ABSTRACT It has been asserted that unconventional modes of public transport in the third world cities flourish because of increasing
ABSTRACT This study examines handicraft production and the effects of local and global spatio-temporal changes on craft production and craft-based livelihoods in the Ashanti region of Ghana. It also investigates the coping and survival mechanisms craftspeople have adopted to overcome production difficulties and poverty. The study is philosophically grounded in cultural geography (cultural globalisation). Using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, Value Chain analysis. Participatory Wealth ...
Abstract This empirical study in application-oriented Human Geography examined conditions of entrepreneurial knowledge and skill enhancement strategies practiced by informal food vendors in Windhoek’s Okuryangava suburb, which are apparently required for the achievement of individual aspirations such as socio-economic resilience. Against the analysis framework of the ‘Street Vendors Success and Knowledge Gap’, the research focused on two components, namely the Social and the Human Capit...
ABSTRACT In Namibia, the land question remains high on the agenda of Government, which is implementing a land reform programme since 1995. The reform attempts the correction of inherited imbalances in the access to land in order to alleviate poverty and dependency. The research was guided by the theoretical framework known as 'decoloniality'; and configured around the concept of land tenure structure, considered as a central element of any agrarian system. The subject has been widely investig...
ABSTRACT This study was conducted at Sarusungu Border Post, a socio-economic conduit at Rundu-Calais Bridgehead in Kavango East Region. The research investigated Informal Cross Border trade patterns, pro-poor benefits and hindrances of Informal Cross Border Trade (ICBT). The investigation used a qualitative approach in form of semi-structured interviews and field observation. The study had a sample of 55 participants consisting of informal traders, money exchangers, border officials and key ...
ABSTRACT Changes in vegetation or land use that affects soil respiration are a major concern for global climate change. Bush clearing in north-central Namibia has been used as a solution to problems of bush encroachment. However, the effect of bush clearing on soil processes, such as the carbon cycle and soil CO2 efflux has not yet been quantified in Namibia. The main aim of this study was to determine and compare the amount of soil respiration between the cleared and uncleared sites at dif...
ABSTRACT Management of tourism-based protected areas often presents challenges in balancing biodiversity conservation and tourism development. Thus, understanding the interaction of related socio-ecological systems is essential for conservation. This study assessed how tourist roads, being part of tourism infrastructural development, impacts on the conservation efforts in the Etosha National Park, one of Namibia’s hotspot for biodiversity conservation and visitor attractions. For empirical...
ABSTRACT Provision of electricity in rural areas enhances the achievement of economic and social development objectives. A photovoltaic mini-grid in the Tsumkwe Settlement Area of Namibia was established to enhance human and community development in the sparsely populated rural areas of Namibia to alleviate poverty. The impact that the mini-grid has had on the target beneficiaries has not been fully quantified and qualified. This study evaluated, and documents such impacts, thus facilitating...
ABSTRACT Informal settlements expansion and development continues to be a problem for the government and urban planners. Understanding spatial dynamics of informal settlements may therefore be a key for future success in their effective management. This research explores the possibilities offered by the advancement in GeoInformation science and spatial analysis to improve the understanding of informal settlement spatial dynamics. A geographical information system (GIS) was used to analyse th...
ABSTRACT This empirical study was conducted in the Kabbe Constituency of the Zambezi Region which is inundated by recurrent floods of varying magnitudes each year. The flood risk perceptions and coping strategies used by the indigenous residents have not been given much academic attention. Although the flood mitigation approaches applied in the Kabbe Constituency seemingly ameliorate the disastrous impacts, they have proved inadequate. This study used 150 unstructured interviews and field st...
Abstract Drought poses a threat to socio-economic activities across eastern Africa and its river basins. While there are indications that global warming may continue to enhance evaporation and intensify droughts at all scales, most drought projections over eastern Africa are based on rainfall alone and are limited to meteorological droughts. The present study combines rainfall and Potential Evapotranspiration (PET) to examine the characteristics of meteorological and hydrological droughts in ...
ABSTRACT In light of the current literature on green grabbing, this study is motivated by the need to understand whether TFCAs are characterized by green grabbing and what form they take if indeed they are unfolding there. It investigated the modes of land control and transfer - within the Lesotho component of the Maloti Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area and South Africa’s Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area – in order to explore the politics of land in TFCAs thro...
ABSTRACT Recent demographic dynamics have revealed a dramatic shift in the world’s population, manifesting for the first time ever, more than half of all the world’s population living in urban areas, with 2008 being the transition year. Ghana is not an exception, as its urban centres continue to experience unprecedented growth. Although cities are focal points for development, they equally potentiate the accumulation of risks if not managed properly. The objective of the study therefore i...
ABSTRACT The study focused on analysing geospatial internet customer satisfaction levels, using the Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. The aim of the study was to investigate how demographic and economic factors influence satisfaction levels. The study followed a quantitative design and employed the systematic sampling method to select a sample of 248 potential internet users. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from selected samples. The statis...