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The objectives of this study were to determine the seroprevalence of enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) and some possible factors influencing its occurrence in the Mafikeng area of the North West Province using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Three hundred and forty blood samples were collected from cattle aged 6-72 months. Structured interviews as well as clinical examinations were used to gather supplementary data. The overall seroprevalence was 12.6 percent while area prevalence ranged between 6 and 51 percent. Eighty percent of the studied areas tested positive to EBL, revealing the extent to which farmers could be losing out to the disease. Oral interviews revealed a paltry 20 percent awareness level among the farmers. Awareness campaigns and more seroprevalence surveys are obligatory if the actual extent of the disease and its effects are to be revealed.

This paper develops a model of opportunistic behaviour in which an incumbent government resort to expansionary fiscal and/or monetary stimuli to foster economic growth and thus, maximize the probability of re-election. Using a panel dataset of 51 African countries covering the period 1980 to 2012, we test first, whether aid and institutional quality factors have an effect on growth. We find evidence to support the most recent studies showing that aid has a positive impact on growth. We however, do not find evidence to support the proposition that institutional quality is a sine qua non conditional for aid to achieve impact on growth. Second, we test whether donor aid facilitates political business cycles, and investigates their effect on growth. We find evidence that donors, through guaranteeing support to incumbent governments, unwittingly do instigate political business cycles. Forbearance, and sometimes complicity by donors, aid seems to allow incumbent governments to instigate macroeconomic stimuli that ensure electoral victory with no fear of losing aid.

Yolk sac retention or the failure to absorb yolk is a common problem in recently hatched ostrich chicks (Struthio camelus) and is one of the major causes of mortality in the first 2 weeks after hatching. In a study of 80 yolk sacs from dead-in-shell (DIS) eggs (n = 24) and ostrich chicks up to 3 weeks after hatching (n = 56), several aspects were considered. A predictive curve for normal growth and yolk absorption was calculated, a histologic study of “normal” and “retained yolk” sacs was conducted, and a microbiological evaluation of yolk sacs and the chicks was performed. Findings were discussed in comparison to comparable data for poultry and in relation to possible causes of yolk sac retention. At necropsy, the diagnosis of retained yolk sac was made 13 times. No differences were observed by histopathologic examination between chicks with yolk sac retention and normal chicks. When the predictive curve was compared with direct observations at necropsy, the direct method had a sensitivity and s...

The Kentucky wine industry has grown rapidly over the past decade as farmers diversify from tobacco to alternative enterprises. The objectives of this paper are to; (i) describe the conversion of a family-owned tobacco farm into a fledgling wine enterprise (ii) identify market competitive and coordination strategies being used by an emerging winery, (iii) determine key challenges facing the development of a small winery and (iv) recommend future studies for improving the performance of local wine supply chains. The paper is based on a case study of Acres of Land winery in Kentucky and it uses qualitative data collected during visits to the farm in 2007, 2008 and 2009. The case study shows the development of the winery and the organization of the local wine supply chain. Results indicate that Acres of Land winery is fully vertically integrated and actively pursues both competitive and risk management strategies. The winery faces challenges such as “dry county” restrictions, government licensing requirements, changing consumer preferences, and growing industry competition., The IFAMR is the flagship journal in Agribusiness published quarterly by IFAMA. More information can be found at: www.ifama.org

This paper examines the impacts of the financial, food and fuel crises on the livelihoods of low-income households Nigeria. It uses primary household level data from Nigeria to analyse the impacts of induced price variability on household welfare. Our results indicate that aggregate shocks have significant adverse effects on household consumption, human capital, and labour decisions with a degree of impact variability between northern and southern regions of the country. We find that the coping strategies adopted by the poor to deal with the short-term effects of the crises, and which include substitution for lower quality food, increasing the intensity of work, withdrawing children from school - especially girls - and engaging children in child labour, can lock households in a low-income equilibrium or poverty trap. Provided that covariate shocks exacerbate these effects, tackling the effects of covariate risks becomes central for present and future development policy.

