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Browsing Geography by Author "De Villiers, G. du T."
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Item Open Access The impact of socio-economic and human behavioural factors on the water of the Fontein Spruit catchment: a water management model study in a developing community(University of the Free State, 2002-09) Pretorius, Elizabeth; Viljoen, M. F.; De Villiers, G. du T.English: A world water crisis has been predicted as early as 1977 and since then, water professionals call this coming crisis to the attention of the world community at various conferences, summits and congresses. Recent assessments conducted for the United Nations and for the World Commission on Water indicated that almost half a billion people face water shortages in 29 countries and by 2025, almost two-thirds of the people are forecast to experience some form of water stress. Although this global water crisis tends to be viewed as a water quantity problem, water quality is increasingly being acknowledged as an important factor in water scarcity. In many developing countries water quality has become the principal limiting factor to water availability. The water quality situation in developing countries is highly variable reflecting social, economic and physical factors, state of development as well as climatic and geographical factors. In recent years several studies have been done in South Africa to determine the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of urban runoff and their impact on receiving waters. These studies suggest that there was a large difference in the type of pollutants that were observed in the receiving waters and that the major factor affecting the type of pollution is the type of development that the catchment is undergoing. The studies conducted on the high-density informal settlements imply that any form of urban development that includes shacks and/or informal houses will have a detrimental effect on the quality of urban runoff. Low-cost, high-density type urbanisation, with its informal housing and shack areas, is an inescapable part of South Africa and will continue to play a major role in this country for many years to come. In recent years, South Africa has experienced a massive increase in urbanisation, a large proportion of which takes the form of high-density, informal settlements that developed around existing metropolitan areas. Based on current patterns of growth, the extent of this form of urbanisation is predicted to treble within 20 years. This rapid growth of urban areas in South Africa has been accompanied by increased quantities of contaminated urban runoff and this, in turn, has accelerated the degradation of streams, rivers, lakes and estuaries. Urban runoff acts as an efficient transport mechanism for bacteria, viruses, nutrients, organic substances, heavy metals and other pollutants. Alone or in combination, these substances cause water quality problems, pose potentially serious risks to human- and environmental health through contact recreation and through the use of untreated water. Therefore, it is vitally important that the scientific and engineering society continue to study these urban catchments and to develop new and innovative ways of dealing with the problems associated with urban runoff. The study area provided a unique opportunity for the investigation, implementation and evaluation of an integrated water quality management programme, as it is a typical example of a community with rapid, largely uncontrolled, growth of low-cost, high-density housing developments. The research project was primarily aimed to gain a better understanding of the major causes of pollution in the study area, and once the principle contributing factors had been identified and investigated, a Water Quality Management Plan was developed. The research project was based on the assumption that water quality problems arising from developing communities can be managed using an integrated approach to ensure that the receiving water environmental objectives can be met on a sustainable basis and that the management practices and interventions to deal with pollution problems from developing communities can be sustained by addressing the socio-economic and human behavioural factors contributing to the problems. The Water Quality Management Plan is therefore an integrated plan addressing the management of water quality in the community in the study area, and also permits the extrapolation of the results to catchments with similar land use and human activities, locally as well as regionally.Item Open Access Landbou-en landelike ontwikkeling in die QwaQwa-gebied: 'n geografiese ondersoek(University of the Free State, 2000-05) Claassen, Johannes Hendrik Daniel; De Villiers, G. du T.; Viljoen, M. F.English: The contribution of agricultural to rural development is widely accepted by developmental specialists. In South Africa, an estimated 16 million people are living in poverty, with its incidence highest in rural areas. The Ministry for Agriculture and Land Affairs (South Africa, 1998) is of the opinion that agriculture can play an important role in the development of rural areas through the establishment of small and medium scale emerging farmers, and through the creation of opportunities to rai se their production. In this way, it is thought, the creation of additional employment opportunities and the improvement 10 household food security will follow. Under the previous government black farmers were denied the right to own and farm land in so-called white areas. In accordance with its policy of separate development, agricultural development amongst black people