KM & Economic Challenges

By : Josephilda Nhlapo-Hlope , Chief Policy Analyst , Policy Advisory and Coordinating Services Unit, Presidency, South Africa

Introduction and Background

This paper discusses the food price crises of the first/second/third quarter of 2008. It briefly outlines trends and reasons for the rising food prices, the impact and then suggests appropriate practical measures to alleviate the impact on the poor and generally increasing food security at a household and country level.

Main Author : Mwiinga Godfrey with co-authors: Kevin Wall (CSIR) and Mike Marler (DBSA)
Postal address (main Author): PO Box 1234, Halfway House, Midrand 1685, Gauteng, South Africa; e-mail address – godfreym2@dbsa.org

Abstract:

Here is an interesting fact: In America, a billion is a thousand million written thus 1,000,000,000

However, in England, the British define a billion as a million million. That is 1,000,000 times 1,000,000 which would be written thus 1,000,000,000,000

Once you get past eight zeroes, the British names do not match the American names. For example, a number followed by 9 zeroes is in the British "milliards" but the American "trillions". In other words, the British Numbering System is completely different from the American Numbering System after the thousands and millions. Thousand and Million are the same, but then you see Milliard, Billion, Billiard, Trillion, Trilliard, etc.

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By: Eng. Okumu Ngwalla M.F (Formerly – Process Engineer – South Nyanza Sugar Co. Ltd, Kenya.)

ABSTRACT
The art of producing sugar is a very challenging exercise. This is because it involves extensive use of sophisticated machines/management of human resource and materials into a finished product i.e. sugar.

The raw materials are sugar beet and sugar cane and other corrective materials like lime sulphur and alcohol depending on seeding process.

In Kenya sugar processing involves use of steam power generated from the boilers using bagasse, a by product of sugar cane to drive the mill turbines for crushing cane and turbo alternator to generate electricity used in the factory.
In Kenya two processes are in use to extract juice from sugar cane: diffusion and crushing. Mumias Sugar Company uses diffusion.

Author: Dorothy Wacuka Mbogo - Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
P.O Box 62000-00200 NAIROBI, KENYA
Email:dorothykonji@yahoo.com
Phone Number: 0734857311

Sub-Themes: Knowledge Management and Economic Challenges

Abstract for Knowledge to Reposition Africa in the Global Economy by use of Technology: