http://hdl.handle.net/10204/452 2013-05-24T02:40:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6742 Title: Environmental change in Bushbuckridge Authors: Erasmus, BFN; Coetzer, K; Mambo, J; Archer, E; Fisher, JT; Asner, GP Abstract: Bushbuck Ridge is a typical cultural landscape where the interdependency of people and the environment shape the savanna ecosystem goods and services upon which many people are dependent. The forced resettlement of people in the apartheid era, together with Mozambican refugees, have resulted in high human densities. The majority of people rely heavily on the rural rangelands for a variety of natural products, and the ability of these ecosystems to continue delivering these products under conditions of climate change and land cover change is in doubt. Historical trends show that settlements are expanding, with an increasing corresponding footprint around each village, where woodland resources are depleted. People can and do adapt to environmental change, but projecting current trends in the changes that we observe, combined with increased unpredictability of rainfall, threatens to decouple the age-old interdependencies in the this cultural landscape, and present inhabitants with conditions beyond their adaptation capacity. Description: Copyiright: Sun Media Publishing,Stellenbosch, South Africa 2011-05-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6741 Title: Sustainable water for rural security - A transdisciplinary approach Authors: Maherry, A; Genthe, B; Steyn, M; Clarke, S; Beukman, E; Audouin, M; Van Wyk, I; Wall, K Abstract: This abstract presents the work conductive by the CSIR project entitled Sustainable Water for Rural Security with the following aims: to link research disciplines within the CSIR which together can provide an appropriate science base to enable the provision of clean water to rural communities; to bridge the knowing-doing gap by carrying out research on integrated implementation in partnership with communities and implementing Agencies; to ensure the sustained and expanded impact of this action-research through effective transfer of knowledge and technologies; and to identify the critical design criteria that ensure sustainability of rural water supply systems in South Africa. Description: WISA 2012 Biennial Conference and Exhibition. Conference Proceedings, Cape Town International Convention Centre, 6-10 May 2012 2012-05-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6737 Title: Health impact assessment of Solar Disinfection (SODIS) of drinking water in three African countries Authors: du Preez, M Abstract: Access to affordable, safe and sufficient quantities of water is fundamental to health and dignity of all humans. However, in 2006 an estimated 1.1 billion people still had no access to safe water and 2.6 billion lacked access to basic sanitation (UNICEF, 2010). An estimated 94% of the diarrhoeal burden of disease is attributable to the environment, and associated with risk factors such as unsafe drinking water, lack of sanitation and poor hygiene (Prüss-Üstün and Corvalán, 2006). Water contaminated with waterborne pathogens has a direct and profound negative effect on human health and consequently livelihoods, in the developed and developing world. The immediate adverse health effects of ingesting enteric waterborne pathogens mostly manifest in the form of diarrhoea. Globally diarrhoea ranks as the second largest cause of morbidity (UNICEF/WHO, 2009). One in five deaths in children is caused by diarrhoea bringing the number to a staggering 1.5 million children each year (UNICEF/WHO, 2009). Young children are impacted the most and for those infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who have developed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), diarrhoea can be prolonged and severe and can ultimately cause death (USAID/BASIC, 2007). Solar disinfection (SODIS) refers to disinfection of water in transparent plastic bottles using sunlight. The effect of SODIS on diarrhoea in children was determined in South Africa (January, 2007 to December 2008), Kenya (July 2007 to March 2009) and Zimbabwe (June 2009 to November 2009). Based on information of census data and accessibility, peri-urban and rural areas with different socio-economic levels and water sources were selected as study areas. This thesis describes the rationale, methods and findings of the first scientific objective “Health impact assessments in three African countries.” The author was responsible for the overall coordination of the three African studies based on the protocol of the health impact assessments she developed during the proposal development phase. The health impact assessments were undertaken in South Africa by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and two non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the Institute for Water and Sanitation Development (IWSD) in Zimbabwe and the International Community for the Relief of Starvation and Suffering (ICROSS) in Kenya. Description: A thesis submitted to the Department of Physiology & Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2010-09-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10204/6728 Title: Experiences, challenges and lessons from rolling out a rural WiFi mesh network Authors: Rey-Moreno, C; Roro, Z; Tucker, WD; Jay Siya, MJ; Bidwell, NJ; Simo-Reigadas, J Abstract: The computing for development community knows that technology interventions involve consideration of social, technical and environmental factors. Research into WiFi solutions has fallen off as ubiquitous mobile solutions penetrate even the deepest rural communities worldwide. This paper argues that the latest wave of WiFi mesh networks offers benefits that traditional top-down WiFi and mobile networks do not. In addition, we propose ethnographic and participatory methods to aid the effective rollout of mesh inverse infrastructure with and for a given community. This paper describes and then analyzes a mesh for voice rollout within a situated context. We explain how to conduct informed community co-design and how to factor in local socio-political concerns that can impact on the design, rollout and subsequent maintenance of community-based wireless mesh networks. While we have not yet analyzed baseline and initial usage data, we do have new lessons to offer. Description: Proceedings of the 3rd ACM Symposium on Computing for Development, Bangalore, India, 11-12 January 2013. Published in ACM Digital library 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z