began to reflect on the projects, a certain discomfort developed when the social aspect was ignored in favour of the technological. I sought a better understanding, but I was unaware of the fact at first. The techno-centricity as a concept found in literature and my experience as content management (CM) practitioner – together informed my interest in rebalancing the social and the technological. Thus, I focused on conduct in performing of tasks and emphasised attention on the practices of experts who gave insight into context of CM and use. The research participants are communication practitioners who have the responsibility to communicate internally and externally on behalf of a publicly-funded university in South Africa. Guided by the abductive argument and literature, the key themes for the research focused on technology, individuals and the organisation. The focus on technology (CMS as a subfield of Information Systems) began with my involvement in two CMS Projects. What came to the fore was that the practitioner perspective, and thus their experiential knowledge are neglected in research and that it may be an over-emphasis on techno-centrism in CMS research. I sought to better balance the social and technological aspects. The second focus on individuals (communication practitioners) was to value the stakeholder who was considered representative of the worldviews of the community. I sought to support corporate communication practices in the task of relationship building with stakeholders. The findings showed that the culture of informatio sharing was low at the University. The third focus on the organisation (the University) was to prioritise the success of the communication undertaken by the University. I interrogated the role of power. I demonstrated how the role of power could be seen as productive and positive in the context of HE, the social reality of CUT, and this IS research itself. I positioned the research as interpretivistic. I used hermeneutics as a mode of analysis because as researcher-practitioner, I am part of the social reality of the research. A safeguard against my subjectivity was the use of Phronesis as an orientation to knowledge. An organisation with a shared understanding of ethics and values will balance instrumental rationality (scientific and technical reasoning) with value-rationality (moral reasoning about right and wrong actions). Phronesis is the virtue that should ensure ethical behaviour in actions, yet over time, social science research, in a quest to mimic the natural sciences, centred on episteme and techne. I constructed the lens by particularising the four value-rational questions of Flyvbjerg’s contemporary Phronesis to the performative perspective of the research. My interest in social reality, as well as socio-technical aspects, have led to design-ethnography (D-E) to emerge as the most suitable and most appropriate approach to the research. D-E asked the prescriptive ‘How’ and descriptive ‘What’ questions, whilst the Flyvbjergian Phronesis lens brought focus on the ‘Why’ question. D-E emphasised the betterment of the interaction and synergy between research conducted and practice. My status as an immersed researcher needed careful consideration, and D-E accepted that a certain level of immersion is necessary, D-E has short interventional fieldwork, and D-E has future-oriented engagement. The contemporary Phronesis used in the research is to enact D-E and not an all-encompassing guide for doing Phronesis research The key contributions to the research are predominantly methodological. The claims draw on evidence focused on the three themes technology, individuals and organisation, and the phenomena of interest which are to rebalance the social and the technological in CM practices. The first claim is that immersion in the context is possible and supported by the specific particularised approaches to the research. The second claim suggests a way to rebalance the socio-technical nature of Information Systems (IS). The third claim suggests that there is a viewpoint for power that is not focused on power’s oppressive nature which could see a diverging focus on power in IS research in future. In this viewpoint, the status quo of social reality is not questioned, nor are their emancipatory ambitions. The fourth and final claim suggests that Phronesis as a lens could enact D-E, which in turn is a method that assists in valuing the experience of the practitioner and the support of collaborative work. The research is recommended for IT/IS practitioners who prefer to value participants’ views in design. The approaches used could be of value for researchers who consider the context of their research to be of higher importance than the generalisation of outcomes. Researchers who find themselves in the position of being immersed in the context but question the correctness of active engagement in the field may discover some value from the research approaches and my experience. Also, researchers or practitioners who have an interest in the balance between social and the technological aspects of IS projects. Researchers or practitioners interested in Phronesis, and perhaps the viewpoint of a lens may also find value in this research.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Design of Immunobiosensors for Detection of Tumor-Associated Anti-P53 Autoantibodies: Method Development
- Authors: Adeniyi, Omotayo Kayode
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/162988 , vital:41002 , 10.21504/10962/162988
- Description: Introduction -- Experimental -- Label-Free Impedimetric Sensing of Anti-P53ab... -- Fluorescent detection of Anti-P53ab -- Peroxidase-like activity of Fe3O4@SiNP-APTES-Au@Pd... -- Colorimetric detection of Anti-P53ab , Thesis (PhD)--Rhodes University, Science Faculty, Department of Chemistry, 2020. , Detection and profiling of circulating tumor-associated autoantibodies (TAAbs) are useful for screening and early-stage diagnosis of asymptomatic lung cancer. Immunobiosensor technologies aimed to accomplish the highly sensitive, rapid and low-cost detection of TAAbs can improve the early-stage detection of lung cancer. Immunobiosensors for the detection of anti-P53-tumour associated autoantibodies have been developed in this work. The design of sensing interfaces with immobilized P53 protein (P53ag) as a sensing element layer on a solid interface was investigated. Several methods of detecting anti-P53-antibodies (anti-P53ab) were investigated. These methods are label-free detection using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and two label techniques. The label-free electrochemical techniques utilize gold electrode pre-modified with a conducting layer of electrochemically grafted phenylethylamine for covalent immobilization of P53ag. The limit of anti-P53ab detection with the label-free EIS was 103.0 pg.ml-1. The labeled technique developed utilizes fluorescent, and peroxidase-like nanomaterial labeled antibody as a detection probe. For the fluorescence detection, fluorescent silica nanoparticles were synthesized by overloading FITC into the silica matrix and conjugated to detection antibody (anti-IgG). The detection of the anti-P53ab was based on the dissolution of