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Objectives. To investigate the pattern of substance misuse in youth admitted to a psychiatric emergency unit of a 'major hospital, and to compare regular users of cannabis,methaqualone and alcohol with the rest of the sample in terms of selected psychosocial variables.Study population. Consecutive patients aged 25 years or younger admitted to a psychiatric emergency unit over a 3month period.Method. Patients completed a standardised questionnaire .containing questions about their family, social, economic and educational backgrounds. Their current psychiatric folder was examined to ascertain mental state and behaviour on admission as well as previous psychiatric contacts and hospitalisation. Particular attention was paid to the use of cannabis, methaqualone and alcohol For each substance patients were divided into two groups, namely those who did not use the substance or who used it infrequently, and regular users. Unadjusted odds ratios were used to document the relationship between substance use and the selected psychosocial variablesResults. One hundred and fourteen patients were assessed, of which number 61 (53.5%) were male and 98 (86%) were single. The group consisted of 37 blacks (32.5%), 56 coloureds (49.1%) and 21 whites (18.4%)_ Alcohol was . regularly used by 30 patients (263%), cannabis by 29 (25.4%), methaqualone by 11 (9.6%), and any-of these substances by 46 patients (40.4%). Unadjusted odds ratios showed that there was a significant association between regular use of alcohol and cannabis and male gender, dropping out of school, previous psychiatric treatment, and an absence of both depression and suicidal ideation; and between regular cannabis use and bizarre behaviour, auditory hallucinations and disorganised or incoherent speech. Methaqualone use was associated with hostile threats.Conclusions. In the study population substance use was associated with various adverse psychosocial circumstances; these may alert the practitioner to the possibility of substance use. Cannabis misuse was suggested by behavioural, perceptual and speech abnormalities on mental state examination.

Objective. To describe selected characteristics of patients consulting general family practitioners in the Western Cape.Design. A cross-sectional survey design was employed in which doctors completed a structured questionnaire during or immediately after each consultation.Setting. Data were collected by family practitioners in private practice who were affiliated to the South African Sentinel Practitioner Research Network (SASPREN).Participants. All patients who had a face-to-face encounter wrth the doctor at his/her surgery. A total of 2 473 such encounters was included. Main outcome measures. Age, sex, race, method of payment and smoking status.Results. Females outnumbered males in all race groups except blacks, where they comprised 48% of patients. Most patients were under the age of 14 years (23.3%) or between 25 and 44 years (33.3%). However, after the demography of the ca1chment population was taken into account, the highest utilisation of general practitioner services was found to be at extremes of age. This utilisation pattern was demonstrated in both sexes and all races. In relation to their distribution in the population. whites and Indians are over~represented in private practice while blacks and coloureds are under-represented. The bulk of patients (67%) pay for general practitioner services via some form of insurance (medical aid or benefit fund). but significant differences exist across race groups. In the case of blacks and Indians, the majority (72% and 64% respectively) of consultations are funded 'out of pocket'. An alamingly high smoking prevalence was found in black and coloured men. In all race/sex groups smoking rates peak between 25 and 44 years. In this age group, 68.6% of black men and 73.3% of coloured men were current smokers.Conclusions. This study provides essential information on patients seen in family practice. Access to family doctor selVices in the Western Cape should be improved for blacks and coIoureds. There is an urgent need for smoking cessation interventions in the region.

This session brings together policy-makers, government officials, researchers and others to present perspectives on how innovation in building regulation and control, such as performancebased approaches, are currently being used to advance sustainability concepts in buildings, and where and how we might see further innovation in the coming years. In this grouping of session papers, representatives of the Inter-jurisdictional Regulatory Collaboration Committee (IRCC) and the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) Task Group 79 discuss a range of policies implements in their countries or the focus of research and development in their respective countries. Related papers can be found in the corresponding set of session papers (Innovations in Building Regulation and Control for Advancing Sustainability in Buildings (II)).

