Peace, Leadership, and Conflict Transformation Publications

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Alternative Dispute Resolution Techniques for Intertwined Artisanal Mining-Communal Farming Conflict
(IGI Global, 2024-03) Banda, Annabel; Ncube, Mthuthukisi
The chapter discusses challenges of artisanal mining (AM), a nature-based livelihood strategy, in promoting sustainable agricultural practices. It highlights how AM competes for biodiversity and ecosystem services and causes environmental damage and a shift from traditional sustainable agricultural practices land-use tenure to uncontrolled itinerant AM. Methodologically, the chapter reviewed secondary systematic-literature review (SLR) of articles articulating the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques. These include facilitated mediation, negotiation, and arbitration that yield land-use zoning agreements (conciliation) to attain synergy and market convergencies. It recommends transforming negative-synergy and implementing zoning strategies that prevent land-use conflicts, conserve biodiversity, and extricate competing AM from communal farming to attain sustainability. The resultant, unbridled development would protect ecosystem-service producing biodiversity, converge AM-agricultural markets and sustainably, leading to sustainable agricultural growth and conservation.
Attaining Sustainable Smallholder Irrigation-farming and Rural-livelihoods through Social-capital: Post FastLand-Reform (FTLR) Perspectives from Rozva Irrigation Scheme, Bikita, Zimbabwe
(2023-12) Moyo, Funa; Ncube, Mthuthukisi; Mamhute, Sincere Tinovonga
This article examines social-capital’s contribution towards improving smallholder irrigation-farming, which is one of the primary means of subsistence in rural areas due to climate change under the Zimbabwe National Development Strategy (NDS) 1 policy’s human capital development cluster. This descriptive case-study used semi-structured questionnaires, focus groups, key informant interview data from 100 irrigation farmers. It concludes that social-capital is essential for sustainability through trust and solidarity, social norms and connections, communication and information sharing, collective action, rules and regulations, effective sanctions, and partnerships with institutions. It underscored that social-capital increases effective water management, informal financial insurance, social cohesion, farm profitability, effective governance and rehabilitation, and irrigation infrastructure. The results of this study are useful to communal and irrigation farmers, traditional and government leadership. The article recommends deliberate configuration of social-capital for smallholder irrigation programs to contribute significantly to food security and sustainable livelihoods.
The Competing Nature-Based Livelihood-Strategies: Artisanal Small-Scale Mining (ASM) Perspectives in Agricultural-Communities in Umzingwane District, Zimbabwe
(Adonis & Abbey, 2022-12-01) Moyo, Funa; Ncube, Mthuthukisi; Ndlovu, Thabo
Traditionally, southern Matabeleland is a cattle-producing region of Zimbabwe, punctuated by crop farming as key livelihood strategies. With the increasingly rampaging climate change effects on rain-fed agriculture, dwindling grazing pastures and competing ecosystem-based livelihoods, agricultural communities have diversified into artisanal small-scale gold mining (ASM) in the same region. This practice has brought conflicting livelihood strategies together in what scholars describe as the tragedy of ecosystem services. Artisanal mining, rain- fed agriculture, as well as irrigation-based farming are ecosystem-based rural livelihoods for coping with vulnerability of rural communities in drought prone areas. Scantily regulated, ASM often negatively affects other land-use activities, to the detriment of sustainable livelihoods and food security. The article explored the convergence of communal farming and ASM, and analysed the perspectives of ASM among agricultural communities in Umzingwane district of southern Matabeleland. A qualitative approach and case study design was used alongside purposive sampling technique to select the study area and the study participants. Data collection instrument triangulation strengthened the quality of data and validity of findings. The study concludes ASM and small- scale irrigation and communal farming are paradoxical, pulling together and apart. On one hand, proceeds from artisanal-gold-mining pay for labour in rain- fed communal and irrigation farming while surprisingly artisanal gold miners provide a major market for irrigation produce. However, ASM is notorious for competing and degrading farming ecosystems in pursuit of sustainable livelihoods. This manifests through encroaching ASM activities that elbow irrigation and communal farmers from fertile lands, threatening livelihoods and food security in Umzingwane district. Results show there exists embedded complementarity among irrigation, rain-fed and ASM despite conflicting regulatory frameworks. The article recommends the harmonisation of policies to build on this relationship while abating the negative competitive aspects between the livelihood strategies to strengthen the synergies for the sustainability of the two.