the silica nanoparticles to release the loaded dye as a signal amplification strategy. The fluorescence detection was carried out on a microplate, and magnetic bead modified P53-antigen platforms and limit of detection (LoD) were 42.0 fg.ml-1 and 3.3 fg.ml-1 for anti-P53ab; respectively. Fe3O4@SiNP-APTES-Au@Pd hybrid nanoparticles were synthesized, and their peroxidase-like activity and colorimetric detection were evaluated. The Fe3O4@SiNP-APTES-Au@Pd exhibited comparable activity to HRP. The Fe3O4@SiNP-APTES-Au@Pd was conjugated to protein-G-anti-IgG for the detection of anti-P53ab on a microplate and cellulose paper platforms. The LoD was 20.0 fg.ml-1 and 63.0 fg.ml-1 for the microplate and cellulose paper platform; respectively. The potential application of the designed immunobiosensor was evaluated in simulated serum samples. The developed sensors showed higher detection sensitivity, stability and had a lower detection limit for anti-P53ab when compared with the ELISA based detection. The results have provided alternative and effective quantification approaches to ELISA and a promising future for multiplexed detection of tumor-associated autoantibodies. The developed methodologies in this thesis could be applied for the detection of other autoantibodies in other cancer types and auto-immune diseases.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Design of immunosensor for the detection of C-reactive protein using oriented antibody immobilization
- Authors: Adesina, Abiola Olanike
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/163080 , vital:41010 , https://dx.doi.org/10.21504/10962/163080
- Description: Thesis (PhD)--Rhodes University, Science Faculty, Department of Chemistry, 2020.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Determination of nonlinear optical properties of phthalocyanine regioisomers using computational models
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Electrochemistry , Phthalocyanines , Nanoparticles , Nonlinear optics , Nonlinear optical spectroscopy , Refraction
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/166197 , vital:41337
- Description: This work investigates the effects of the nonlinear optical properties of four different constitutional isomers (C4h, C2v, Cs, and D2h) of a series of tetrasubstituted phthalocyanines (free-base 3-4-tert-butylphenoxyether phthalocyanines, free-base 4-4-tertbutylphenoxyether phthalocyanines, SnCl2 tetra substituted 3-4-tert-butylphenoxyether phthalocyanine, and SnCl2 tetra substituted 4-4-tert-butylphenoxyether phthalocyanine). The properties investigated were the real and imaginary components of the 3rd order hyperpolarizability, as well as the excited state absorption and refraction cross sections. The investigations were performed with a z-scan over a range of laser beam intensities. This work determined the imaginary component of the 3rd order hyperpolarizability for the free-base and SnCl2 3-4-tert-butylphenoxyether phthalocyanines and 4-4-tert-butylphenoxyether phthalocyanines to be highly dependent on the excited state cross sections. The refraction caused due to the real component of the 3rd order hyperpolarizability of the phthalocyanines was also investigated, however, the values found were strongly dependent on the laser beam intensity and the cause of this was investigated. A Five-level model was developed and run on GPGPU computing devices in order to isolate the absorption and refractive cross sections. Theeffects of the regio substitution on the excited state cross sections were also investigated, and the 1st singlet excited state and 1st triplet state absorption cross sections were calculated for all constitutional isomers. It was found that the symmetry of the constitutional isomers have a disproportionately large effect on the excited state absorption when compared to the ground state absorption. The nonlinear refractive properties of all constitutional isomers were also investigated, and the values of the parametric susceptibility are reported herein. The nonlinear refraction was found to have less effect than was seen in the nonlinear absorption. The 1st singlet excited state and 1st triplet state refractive cross sections of all constitutional isomer was determined. The results indicated that if more than one excited state was present and contributing to the nonlinear refraction, then more data than was collected here would be required. However, the 1st singlet excited state cross section were successfully determined for the free-base constitutional isomers. This work concluded that the region substitution affected the excited states more than the ground state.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Developing macroinvertebrate trait- and taxonomically-based approaches for biomonitoring wadeable riverine systems in the Niger delta, Nigeria
- Authors: Edegbene, Ovie Augustine
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Water – Pollution -- Nigeria -- Niger River Delta , Stream health -- Nigeria -- Niger River Delta , Water -- Pollution -- Measurement , Environmental monitoring -- Nigeria -- Niger River Delta , Water quality -- Nigeria -- Niger River Delta , Water quality biological assessment -- Nigeria -- Niger River Delta , Aquatic invertebrates -- Nigeria -- Niger River Delta , Stream restoration -- Nigeria -- Niger River Delta , Urban agriculture -- Nigeria -- Niger River Delta , Stream ecology -- Nigeria -- Niger River Delta
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140660 , vital:37907
- Description: Riverine systems are increasingly subjected to pollution due to rapid urbanisation, industrialisation, and agricultural activities. Increasing pollution in freshwater systems impairs water quality, causes biodiversity loss and impairs aquatic ecosystem functionality and supply of ecosystem services. Rivers in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria are particularly vulnerable to urban pollution and agricultural activities as natural forests are increasingly replaced by urbanisation and agriculture. The differential effects of these pressures on the ecological processes of these river systems are poorly explored, as is the development of appropriate biomonitoring tools for routine monitoring of river health. In this study, a physico-chemically-based approach and macroinvertebrate trait- and taxonomic- approaches were developed to better understand the effects of multiple pressures on riverine systems, while developing multimetric indices to enable sustainable management of rivers within the region. Sixty-six stations in 20 river systems within the Edo and Delta States of the Niger Delta ecoregion were monitored seasonally for a period of five (2008–2012) years. The physico-chemically based approach makes apparent the extent of degradation of rivers and streams in the Niger Delta. For each dominant land use type, river stations were classified into least impacted stations (LIS), moderately impacted stations (MIS) or heavily impacted stations (HIS). Of 11 stations within urban catchments, only two were considered least impacted, suggesting that urgent measures are necessary to revise the current trajectories of urban rivers within the region. Most of the stations