Objective: This study determined the socio-demographic, nutritional and health status of children and their caregivers in two rural districts in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and one rural district in the Eastern Cape (EC), South Africa. Design: A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Setting: The study population resided in Umkhanyakude (sub-district Jozini) and Zululand (sub-district Pongola) in KZN, and in OR Tambo (sub-district Nyandeni) in the EC province. Subjects: Children 0 to 59 months old (Umkhanyakude n = 398; Zululand n = 303; OR Tambo n = 364) and their caregivers were included. Methods: Structured interviewer-administered questionnaires were conducted and height and weight were measured. Results: Households in OR Tambo had less access to services (tap water 3%, toilets 33%), compared to Umkhanyakude (tap water 50%, toilets 82%) and Zululand (tap water 74%, toilets 98%). Wood was the main energy source used to cook food in all three districts (> 75%). Grants were a main source of income (Umkhanyakude and Zululand 61%; OR Tambo 55%). Many households obtained vegetables from their own garden (Umkhanyakude and Zululand 30%; OR Tambo 70%). The households that reportedly had enough food available at all times (Umkhanyakude and Zululand 25%; OR Tambo 17%), were in the minority. The diarrhoea prevalence reported by the caregivers was high (Umkhanyakude 35%; Zululand 24%; OR Tambo 24%). The prevalence of stunting was higher for children older than 12 months and varied between 22 and 26%. The prevalence of overweight among children 0 to 23 months exceeded the prevalence of underweight. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among caregivers was high (Umkhanyakude 42%; Zululand 60%; OR Tambo 56%). Conclusion: Concerted efforts are needed to address the adverse social, nutrition and health conditions in these districtsKeywords: children 0 to 59 months; caregivers; nutritional status; socio-demography; rural districts; South Africa.

This research focuses on the profitability of crop rotation systems in the Middle Swartland region. Crop rotation present a possible alternative to wheat monoculture production, of which profitability decreased since 1996. The advantage of crop rotation is mainly increasing yields and savings on inputs like fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. Information was obtained by making use of the Delphi technique and group discussions whereby a multi dissiplinary team of experts were involved. The internal rate of return (IRR) was used as financial criterium in calculating the expected profitability of each of the eight crop rotation systems being researched. Of the eight systems the most profitable one is expected to be one consisting of wheat being rotated with medic and clover mixtures as grazing for livestock. The profitability analysis of the alternative crop rotation systems as well as the financial implications of the implementation thereof in the practical farming situation was performed with the aid of typical farming models of the region.

Enige doeltreffende voorligting- en inligtingstelsel moet op die behoeftes en idioom van die boer berus. Aangesien die inligtingsbehoeftes van die kommersiële boere oor die algemeen bevredig word terwyl die teenoorgestelde by ontwikkelende landbouers geld, fokus hierdie studie op die ontwerp van 'n kommunikasiestrategie wat gerig is op die kleinboer, maar wat tegelyk versoenbaar is met die behoeftes van die kommersiële boer. 'n Deelnemende kommunikasiebenadering vir inligtingbediening word voorgehou wat alle belangstellendes in staat sal stel om aktief deel te neem aan die stelsel en nie bloot ontvangers te wees van eksterne opgestelde boodskappe nie. Any meaningful extension and information system has to be based on the needs and in the vernacular of the farmer. Since the information needs of commercial farmers are - on the whole - satisfied while the opposite applies to developing farmers, this study focuses on the design of an information strategy aimed at the small farmer while it is simultaneously reconcilable with the needs of the commercial farmer. An approach of participating communication is suggested - one that will enable all interested parties to play an active role in the system instead of simply being recipients of pre-conceived messages.

