In her endeavour to increase research output at Walter Sisulu University, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Rushiella Nolundi Songca has started a vlog series that engages academics on their niche research areas.
The ten niche research areas were established in the year 2020 and officially implemented in 2021 with the objective to build collaborations between colleagues and communities.
Speaking to employees at the University’s Mthatha Campus during one of her stakeholder engagements, Songca said she is going to hold conversations with project leaders of research niche areas and post on the university social media pages raise awareness of the great work done at WSU.
“This exposure is mainly to create access. When we go knock on doors to ask for funds, people need to see evidence of what we are about. Time for hiding is gone. I want the project leaders to even go to communities and see how best they can collaborate with them,” said Songca.
Songca further said that researchers doing research alone is pointless. She added that research needs to be impactful and one of the ways to create that impact is to work with communities.
The first vlog of the series covered Small-Scale Agribusiness and Rural Non-farm Enterprises (SARNE) led by Dr Yiseyon Sunday Hosu from the Faculty of Commerce and Administration.
“Our work in this niche area can be described in four points: we do research that is impactful by means of transforming our space through agribusiness, farming and non-farming enterprises.
He further said the fourth point is that this year they will do systematic enterprise livelihood exhibitions. to uncover what people do, what products they sell and to whom they sell it.
“In this niche area, we work with people who are doing research on the actual farming of plants, agri-economics and everyone who is into the development of farming and agribusiness sector. Including those who are engineers because we also use technology in farming,” said Hosu.
This niche area makes an impact to communities by reviving sustainable agricultural practices through the infusion of technology and engineering services.
“We want to empower and engage the community. Technology has come to stay, it is a new way of doing things. As researchers in this niche, we want to make the farming technology to be accessible to our communities to help them to produce better,” concluded Hosu.
The niche area has up to date produced three research output and has collected a huge data on financial inclusion and working to produce the fourth one with the data this year.
The series will broadcast every Wednesday on the official WSU YouTube Channel and people are encouraged to watch to familiarise themselves with the niche areas.
By Anita Roji