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Masters Degrees (Economic History and Development Studies)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10413/7240

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Economic History and Development Studies) by Author "Francis, Michael Douglas."

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    The state, land reform, old farmers and new farmers : an assessment of farming in the Shangani area of Zimbabwe.
    (2014) Chikowore, Shepherd.; Fakude, Gordon Phiwinhlanhla Ian.; Francis, Michael Douglas.
    After the lapse of the Fast Track Land Reform Program in Zimbabwe, agricultural production slumped and the slump persisted for a decade. An assortment of factors explaining the slump has been brought forward and the new farming strategies of the new farmers were elaborated in passing. This dissertation identified and assessed the farming strategies and practices employed by the new farmers at De Beers Shangani ranch after the Fast Track Land Reform program of 2000. It discussed the land reform process in Shangani and specifically its outcomes mainly on agricultural production. It examined the impact of the socio-political environment in Shangani and explored how the socio-political environment has influenced the choice of strategies hence affecting the farmers‟ production. Guided by the Agricultural Sustainability and Political Ecology conceptual frameworks it assessed how sustainable these strategies were in relation with the soil types, climatic conditions and socio-political milieu in Shangani. In addition, state-farmers relations were explored to ascertain how the relationship has affected agricultural production of the new farmers. In-depth interviews were conducted to a sample population of 20 participants who were purposively selected basing on their knowledge and expertise on farming systems employed by the new farmers at Debshan. Conclusions drawn from this dissertation reveal that some strategies adopted by the well-off farmers have managed to increase production while some strategies adopted by the impoverished and financially struggling farmers have resulted to low production. It concludes that farming strategies employed by the new farmers at Debshan have an impact on the agricultural production of the farmers. The state-farmer relations have also affected agricultural production negatively and led to low utilization of land hence low production.
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    The struggle for daily life in Durban : Congolese migrants economic survival strategies.
    (2014) Dunia, Heri Mugisha.; Francis, Michael Douglas.
    This study explores the livelihoods experiences of Congolese migrants in the city of Durban with particular reference to the various ways and means they utilize in order to survive amid a rough environment in tough times emanating from global economic meltdown sided with economic austerity measures. Qualitative methodology is the approach as the ‘how’, ‘why’ and ‘what’ of the Congolese migrants’ economic survival strategies are investigated. The sampling area involved South Beach and Saint Georges vicinities. Five elements from both areas were interviewed using in-depth interviews. Purposive sampling technique was used to identify relevant respondents to which a snowball sampling method was added to help reaching more interviewees. The findings of this study reveal that in the absence of the local government intervention Congolese migrants are left alone to mend their way to develop economic means of survival on the quotidian in Durban. In a country that is Identity driven, their lack of proper documents hinge their integration in the mainstream of the local economy. Police harassment coupled with xenophobic patterns of attitudes from locals jeopardise their livelihoods as they wrestle to reproduce. Their economic contribution to the city is very insignificant owing to issues of disempowerment. They lack skills in general and technical training in particular to adequately compete economically in today’s globalized society. The centrality of this study is that these findings can be extrapolated on other migrants at the provincial and national level and can contribute to design policies that can mitigate the plight of migrants.