Beneficial Technologies projects and work done by the team
Evaluation of the Eastern Cape Agricultural Economic Transformation Strategy
| Project thumbnail | The provincial government of the Eastern Cape contracted a research team to evaluate the outcomes of their strategies to transform agriculture. The government had a particular focus on creating opportunities for black people and women to become commercial farmers. |
| Partner/client | Eastern Cape Office of the Premier; Fort Hare Institute for Social and Economic Research |
| Bentec lead | Femke Brandt |
| Bentec role | General research, policy analysis. Specific focus on gender dynamics. Research presentation and policy recommendations. |
| Time period | March – November 2019 |
| Outcome | Report presentation to the Premier and members of the provincial executive. |
Research into water justice in South Africa
| Project thumbnail | Writing a report of three Water Justice Roundtables that brought more than forty organisations together to develop a people’s plan for water justice. |
| Partner/client | Blue Planet Project, Council of Canadians |
| Bentec lead | Ronald Wesso |
| Bentec role | Research and writing |
| Time period | February – June 2020 |
| Outcome | In progress |
Training in verbal communication and public speaking for business and economics students
| Project thumbnail | Providing a six week comprehensive course of in-person and on-line training in public speaking and verbal communication to business and economics graduate students. |
| Partner/client | SUN Academy, University of Amsterdam |
| Bentec lead | Femke Brandt |
| Bentec role | Trainer |
| Time period | On-going |
| Outcome | Students develop skills for personal and professional communication. |
Documenting ten years of the Right to Agrarian Reform for Food Sovereignty Campaign
| Project thumbnail | Writing a booklet documenting the struggles and campaigns of the Food Sovereignty Campaign. The booklet covered a ten year period from 2008 and a range of issues from land struggles, policy intervention, popular education, feminism and agro-ecology. |
| Partner/client | Surplus People Project; Food Sovereignty Campaign |
| Bentec lead | Ronald Wesso |
| Bentec role | Research and writing |
| Time period | January – May 2020 |
| Outcome | Published booklet: Ten years of the Right to Agrarian Reform for Food Sovereignty Campaign |
Researching resistance and organising strategies of farm and labour broker workers
| Project thumbnail | A long term, in-depth anthropological study of farm workers in rural areas and labour broker workers in urban areas. The study has a specific focus on the agency of workers as they cope with farm conversions to game farming, the externalisation and fragmentation of labour, securitisation of the workplace, hyper-patriarchy and the distancing of the mainstream trade unions from them. |
| Partner/client | Vrije Universiteit; Centre for African Studies, UCT; University of Johannesburg; various academic journals; Brill Publishers |
| Bentec lead | Femke Brandt |
| Bentec role | Research and writing |
| Time period | 2006 – on-going |
| Outcome | Phd thesis; various journal articles; book chapters; an edited book |
Deepening knowledge regarding the funders and drivers behind extractive industries
| Project thumbnail | Research into extractives industries in Honduras, Zimbabwe and Indonesia to inform and enable greater leverage for women human rights defenders. Developing publicity materials and popular education drawn from the research. |
| Partner/client | Count Me In! Consortium |
| Bentec lead | Ronald Wesso |
| Bentec role | Popular education design consultant |
| Time period | May – September 2020 |
| Outcome | In progress |