designated as MIS and HIS in the urban and urban-agriculture catchments were found to be significantly correlated with increased nutrients, EC and BOD5. Characteristics of most of the MIS and HIS within rivers in urban catchments evidenced the so-called urban stream syndrome, a state of persistent degradation of urban streams. The results of the traits and ecological preferences approach showed traits sensitive to urban and urban-agriculture pollution. Traits and ecological preferences that were associated with the LIS include the possession of hardshell, moderate and high sensitivities to oxygen depletion, very large body sized individuals (>20-40mm), swimmers, flattened body shape, a preference for temporary attachment, crawling, respiration with aerial/vegetation, possession of breathing tubes, possession of strap or other apparatus for respiration, streamlined body, and a high sensitivity to oxygen depletion. Permanent attachment as an ecological preference associated with LIS was also positively correlated with increasing dissolved oxygen (DO) and was deemed a pollution sensitive ecological preference. The possession of very small body size (<5mm), associated with HIS, was deemed a pollution-tolerant trait and was negatively correlated with DO, confirming the deteriorating state of the urban and urban-agricultural rivers. The impact of urban-forestry pollution on the distribution pattern of macroinvertebrate traits and ecological preferences was also explored in the selected rivers. Traits and ecological preferences such as possession of hard-shell, large body size, and grazing as a feeding preference which were significantly positively associated with the LIS, were also either significantly positively correlated with DO, or significantly negatively correlated with increasing any two of flow velocity, water temperature, BOD5 and nutrient. These traits and ecological preferences were deemed sensitive in forested rivers receiving urban pollution. Further, burrowing, the pupa aquatic stage, and predation which were significantly positively associated with HIS on the RLQ ordination, were also significantly negatively associated with DO. These traits were deemed tolerant of forested systems receiving urban pollution. Multimetric indices (MMI) were developed, validated and applied for urban, urban-agriculture and urban-forested (MMI-urban, MMI-urban-agric and urban-forest) areas. Of the 26 metrics that satisfactorily discriminated between the LIS, the MIS, and the HIS for MMI-urban, only five metric were retained for integration into MMI-urban, they are log VeL, Hemiptera abundance, % Coleoptera + Hemiptera, % Chironomidae + Oligochaeta and Evenness index. Further, of the 18 metrics that satisfactorily discriminated between the LIS, the MIS, and the HIS for MMI-urban-agric, only 12 metrics were retained and nine proved to be redundant. The nine metrics represent different measures; two of them were retained in addition to Chironomidae/Diptera abundance, % Odonata and Oligochaeta richness. The two metrics selected in addition to the hironomidae/Diptera abundance, % Odonata and Oligochaeta richness were the Margalef index and the logarithm of relative abundance of sprawler. For the MMI-urban-forest, 14 metrics satisfactorily discriminated between the LIS, the MIS, and the HIS, and 12 metrics were retained and 11 proved to be redundant. The non-redundant metric was Trichoptera abundance. Three metrics were further selected in addition to the Trichoptera abundance which include % Chironomidae + Oligochaeta, Coleoptera + Hemiptera richness and Shannon diversity. The MMI-urban and MMI-urban-agric indices performed better for LIS designated stations compared to the MIS and HIS deignated stations. The developed indices proved effective as biomonitoring tools for assessing the ecological health of rivers in the urban and urban-agriculture catchments within the Niger Delta. Overall, the results of the macroinvertebrate traits and ecological preferences, and taxonomic approaches showed the strength in the complementarity of both approaches in developing biomonitoring tools for assessing levels of deterioration in riverine systems. The study contributes significantly to understanding the ecology of riverine systems in the Niger Delta, particularly those subject to urban stresses, agricultural activities and urban pollution in forested systems, and thus makes an important contribution to the science and practice of biomonitoring in Nigeria where such studies are sparse.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Development of paper-based aptasensors for detection of Plasmodium falciparum lactate dehydrogenase in malaria
- Authors: Ogunmolasuyi, Adewoyin Martin
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164601 , vital:41147 , doi:10.21504/10962/164601
- Description: Thesis (PhD)--Rhodes University, Faculty of Science, Biotechnology Innovation Centre, 2020
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- Date Issued: 2020
Dynamics of stimulated luminescence in natural quartz: Thermoluminescence and phototransferred thermoluminescence
- Authors: Folley, Damilola Esther
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Thermoluminescence , Quartz
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/146255 , vital:38509
- Description: Natural quartz has remained an important mineral that is of topical interest in luminescence and dosimetry-related research. We investigate the dynamics of stimulated luminescence on this material through thermoluminescence (TL) and phototransferred thermoluminescence (PTTL). Measurements were made on unannealed natural quartz as well as quartz annealed at 800 and 1000̊C. The samples were annealed for 10 minutes and for 1 hour. The material, in its un- and annealed state has its main peak between 68 and 72̊C when measured at 1Cs ̃1 after a dose of 50 Gy. A study of dosimetric features and kinetic analysis was carried out on two prominent peaks, peak I and III for all the samples. The peaks show a sublinear dose response for irradiation doses between 10 and 300 Gy. Kinetic analysis shows that peak I is a first-order peak and peak III a general-order peak. Interestingly, we observe for peak I for the sample annealed at 800̊C for 1 hour an inverse thermal quenching behaviour. We demonstrate that a peak affected with an inverse thermal quenching-like behaviour can still show effect of thermal quenching when the dose the sample is irradiated to is significantly reduced. We ascribe the apparent dependence of thermal quenching on dose to competition between radiative and non-radiative transitions at the recombination centre. Peaks I, II, and III for all the samples were reproduced under phototransfer when the peaks, initially removed by preheating to a certain temperature are exposed to 470 and 525 nm light. The infuence of duration of illumination on the PTTL intensity of these peaks corresponding to various preheating temperatures is modelled using coupled first-order dfferential equations. The model is based on systems of acceptors and donors whose number and role depends on preheating temperature
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- Date Issued: 2020
