Social Learning and Regenerative Sustainability: Unlocking value created in sustainability projects in higher education
- Authors: Royle, Carlene
- Date: 2023-10-13
- Subjects: Social Learning South Africa Makhanda , Sustainability South Africa Makhanda , Education, Higher Social aspects South Africa Makhanda , Social accounting South Africa Makhanda , Education, Higher Activity programs South Africa Makhanda , Value creation , Agent (Philosophy) , Sustainable Development Goals
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/402981 , vital:69911
- Description: This qualitative study considers two bodies of theory, regenerative sustainability and social learning theory, within a tertiary education context. Universities offer unique opportunities, across both the formal and informal curriculum, that engage with the two-fold socioeconomic and environmental crises. The study explores both the promise of unlocking value in an ex-linear economy; and the healing and regenerative benefits in moving toward greener practices. Through an embedded case study at Rhodes University, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, this research explores the value that is being unlocked in campus-based sustainability projects, when considered through a social learning lens (Lave and Wenger, 1991). Invitations to participate in this study were extended to project-leads of sustainability initiatives originating from Rhodes University campus. Six projects, which have been active on campus in recent years, were selected and, through semi-structured interviews, the insights of 12 participants were captured and analysed using the associated Value Creation Framework (VCF) developed by Wenger, Trayner and De Laat (Wenger, Trayner, de Laat, 2011) and later Wenger-Trayner and Wenger Trayner (2014, 2015, 2020). The VCF consists of value cycles that interconnect dynamically, including Orientating, Strategic, Enabling, Immediate, Potential, Applied, Realised and Reframed or Transformative value cycles. The study identified instances of all these value cycles, within and across the six embedded case studies (project). Drawing on social learning theorists the analysis further focused on instances of collaboration, agency and boundary crossing. Additional themes that emerged across the majority of the embedded study projects, were a convergence of socio and eco; a whole-systems perspective shared by project leads; the importance of the social commons; language as an enabler; and problem solving for system change. A recommendation is proposed to further unlock the unbounded value created through such projects by reframing the informal curriculum opportunities offered on university campuses as social learning spaces where students can practice agency. To do so, would require formalizing various forms of system support, thus facilitating expanded learning in regenerative sustainability activities, for the common social and planetary good. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2023
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- Date Issued: 2023-10-13
Ecological infrastructure importance for drought mitigation in rural South African catchments: the Cacadu Catchment case example
- Authors: Xoxo, Beauten Sinetemba
- Date: 2021-10
- Subjects: Sustainable Development Goals , Water security South Africa , Remote sensing , Watershed restoration South Africa , Restoration ecology South Africa , Ecosystem services South Africa , SDG 15.3.1
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/191203 , vital:45070
- Description: Water scarcity is recognised as one of the significant challenges facing many countries, including South Africa. The threat of water scarcity is exacerbated by the coupled impacts of climate and anthropogenic drivers. Ongoing droughts and continued land cover change and degradation influence the ability of catchments to partition rainwater runoff, thereby affecting streamflow returns. However, quantifying land degradation accurately remains a challenge. This thesis used the theoretical lens of investing in ecological infrastructure to improve the drought mitigation function in rural catchments. This theoretical framework allows for a social-ecological systems approach to understand and facilitate science-based strategies for promoting ecosystem recovery. Specifically, this study aimed to explore the role and benefit of ecological infrastructure for improving drought mitigation, and consequently, water security for rural communities. Thus, this study sought to assess the consequences of human actions to catchment health status using the 15th Sustainable Development Goal indicator for the proportion of degraded land over the total land area as a surrogate. Secondly, hydrological modelling was used to describe how different land covers influence catchment hydrology, which related to how ecological infrastructure enables drought risk-reduction for mitigation regulation. Finally, this study developed a spatial prioritisation plan for restoration to improve drought mitigation for four focal ecological infrastructure (EI) categories (i.e. wetlands, riparian margins, abandoned agricultural fields and grasslands). The focal EI categories were selected for their importance in delivering water-related ecosystem services when sustainably managed. Chapter 1 sets the scene (i.e. provides the study background) and Chapter 2 provides a review of the literature. In Chapter 3, the recently released global GIS toolbox (TRENDS.EARTH) was used for tracking land change and for assessing the SDG 15.3.1 degradation indicator of i.e. Cacadu catchment over 15 years at a 300 m resolution. The results showed a declining trend in biomass productivity within the Cacadu catchment led to moderate degradation, with 16.79% of the total landscape degraded, which was determined by the pugin using the one-out, all-out rule. The incidence of degradation was detected in middle reaches of the catchment (i.e. S10F-J), while some improvement was detected in upper reaches (S10A-C) and lower reaches (S10J). In Chapter 4, a GIS-based Analytic