was limited to what was known as "black homelands". In line with this policy, 114 black farmers were. settled on farms in Qwaqwa beginning in 1989. Agriqwa, a non-profit government corporation, was founded with the task of establishing these emerging, or beginner farmers. Official information sources (South Africa, 1998) also refer to emerging farmers as small or medium scale farmers with limited access to land and capital. This same source states that these farmers have received inadequate research and extension support from the previous government. The main aim of the proj ect in Qwaqwa was the establishment of an economically viable agricultural sector, with a core of prosperous emerging farmers. It was also envisaged that this would create several entrepreneurial possibilities with job opportunities in an agricultural related sector. After the election of a new, democratic government in 1994, official policies regarding the previous homelands changed dramatically. Agriqwa was dissolved and replaced with Agri-Eco, a private company under the direct supervision of the then Minister of Agriculture of the Free State. The enormous financial burden brought about by the Reconstruction and Development Programme of the newly elected government, inevitably led to a si gni ficant reduction in state subsidies. It was not long befo re the restructuring and rationalisation of Agri-Eco meant the end of financial and agricultural assistance to the emerging farmers in Qwaqwa. The premise was that emerging farmers should compete independently In a free market environment. With this step, emerging farmers were suddenly exposed to a competitive free market environment of which they had little, or no experience. This transformation, the loss of expert managerial support, plus the downgrading and suspension of other well-proven support systems, resulted In these farmers expcrrcncmg serious managerial problems. The aim of this study is to identify and evaluate the problems experienced by emerging farmers in order to formulate workable solutions and strategies for future development projects in the field of agriculture. A brief synopsis of the chapters in the study is as follows: • The problem formulation and aim of the study are set out in Chapter 1. • Chapter 2 is concerned with an historical perspective of sustainable agricultural development. • Chapter 3 provides a geographical and agricultural overview of the study area. • Chapters 4, 5 and 6 investigate the management profiles of emerging farmers with a specific focus on: >- the educational and personal profiles of emerging farmers, their perceptions of human resources and the management thereof (Chapter 4); ~ perceptions among emergmg farmers regarding natural resources as well as the management and utilisation thereof (Chapter 5); ~ administrative and financial matters (Chapter 6). • Chapter 7 focuses on the evaluation of research data, the testing of the hypothesis and the formulation of a specific development strategy for emerging farmers in Qwaqwa. With regard to human resources, the study has established that the unacceptable conduct and poor quality of work rendered by farm workers negatively effect labour relations between farmers and workers. The study also identifies the low educational level of farm labourers, poor working conditions and insufficient training as primary factors contributing to labour problems. On the positive side, the study identifies several aspects in employment that are to the advantage of the industry and that should be kept. These refer to food and residence security, a reliable cash income and grazing rights. The study identifies a singular ignorance among emergmg farmers with regard to the utilisation of natural resources. This includes the use of alternative production methods, which are inexpensive, and which, in turn, originate on the farm, and have a minor negative impact on the natural environment. Within an environmental and sustainable perspective, this study makes certain recommendations concerning the introduction of alternative farming methods. The study also finds that a number of farmers are experiencing serious financial problems. The refusal of commercial banks and agricultural cooperatives to grant production loans for planting purposes, underlines the extent of the financial difficulties experienced by emerging farmers in the area. This has also pushed a number of crop farmers into financial crisis. Against this background it is recommended that farming units with a combination of farming activities should be included lil future development proj ects. Value adding activities seem to be a popular and profitable practice among emerging farmers. They seem to be an asset. The optimal use of existing infrastructure, labour, by-products and waste products from farming activities, are some of the important considerations in favour of value adding activities. The study reveals that emerging farmers, despite certain drawbacks pertaining to training and education, possess the will and the ingenuity to make a success of agriculture in the area. The study further finds that the success of present and future projects will be largely determined by basic support structures in training and agricultural extension work, from government and developmental agencies.Item Open Access Low-income housing in the post-apartheid era: towards a policy framework for the Free State(University of the Free State, 2003-12) Marais, Johann Georg Lochner; Krige, D. S.; Beukes, E. P.; De Villiers, G. du T.English: This thesis titled “Low-income housing in a post-apartheid era: towards a policy framework for the Free State” is conducted as one of the first thorough