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Pioneering greenhouse gas research in South African rainfed agriculture

09 February 2024 | Story EDZANI NEPHALELA | Photo SUPPLIED

Dr Jerry Dlamini, lecturer and researcher specialising in agronomy within the Department of Soil, Crop, and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS), is at the forefront of pioneering research in this field.

Greenhouse gas emissions represent a significant global concern, driving climate change on a massive scale. This concern is particularly pronounced in rainfed agriculture, where understanding and addressing these emissions are crucial for ensuring sustainable agricultural practices.

In South Africa, rainfed agriculture is vital in food production, contributing substantially to the nation's agricultural output. However, this sector also stands as a notable contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, primarily through activities such as livestock farming, fertiliser use, and changes in land use.

Dr Jerry Dlamini, a distinguished lecturer and researcher specialising in agronomy within the Department of Soil, Crop, and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS), is leading pioneering research in this field. His current project, @CROPGas on X, funded by the European Joint Programme (EPJ), with a budget of R22 million, focuses on investigating the impact of various conservation agriculture interventions on greenhouse gas emissions, primarily targeting nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and carbon dioxide (CO2).

This two-year project, which commenced in December 2022 and concludes in December 2024, is a collaborative effort between European and African universities and institutions, including Rothamsted Research (UK), University College Dublin (Ireland), University of Nottingham (UK), University of Poznan (Poland), British Geological Surveys (BGS), University of Zambia (Zambia), University of Zimbabwe, and Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Malawi).

Dr Dlamini’s preliminary findings from the UFS Kenilworth Experimental Farm indicate that climate-smart agriculture interventions, such as legume rotation and no-till practices, have the potential to reduce the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions, particularly highly radiative gases like N2O.

“This is a significant finding,” Dr Dlamini noted, “as N2O has a global warming potential 100 times greater than CO2 over a 100-year horizon, meaning its impact on ozone depletion persists far longer despite being emitted in smaller quantities.”

Looking ahead, Dr Dlamini advocates for increased research efforts to quantify greenhouse gas emissions from South African croplands. He emphasises the importance of field-based measurements, akin to methodologies employed by other nations, to enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of South Africa's greenhouse gas inventories submitted annually to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and to devise effective mitigation strategies.

News Archive

Council votes on appointment of senior staff

2004-11-18

The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) today voted on the filling of three senior vacancies, including one post at Dean level and two at the level of Vice-Dean.

The Council voted as follows:


Dr Natie Luyt will be offered the post of Dean: Student Affairs	Prof Engela Pretorius will be offered the post of Vice-Dean: Faculty of Humanities	Dr Choice Makhetha will be offered the post of Vice-Dean: Student Affairs

“There are special challenges for the UFS in the short and medium term regarding transformation of our residences, and a certain combination of management qualities and skills is desirable. As a result of the diversity of the UFS’s student community it is therefore important to us to follow a team approach to deal with the challenges. With the combination of Drs Luyt and Makhetha, I believe we will be able to manage student affairs effectively and skillfully,” says Prof Frederick Fourie, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS.

“It is wonderful that we are able to celebrate the outcome of this process that has brought forward such excellent candidates who reflect our country’s diversity. It shows that we can achieve the goals of quality and diversity at the same time,” says Prof Fourie.

Prof Pretorius obtained all her qualifications (BA, BA (Hons) (cum laude), MA (cum laude) and D Phil) from the UFS, except for the Certificate in Gender Policy Management (cum laude) which she obtained in 2000 from WITS. She joined the Department of Sociology at UFS in 1980 and has headed the Department since 2001. She acted as Vice-Dean: Faculty of Humanities since July 2004. She has some thirty publications to her credit, published both nationally and internationally and has delivered 20 national and international papers. She is a member of the South African Sociological Association and is a member of the Council of the association and of the Editorial Board of Society in Transition, the society’s journal. She is also a member of the South African Academy for Science and Art and the Federation of African Women Educationalists in South Africa (FAWESA). Project involvement includes the Australian Women’s Executive Development Programme and the project Executive Development of Senior Women in South African Higher Education Institutions. She is also an NRF panelist.

Dr Luyt obtained his qualifications (BA, BA (Hons) (cum laude), MA (cum laude) and D Phil) at the UFS and started his career at the same institution in 1980 as lecturer in Political Science. He was promoted to senior lecturer in 1983 and appointed as Director: Student Affairs in 1997. He has been acting as Dean: Student Affairs since 2003. Dr Luyt completed several work-related training courses, among others a course in ethnic and multiculturality at the Swiss Institute for Federalism and a course in conflict management at the South Tyrolean Economic and Social Institute.

Dr Makheta also obtained all her qualifications (BA, BA (Hons), MA in Political Science and Ph D in Political Science) at the UFS and started working as a student assistant in Political Science at the same institution in 1999. She was promoted to junior assistant in 2000, coordinator and facilitator of Political Science in 2001, assistant/acting Director: Student Affairs in 2001 and acting Director: Student Affairs in 2003. Dr Makhetha is currently a Senior Political Analyst at the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The UFS Council also approved the promotion of nine professors to the rank of senior professor. They are Proff Louise Cilliers (Department English and Classical Languages), Dap Louw (Department of Psychology), Philip Nel (Department Afro-Asiatic Studies, Sign Language and Language Practice), Dirk van den Berg (Department of History of Art and Visual Culture Studies) Dingie van Rensburg (Director: Centre for Health Systems Research and Develoment), Andries Raath (Department of Constitutional Law and Philosophy of Law), James du Preez (Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology), Johan Grobbelaar (Department of Plant Sciences) and Louis Scott (Department of Plant Sciences).

This is the first group ever of senior professors at the UFS. The post level was created to provide better career and earnings opportunities for high quality academics and to increase the attractiveness of an academic career to young people.

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

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