Bibliography: Land Degradation in South Africa project

southern Africa. Paper presented at the Southern African Association for Farming

Systems Research-Extension Conference, Ezulweni, Swaziland, 1-3 June 1993.

Occasional Paper 137.Anonymous Anonymous Scottsville:Institute of Natural

Resources. , 1993.

Reprint : Not in File,

Keywords : SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Ref ID : 692

884. Erskine, J.M. Rural development imperatives in a changing South Africa.

Monograph 10.Anonymous Anonymous Pietermaritzburg:Institute of Natural

Resources, University of Natal. :1-10, 1993. 1-86840-035-2.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT; POLITICAL ASPECTS; RURAL DEVELOPMENT;

POPULATION

Notes : This pamphlet concludes that, given the average size of land holdings in

the less developed rural areas and the population pressure in these areas, as

well as a future scenario that is unlikely to provide large, economically viable

farming units to significant numbers of people presently resident in the

underdeveloped rural areas, it is obvious that very few rural households will

achieve economic independence and a reasonable standard of living in the absence

of needed education/training, infrastructure, basic services, and alternative

employment opportunities in non-agricultural enterprises. The important point

to make is that all of the components of rural development mentioned in this

paper are essential and must be addressed simultaneously in a holistic and

integrated way by those bodies charged with the task of managing the rural

development process. This, in turn, will require trust between as well as

effective co-ordination and networking of development executants and the rural

communities.

Ref ID : 769

885. Erskine, J.M. A holistic paradigm for agricultural development. Developer

7:11-14, 1994.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT; POPULATION; RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Notes : This article concludes that, given the average size of land holdings and

the population pressure in the less developed rural areas of the KwaZulu/Natal

region, as well as the future scenario that is unlikely to provide large,

economically viable farming units to significant numbers of people presently

resident there, it is obvious that very few rural households will achieve

economic independence and a reasonable standard of living in the absence of

needed education/training, infrastructure, basic services, and alternative

employment opportunities in non-agricultural enterprises. The important point

to make is that all of the components of rural development mentioned in the

article are essential and must be addressed simultaneously in a holistic and

integrated way by those bodies charged with the task of managing the rural

development process. This, in turn, will require trust between, as well as

effective co-ordination and networking, of development executants and the rural

communities.

Ref ID : 744

886. Erskine, J.M. Institutional restructuring for sustainable development in

South Africa's less developed rural areas. Paper presented at the Third Meeting

of the International Society for Ecological Economics, San Jose, Costa Rica, 24-

28 October 1994. Occasional Paper 154.Anonymous Anonymous

Pietermaritzburg:Institute of Natural Resources, University of Natal. :1-9,

1994.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : INSTITUTIONAL ASPECTS; SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE; COMMUNAL AREA;

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Notes : This paper concludes that, whilst there is a need for national and

regional (provincial) sustainability priorities, primacy must be given in any

democratic society to the wishes and apsirations of local people in determining

local sustainability priorities. The challenge facing the Government of any

country with underprivileged developing ocmmunities is to design and introduce

education, training and extension programmes that ensure that rural communities

are aware of (a) the implications of any resource impacting activities, (b) the

'basket of choices' available to them in terms of sustainable use of the natural

resources, (c) the costs and benefits (economic, social and ecological)

associated with the various options, and (d) the organisation and institutional

arrangements needed to promote sustainable development. However, in the final

analysis, the people themselves must make the decisions relating to sustainable

use of resources in their areas: this is the prime determinant of

'sustainability'.

Ref ID : 770

887. Erskine, J.M. Options for sustainable animal husbandry systems in South

Africa's less developed rural areas. Bulletin of the Grassland Society of

southern Africa , 1995.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : FARMING SYSTEMS; LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION; COMMUNAL AREA; RURAL

DEVELOPMENT; LAND TENURE

Notes : This article states that any attempt to reconcile a healthy environment

(achieved and maintaned through the sustainable utilisation of land and other

natural resources) with human economic development in SA's less developed rural

areas is beset with difficulties. Foremost amonst these is the problem of

satisfying biophysical criteria for sustainability at the same time that (a)

chronic social and (b) land tenure problems are substantively addressed. The

land tenure question, which revolves around the relative merits and local

acceptance of private ownership, land rental or communal use (open access or

community managed) of land, is particularly important in respect of the

management of rangelands and grazing animals.