analyses on housing policy in a single province since 1994. Furthermore, it is also conducted against a background where limited regional guidelines exist for investment by provincial government departments. The thesis poses the question as to ‘who should receive what where’ in terms of low-income housing investment in the Free State. The thesis starts off by assessing changing international trends in low-income housing policy and the role of the World Bank. The shift from the provision of formalised housing to site and services is analysed from the individualistic perspective of Turner and the economic model of the World Bank. The approach of the World Bank to housing in the early 1990s suggested that targeted housing subsidies should be provided to the poor – but mainly for infrastructure and not for the housing structures themselves. Furthermore, the emphasis on sustainability since the early 1990s and its impact on housing policy are also discussed. This international perspective is followed by an assessment of various policy documents directly or indirectly linked to housing in South Africa since 1990. South African policy was labelled a victory for width over depth because a smaller product that had to reach as many people as possible was introduced. It has been found that despite various similarities between the South African and the World Bank policies, the main difference lies in the fact that South African policy also proposed a housing structure. So, to some degree, South African housing policy - according to the World Bank - could have had more width (reaching more people) if infrastructure only had been provided. The South African policy is clear on who should become end-beneficiaries and what they should receive. However, regional guidelines for housing investment (where) in South Africa or the provinces are virtually non-existent. Housing policy in the Free State has placed more emphasis on the housing structure itself by emphasising that housing units of 40m2 should be constructed – thereby laying more emphasis on depth. However, this resulted in housing subsidies being allocated to areas where land was cheap, or where planned stands were available. Consequently, housing investment favoured small towns and middle-order towns at the expense of larger urban areas. Though some progress was actually made between 1999 and 2001 to improve on the delivery in larger urban areas in the Free State, this was achieved at the expense of municipal finance, or it required deposits from beneficiaries - which in turn excluded the poor from accessing housing subsidies. The emphasis on the size of housing further resulted in housing finance being focused only on the poor and not distributed proportionally between the income groups that were able to access the housing subsidy. As low-income housing delivery in the Free State focused mainly on the top structure and was aimed at existing stands, the infrastructure levels of housing projects in the Free State are significantly lower than in the rest of the country, and, no informal settlement upgrading has thus taken place. Against this background, the thesis proposes that the pro-poor and targeting nature of the low-income housing subsidy should be maintained; obstacles in policy that prevent private sector finance from supporting the subsidy should be minimised; the rationale for low-income housing subsidies in the Free State should be reconsidered; housing subsidies should be available incrementally; final decision-making on how to spend the subsidy should be done at the local level; low-income housing should accommodate urban growth; the emphasis on 40m2 should be reconsidered; further, there should be emphasis on width and not depth; and, a regional framework for the allocation of investment of low-income housing, based on housing need, demographic trends and economic potential, should be implemented.Item Open Access Sustainable rural development in Lesotho(University of the Free State, 2000-05) Mashinini, Vusi Israel; De Villiers, G. du T.; Groenevald, I. B.English: The sustainability of rural development policies, strategies and projects formulated and implemented in Lesotho since independence in 1966 was investigated in this thesis. This was accomplished through the use of secondary and primary data. Secondary data was collected on all major rural development projects. Primary data was sought on the sustainability of the activities initiated by the Farm Improvement with soil conservation (FISC)/Production Through Conservation (PTC) project in the Mohale's hoek district which was used as a case study. The primary data collection involved the use of a questionnaire administered to 200 rural households selected through the use of a multi -stage sampling procedure from the households in the villages where the proj eet operated. At both the national level and the local FISC/PTC project level, the results of the study showed that the modus operandi used in donor assistance, the politicians, decision-makers and planners contributed in part to the lack of sustainable rural development in Lesotho. However, the study concluded that the biggest contribution to the demise of sustainable rural development in Lesotho came from the communities themselves due to their lack of willingness to change their perceptions of, and attitudes towards, development. The communities were reluctant and leave the unsustainable conveniences accorded by their old lifestyles to which they were accustomed for centuries and throughout generations, and adapt to the costs, pains and risks that accompanied changes in their life-styles introduced by sustainable development in their communities and regions.