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20 July 2018 Photo Leonie Bolleurs
Research informs about sustainable use of fresh water for food production
Conducting research on the topic of water-footprint assessment, are from the left: Dr Enoch Owusu-Sekyere, Dr Henry Jordaan, study leader and Senior Lecturer in the UFS Department of Agricultural Economics, Dr Frikkie Maré (Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics), and Adetoso Adetoro.

The fact that South Africa is a water-scarce country has been highlighted during the past couple of years, and even city dwellers were suddenly very aware of the drought due to the strict water restrictions. These are the words of Dr Frikkie Maré, Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of the Free State (UFS) and one of the graduates who received his PhD on water-footprint assessment studies at the recent June 2018 graduations.

The department is currently involved in various water-footprint and water-management research projects which assist in providing solutions for better water management in the future. “As department, we want to be at the forefront of research that will assist all agricultural producers with sustainable production practices to ensure economic, environmental, and social sustainable food and fibre products for the society at large,” said Dr Maré.

Research funded by Water Research Commission

The UFS recently conferred two PhD degrees (Drs Enoch Owusu-Sekyere and Frikkie Maré) and one master’s degree (Adetoso Adetoro) in the Department of Agricultural Economics. All three have been working in the field of water-footprint assessment. The research formed part of two different projects that were initiated and funded by the Water Research Commission.

According to Dr Henry Jordaan, Senior Lecturer in this department, four of his students already received their master’s degrees on the topic of water-footprint assessment, while two students are busy with PhDs and three more are working on their master’s degrees.

Topic gains momentum in research community
The water-footprint concept serves as a useful indicator to sensitise society about the impact of the food we eat on scarce freshwater resources – from agricultural producers using water to produce primary food crops and products on the farm, to the end consumer buying the food products in the retail store in town.

“Water-footprint assessment is a relatively new field aimed at informing the sustainable use of fresh water for food production. This topic is gaining momentum in the research community, given the substantial increase in the global population in the context of freshwater resources that is getting increasingly scarce. The challenge is to feed the growing population while still using the scarce freshwater resources sustainably.

Volume of water used to produce food

“In order to inform water users on how to use the resource sustainably, it is important to know the volume of water that was used to produce the required food products. Through our research, we are contributing to this knowledge by assessing the volume of water that was used to produce selected products, and to interpret the water use in the context of water availability to gain insight into the degree of sustainability with which the resource is used. The results are expected to inform water users, water managers, and policy makers regarding the sustainable use of fresh water for food production,” said Dr Jordaan.

News Archive

Extraordinary professor appointed
2005-11-10

UFS appoints its first extraordinary professor for health systems research and development  

 

 

Prof Dingie van Rensburg (Director: Centre for Health Systems Research and Development at the UFS) and Prof  Helen Schneider (senior researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand's Centre for Health Policy and extraordinary professor at the UFS Centre for Health Systems Research and Development). Photo: L Loader

 

The Centre for Health Systems Research and Development (CHSR&D) at the University of the Free State (UFS) has appointed its first extraordinary professor. 

Prof Helen Schneider, former director of the Centre for Health Policy at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) and currently senior researcher in that Centre and consultant in the WITS School of Public Health, was appointed by CHSR&D for a period of two years.

“Prof Schneider is widely known for her thorough experience, expertise and exposure in the field of public health, health policy and management and health policy and systems research.  We are honoured to have her join us as an extraordinary professor,”  said Prof Dingie van Rensburg, Director of CHSR&D.

Prof Schneider will be involved in various components of the CHSR&D’s long-term project on public sector anti-retroviral treatment (ART) and will also assist in the documenting, monitoring, evaluating and facilitation of the implementation of the national treatment plan in the Free State.  She is also assisting the Gauteng Department of Health in a similar way.

“The two provinces are actually so different.  They provide a different window on the realities of HIV/AIDS and the intellectual traditions involved in it,” said Prof Schneider.  “I hope to contribute meaningfully to finding new dimensions for research necessary in order to optimise the contribution and effect of the research on ART,” said Prof Schneider.

Another need for Prof Schneider’s appointment is to strengthen the senior research capacity of the CHSR&D, guide them with the ART project and assist in the implementation of research results into policy, management and practice.

Media release
Issued by:Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel:  (051) 401-2584
Cell:  083 645 2454
E-mail:  loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
9 November 2005

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