Ref ID : 745

888. Erskine, J.M. Farming systems development: rhetoric and reality. Paper

presented at the Southern African Association for Farming Systems Research-

Extension Conference, Harare, Zimbabwe, 2-4 October 1995. Occasional Paper

165.Anonymous Anonymous Scottsville:Institute of Natural Resources. , 1995.

Reprint : Not in File,

Keywords : FARMING SYSTEMS; AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION

Ref ID : 771

889. Erskine, J.M. Rural community development: facing reality. In Focus

4(1):38-41, 1996.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : RURAL DEVELOPMENT; POVERTY

Notes : The author warns that development efforts, by national government and by

development agencies, must be sure to be addressed to the real and not just the

perceived needs of the beneficiaries. There are too many who believe that

merely helping people develop their agricultural capacity is going to put the

ball rolling towards lifting them out of the poverty cycle. However,

agriculture by itself has only limited income-generating potential and is, as

research has found, very low on some rural peoples' list of priorities.

Ref ID : 747

890. Erskine, J.M. Rural dweller development: rhetoric and reality. Paper

presented at the Workshop on Rural Economic Development and Entrepreneurship,

Stutterheim, 1-2 February 1996. Occasional Paper 174.Anonymous Anonymous

Scottsville:Institute of Natural Resources. , 1996.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : RURAL DEVELOPMENT; KWAZULU NATAL; POPULATION; POVERTY; POLICY

Notes : The message contained in this paper is simple and clear: let us face

reality in respect of agricultural and rural development and forget about the

rhetoric (politically correct or otherwise). In KwaZulu-Natal there is a

population of roughly 5 million people of whom approximately 1,2 million are

urbanised and 3,8 million live in rural areas. Of these 3,8 million rural

dwellers, approximately 80% live below the breadline; in similar ratio of rural

to urban, and a similar magnitude of poverty in rural areas, are found

throughout the southern African region. If governments are really serious about

human development and about reducing poverty in their countries, they must adopt

national development policies that place emphasis on economic advancement of the

rural areas where most people live and presently exist in poverty; they must

embrace a new development paradigm that encourages entrepreneurship and rural

enterprise development (farm and nonfarm) and that ceases to make believe that

the development of small-scale farming alone will in some miraculous way bring

about the economic empowerment that is required to eliminate absolute poverty..

Ref ID : 748

891. Erskine, J.M. Sustainability measures for natural resources. Paper

presented at the conference on Participation, People and Sustainable

Development: understanding the dynamics of natural resource systems held at the

Institute of Agricultural and Animal Sciences Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal, 17-20

March 1996. Occasional Paper 175.Anonymous Anonymous Pietermaritzburg:Institute

of Natural Resources, University of Natal. :1-17, 1996.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE; SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Notes : This paper deals with the measures that need to be taken (that is, the

actions that need to be implemented) to achieve the goal of sustainable use of

natural resources in developing countries. Specific reference is made to the

challenges facing promoters of sustainable development in the less developed

areas of SA.

Ref ID : 749

892. Erskine, J.M. Ruralisation in South Africa's less developed rural areas.

Paper presented at the Ecological Summit 96. The Royal Danish School of

Pharmacy, Copenhagen, Denmark, 19-23 August. Occasional Paper 177.Anonymous

Anonymous Pietermaritzburg:Institute of Natural Resources, University of Natal.

, 1996.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : COMMUNAL AREA; RURAL DEVELOPMENT; AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

Notes : 'Ruralisation' in the context of SA's less developed rural areas can be

described as the process of achieving the goals of (a) making these areas

productive, sustainable and desirable places in which to live and thereby

significantly reducing the migration of rural people to urban areas, and (b)

ensuring that the rural areas remain or return to the state of being 'rural' in

character. This poster addresses the question of how these goals can be

realised. It looks in particular at an innovative, incentive programme being

introduced that takes advantage of possibilities inherent in our dualistic

economy for the rapid transfer of information and technologies from the first

world sector to the third world sector - an opportunity that does not exist to

anywhere near the same degree in much of the rest of Africa. A description is

given of the development of a 'ruralisation' programme in which: (a) The

household economics system of rural dwellers is being modelled and a decision

support information system is being developed to generate alternative scenarios

concerning the optimum, sustainable utilisation of available resources and (b)

"Ecoinfocentres" (where 'eco' stands for ecological health and economic

viablity) are being put in place to provide rural dwellers with assembled

information on the balanced, sustainable use of the surrounding ecosystem for

subsistence; commercial agricultural production; processing and manufacturing;

and ecotourism.