This research focuses on the production practice of limited tillage, which is used to reduce input costs. The implementation of limited tillage causes mechanization changes, which in turn, results in higher fixed cost and lower variable cost. The hypothesis claimed that profit could be increased, thus motivating for the promotion of limited tillage for smallgrain production. Two farms in each of four subregions in the Southern Cape served as case studies. The conventional and limited tillage practices of each farm were analysed and evaluated by an expert group. In order to compare the profitability of the various crop rotation systems, an annuity of the total present value of the annual gross margin per hectare of each crop rotation system was calculated. The analyses showed that the crop rotation systems of the various case studies differed significantly, due to soil and climate differences between and even within the subregions. No uniform crop rotation system was found that could serve as a general recipe for the region. In spite of this, some principles could be deduced from the analyses that could be followed in order to improve the cultivation and other practices so as to increase profits. The most significant savings can be obtained with regard to cultivation and sowing density. The results show that switching to limited tillage combined with precision farming can increase profits.

Dairy farming in the Swart/and, one of the regions in the. Western Cape Province where milk is produced, was until the last decade a very important source of cash flow in farming, in contrast with wheat and sheep farming which produces an annual income. Presently the average size of a dairy is approximately 300 to 450 cows in production. In exceptional cases, there are even larger herds of900 to 1000 cows in production. Feeds such as silage and grain are self produced but cows are fed in a feedlot. Dry cows and heifers, however, graze on winter grasses such as oats and on stubble lands during summer. The long, dry and hot periods during summer go hand in hand with the Swart/and and do not allow dairy farming on permanent grazing. An economical case study was done on feedlot dairying. The results showed that nearly one third of the dairies operate at a loss, while a third run on a low profit. The profit in the top third was satisfactory. Results indicate that there is a need for research to determine whether it is possible to find methods to: • improve the effectiveness of the dairy industry • co-ordinate with a crop rotation in order to produce more feed • incorporate dairy farming in a supplementary relationship in the farming system to improve profits. The first step will be to identify the limiting factors i.e. management, feeding, sheltering, etc to optimise production efficiency and to expose it to the other overhead limiting factors to put the sustainability to the test, that is, overall farm planning. Dairy farming is a long-term activity and therefore the research in sustainability should at least correspond with the rotation of the annual crops to incorporate the dairy. An optimising technique which can be implemented in this regard is Dynamic Linear Programming (DLP).

The South African wheat industry's competitive position relative to the international wheat market and factors which may influence it in the long term are discussed in this article. In this respect the emphasis mainly falls on the trends in the cost of wheat imports and the factors which affect it, as well as on the potential implications of international trade liberalisation for the South African wheat industry's competitive position.

The wheat industry in South Africa is mainly concentrated on the utilisation of the internal market and in view of future internal market development and expansion the internal market potential for wheat and wheat products are discussed in this article. Considering wheat's role as a staple food for a large part of the population, the purpose is to form an idea of the factors which may influence the future market potential for wheat and wheat products in South Africa. Such a strategic perspective can serve as a starting point for the planning and formulation of marketing strategies in the wheat industry

Interest subsidies, as one of the emergency relief schemes to drought stricken farmers in the summer rainfall regions, was implemented to give producers the opportunity to recover from their financial setback through alleviating their interest burden and financing of new production credit. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether this aid can make a sufficient contribution to the financial recovery of this fam1ers. As basis for the approach in this study a typical farm was constructed for each relief scheme with data collected through a postal questionnare survey and group discussions. 111e North-western free State were used as study area. A simulation model was used to determine the influence this assistance will have on the typical farm over a ten year period, with three different inflat!~n situat(ons. The results show that interest subsidy aid for the Ten year scheme is at present not enough to ensure the long term solvah1hty of this farm ers. If the present value of the state's expences on interest subsidies are given as a single amount for carryover debt reduction, with no further subsidie~, a better solvency ratio could be achieved. With this form of aid the liquidity advantage for the fam1cr is larger and the state's funds are more efficiently spent. Better farmrng efficiency and management skills is essential to survive during a period of input cost inflation. Assistance given to improve the management quality of farmers will be the best form of aid to ensure their financial recovery.

