Building Bridges Between Two Continents for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods

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In August 2022, UKZN and the University of Guelph, Canada (UofG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support cross-national, collaborative research and funding opportunities.

Professor Betty Mubangizi (UKZN) and Dr Leith Deacon (UofG) led this effort. Mubangizi is the Chair of Sustainable Rural Livelihoods based in the College of Law and Management Studies. She leads critical research that explores the opportunities and challenges confronting institutions in implementing development policies in Africa’s rural areas. Deacon is an Associate Professor in the Rural Planning and Development Program and is the primary investigator for a research programme on governance, resilience, mental health, planning, and policy, primarily related to small and rural communities.

The MOU formalises a relationship to support research that contributes to better understanding of the complexities and challenges that rural communities experience and how academia can assist in developing appropriate and reflective responses. It is based on a shared objective to support collaborative efforts to develop and disseminate research. The collaboration will support joint funding applications, co-authored publications and student/faculty exchanges. The MOU ensures that all data, communication, and outputs are ethically shared and distributed.

Given the variations between the two counties, to better understand both contexts, Deacon travelled to South Africa in February 2023. While supporting research capacity within each institution is important, Mubangizi and Deacon seek to ensure that the realities and challenges in each location are given adequate and equitable consideration.

Mubangizi and Deacon travelled to Matatiele in the Eastern Cape for a tour of the Umzimvubu Catchment hosted by the Umzimvubu Catchment Partnership (UCP) during its quarterly meeting. The five-hour drive was filled with images of rolling hills of sugar cane, pockets of pine forest, impressive mountains, and several small communities with scattered dwellings and children walking to and from school. Matatiele is a service centre for many of the small villages in the surrounding area and is home to medical, retail, and municipal services.

The UCP’s three-day programme was aligned with the United Nations’ Decade of Restoration and supported the ideals of Mubangizi’s Chair to explore challenges in implanting rural policy while building students’ research capacity. On the first day, Mubangizi and Deacon participated in a Wetlands and Waste field day with several stops that examined local issues, primarily around water management. They met with local councillors, representatives of international organisations, academics and students. There was also significant participation and representation from local residents who came out to ask questions and engage with the partners. While this was an educational outing, it was also an opportunity to support engagement with rural communities and residents.

The second day was dedicated to knowledge transmission and translation. There were several presentations on research being conducted in consultation with local support groups across the catchment. One presentation in particular by representatives of The EcoChamps - a group of young community-based extension workers who aim to increase the capacity of local populations to support sustainability - was indicative of the type of work supported by UKZN and its dedication to capacity building. Another presentation was on the recently completed project in which Mubangizi was a co-principal investigator.

Day three focused on policy and governance. Mubangizi led a critical discussion around the development of a research protocol to support and streamline research requests within and across the Umzimvubu catchment. Important discussions were held on ethics, participation, and local involvement and how this could increase capacity. The in-depth discussions were inclusive and participatory, with a range of people from various organisations contributing.

On the second day of the programme, Deacon delivered a presentation (via Zoom) to a small rural community in Canada. He began by describing Matatiele and noted that, while there are obvious differences between rural Canada and rural South Africa, there are similarities. Deacon highlighted the need to provide opportunities for all residents to have a voice in policy development and that the work led by UKZN is not dissimilar to that of the UofG; conducting research that supports all citizens - rural and urban - to have equitable access to resources and develop sustainability.

Later this year, Mubangizi and Deacon will travel to Uganda to launch a project that will investigate how COVID-19 was experienced by rural residents. Deacon recently led a project in Canada that surveyed more than 24 000 residents of rural communities about their experiences during the pandemic. The responses from Canada and Uganda will be compared to determine what was successful and what policies were effective and to share this information. The MOU between UKZN and the UofG will continue to support this shared project and outputs in the form of conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications will provide additional information to inform rural policy.

Words: NdabaOnline

Photograph: Supplied