Ref ID : 707

893. Erskine, J.M. Sustainable agriculture and services in South Africa:

literature review. A study conducted for Environment and Development Consultancy

Ltd, London, England. Investigational Report 144.Anonymous Scottsville:Institute

of Natural Resources. IR 144, 1996.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE; AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

Notes : The project brief required that attention be given in this study to:

presentation of an overview of the main issues relating to 'sustainable

agriculture' and the services needed to promote and support it in SA (with a

selected review of the main literature); and preparation of a fieldwork plan for

further investigation in SA of the main issues relating to and governing the

achievement of 'sustainable agriculture'. In compiling the fieldwork plan,

important issues which needed to be examined were identified in consultation

with people involved in one or other aspect of sustainable agriculture in SA,

and the most likely sources of information on these issues were selected for

inclusion i nthe field visits proposed for the team.

Ref ID : 772

894. Erskine, J.M. South Africa overview. In: Literature reviews and fieldwork

plans for South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi, edited

by Whiteside, M.Environment and Development Consultancy Ltd, 1996,p. 1-23.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT; POPULATION; RURAL DEVELOPMENT; POLICY;

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Notes : In 1994 SA took an important step towards democracy. This had

repercussions not only for SA but for other countries of the region which are

now in a better position to work together on a basis of political stability and

co-operation to tackle their pressing development and environmental problems.

SA's annual per capita income places it in the upper middle income group of

nations. It has a relatively highly developed infrastructure, industrial base

and financial services which give it a developed world appearance. This is

misleading, however, as the continuing large disparities between black and white

mean that many black households, particularly in rural areas, have incomes and

access to services typical of poor developing countries. The Centre for

Development Enterprise (CDE) concluded a study in 1995 showing that the

demographic split in SA is as follows: major metropolital areas - 16,5 million;

and rural areas and small towns - 21,1 million, roughly 3 million of which live

in small towns. Thus, in 1995, just over 50% of the total population of SA was

rural based. In this report the following issues are discussed: environmental

overview; agricultural overview; main issues (including rural development

policy, service provision, land, law enforcement, and human resources and

organisational capacity); and further investigation (including organisations

currently involved in sustainable agriculture).

Ref ID : 193

895. Esack, F. St Francis weeps as environment timebomb ticks. Cape Times ,

1991.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : SOIL EROSION; KAROO DESERTIFICATION; ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

Notes : Article reads: "South African farmers, white and black, lose 20 tons of

top soil for each ton of crops they produce - not the worst figure in the world,

but five times the USA rate. Our country's south-western deserts are creeping

to Pretoria expanding acrss two-and-a-half kilometres of exhausted pastures a

year.".....In file.

Ref ID : 915

896. Esterhuyse, C.J. Agroforestry in South Africa. South African Forestry

Journal (149):62-68, 1989.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : AGROFORESTRY

Notes : It is a fair statement to make that a large percentage of farmers in SA

have not yet made tree planting an integral part of their farming operation.

There are many farms where even the farmyard is not properly planted with trees.

Many farmers plan livestock watering places without including shade trees as

part of the planning. Fruit farmers, on the other hand, may suffer immeasurable

losses as a result of wind damage and they generally do include wind-breaks in

their planning. The reasons why farmers in general make too little use of tree-

planting for farm improvements are: (a) the major part of SA is naturally

devoid of trees and we are inclined to accept this treeless condition; (b)

little research has been carried out on fruit and nut trees and trees that yield

commercial timber, which will provide farmers with an attractive income and

which can be used in agroforestry systems. This is especially true of trees for

the arid and semi-arid areas; (c) suitable plants are not readily available in

the drier areas as most nurseries are concentrated in the eastern part of the

country; and (d) farmers recognise only the few disadvantages of trees and

ignore the many advantages which they offer. In spite of the fact that for many

years monoculture has been the widely adopted farming practice in SA, there is

nowadays a growing interest in the application of agroforestry. There is no

doubt that groforestry can make a sound contribution to the well-being of the

country and to that of farmers in particular.