This paper presents a framework of the evolution of information and communication technology (ICT) applications in agriculture and rural development based on comparative experiences of South Africa and Kenya. The framework posits that full deployment of ICT in agriculture and rural development will be a culmination of several phases of changes that starts with e-government policy design, development and implementation. The paper argues that ICT use in agriculture and rural development is a powerful instrument for improving agricultural and rural development and standards of living throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. However, success in greater application of ICT in agriculture will require addressing impediments to adoption and diffusion. Such impediments include the lack of awareness, low literacy, infrastructure deficiencies (e.g. lack of electricity to charge electronic gadgets), language and cultural barriers in ICT usage, the low e-inclusivity and the need to cater for the special needs of some users. The paper reviews successful applications of ICT agriculture and urges greater use of ICT-based interventions in agriculture as a vehicle for spurring rural development in Africa.

This study analysed 60 dog food samples obtained from commercial outlets following the 2011 aflatoxicosis outbreak in South Africa. Results obtained from the selected dog food samples revealed that 87% of samples were contaminated with aflatoxins (AFs) (mainly AFB1 and AFB2). Amongst these samples, 45 (75%) were above the 20 parts per billion (ppb) set by most countries and 10 ppb regulated by the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act (Act No. 36 of 1947) for South Africa. In addition to AFs, other mycotoxins were also detected in the same samples with fumonisins (FBs) (mainly FB1and FB2) contaminating 98% of samples with 49 (81.81) above the tolerable limit of 1000 ppb in feedstuff set up by the Federal Drug Agency (FDA) (USA). The FBs mean obtained was 1556 ppb (Table 1) with contamination varying between 5.2 and 4653.8 ppb. Ochratoxin A (OTA) was detected in 41 (68%) of the analysed samples, with a mean value of 13.7 ppb. Amongst these samples, 15 (25%) were above the 20 ppb highest limit set by the Codex Alimentarius standard. Zearalenone (ZEA) was detected in 96% of samples, with a mean value of 354.1 ppb. Thirty-three samples (55%) were above the regulated level 1000 ppb tolerable limit. The recoveries were up to ten times the tolerable daily limits of the FDA and EU. The correlation between mycotoxin findings and clinical signs reported on patients presented for aflatoxicosis led to the conclusion that the outbreak was associated with the presence of other mycotoxins found simultaneously in the analysed samples by additive or synergistic effects.

The government of South Africa (GSA) has embarked on a major program for e-service delivery. The Batho Pele Gateway Project is the access portal to government information and a key driver of the e-government transformation in South Africa. Although the GSA is determined to make e-government service delivery successful, the average citizen does not fully comprehend the key transformations driving government engagement with civil society and businesses. Therefore, the Cape Gateway Project (CGP) is confronted with the immense task to develop and implement a strategic marketing program for e-government by the Provincial Government of the Western Cape (PGWC) which is not only a portal, but also a call centre and walk-in centre. Various marketing tactics have been deployed, but their efficacy in elevating awareness levels and converting that to actual sustained use of e-government service delivery remains unknown. This chapter proposes an e-government marketing framework and uses CGP experience to examine communication and branding strategies for e-government in a South African context. Key challenges facing e-government market communication strategy are highlighted.

E-agriculture is a newly emerging field that is receiving increasing attention from governments, agribusiness industry, and the agriculture community worldwide. Over the past decade, the world has witnessed major growth and expansion of e-agriculture projects that integrate information and communication technologies in agriculture value chains and rural development. The rise of e-agriculture has led to increased focus on the need to fully understand its impact on rural development, food security, and poverty alleviation by policy makers, researchers, and farmers. Global institutions such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Summit for Information Society (WSIS), and the World Bank have identified the development of e-agriculture as a key priority. This chapter sets the platform for a key publication designed to advance the global debate on e-agriculture development and policy. The chapter outlines key insights into the conceptualization of e-agriculture, innovative project initiatives, e-value creation, lessons learnt, and emerging challenges associated with e-agriculture implementation in various parts of the world. The main lesson is that e-agriculture is a growing field that is pivotal to the global agriculture development agenda in the 21st century.

