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06 April 2018
Photo Rulanzen Martin
From the left: Dr Thulisile Mphambukeli, leader of the BRICS research team that is exploring the political economy of water and food security, and her research partner, Dr Victor Okorie.
A Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) delegation is to hold the 10th Annual BRICS Summit in the last week of May 2018 in Johannesburg. Dr Thulisile Mphambukeli, leader of the University of the Free State (UFS) research team alongside Dr Victor Okorie from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, in collaboration with Prof Lere Amusan of North-West University, will ensure that water and food security is a prominent feature on the gathering’s agenda.
First, the project titled: “Exploring the political economy of water and food security nexus in BRICS and Africa” will debut at the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences BRICS Think Tank Forum”.
According to Dr Mphambukeli, the key to water security is attitudinal change by means of education and conscientisation. This, she is adamant about, holds the potential to drive behavioural adjustments in the way society interacts with water.
Genetic and social approaches
Dr Okorie asserts that if strides towards reducing the demand for water were to be made, research efforts should be geared towards effecting changes at DNA level. Meaning we need to explore waterwise ways that enable crops and animals to thrive optimally.
The project also looks at social dimensions of water such as flushing a toilet. “Research activities on redesigning toilets, especially the urinal, where more than nine litres of water are used to flush less than one cubic centimetre of urine, are timely in the context of managing water and the food nexus crises,” said Dr Okorie.
Combining the genetic and social approaches would allow us to produce more with a smaller water footprint. This can be made possible by implementing precision agriculture which is about estimating and applying exact quantities of water and nutrients needed for the production of crops or the raising of livestock.
Paradigm shifting policies
Prof Amusan said the team intended to propose functional solutions that take the quality of water into consideration. Equitable production and distribution of water depends on endorsing policies of co-production between citizens, governments and the public sector. BRICS member states mutually consider water and food security as an issue of paramount significance, hence its feature on this prestigious summit’s agenda.
Married couple from the UFS launch their latest book on psychology
2008-10-28
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A book by Prof. Dap Louw (right), head of the Centre for Psychology and the Law in the Department of Psychology at the University of the Free State (UFS), and his wife, Prof. Anet Louw (left), associate professor in the same department, was recently launched. The 400-page book with the title “Child and Adolescent Development” (also available in Afrikaans as “Die Ontwikkeling van die Kind en die Adolessent”), is full of South African data, examples, case-studies and illustration material such as photos and sketches. Various universities have already prescribed the book. Profs Louw are currently busy with a book that links up with the book mentioned, namely “Adult Development/Die Ontwikkeling van die Volwassene”. This book should be published before the end of 2008. Afterwards a total revision and renewal of their existing first-year book, with "Abnormal Behaviour in the South African Context", are next on the list. Here Proff. Louw are handing a copy of their latest book to the Acting Rector of the UFS, Prof. Teuns Verschoor (middle). According to the Louws, Prof. Verschoor’s support regarding the academic jurisdiction of the book as well as his view that the writing of books should not be neglected by lecturers and researchers, has contributed a lot to the publishing of the book.
Photo: Supplied |