Die globale Hungersituation hat sich seit 1990 verbessert, wie der Welthunger-Index 2013 anhand von Daten aus dem Zeitraum 2008-2012 zeigt. Der WHI ist um ein Drittel gesunken. Dennoch ist die weltweite Hungersituation nach wie vor „ernst“.

The net effect of heavy grazing and land degradation on plant diversity and richness is insufficiently understood for incorporation in national biodiversity assessments. A study was undertaken to determine the effects of heavy grazing primarily on richness of vascular plant species across the arid and semi-arid rangeland biomes of South Africa.

Der Bericht zum Welthunger-Index 2013 – der achte in einer jährlich erscheinenden Serie – stellt die Entwicklung des weltweiten, regionalen und nationalen Hungers mittels eines mehrdimensionalen Indexwertes dar. Er zeigt, dass die Weltgemeinschaft bei der Bekämpfung des Hungers seit 1990 gewisse Fortschritte gemacht hat, dass aber noch viel zu tun ist.

In many developing countries, land ownership remains a subject of contention. In South Africa, notwithstanding the strides that have been made to foster equitable land ownership, land reform policies have been unsuccessful in delivering land to the poor majority.

This paper presents a methodological framework for revitalising small-scale irrigation schemes which are no longer performing well due to a combination of infrastructural, social-economic, institutional and governance problems, among others. The framework was developed as part of a project to revitalise small-scale irrigation schemes in Masvingo Province in Zimbabwe.

Urban agriculture is potentially an important element of land reform and economic development programmes in South Africa. The social value of urban agriculture, such as improving food security, developing a sense of community and promoting ecological conservation, is well documented.

Deep, linear gullies are a common feature of the present landscape of the Karoo of South Africa, where they were known locally in the early twentieth century as ‘sluits’. Recent research has shown that many of these features are now stable and are no longer significant sediment sources, although they are efficient connectors in the landscape.

The South African government has endeavoured to strengthen property rights in communal areas and develop civil society institutions for community-led development and natural resource management. However, the effectiveness of this remains unclear as the emergence and operation of civil society institutions in these areas is potentially constrained by the persistence of traditional authorities.