The world has experienced an unprecedented growth in information and communication technologies (ICT) through the widespread use of personal computers, Internet, and mobile phones. The objectives of this chapter are to examine trends in ICT use in agriculture, identify key success factors for ICT utilization in agriculture, and investigate the implications of ICT-enabled value chains for the agribusiness industry. The chapter describes the strategic role of ICT in the development of both e-commerce and mobile commerce in agriculture globally. The chapter identifies the leading areas of ICT use in agriculture and agribusinesses as input procurement, production, marketing, food traceability, and financial service delivery. Producers are increasingly seeking ways to add value to their businesses by integrating ICT in the value chain. Similarly, consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about how they could use ICT to articulate their preferences. The chapter discusses key success factors for ICT applications affecting both the internal and external environment of agribusiness firms. The chapter concludes by drawing implications for ICT use in agriculture and agribusiness value chains.

Information security risks are a major threat to South Africa’s bid to build a broad-based information society. The integration of information security in e-government is no longer an option, but an imperative given the resulting “information overload” and the need to filter “good” from “bad” information. Unless South Africa integrates information security in its e-government development policy and practices, the acclaimed benefits of e-government will not be realized. The moral hazard problems arising from bad information behavior such as human manipulation, withholding information, unauthorized access, and violation of individual privacy and confidentiality heightens the need to combat info-security risks and vulnerabilities. South Africa’s readiness to deal with the information security risks has come under scrutiny. The information security infrastructure in South Africa is also not clearly understood. This chapter examines South Africa’s information security landscape and describes how institutional and agency coordination could help improve information security in e-government.

Radiotherapy technology has improved rapidly over the past two decades. New imaging modalities, such as positron emission (computed) tomography (PET, PET-CT) and high-resolution morphological and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been introduced into the treatment planning process. Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) with 3D soft tissue depiction directly imaging target and normal structures, is currently replacing patient positioning based on patient surface markers, frame-based intracranial and extracranial stereotactic treatment and partially also 2D field verification methods. On-line 3D soft tissue-based position correction unlocked the full potential of new delivery techniques, such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy, by safely delivering highly conformal dose distributions that facilitate dose escalation and hypofractionation. These strategies have already resulted in better clinical outcomes, e.g. in prostate and lung cancer and are expected to further improve radiotherapy results.

The article examines ICT use in health service provision in Namibia. The patterns of ICT use for health services by patients, public and private health service providers are not yet fully understood. This study describes ICT applications in health service delivery to patients in the Khomas and Oshana regions of Namibia. The study interviewed 134 patients and 21 health service providers. Factor analysis on ICT use identified three main factor groupings namely, ‘high technology’, ’mobile technology’ and ‘traditional technology’. Multinomial regression results showed the major factors affecting multiple ICT awareness in the two regions as functional literacy, diverse sources of health information services, age and educational level of the patients. Logistic regression results on individual ICT use identified functional literacy, personal privacy, cost of ICT, age, education, and positive perceptions about ICT applications in improving health services as statistically significant factors influencing adoption by both rural and urban patients in Namibia.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) have transformed health service delivery (HSD) in developing countries although the benefits are not yet fully understood. This chapter examines the use of ICT for HSD in the Namibian context. To obtain insights into the extent and degree of the current ICT uses, the chapter begins by mapping a HSD landscape for Namibia. The reported ICT use patterns are based on a primary survey of 134 patients and key informant interviews held with 27 health service providers (HSPs) in Khomas and Oshana regions of Namibia. The results from the survey indicate that Namibian patients use diverse range of ICT to access health services including the traditional television and radio, and the more modern mobile phones and computers to a limited extent. HSPs reported the growing use of ICT in various functional areas such as admissions, clinical support, family planning, maternity, and emergency services. The chapter identifies key challenges and policy implications to enhance the uptake of ICT-based health services in Namibia. The relatively high penetration rates of traditional ICT such as televisions and radios coupled with a growing use of mobile phones presents new alternative opportunities for expanding HSD to Namibian patients in remote settings. The chapter will benefit HSP and patients as they decide on affordable technology choices; and policy makers as they design interventions to stimulate the use of ICT in HSD in Namibia. The results provide key insights for other Sub-Saharan African countries contemplating ICT integration in health services.