Exploring the prevalence of the sexually transmitted marks phenomenon in higher education institutions
(2019-11-27) Ncube, Mthuthukisi
Countries steadfastly pursue academia as a necessary step towards socio-economic development, which places a mandate on institutions of higher learning to stir host-country economies through university deliverables. In Zimbabwe, this entails the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development’s ‘doctrine’ spelling out the philosophy of ‘Education 5.0’ which emphasises teaching/learning, research, community engagement, innovation, and commercialisation of goods and services. However, academic dishonesty, such as that through ‘sexually transmitted marks’ (STM), threatens the realisation of such mandates. Although the norm is that such sexual transactions are initiated by academics, evidence shows students also initiate such relationships. Consequently, efforts to eliminate this threat to academic integrity should not only focus on lecturers, but also be extended to students. This paper contributes towards unmasking experiences of STM between male lecturers and female students, female lecturers and male students, and female students and male students, as determined from former university students and university alumni in Bulawayo. Exposing these practices allows for open consultation and adoption of good practices from similar institutions worldwide
Unpacking Negative Externalities of Social Capital in the Sustainability of Smallholder Rural Irrigation Farming: The Case of Rozva Irrigation Scheme in Bikita District, Zimbabwe
(International Journal of Social Science And Human Research, 2021-12-12) Ncube, Mthuthukisi; Moyo, Funa; Mamhute, Sincere Tinovonga
The article examines the negative externalities of social capital in the sustainability of smallholder irrigation farming. Smallholder irrigation farming has become one of the main sources of rural livelihood in Zimbabwe given the deficiencies in rainfall triggered by climate change among other factors. The establishment of smallholder irrigation schemes, refurbishment of irrigation infrastructure, introduction of new technology and the subsidization of farm inputs are several initiatives taken by the government of Zimbabwe, Non-Governmental organisations and the private sector to improving agricultural productivity among smallholder irrigation schemes. Despite these efforts, smallholder irrigation farming has remained unsustainable. Resultantly, most rural communities in Zimbabwe continue to face hunger and poverty, two overarching sustainable development goals (SDGs 1 & 2) one and two. This study examined the negative externalities of social capital on efforts to improve productivity and sustainability of Rozva smallholder irrigation scheme. The article argues that linking social capital, which includes partnerships between Rozva irrigation farmers and donor agencies, has created dependency syndrome that is inimical to the sustainability of the irrigation scheme. The article concludes some social connections detrimental to the sustainability of the scheme tend to create divisions among farmers. The article argues there is need for awareness on negative externalities of social capital and reduce these effects on the sustainability of the smallholder irrigation to realise social capital benefits among irrigation farming communities in Zimbabwe.
Unpacking the Paradox of Student-Involvement Quality Promotion Nexus: Knowing Where to Draw the Line and Implications Thereof
(International Journal of Social Science And Human Research, 2022-01-01) Ncube, Mthuthukisi; Ncube, Francis Godfrey; Mateke, Excellence Charles
Student-involvement in higher-education is necessary for quality-assurance outcomes, yet such involvement also threatens attainment of quality assured, presenting the paradox of higher-education (HE) systems. With the massification of enrolment-figures across the HE sector has been the need to balance HEI and student-centred perspectives. The notion of students as co-producers, consumers, and products of HEI processes creates discord in the quality assurance arena. Contradictory problems manifest when the producer must satisfy the consumer and audit quality of the products, yet students are all of these. This article explored the extent to which student-involvement fosters quality as well as sets parameters beyond which such participation cannot be done without compromising quality-assurance and desired academic-success. The artile drew a line for student-involvement and quality- assurance as double-barreled and sometimes paradoxical, contradictory pursuits. Data elicited from two HEIs in Zimbabwe using the questionnaire method and analysed using Microsoft Excel package generated descriptive frequencies and related graphs and charts to present findings. Documents were analysed using thematic content analysis to glean for relevant secondary data. Student-involvement is marred by unclear parameters at the three confluences of ‘students as co-producers’; ‘students as consumers’; and ‘students as products’ of HEI quality-assurance processes students should participate in, consume, and be products of. Derolling is thus necessary for students to function in various capacities as as co-producers, consumers, or as products. Students as ‘co-producers’ cannot be expected to produce themselves through ‘students as products’, neither can they be ‘consumers’ themselves while being the ‘product’ to be consumed by industry and communities through employment and innovation. The National Assembly should address contradictions through amending HEI-establishing Acts to cede policy making powers to the University Councilsacting jointly with senior management of universities. As co-producers, students involvement should be unlimited at governance levels (by different HEI students) while as consumers (within particular HEIs), student involvement should be limited to lower rungs at consumer level to avoid contradictions that potentially compromise quality. As HEI products, students should be limited to Alumni activities as main function should clearly differentiate among the various roles when crafting HEI policies that foster student involvement.

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