Ecological assessment of a temperate river system using biomonitoring techniques: a case study of the Bloukrans River system, South Africa
- Authors: Magadze, Tinotenda
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Bloukrans River , Ecological assessment (Biology) -- South Africa , Stream ecology -- South Africa , Rivers -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa , Benthic animals -- Effect of human beings on -- South Africa , Water quality biological assessment -- South Africa , Diatoms -- South Africa -- Data processing
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/142933 , vital:38177
- Description: Escalating pressures from growing human populations and environmental impacts increasingly imperil freshwater ecosystems. The Bloukrans River, which drains an urbanised and agricultural catchment in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, is no exception. Detailed knowledge of the structure and function of the aquatic ecosystems is required in order to create models and matrices that predict, guide assessment and direct intervention on ecological integrity and water quality management in these systems. The main objectives of this research were to: examine the effects of urbanization on the benthic macroinvertebrate functional feeding guild structure among different stream orders; determine if benthic diatoms can be used as effective and reliable indicators of ionic composition and conductivity in different stream order categories and finally; to evaluate the applicability of the South African Diatom Index (SADI) and other indices in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa. Field studies were carried out to explore temporal patterns in community structure (macroinvertebrates and diatoms) and ecosystem function related to land-use patterns, instream habitat availability, and water quality parameters in the Bloukrans River system across four study periods: February (summer) and July (winter) 2016 and February (summer) and May/July (winter) 2018. The study was conducted along a gradient of impacts from less impacted agricultural headwaters to highly impacted urban sites located immediately downstream of the city of Makhanda. Macroinvertebrates were separated into functional feeding groups (FFGs) (i.e. collector-gatherer, collector-filterer, scraper, shredder, and predator) which were then used to assess the effects of selected physico-chemical variables and riparian zone condition on FFG organization. Collector-gatherers were the most abundant in the Bloukrans River and represented 71.3 % of the macroinvertebrate assemblages. Stream order 1species such as Nitzschia palea, Gomphonema parvulum, Tryblionella apiculata, Diploneis vulgaris and Staurosira elliptica. Multivariate analysis (Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA)) indicated that differences in diatom community assemblages were best explained by calcium, magnesium, pH, phosphate, nitrate, dissolved oxygen, sediment nitrate, conductivity and salinity. These results indicate that diatoms can be used as bioindicators for monitoring highly impacted river systems and to also further examine pollution gradients and impacts of specific/point pollution sources. In order to further test the application of diatom indices, nine sites with contrasting water quality were sampled along the length river system in February, May and July 2018. Diatom-based indices incorporated in OMNIDIA software were applied to assess the integrity of the water quality as indicated by diatom communities. For comparative purposes, several foreign indices (e.g. the trophic diatom index (TDI), the percentage pollution-tolerant valves (%PTV), biological diatom index (BDI)) and the South African Diatom Index (SADI) were used in the study. From the results, the Percentage Pollution-Tolerant Valves (%PTV) of most urban sites in the Bloukrans River was above the 20% limit indicating the presence of organic pollutants. Although the foreign diatom indices were applicable in the study, the SADI had significant correlations with most water quality variables (p < 0.05) compared to other indices such as Watanabe Index (WAT), Biological Index of Water Quality Trophic Index (BIWQ) and Trophic Index (TI)). These results support wider use of the SADI as an indicator of water quality conditions in South African river systems. Finally, the observed variations in diatom community structure and composition as a result of changes in water quality were broadly in agreement with the results of macroinvertebrate FFG structure indicating that the two biological indicators can, and should, be used as complementary techniques in the biomonitoring of rivers and streams in South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Exploring and modelling the effects of agricultural land management and climate change on agroecosystem services in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Choruma, Dennis Junior
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Agricultural ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agriculture -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Crops and climate -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Corn -- Climatic factors -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Land use -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/146756 , vital:38554
- Description: The aims of this study were to evaluate the impacts of agricultural land management strategies and climate change on irrigated maize production in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. To achieve these aims, the study was guided by two overarching research questions, subsequently broken down into more specific questions. The first research question examined the reasons behind farmers’ current agricultural land management practices, the values they assigned to different agroecosystem services, their perceptions of climate change and the adaptation strategies they used to address challenges associated with agricultural crop production and climate change. To answer these questions, a survey of conventional farmers in the Eastern Cape was carried out. The survey targeted farmers who used fertilisers and irrigation water in their day to day farming. Results showed that farmers recognised the different benefits that agroecosystems provided even though they were not familiar with the term ‘ecosystem services.’ Farmers assigned a high value to food provisioning compared to other agroecosystem services and managed their farms for maximum crop yields or maximum crop quality. Fertiliser and irrigation water management decisions were based on multiple factors such as cost, availability of farming equipment and crop yield or crop quality considerations. Survey results showed that while most farmers were able to state the amount of fertiliser used per growing season, the majority of farmers did not know the amount of water they used per growing season. From the farmers’ survey it was recommended that extension services and agricultural education programmes be strengthened in the region to increase farmers’ knowledge on effective agricultural land management strategies that support sustainable intensification. The second research question investigated the effects of agricultural land management strategies and climate change on crop yields in the Eastern Cape. This investigation was done in three steps. First, a crop model, the Environmental Policy Integrated Climate (EPIC) model was calibrated and validated using limited field data from maize variety trials carried out at the Cradock Research Farm in the Eastern Cape. Calibration and validation results proved satisfactory with model efficiencies (Nash Sutcliffe, NSE) greater than 0.5 for both calibration and validation. It was concluded that limited data from field trials on maize that only included grain yield and agricultural land management dates can be used for the calibration of the EPIC model to simulate maize production under South African conditions. In the second step, the calibrated model was applied to simulate different irrigation and fertiliser management strategies for maize production in the Eastern Cape. Different irrigation and Nitrogen (N) fertiliser levels were compared to find optimal irrigation and N fertiliser management strategies that would increase maize yields while minimising environmental pollution (nitrate leaching). Model outputs were also compared to the average yields obtained in the field trials (baseline) and to maize yields reported by farmers in the farmers’ survey. Results showed that improved management of irrigation water and N fertiliser could improve farmers’ maize yields from approximately 7.2 t ha-1 to approximately 12.2 t ha-1, an increase of approximately 69%. Results also revealed a trade-off between food provision and nitrate leaching. Simulations showed that increasing N fertiliser application under sufficient irrigation water levels would increase maize yields, however, this would be accompanied by an increase in N leaching. Lastly, the EPIC model was then applied to simulate the effects of future climate change on irrigated maize production in the Eastern Cape. For these simulations, the model was driven by statistically downscaled climate data derived from three General Circulation Models (GCMs) for two future climate periods, (2040-2069) and (2070-2099), under two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs): RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5. Future maize yields were compared to the baseline (1980-2010) maize yield average. All three climate models predicted a decline in maize yields, with yields declining by as much as 23.8% in RCP 8.5, 2070-2099. Simulations also predicted increases in average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for both the two future climate periods under both RCPs. Results also indicated a decrease in seasonal irrigation water requirements. Nitrate leaching was projected to significantly increase towards the end of the century, increasing by as much as 373.8% in RCP 8.5 2070-2099. Concerning farmers’ perceptions of climate change, results showed that farmers were aware of climate change and identified temperature and rainfall changes as the most important changes in climate that they had observed. To adapt to climate change, farmers used a variety of adaptation strategies such as crop rotations and intercropping. Apart from challenges posed by climate change, farmers also faced other challenges such as access to markets and access to financial credit lines, challenges that prevented them from effectively adapting to climate change. The study therefore recommended that appropriate and adequate strategies be designed to help farmers in the region offset the projected decrease in maize production and increase crop yields while minimising negative environmental impacts.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Exploring teaching and learning German as a foreign language at a South African institution of higher education: blended learning and collocations
- Authors: Ortner, Gwyndolen Jeanie
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: German language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa , German language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Foreign speakers -- South Africa , German language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- English speakers -- South Africa , Rhodes University -- Students , Rhodes University. German Studies
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/167295 , vital:41465
- Description: German Studies students at Rhodes University have normally never studied the German language before enrolling for the first-year course and face the challenge of a fairly rapid linguistic advancement, in a context with very limited exposure to the foreign language outside the classroom. Free writing is an area which students find particularly challenging as it requires students to syndissertatione grammatical and vocabulary knowledge. Furthermore, South African students are often underprepared for the challenges they face at university regarding language, technology and finance, as they try to to assimilate to the academic environment and gain epistemological access to their various subjects, in this case, language acquisition and the attendant modules of translation, literature and cultural studies. The use of technology in teaching and learning, known as blended learning, is said to produce better results than face-to face teaching alone, through creating opportunities for more autonomous student learning. Scholars of instructed second-language acquisition also suggest using technology to improve language instruction. One particular area which is gaining ground is teaching students collocational structures through exploring large language corpora, to improve students’ language competencies such as writing fluency. However, both blended learning practices and corpus-based teaching practices suggested by scholars are often not reported on in a particular teaching and learning context, taking into account factors such as institutional infrastructure, student and staff backgrounds and preparedness, and larger socio-political factors. Thus, it remains unclear how these practices (blended learning and corpus-based teaching of collocations) may be integrated into standard urricula, particularly for languages other than English, which have been severely under-researched. The purpose of this research is to take a context-based approach to language teaching and thereby investigate current blended learning practices for German Studies at Rhodes University in South Africa and explore through an action research approach how to integrate collocational awareness into the curriculum, within the blended learning model. Insights from corpus linguistics guide an adaptation of teaching practice, helping students develop skills to aid with writing fluency, seeking to make the patterned nature of language salient to our students. This is undertaken in a scaffolded way, within the curriculum, making use firstly of the texts to which students are exposed in the textbook (comprehensible input) as a source of collocational examples, and following this by making use of reallife language data from an online German corpus, DWDS. Findings from the study reveal a number of best practices related to the use of blended learning and teaching collocations in context of the German foreign language curriculum at a South African institution of higher education.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Foraging for fruits: natural resource use and its conservation potential in urban environments
