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Social sciences

Geography

Grade 9

Social and environmental conflict in south africa

Module 10

Social consequences of environmental shortages

Environmental shortages have certain effects on the community. They are called ‘social implications’, of which we name only four.

  • A decrease in agricultural production
  • A downward trend in the economy
  • Migration of the population
  • The deteriorisation of institutions (organisations)

Explain in your own words why and how the above-mentioned consequences come about, and cite examples from your own area.

1. Decrease in agricultural production

In the homelands the agricultural potential has decreased due to the increase in population density, water shortages and soil-erosion. In the 1940’s Bophuthatswana farmers produced 110 kg maize per person. Today it has dropped to 50 kg per person.

This resulted in diseases caused by malnutrition, such as kwashiorkor in children and tuberculoses in adults. As the available resources for agriculture and forests decrease, many people are forced to abandon agriculture. They have no choice but to move to towns and cities to accept low-paid jobs.

Marginalised (disadvantaged) rural and urban black people become the victims of growing shortages and inadequate alternative (other) job opportunities. This results in chronic poverty (what is the meaning of “chronic” here?).

2. Downward trends in the economy

A drop in food production has a negative effect on the economy. Agriculture plays a key role in earning foreign income, called valuta. This means that the export of agricultural products ensures a steady flow of money to South Africa from foreign countries. It helps to stimulate the country’s economy.

If, however, production drops as a result of environmental factors, there is not enough food for export. It puts a strain on the economy and leads to entrenchments and unemployment in sectors closely linked to agriculture. Name some of these sectors in your and other areas that suffer when production drops.

3. Migration (movement of the population)

Over the past few years there was an increase in the movement of inhabitants from rural to urban areas. In the 1990’s the tempo at which urbanisation took place, was estimated at 750 000 per year. These people mostly end up in informal settlements. Not all of them manage to find a job in the city.

These migrants experience the same ecological disadvantages in the cities as they had to contend with in rural areas. The concentration of a large number of people in an area with limited resources, leads to the control of resources by certain groups.

Local power structures are formed where certain leaders obtain power by regulating the basic resources such as land and the allocation of houses and services. This can cause tension and malpractices.

Migration also leads to an increase in the number of informal settlements. At present the inhabitants of these settlements represent more than 30% of the total urban population. Informal settlements are found in most South African cities. Near Cape Town, for example, many of these houses consisting of any kind of waste material, from corrugated iron and planks to plastic sheets, are erected along the freeways. What are these inhabitants’ biggest problems? What possible solutions can you think of?

Questions & Answers

the diagram of the digestive system
Assiatu Reply
allimentary cannel
Ogenrwot
How does twins formed
William Reply
They formed in two ways first when one sperm and one egg are splited by mitosis or two sperm and two eggs join together
Oluwatobi
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Josephine Reply
Genetics is the study of heredity
Misack
how does twins formed?
Misack
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Hassan Reply
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Joseph Reply
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Yousuf Reply
the study of living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environments
AI-Robot
the study of living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environment.
Wine
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Joseph Reply
what is the blood cells
Shaker Reply
list any five characteristics of the blood cells
Shaker
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Abdullahi Reply
advantage of electronic microscope is easily and clearly while disadvantage is dangerous because its electronic. advantage of light microscope is savely and naturally by sun while disadvantage is not easily,means its not sharp and not clear
Abdullahi
cell theory state that every organisms composed of one or more cell,cell is the basic unit of life
Abdullahi
is like gone fail us
DENG
cells is the basic structure and functions of all living things
Ramadan
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ISCONT Reply
is organisms that are similar into groups called tara
Yamosa
in what situation (s) would be the use of a scanning electron microscope be ideal and why?
Kenna Reply
A scanning electron microscope (SEM) is ideal for situations requiring high-resolution imaging of surfaces. It is commonly used in materials science, biology, and geology to examine the topography and composition of samples at a nanoscale level. SEM is particularly useful for studying fine details,
Hilary
cell is the building block of life.
Condoleezza Reply
what is cell divisoin?
Aron Reply
Diversity of living thing
ISCONT
what is cell division
Aron Reply
Cell division is the process by which a single cell divides into two or more daughter cells. It is a fundamental process in all living organisms and is essential for growth, development, and reproduction. Cell division can occur through either mitosis or meiosis.
AI-Robot
What is life?
Allison Reply
life is defined as any system capable of performing functions such as eating, metabolizing,excreting,breathing,moving,Growing,reproducing,and responding to external stimuli.
Mohamed
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Source:  OpenStax, Geography grade 9. OpenStax CNX. Sep 14, 2009 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11057/1.1
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