Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism

Limits of Growth

Examines the motivation for achievement as a psychological factor that shapes economic development. Refuting arguments based on race, climate, or population growth, the book instead argues for cultural customs and motivations - especially the motivation for achievement - as the major catalysts of economic growth. Considering the Protestant Reformation, the rise of capitalism, parents' influences on sons, and folklore and children's stories as shaping cultural motivations for achievement, the book hypothesizes that a high level of achievement motivation precedes economic growth. This is supported through qualitative analysis of the achievement motive, as well as of other psychological factors - including entrepreneurial behavior and characteristics, and available sources of achievement in past and present highly achieving societies. It is the achievement motive - and not merely the profit motive or the desire for material gain - that has advanced societies economically. Consequently, individuals are not merely products of their environment, as many social scientists have asserted, but also creators of the environment, as they manipulate it in various ways in the search for achievement. Finally, a plan is hypothesized to accelerate economic growth in developing countries, by encouraging and supplementing their achievement motives through mobilizing the greater achievement resources of developed countries. The conclusion is not just that motivations shape economic progress, but that current influences on future people's motivations and values will determine economic growth in the long run. Thus, it is most beneficial for a society to concentrate its resources on creating an environment conducive to entrepreneurship and a strong ideological base for achievement. (CJC)

The Achieving Society

International trade. Statistics

Value estimates of ecosystem goods and services are useful to justify the allocation of resources towards conservation, but inconclusive estimates risk unsustainable resource allocations. Here we present replacement costs as a more accurate value estimate of insect pollination as an ecosystem service, although this method could also be applied to other services. The importance of insect pollination to agriculture is unequivocal. However, whether this service is largely provided by wild pollinators (genuine ecosystem service) or managed pollinators (commercial service), and which of these requires immediate action amidst reports of pollinator decline, remains contested. If crop pollination is used to argue for biodiversity conservation, clear distinction should be made between values of managed- and wild pollination services. Current methods either under-estimate or over-estimate the pollination service value, and make use of criticised general insect and managed pollinator dependence factors. We apply the theoretical concept of ascribing a value to a service by calculating the cost to replace it, as a novel way of valuing wild and managed pollination services. Adjusted insect and managed pollinator dependence factors were used to estimate the cost of replacing insect- and managed pollination services for the Western Cape deciduous fruit industry of South Africa. Using pollen dusting and hand pollination as suitable replacements, we value pollination services significantly higher than current market prices for commercial pollination, although lower than traditional proportional estimates. The complexity associated with inclusive value estimation of pollination services required several defendable assumptions, but made estimates more inclusive than previous attempts. Consequently this study provides the basis for continued improvement in context specific pollination service value estimates.

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Valuing Insect Pollination Services with Cost of Replacement

The paradigm shift from fossil to renewable energy sources is driven, largely, by a growing sustainability awareness, necessitating more sophisticated measurements in terms of a wider range of criteria. Technical efficiency, financial profitability, environmental friendliness and social acceptance are some of the aspects determining the sustainability of renewable energy systems. The resulting complexity and sometimes conflicting nature of these criteria constitute major barriers to the implementation of renewable energy projects. The Worcester biomass procurement area in the Western Cape Province, South Africa, is used as a case study. It provides a blueprint for measuring the impacts of lignocellulosic bioelectricity systems – using life-cycle assessment (LCA), multi-period budgeting (MPB), geographic information systems (GIS) and multi-criteria decision-making analysis (MCDA), among others – and for prioritising the relevant criteria to determine the most sustainable technological option. Following the LCA approach, 37 plausible lignocellulosic bioenergy systems were assessed against five financial-economic, three socio-economic and five environmental criteria. On translating the quantitative performance data into a standardised ‘common language’ of relative performance, an expert group attached weights to the considered criteria, using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Assuming the prerequisite of financial-economic viability, the preferred option comprises a feller-buncher for harvesting, a forwarder for biomass extraction, mobile comminution at the roadside, secondary transport in truck-container-trailer combinations and an integrated gasification system for the conversion into electricity. This approach illustrates how to internalise externalities as typical market failures, aiding decision makers to choose the most sustainable bioenergy system.

