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Sustainable water security is critical for socio-economic development and livelihoods. It is in this context that a study was undertaken to examine sustainable water security in South Africa. Broadly, sustainable water security is sustainably having sufficient access to water without affecting the ecological balance of water resources and ecosystems. Sustainable water security is influenced by many factors that interact with and shape the availability, accessibility, and quality of water resources. This paper identifies and analyzes the factors influencing sustainable water security, focusing on one of the District Municipalities in the North West province in South Africa and making use of data collected from 384 households. We apply the logit regression model in analyzing the factors influencing sustainable water security among households. Our analysis is shaped by the Sustainable Livelihood Framework (SLF). Overall, there is an interplay of demographic, economic, and environmental factors which confirms the need for holistic and context-specific approaches to ensure sustainable access to clean and safe water for all. Therefore, targeted interventions and tailored policies are recommended to improve water security, particularly for vulnerable populations with larger households, lower education levels, and limited access to clean water sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global relevance of food security has attracted a plethora of research, because it is a determinant of either the prosperity or poverty of any nation. Accordingly, food security is directly associated with the poverty in many developing countries of the world today. Rural people around the world continue to struggle with food insecurity, persistent poverty and inequality, and environmental degradation. This necessitated a research study on food security in the North West province of South Africa, with a view to evaluate the food security status and its determinants in the area, as well as to compare the impact of gender on the food security status of households. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, where 346 maize farmers in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality of the North West, South Africa, were interviewed. A logically structured questionnaire was used to collect data where household expenditure survey was used to evaluate the food security status of these farmers, after which a logistics regression model was used to determine the factors responsible for food security. The findings reveal that, with more farming experience, the probability of household food security decreased. Also, an increase in the household size, by one member, decreases the probability of a household achieving food security. Similarly, a unit increase in the age of the head of household decreases the probability or likelihood of being food secured in the study area. The result also revealed that more than half of the farming households were food secure, while the female-headed households were more food secure, proportionately, compared to male-headed households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The green economy (GE) has increasingly gained international focus, with new strategies aimed at restructuring the economy in an environmentally friendly manner. A study was carried out to analyse existing and potential green jobs and identify green qualifications and skills necessary for the development of the GE. The study was done within the context of the role of local governments in the adoption of green economy strategies in the wastewater treatment sector, in selected local governments across the northern provinces of South Africa. A descriptive survey method with qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed for data collection from twenty-four wastewater treatment plants in eleven local municipalities. The concept of the GE was foreign to several employees, who could not identify green jobs within most sectors of the economy. Only13.5% of the employees of the surveyed plants were involved in directly green jobs. A further 36% were in green-related jobs while the remaining 50.5% were involved in non-green jobs. Barriers to the creation of green jobs and implementation of green practices were the shortage of employees with green and conventional wastewater treatment skills, and lack of training in green skills. Several opportunities for green jobs creation exist, such as the implementation of renewable energy, re-use of treated effluent, and processing of waste sludge into compost. To spur GE growth and create green jobs, the creation of awareness, development of skills and implementation of green technologies should be intensified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to determine factors affecting smallholder cattle farmers' participation in high-value cattle markets in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District, South Africa. A total of 109 smallholder cattle farmers were randomly selected and interviewed by using structured questionnaire. Descriptive and probit regression analysis were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Science. The results revealed that the majority of the farmers: were males, married, not formally educated, had <10years of cattle farming experience, did not participate in the most rewarding channels, used informal markets, received higher prices from the cattle markets nearer and regularly used. The statistically significant variables found to influence the cattle farmers' participation in the high value formal markets from the probit regression analyses were number of heifers (Z=2.742: Sig. 0.006), keep farm-records (Z=2.611: Sig. 0.009), years in cattle farming (Z=-2.451: Sig. 0.014), and slaughtering cattle and selling as carcass (Z=-1.899: Sig. 0.054). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective was to determine the reproducibility of two, three, four and five repeated 24-hour recalls among peri-urban African adolescents. Method: A prospective study design was used within the multidisciplinary PhysicaL Activity in the Young (PLAY) study. Eighty-seven Grade 9 learners (59 girls and 28 boys, aged 10-18 years) with a mean age of 14.7 ± 1.5 years, who had completed five 24-hour recalls, were investigated. The learners were from Seiphemelo Secondary School in Ikageng, a peri-urban area in the North West province of South Africa. Reproducibility coefficients (RCs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated, using the intraclass correlation coefficient formula for transformed values of selected nutrients and food groups, for two, three, four and five repeated 24-hour recalls. The RCs and 95% CIs were compared in order to identify the optimum number of 24-hour recalls to give the best reproducibility results. Results: The RCs were nutrient- and food-group sensitive and ranged from 0.25 (riboflavin) to 0.6 (carbohydrate). Although differences were not statistically significant, RCs for four and five 24-hour recalls were higher than those obtained for two and three 24-hour recalls. For most nutrients and food groups, four 24-hour recalls gave the highest RCs, with non-significant differences overall between the four and five 24-hour recalls. Conclusion: The results suggest that four 24-hour recalls would be sufficient to provide acceptable reproducibility of reported food group and nutrient intakes among peri-urban African adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]