- Authors: Sardeshpande, Mallika
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Non-timber forest products , Wild plants, Edible , Urban plants , Urban ecology (Biology) , Open spaces , Environmental protection -- Citizen participation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/167465 , vital:41483
- Description: Wild edible fruits (WEFs) are a type of natural resource that humans across the world collect from diverse natural landscapes. They are among the most used non-timber forest products (NTFPs) and wild foods, and often serve more than a nutritional purpose for humans, in the form of fibre, fuel, medicine, and other products. The use of WEFs may augment household dietary diversity, food security, and income in some contexts. The prevalence of WEF species across the spectrum of natural to modified ecosystems presents the potential for integrated landscape-level conservation efforts centred on these species. The first half of this thesis investigates the state of knowledge about this versatile and ubiquitous resource in the wider context of other wild foods and NTFPs, and compares the patterns of use of WEFs with those of other wild foods and NTFPs. Through these studies, I find that WEFs are indeed a widely occurring, resilient, and useful resource along the rural-urban gradient. They are unique in that their use transcends the geographical and socio-economic criteria that influence the use of other wild foods and NTFPs. Based on these findings, in the second half of the thesis, I propose the use-based conservation of WEF species in urban landscapes through the practice of urban foraging. Through interviews with urban land managers and foragers, I describe the state of urban green space management and urban foraging, and identify synergies between the two. Green space management is increasingly devolved and well-defined in developed cities, and relatively diffused in smaller towns, but nevertheless supportive of use-based biodiversity conservation. Planting and foraging for WEFs in urban green spaces ties in with local and national objectives of urban land use management policy. However, the lack of information on species, spaces, and sustainability related to foraging are a hindrance to addressing this activity and harnessing its conservation potential. Foragers use a variety of WEF species collected from natural as well as highly used and urbanised areas in their cities. Although most foragers consider foraging as a cultural and recreational activity, many of them agreed with the prospect of commercialising or popularising it to protect and promote the biodiversity and culture associated with their foraging spaces. The synthesis of this study presents four possible pathways to conserve the diversity of WEF species, and to extend the benefits of WEF use to landscape stewardship. It identifies key stakeholders in implementing these pathways and possible collaborations between these stakeholders; the multiple conservation objectives and policies these pathways respond to; and context-specific considerations for policy and implementation related to planting and foraging of WEFs.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Formulation and characterisation of a combination captopril and hydrochlorothiazide microparticulate dosage form for paediatric use
- Authors: Chikukwa, Mellisa Tafadzwa Ruramai
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/163216 , vital:41019 , doi:10.21504/10962/163216
- Description: Thesis (PhD)--Rhodes University, Pharmacy Faculty, Department of Pharmaceutics, 2020
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- Date Issued: 2020
Formulation development, manufacture and evaluation of a lamivudine-zidovudine nano co-crystal thermo-responsive suspension
- Authors: Witika, Bwalya Angel
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140546 , vital:37897 , http://dx.doi.org/10.21504/10962/140546
- Description: Expected release date-April 2021
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- Date Issued: 2020
Formulation, development and assessment of devil’s claw loaded phyto-elastosomes in thermo-responsive hydrogels
- Authors: Ntemi, Pascal Vitalis
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164568 , vital:41139 , doi:10.21504/10962/164568
- Description: Thesis (PhD)--Rhodes University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutics, 2020
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- Date Issued: 2020
History on trial: a study of the Salem commonage land claim
- Authors: Bezuidenhout, GJW
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: South Africa. Restitution of Land Rights Act, 1994 , Salem (South Africa) -- History , Land tenure -- Law and legilstion -- South Africa , Land reform -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/146647 , vital:38545
- Description: This thesis critically examines the Salem commonage claim, a dispute that has shaken the hamlet of Salem to its core. On ground level it has caused racialized fault lines to reopen, while suspicion and distrust has also grown between the black Africans of the area as well. On a national level, the Constitutional Court judgement has potentially set a precedent with regards to its jurisprudential approach in determining the validity of land claims in South Africa. Its interpretation of the law was determined by the restorative justice jurisprudence enshrined in the Restitution of Land Rights Act 22 of 1994 (the Act). It based its own understanding of the history of the commonage on this jurisprudence. In a bold step towards realising the aims and purposes of the Act, the Constitutional Court found that both the black African claimants as well as the white landowners have equal rights to the land. One of the reasons why the decision of the Constitutional Court is ground-breaking is that the dispute involves a former commonage – land used for common purpose. The Constitutional Court emphasised that the Act was an “extraordinary piece of legislation” and had to be interpreted in such a way so as to address the injustices of the past. This included provisions of the Act which dealt with how oral testimonies from claimants would be dealt with. Another interesting feature was the heavy reliance by all parties on expert witnesses in the persons of eminent historians, Professors Martin Legassick and Herman Giliomee. This case gave much-needed clarification as to what the appropriate role of an expert historian witness may be in a land claim. The success or failure of land claims often depend on the weight of the evidence supplied by the expert historian witness. But the historian must also take cognisance of the fact that the evidence s/he gives is appropriate according to the scope of law. This case also dismisses the assumption that colonial instruments of land assignation are beyond reproach. These instruments which grant rights to land may also be scrutinised in a court of law, just like when oral testimony is tested for its credibility. This is important to note, especially when balancing land rights of the claimants against those of the landowners. This thesis agrees with the decision taken by the Constitutional Court in this instance. However, it also cautions that such softly-softly approaches may appear as a suitable compromise on paper, but the feeling on the ground may not be as receptive to reconciliation as what the courts would have hoped for. To the jurist, this judgement accurately encapsulates the purpose and aims of the Act. However, such a judgement may not seem satisfactory to the people of Salem. The decisions of the Salem commonage case are sure to inform the discourse of land claims in South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Hop as an anti-cancer drug target