Diversity and seasonal occurrence of coccidia in a communally reared mixed flock of sheep and goats at Mafikeng, North West Province, South Africa, was determined between March 2008 and February 2009. Faecal specimens were collected directly from the rectum of the animals and the number of oocysts per gram of faeces (opg) determined. The mean monthly opg for goats was significantly higher than that for sheep. Higher oocyst counts were observed during the hot, rainy season than during the cold, dry season. The highest mean values for both the sheep (862.5 opg) and goats (1200 opg) were recorded during March. Six species (Eimeria crandallis, E. bakuensis, E. weybridgensis, E. ahsata, E. intricata, and E. ovinoidalis) were recovered from sheep, with E. crandallis and E. bakuensis occurring most frequently. The last 2 species, together with E. ahsata, are considered among the most pathogenic species in sheep. In goats, 7 species (E. arloingi, E. jolchijevi, E. caprina, E. alijevi, E. caprovina, E. christenseni and E. hirci) were recovered, with E. arloingi and E. jolchijevi occurring most frequently. Up to 5 Eimeria species were recovered from individual specimens in goats while up to 4 were recovered in sheep. No cross-infections between goats and sheep were recorded and no clinical coccidiosis was noted during the study. It is increasingly becoming evident that the pathogenic E. arloingi is one of the most commonly occurring Eimeria species in goats in South Africa.

The global development of information and communication technologies (ICT) has created a new agricultural development paradigm that promises to transform the performance of the agricultural sector and improve rural livelihoods in developing countries. Over the past five years, South Africa has witnessed a swift ICT-led transformation of its public service delivery with major innovations in key development sectors. The growth of e-agriculture is seen as an engine to accelerate agriculture and rural development, promote food security, and reduce rural poverty. This chapter examines e-agriculture initiatives in South Africa. It describes ICT applications in improving the quality of on-farm management decisions, agricultural market information system, e-packaging, product traceability, and online marketing to access lucrative global wine markets. The chapter also highlights key constraints, and identifies considerations to enhance the future prospects for e-agriculture. Given the strategic importance of agriculture in supporting the livelihoods of the majority rural population in South Africa, the successful deployment and effective utilization of ICT is pivotal for sustainable agriculture development and raising the standards of living of marginalized communities. The results of the paper demonstrate that South Africa has made significant strides in e-agriculture and tangible benefits have accrued to the agricultural communities.

The rapid growth of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has led to new opportunities to improve food and agricultural production, processing, distribution, and marketing functions in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Such ICT-led transformations are expected to provide vast social and economic benefits to poor agricultural communities thus help uplift their standards of living. The process of how ICT should be applied in agriculture to raise living standards of millions of poor Africans is not yet well understood. Therefore, there is a need to deepen our understanding of ICT deployment and the socio-economic benefits expected from their application in African agriculture. Historically, some technologies failed in Africa and parts of Asia because of inadequate attention to context specific issues, irrelevance, and relatively prohibitive costs. In that regard, this chapter describes a framework for sustainable e-agriculture development in SSA. The proposed framework is based on three related models; (i) e-agriculture service delivery (ii) ICT development and diffusion pathways, and (iii) einformation flow and e-content development landscape. In order to facilitate the effective diffusion and adoption of e-agriculture, a set of “preconditions” and “e-value creation” opportunities are assessed. The identified preconditions help to filter out “irrelevant” ICT, and “e-value creation” facilitates use of context specific and demand- driven e-innovations in agriculture. The chapter identifies and discusses ICT illiteracy, ICT policy gaps, infrastructural deficiencies, and poverty as key challenges affecting the future success of e-agriculture in SSA. The chapter recommends the development of e-policies and e-strategies on e-content, e-trust, e-security, and e-value addition to promote sustainable e-agriculture development on the African continent.