Determining the most sustainable lignocellulosic bioenergy system following a case study approach

Purchases of agricultural land for diverse reasons, such as recreation or aesthetic appeal (collectively referred to as lifestyle purposes), has implications for agricultural land valuations, commercial agriculture and the acquisition of land for redistribution purposes. This paper reports on the extent of purchases of agricultural land for diverse reasons within an intensive and extensive agricultural farming area in the Western Cape, gathered through a survey of land buyers between January 2005 and October 2007. Descriptive statistics provide demographical information of buyers, their reasons for purchasing farms and the importance of specific characteristics of agricultural properties considered in such purchases. Analyses of variance convey more information regarding the different characteristics of agricultural properties considered by agricultural and lifestyle buyers. Survey results indicated that farm purchases for alternative purposes were substantial: more than half of all transactions ...

Agricultural land purchases for alternative uses - evidence from two farming areas in the Western Cape province, South Africa.

This study compares a life cycle assessment (LCA) of pork production in the Western Cape with pork production in Flanders. The objectives of this study were to map and quantify the environmental impacts of producing pork in the Western Cape and exporting it to Antwerp in Flanders with the environmental impacts of producing pork in Flanders and delivering it to the same location. The impact categories included are (i) global warming potential (GWP), (ii) eutrophication potential, (iii) acidification potential, and (iv) energy use. By pointing out weak points in the different environmental impact categories, suggestions are made to lower the environmental burdens of pork production. Four main activities of the pork production chain were covered by the LCA, namely: (i) the feed provision activity, which includes the production of raw materials and feed, (ii) the pig farming activity, (iii) the slaughter house activity and (iv) the slurry (treatment) activity. An additional (v) pork shipping activity...

Comparative life cycle assessment of Flemish and Western Cape pork production

This paper reports the results of an international comparison of the cost of producing wheat in 8 Western Cape, 3 Free State and 7 foreign producing areas. Results show that South African yields are low compared to foreign countries whose production costs are as high as or higher than those in South Africa, while the net margins for South African producers are less than a third of those for countries that have the same or lower yields as South Africa. If the wheat industry in the Western Cape is to survive international competition, it will have to create its international competitiveness. DIE MEDEDINGENDHEID VAN KORINGPRODUKSIE IN DIE WES-KAAP: ’N INTERNASIONALE VERGELYKING. Hierdie artikel gee ’n opsomming van ’n onlangse studie wat die produksiekoste van koring in 8 Wes-Kaapse, 3 Vrystaatse en 7 oorsese produksiegebiede gemeet het. Daar is bevind dat opbrengste in Suid-Afrika laag is in vergelyking met lande met gelyke of hoer produksiekostes, terwyl die netto marge van Suid-Afrikaanse produsente minder as een derde is van mededingers wie se opbrengstes op die selfde vlak of laer is as in Suid-Afrika. Indien die koringbedryf in die Wes-Kaap wil oorleef, sal daadwerklike stappe geneem moet word om sy internasionale mededingendheid te skep.

The competitiveness of western cape wheat production: an international comparison

This article adopts scenario planning as a tool to analyse the potential impact on the South African Table Grape Industry (SATI) if the industry relocates a certain percentage of exports away from the traditional markets (i.e., European Union (EU)) to the emerging Eastern markets. It also evaluates the future impact if the industry maintains the current market distribution. A deterministic farm-level model is developed based on accounting principles to quantify and analyse the impact of changes in markets on the financial viability of farms under different scenarios. The implications of specific market distributions under each scenario on the table grape industry are compared.

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T.E. Kleynhans

Papers

Determining the most sustainable lignocellulosic bioenergy system following a case study approach

Agricultural land purchases for alternative uses - evidence from two farming areas in the Western Cape province, South Africa.

Comparative life cycle assessment of Flemish and Western Cape pork production

The competitiveness of western cape wheat production: an international comparison

Scenario Development to Support Strategic Planning in the South African Table Grape Industry