- Authors: Vaaltyn, Michaelone Chantelle
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: thesis , text , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164704 , vital:41156 , doi:10.21504/10962/164704
- Description: Thesis (PhD)--Rhodes University, Biochemistry and Microbiology, 2020
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- Date Issued: 2020
How to do things with speeches: a critical discourse analysis of military coup texts in Nigeria
- Authors: Bello, Umar
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Speeches, addresses, etc., Nigerian -- 20th century -- History and criticism , Critical discourse analysis -- Nigeria , Corpora (Linguistics) , Social sciences -- Philosophy , Intertextuality , Interpellation -- Nigeria , Forensics (Public speaking) , Oratory -- Nigeria , Nigeria -- Politics and government -- 1960- , Nigeria -- Social conditions -- 1960-
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/143336 , vital:38234
- Description: Coup speeches that usher the military into political power in Nigeria are the central focus of this thesis. There are seven coup speeches that are notable in the changing of the political course in Nigeria and in enabling the military to rule Nigeria for 30 years, establishing another alternative political construct and party (Bangura 1991). The seven coup speeches along with two others, one a colonial proclamation of conquest and the other a counter coup speech (altogether making nine) constitute the data of this thesis. The analysis done here uses Critical Discourse Analysis, based on a combination of Fairclough (1989, 2001), Fairclough and Fairclough (2012), Thompson’s (1984, 1988 and 1990) works with complementary insights by Chilton (2004), to analyze the speeches in order to understand the ideologies, perceptions and arguments of the coup makers enshrined in the texts. I also employ a concordance analytic system in corpus linguistics to sort uses of important terms and lexical items. The analysis is divided into three broad parts, namely: an analysis of representation of social actors and their action, an analysis of the processes of interpellation and then an analysis of the premises of the arguments contained in the speeches. In the concluding part, there is a discussion of the dialectical nature of the coup speeches especially in the areas of mutual influences which aids in the gradual sedimentation of the political ideology of the military. In particular, there is a longitudinal intertextual analysis across all the speeches, from the earliest to the latest, to see how a coup speech genre is created. The contribution of this work to knowledge is in terms of combining discourse analysis and social theory to illuminate some aspects of Nigeria’s socio- political crises in depth and multifariously. This work helps in understanding the nature of Nigerian autocratic democracy, subservient followership by the citizenry and the supremacy of the military elite. The work employs a novel combination of representation, argumentation, interpellation and constitutive intertextuality in understanding military discourse. It looks at speaker intention, the exploitation of interpretation or reception and the formation of subjects in general and each with its importance and social context. The work as a whole reveals that the military try to build legitimacy by way of establishing authority through rhetorical arguments in varying degrees. These arguments are laid bare, and what they discern is that charges are decidedly trumped up by the military against their opponents and constructed to suit the spin of their moments. The coup makers in some instances construct strawmen of opponents and then go ahead to attack their constructed assumptions or they charge without substance using nominalizations, metaphorical constructions and presuppositions. They apply stipulative definitions and emotionally loaded words in evaluating their actions favourably and also in the negative evaluation of the actions of the opponents. At the level of interpellational analysis, the data reveals the use of language in gradually hailing the citizens as military subjects. The role of the audience changes here i.e. from those to be convinced in rhetorical evaluation of opponents to those to be firmly controlled. The persistent hailing and positioning of the citizens as military subjects help in concretizing their subjecthood. The reaction of the people in affirmation of support to the rule of the military is crucial and it completes the interpellation process. As observed by Clark (2007, 141) “many African societies are so inured to military intervention as not to regard it as aberrant”. This inuring of the societies has to do with hegemonic ideological practices in military discourses claiming legitimacy and the right to rule. At the reception level, this shows that most of the citizens have bought into the dominant ideology and are as such interpellated by it or have adopted what Hall (2015, 125) would call the ‘dominant-hegemonic position’. Aspects of argumentation, speech acts, and deontic modals used by the coup makers help in gradually solidifying the subservient nature of the citizens to the military junta. The diachronic and intertextual nature of the analysis also reveals that the colonial proclamation of conquest in Nigeria by Lord Fredrick Lugard possibly influenced the first coup speech in 1966 in terms of structure and genre. There are traces of the colonial proclamations found in the 1966 coup speech. In substance, the military appear to copy their colonial progenitors. Historically, the military were formed as an army of colonial conquest. There is a dialectical interplay between colonial discourse and military coup speeches. The first coup speech, for its part, influences other coup speeches and they in general impact on civilian political language. The work analyzes from the minute to the global and in this bid unties the layers of assumptions, constructions and points of views that underpin an otherwise objective presentation of reality. The study also engages social theory in illuminating aspects of discourse, social practice and political action. The works of post-structuralists like Foucault, Althusser, Bourdieu, Habermas, Laclau and Mouffe, Derrida etc. are employed in shedding light on the processes of social formation in the interpellation of subjects and in the construction of a new political authority by the military regimes.