The global development of information and communication technologies (ICT) has created a new agricultural development paradigm that promises to transform the performance of the agricultural sector and improve rural livelihoods in developing countries. Over the past five years, South Africa has witnessed a swift ICT-led transformation of its public service delivery with major innovations in key development sectors. The growth of e-agriculture is seen as an engine to accelerate agriculture and rural development, promote food security, and reduce rural poverty. This chapter examines e-agriculture initiatives in South Africa. It describes ICT applications in improving the quality of on-farm management decisions, agricultural market information system, e-packaging, product traceability, and online marketing to access lucrative global wine markets. The chapter also highlights key constraints, and identifies considerations to enhance the future prospects for e-agriculture. Given the strategic importance of agriculture in supporting the livelihoods of the majority rural population in South Africa, the successful deployment and effective utilization of ICT is pivotal for sustainable agriculture development and raising the standards of living of marginalized communities. The results of the paper demonstrate that South Africa has made significant strides in e-agriculture and tangible benefits have accrued to the agricultural communities.

This paper analyses poverty in three districts of Zimbabwe. It uses household data to argue that there are two dominant poverty traps individually and jointly afflicting households. It argues that asset poverty is less severe than income poverty. It further argues that assets indicate potential for future production, especially in the context of employment opportunities for the poor, and that this is the most potent and cost-effective strategy to fight poverty. It concludes by estimating household demand for labour, concluding that increasing non-farm incomes and ownership of a minimum bundle of productive assets is necessary for long-term poverty reduction.

This chapter describes the emergence of m-government in Africa. It examines the introduction of m-government in South Africa. The chapter also provides key examples of similar experiences with m-government in other African countries. The chapter focuses on the emerging patterns of m-government use, and it identi?es key issues for consideration in its deployment in the African context. The chapter argues that m-government potential in South Africa in particular must be explored as a complement to the on-going Gateway Project e-government initiatives. The rapid penetration of mobile phones in South Africa offers clear opportunity to deliver government services via this new channel. Security, lack of content development capacity, expensive modern handsets, and high recharge rates are highlighted as key barriers to m-government deployment to the poor in South Africa. The authors contend that development of an m-government strategy and a coordinated effort in awareness generation and service deployment will help deliver a more viable m-government.

By the end of 2005, an emerging era of e-government had arrived in South Africa with the promise to transform public service delivery and the relationships between government, business and the citizens. E-government has been perceived as the second revolution in public management after the new public management of the 1980s (Saxena, 2005; Teicher, Hughes, & Dow, 2002). The advent of e-government information and services globally has brought increasing focus on the need to develop user-oriented quality Web portal services. Prior to this time, governments paid little attention to citizen service quality issues (Teicher et al., 2002). The emergence of ICT-enabled capacity for service delivery has increasingly forced governments to adopt a customer-oriented focus in the provision of public services. Service quality issues have traditionally dominated Web site development in the business arena simply because of the huge potential to affect the size of the customer base. Prominent among these has been the emergence of e-banking and e-travel Web portals (Bauer, Hammerschmidt, & Falk., 2005). As governments acquire growing customer base with e-service delivery, the associated development and maintenance ‘sunk costs’ has forced them to look at the means to transform service delivery to gain increased benefits. They are finding that government Web portals can support new opportunities to transform traditional government service delivery for societal benefits. This article focuses on e-value creation for government Web portals. It uses South Africa’s Cape Gateway Portal as a case study for promoting e-value in public service delivery to “customer citizens.” In this article, e-service quality and e-value are used interchangeably. The article starts with a background on government Web portals and it establishes a conceptual definition of Web portal e-value. It then provides a framework for assessing e-value creation for a government portal. Based on the literature and South Africa’s experiences, it identifies and describes the prime movers for e-value creation in a government Web portal.