Hierarchical Process (AHP) based on community stakeholder priorities, open-access spatial datasets and expert opinions, was used to identify EI focal areas that are best suitable for restoration to increase the drought mitigation capacity of the Cacadu catchment. The collected datasets provided three broad criteria (ecosystem health, water provision and social benefit) for establishing the AHP model using 12 spatial attributes. Prioritisation results show that up to 89% of the Cacadu catchment is suitable for restoration to improve drought mitigation. Catchments S10B-D, and S10F, S10G and S10J were highly prioritised while S10A, S10E and S10H received low priority, due to improving environmental conditions and low hydrological potential. Areas that were prioritised with consideration for local livelihoods overlap the areas for drought mitigation and form a network of villages from the middle to lower catchment reaches. Prioritised restoration areas with a consideration of societal benefit made up 0.56% of wetlands, 4.27% of riparian margins, 92.06% of abandoned croplands, and 51.86% of grasslands. Chapter 5 reports on use of the Pitman groundwater model to help understand the influence of land modification on catchment hydrology, and highlight the role of restoration interventions. The Cacadu catchment is ungauged, therefore the neighbouring Indwe catchment was used for parameter transfer through a spatial regionalisation technique. Results suggest that degradation increases surface runoff and aggravates recharge reduction, thereby reducing streamflow during low flow periods. In areas where there is natural land cover recovery, the Pitman Model simulated similar dry season streamflow to the natural land cover. Combining the outcomes from the three assessments allowed the study to highlight the role and benefits of ecological infrastructure in terms of drought mitigation. Study findings were interpreted to make recommendations for the role and benefit of ecological infrastructure for drought mitigation at a landscape scale and tertiary catchment level, within the context of available management options. The results support the notion that multiple science data sources can promote investments in ecological infrastructure. However, better spatial and temporal resolution datasets at a national level are still needed to improve the accuracy of studies such as the one outlined in this thesis. The study recommends adopting better ecosystem protection approaches and collaborative governance at multiple levels to reduce the vulnerability of rural communities to drought impacts. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Institute for Water Research, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-10
The impact of small-scale farming on food insecurity in rural South Africa over the period 2009 to 2018
- Authors: Otunola, Olabisi Benedicta https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5615-1487
- Date: 2021-07
- Subjects: Sustainable Development Goals , Food supply
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/21387 , vital:48517
- Description: The concept of food insecurity has evolved over the years. However, due to the increases in the rate of hunger and food insecurity in many countries of the world, this phenomenon has continued to give both government and private agencies a lot of concern. As it stands now, achieving food security in African countries remain a major task regardless of various efforts made by most of these countries to reduce food insecurity and the household’s welfare by extension. As a result of the importance of this discourse, the issue of food security is number 2 on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In South Africa, the rate of household food insecurity is still observed to be high, especially in the rural households. One of the most talked about way of combating food insecurity is through household farming. But food insecurity is believed to have affected the household’s level of productivity despite their commitment to improved welfare situation in the country. Consequently, this study sought to assess the impact rural household farming has on food insecurity in South Africa between the year 2009 and 2018. Using the South African General household survey, information on the household socioeconomics and demographic features were retrieved, as well as variables that are believed to impact the rural household agribusiness. In determining this, frequency counts, percentages, the logistic regression model was used. Also, the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale-score (HFIAS-score), multinomial logistic regression as well as the propensity score matching (PSM) was used in achieving the objectives of this research and the data was analysed with Microsoft Excel and STATA version 15. The result of the analysis showed that, the mean age of the household head is 53.96, 55.92, 56.65 for the year 2010, 2014 and 2018 respectively. Adding to that, the range of the households’ size ranged from 1 to 20 in the year 2010, 1 to 46 in the year 2014 and 1 to 20 in the year 2018. From the inferential statistic result, the gender of the household head is significant (p<0.000, 0.011, and 0.006) in determining household participation in agricultural activities for the years under review. The results of the PSM, using different matching methods reveals that the average treatment effect (ATT) of the impact of agricultural participation ranges from -0.121, -0.174, -0.132, and -0.106 in 2015; and -0.076, -0.173, -0.073, and -0.086 in the year 2018. This study therefore recommends that household farming should be encouraged by both private and public agencies as they contribute significantly to reduction in food insecurity. The transportation services in the rural areas should be examined in order to avoid situations that will lead to the increase in cost of transporting agricultural goods and services among the rural inhabitants. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science and Agriculture, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-07