Reduced-form price spread models have been recently utilized by Wohlgenant and Mullen, and Thompson and Lyon to evaluate the economic factors affecting the marketing margins for agricultural products. Drawing on Gardner, Heien, Buse and Brandow, Waugh, Tomek and Robinson, and others they specify alternative retail-farm price spread models and attempt to determine which best fit the data in the context of underlying theoretical rationale. This paper continues in the spirit of Wohlgenant and Mullen, and Thompson and Lyon by evaluating alternative specifications of the retail-farm price spread for white maize in South Africa. However, several important differences do remain. Wohlgenant and Mullen analyzed the price spread for beef using annual data, while Thompson and Lyon modeled the price spread for oranges using weekly data. The time period under consideration can be expected to affect the choice of model because fixed markup rules that might be evident using a short-run period of analysis (e.g., Thompson and Lyon) become untenable over the long run with underlying supply and demand shifts. In this paper, monthly data, which may be interpreted as an intermediate-run period, are used along with dichotomous supply-demand shifters. In addition, Brorsen et. a!. have shown that price uncertainty affects the price spread in the marketing channels of agricultural commodities. Thus, the analysis in this paper extends the framework of Wohlgenant and Mullen, and Thompson and Lyon to include measures of price risk. Finally, like Brorsen et. a!. this study pertains to the grain market, while Wohlgenant and Mullen, and Thompson and Lyon studied the marketing margin for non-storable commodities.

The yearly remuneration of farm managers is a factor of mainly experience of occupation and responsibility, as measured by the value of the assets a manager has to deal with in his managerial task. No direct relationship exists be post-matric education and remuneration. However, post-matric education seems to be good future investment due to the finding that positions with the greater responsibility are filled significantly by more managers in possession of a matric qualification.

The effectiveness of information can be measured in terms of the extent to which it enables clients to adapt to c_hanging circumst?nccs. The degree of the development of such an adaptation depends on the value of the_ inf?~ation passed on ~o the clients. The provt~1on_of appropriate and relevant information is, besides the conccpt_ua_l framcwo~k on _which II 1s_dcvcloped, als~ mflucnced by the underlying mstitutional and operational frameworks. There arc two distinct paradigms m the agncultural extension sphe~c of the RSA e.g . . the technical-educational and economic, each with their own separate institutions. As a result of the total dominance of th~ tcchni~aleducational paradigm, the economic paradigm has not come into its own with the rc_sultant poor d~velopment of b?th formal information systems and the managerial resource in agriculture. The inc~fectivcncss of the agncultural extens1o_n framework in the RS~ in te_rms of the generation of information is further enhanced by the existence of separate departments of agncul_turc for each parad1~m! ~t~ the result that extension is not being presented in a holistic (systems based) manner. The proposed hohsllc and therefore mult1-d1sc1phnary approach to agricultural extension in the RSA should be viable within the to be instituted regional agricultural development centres under a single department of agriculture.

This paper demonstrate the use of the single index model of Sharpe in order to quantify systematic and unsystematic risk for maize production in Development Region C (Orange Free State Region). The systematic risk shows the percentage of risk that is beyond the producers control. This risk is mostly anributable to market risk. The unsystematic risk on the other hand, is the percentage of risk that the producer can control. Unsystematic risk can be eliminated by diversification.

The decreasing trend in farm prizes for beef and mutton, originating 1989, continued in 1990. These decreases represent the normal interaction between an increase in supply and a disproportionate increase in demand. Farn1ers' decisions three years ago to produce more beef and mutton because of increasing prices and improved fanning conditions, caused in itial high prices because less animals were slaughtered. Producers increased herd sizes by decreasing the number of animals slaughtered, especially the number of female cattle. At present the industry is eA-pericncing a typical post-herd building phase with significant cyclical lows in pnces. Decreasinb producer prices are stimulated by an inability of consumers to effectively react on decreasing prices because of harsh economic conditions, putting their spending ability under pressure. At the same time mutton producer prices are declining and more momentum is to the decrease in producer prices by the decrease in wool prices. Given the normal cyclical behaviour of the beef and mutton industries it can be expected that the current cyclical low in prices arc to continue for at least a couple of years.