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- Date Issued: 2020
Informal learning in local farming practices by rural women in the Lake Chilwa Basin, Malawi: towards coping and adaptation to climate variability and climate change
- Authors: Mphepo, Gibson Yadunda
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Women -- Non-formal education - Malawi , Non-formal education -- Malawi , Women -- Malawi -- Social conditions , Crops and climate -- Malawi , Agricultural extension work -- Government policy -- Malawi , Environmental education -- Malawi
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/167540 , vital:41490
- Description: Evidence reveals that informal learning is a neglected research area, globally and nationally. Informal learning, like formal and non-formal learning, is context specific. In the case of my study, the context was in local maize cultivation and the associated local farming practices which are also neglected. Research has shown that rural women in Malawi are significant change agents in socio-economic sectors, yet they are heavily affected by inequality. For example, extreme weather events of droughts and floods in the Lake Chilwa Basin, disproportionately affect more women than men because of their traditional gendered roles such as home care. The complexity of the dualistic nature of being change agents and victims of injustices at the same time offers a catalytic opportunity for potentially transformative social learning for transformative adaptation. Against this backdrop, I conducted a study to investigate and expand informal learning processes to contribute to building the resilience of women and other community members in Domasi and Nsanama Extension Planning Areas (EPA) within the Lake Chilwa Basin. Specifically, the study answered the following question: “How do drought and inter-seasonal dry spells influence informal learning processes to enable transformation adaptation among rural women cultivating maize in the Lake Chilwa Basin, Malawi?” To address the question, the first stage was to review local farming practices and the associated informal learning processes in Malawi. I then used third generation Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as an overarching theoretical framework to guide the subsequent research processes which were split into three main phases: mirror data collection for expansive learning, formative change laboratory workshops, and data analysis and reflection. CHAT is a theoretical framework that helps us comprehend and analyze the relationship between the human mind (i.e. what people think and feel) and activity (what people do). It is a formative and activist learning theory that posits learning as occurring through collective activities to meet or change a common object (Mukute and Lotz-Sisitka, 2012, p. 345). For Koszalka and Wu, 2001(p. 493), within a CHAT framework, knowledge is socially constructed by individual learners, building on existing historical experiences, within the learners’ context. To construct this knowledge, learners use technology or mediating tools, as Vygotsky (1978) calls them. To collect mirror data, I conducted focus group discussions, observation studies, and document analysis. I also conducted key informant interviews with selected extension workers responsible for the two case study sites. The hub of my research constituted change laboratory workshops to expand learning through four of the seven expansive learning actions, namely questioning, analysis, modeling and testing the model. One of the essential procedures I relied on to expand learning during these change laboratory workshops was identification and analysis of contradictions that were mirrored back to women. The use of contradictions as fertile ground for learning is premised on Engstrom’s arguments that contradictions form a catalyst for learning. Data were analysed using two approaches: layered and power relations. A layered analysis is a step-by-step process of understanding a situation from the lower to a higher level (mature stage). For my research, this meant understanding sequential learning from questioning (session 1 – lower level) to testing the model (session 8 – higher level). The second data analysis approach, power relations, relates to the Women Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), a measure of the degree of women empowerment, their agency and inclusion in farming (Ruth et al., 2013, p. 3). I used this type of power analysis tool because my research was agriculture based. Both data analysis approaches relied on N-vivo which is a form of computer-based qualitative data management software. The software was ideal for my study which was also mostly qualitative. During phase 1 of data collection, I identified five local farming practices associated with local maize cultivation, a focus of my study. These practices were slash and burn (mphanje); traditional insect pest control measures; soil fertility enhancement techniques through kuojeka (crop residue incorporation) and livestock manure; traditional weather forecasts; and multiple cropping (mixed and sequential cropping). Among these, the most preferred by the women I interacted with were kuojeka, livestock manure and mixed cropping. I discovered that these local farming practices are informally learned mainly through word of mouth, observation, trials, women-dominated social networks and drama. I also discovered that some of these informal learning pathways are catalyzed by drought and dry spells. For example, during the 1949 and 2002 drought periods, women reported that they had learned new types of coping strategies such as the use of sawdust and banana root flour in place of maize flour to prepare nsima, a staple food in Malawi. During phase 2, change laboratory workshops, I identified 19 contradictions associated with local farming practices, most of which were related to the Government of Malawi bias towards modern farming practices such as hybrids. Other contradictions were related to traditional structures and norms and religion and traditional beliefs. Solutions were suggested for each of the contradictions. Some of these solutions were tested for their workability. These included setting up diversity blocks (demonstration plots) for local maize cultivation under irrigation and engagement of the youth through WhatsApp groups for the first time at the study sites. The results of the tests show that there is potential to transform local farming practices at the study sites and build social resilience against drought and dry spells. For example, from a local maize demonstration plot in Nsanama Extension Planning Area (EPA), farmers learned that kafula local maize is fast maturing and therefore cushions them against hunger as they wait for the main harvest in later months. Eighty-eight households shared local maize seed harvested from the demonstration gardens for upscaling. The Head of Nsanama EPA had also set up another demonstration garden in 2018-2019 growing season consisting of kafula at Nsanama EPA Headquarters for further informal learning purposes. This research has contributed new knowledge to the existing knowledge base about local farming practices and informal learning. These contributions are in the form of methods I used as well as results obtained. Among the key highlights of my contribution to the knowledge base is the development of scenarios as double stimulation tools for the emerging local farming activity system which emanates from the new model solutions resulting from change laboratory workshops. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time rural communities were engaged in scenario development in Malawi. The first scenarios of this type were developed in 2010 for the Malawi State of Environment and Outlook Report and the process involved middle to senior managers of various institutions in Malawi. Through historical analysis, my research identified local crops that existed in the past but which are currently non-existent or rare. My study also identified unique local farming practices that even puzzled professionals, including the use of ripe banana peels of makumbuka and sukari to eradicate nansongole grass and native bamboos respectively. Both plant species are considered a nuisance in that they colonize land for cultivation. A breakthrough for radical transformation of local farming practices via informal learning requires development and review of relevant policies in Malawi. Such a process requires evidence. This research has provided background information for this process. For those policies already developed, this research has provided information that can help guide implementation of the generalized list of activities outlined in implementation plans of the respective policies.
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- Date Issued: 2020