Over the last decade or so, international acceptance of 'sexual minorities' has increased significantly, reflected in the consensus that a person's sexual orientation or gender identity should not be a basis for denying him or her the equal protection of the law. In most of the African continent, a conflicting trend of formally stigmatising homosexuality has manifested itself, leading to the following three questions:
To what extent is this trend at odds with the formal legal protection under African regional human rights treaties and the constitutions of most African states? To what extent is institutionalising African homophobia justified by the arguments that equal legal protection of 'sexual minorities' is a neocolonial attempt at subverting 'African values', that it is in conflict with deeply held religious beliefs and African culture, and that it flies in the face of the majority's views in African societies? What legal and extra-legal strategies should be used to advance the rights of sexual minorities and curb homophobia on the continent?
Prof Frans Viljoen
June 12, 2013
In a first for precision agriculture, University of Pretoria (UP) researchers, in association with collaborators from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), have produced maps of smallholder farms in Gauteng that highlight maize plants in green and weeds in red. The maps were shared with farmers to enable them to pinpoint and eradicate weeds with more precision.
Farmers not only save time and money by cutting down the cost and effort required to manage weeds, but also limit the environmental impact of using harmful weed-killing chemicals by using satellite data and imagery.
This classification map shows the different types of plants in a crop field in various areas in Gauteng. The legend shows red for weeds, green for maize and yellow for mixed growth areas.
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