Ref ID : 1790

897. Evans, N.V., Avis, A.M., and Palmer, A.R. Changes to the vegetation of the

mid-Fish River valley, Eastern Cape, South Africa, in response to land-use, as

revealed by a direct gradient analysis. African Journal of Range and Forage

Science 14(2):68-74, 1997.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : EASTERN CAPE; LAND USE; CONSERVATION; SAVANNA

Abstract : Degradation of natural rangeland is a serious problem throughout

southern Africa. It has been suggested that incorrect grazing management

practices have resulted in a decrease in the production of potential of

rangelands. In order to explore the nature and extent of degradation at the

landscape scale, we selected a study site where a range of land-use and

rangeland management practices could be studied in parallel. The mid-Fish River

valley consists of three markedly different units of land management, namely,

commercial rangelands, communal rangelands and nature conservation areas. Using

a direct gradient analysis approach, the vegetation of the study area was

classified into homogenous units. A shift in the vegetation composition in

response to different land-use treatments was investigated. The results of the

classification showed three major plant communities present in the study area,

namely, Short Succulent Thicket, Medium Succulent Thicket and Mesic Bushclump

Savanna. The results revealed a definite grazing gradient within the study

area. It showed that an increase in grazing intensity resulted in a

transformation from vegetation synonymous to a mesic environment towards that

found in an arid environment. As grazing pressure increased there was a

decrease in palatable grasses, succulents and herbaceous species and an increase

in dwarf karroid shrubs.

Ref ID : 1139

898. Evans, R.J. Black land in white Natal: administrative contrains on land

reform. Development Southern Africa 4(3), 1987.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : LAND TENURE; LAND REFORM; INSTITUTIONAL ASPECTS; POLICY; KWAZULU

NATAL

Ref ID : 1264

899. Eveleth, A. The wasted land. Mail & Gardian (Moniter), 1997.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : LAND DEGRADATION; LAND REFORM

Notes : This article reads: "The apartheid-era homeland system and rural

'betterment schemes' were the worst causes of land degradation, according to a

rapid appraisal of land resources conducted in the run-up to World

Desertification Day on Wednesday." The study referred to formed part of SA's

National Action Programme to implement the UN Convention to Combat

Desertification. Timm Hoffman (the scientist leading the appraisal project)

noted that at least 25% of SA's total land area is classified as 'severely

degraded', which has serious implications for land reform as well as for the

socio-economic standing of rural people. While most of the degraded land can be

reclaimed, the economic feasibility of such measures must be taken into account.

The Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs noted that a feasibility study to

establish a National Desertification Fund was in the process of being set up.

Ref ID : 1066

900. Everson, C.S. and Clarke, G.P.Y. A comparison of six methods of botanical

analysis in the montane grasslands of Natal. Vegetatio 73:47-51, 1987.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : VELD CONDITION; GRASSLAND

Abstract : An evaluation of sampling techniques was conducted on Highland

Sourveld in the Natal Drakensberg. The quadrat, Levy bridge, step point, wheel

point, metric belt transect and 't Mannetje & Haydock methods were used. In

order to compare these methods the scores were standardized against the wheel

point. The results of analyses of variance showed that the quadrat and point

techniques were the most consistent. The metric belt transect and 't Mannetje &

Haydock methods were shown to be not suitable for detailed botanical analysis.

Operator differences and time of day had little effect on the results. It is

concluded that the wheel point method is most suitable for determining grassland

species composition in the Natal Drakensberg.

Ref ID : 1819

901. Everson, C.S. and Tainton, N.M. The effect of thirty years of burning on

the highland sourveld of Natal. Journal of the Grasslands Society of Southern

Africa 1(3):15-20, 1984.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : VELD CONDITION; GRASSLAND; FIRE

Abstract : A veld condition assessment was used to determine the effect of past

burning treatments on the species composition of Hihgland Sourveld at Cathedral

Peak. Veld condition scores in grassland protected from fire were significantly

lower than where veld had been burnt or burnt and grazed at regular intervals.

Frequent defoliation was found to maintain the grassland composition largely

unchanged over a period of 30 years. Individual species were found to react

strongly to defoliation frequency.

Ref ID : 1065

902. Everson, T.M., Clarke, G.P.Y., and Everson, C.S. Precision in monitoring

plant species composition in montane grasslands. Vegetatio 88:135-141, 1990.

Reprint : In File,

Keywords : VELD CONDITION; GRASSLAND; MONITORING

Abstract : Sampling distributions of species composition counts from four large

data sets were collected by point techniques. Rseults show good agreement

between observed and expected frequencies under binomial distributions for all

species measured with the Tidmarsh wheel. However, with the Levy bridge where

observations are not independent, greater variance occurred for species with low

frequences, The results were used to specify those sample sizes needed to

achieve any pre-determined precision. The traditionally accepted sample size of

200 is adequate for detecting a change with 20% precision in only the dominant

species (mean composition of over 25%). Detecting change in species with a