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Item Characterization of women and youth smallholder agricultural entrepreneur’s in rural irrigation schemes in Vhembe district, South Africa.(South African Society for Agricultural Extension, 2021-12-09) Mavhungu, T.J.; Nesamvuni, A.E.; Tshikolomo, K.A.; Raphulu, T.; Raphulu, J.A.; Mpandeli, N.S.The purpose of the study was to characterize irrigated smallholder agricultural enterprises (ISAEs) in selected areas of Vhembe District, Limpopo Province. The characterization focused on the geophysical environment and on participants in ISAEs. Precipitation was at most 460mmpa for villages along Madimbo Corridor and 701-1380mmpa for those along Mutale Valley, and temperatures were 38.1℃-44.0℃ (Madimbo) and 30.0℃-40.0℃ (Mutale). Groundwater supplemented surface water and was utilized more at Madimbo Corridor compared to Mutale Valley. The study area was characterized as semi-arid to sub-humid, hence technologies for efficient irrigation should be promoted. Participants in ISAEs were female (94.9%), and adult (52.72%) with low education levels (67.7% ≤ secondary education). The majority (88.65%) were not formally employed (54.61% self-employed, 34.04% full-time farmers). Participants experienced some level of poverty, 68.03 per cent received low household incomes (R1001-R5000/month), 77 per cent received social grants. Interestingly, the majority (65.31%) stayed in multiple-roomed houses, had cement brick walls, and corrugated iron roofs (54.42%), and all had electricity, a stove, and a fridge. Also, majority-owned radio (96.67%), DSTV (87.45%), vehicles (65.56%), and cellphones. Participants mostly provided adequate food supply (91.84%) with three meals/day (79.38%) except during hard times where 49.56 per cent provided fewer meals mostly due to delayed readiness of farm produce. Strategies to empower ISAE participants to be more effective should consider their gender, age, education, and economic status estimated by income, asset ownership, and food security.Item Improving the supply chain performance of an electronic product-manufacturing organisation using DMAIC approach.(Taylor and Francis, 2021-12-30) Makinde, Olasumbo; Selepe, Refentse; Munyai, Thomas; Ramdass, Kem; Nesamvuni, AlufeliWith an ever-growing demand for electronic products around the globe, electronic product-manufacturing organisations are seeking suitable strategies to improve the efficiency of their supply chain processes. Hence, this study seeks to reduce process wastes and exploit bottlenecks present within the supply chain processes of an electronic product manufacturing organisation. In light of this, lean supply chain strategies premised on the DMAIC methodology were unveiled and validated using a discrete-event simulation approach. We value streamed the supply chain system of an electronic product manufacturing organisation, identified the root causes of the process wastes and inefficiencies present in the organisation’s supply chain and thereafter, identified suitable strategies capable of eliminating these process wastes and inefficiencies based on experts’ opinions obtained during a focus group discussion forum. As a result of this exercise, three types of process wastes were identified and reduced. The simulation results of this study revealed that the idling time experienced at the workstations, and WIP (Work-In-Progress) inventories present within the supply chain system of this organisation, would be reduced by 7.6% and 81.41% respectively while the overall workstations utilisation would be improved by 9.32%, if the supply chain improvement strategies proposed by the authors are implemented at the electronic product-manufacturing organisation considered in this study. In addition, the total non-value-added time would also reduce by 63.89 days, thereby having a potential of improving the throughput and the process cycle efficiency of the supply chain system proposed for use, to the organisation by 63% and 8.82%, respectively.