Milestone 3 Training and Innovation Report

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RESILIM-O:

Resilience in theLimpopoBasin

Program– Olifants

MILESTONE3:PROGRESS REPORT#2:

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Table of Contents

Overall Summary .................................................................................................................. 4

Report Contents.................................................................................................................... 5

1.ProgressSummary ........................................................................................................ 5

2.Summaryof baseline and implementation progress per village .................................... 10

3.AgriSI team meeting minutes_2017/01/30, 2017/02/01 ................................................ 12

4.Monthly team assessment ...........................................................................................18

5.Plans for the coming two months. ................................................................................ 20

Attachment 1: Detailed upcoming milestone (Milestones 3 and 4) activity plans (January-

March 2017) ........................................................................................................................ 22

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to accommodate the fact that people are anxious to start agricultural activities now in the

Spring and Summer season and for us as the facilitators to provide a commitment to the

communities to action.

This meant that activities planned under later milestones (particularly Module 3 ‘Introduction

to Innovations & Experimentation’) were brought forward and added to originally planned

activities (Module 1 ‘Setting the Scene’ and Module 2 ‘Learning & Mentoring’); whilst

accommodating 6 villages rather than the initial plan of 4 with 2 being brought on board later.

Thus the project isrunning well ahead in terms of both breadth of coverage and Module 3, at

the expense of Module 1 (baseline was completed under this milestone rather than last

milestone; and visioning & scenarios component still to be completed) and Module 2 (5

and baseline assessments has not yet startedas planned, but will be initiated in February

2017; as will the visioning, planning and development of indicators for each. Given the

difficulties of implementing over the Christmas season and re-starting in the new year- there

has not been enough time for this work.

Five learning groups havebeen established across the 6 targeted villages. The original

intention was to have 1 group per village, however, Oaks and Finale decided to combine

their groups due to lower numbers andthe fact they are close neighbours. Local facilitators

(LFs) have come to the fore in all 5 learning groups. The formalisation of the LF selection

process will continue into February and March 2017.

To date learning for eachof the groupshas consisted of water flowand in field rainwater

cloth structure/tunnel (39 participants).

Learning group workshops for Botshabelo, Willows, Oaks, Lepelle and Finale were

held. Baseline information for dryland cropping was gathered and the five fingers

concepts for assessing adaptation practices were introduced. Conservation

Agriculture and farmer experimentation were introduced for all five areas (50

participants). Bucket drip kits and tower gardens were introducedin Oaks and Finale

(27 participants).

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Participants this period

SEEDS OF LIGHT: Nick Vorono, Trygive Nxumalo

MAHLATHINI: Erna Kruger, Sylvester Selala, Chris Stimie

4. Monthly team review summary and assessment of indicators.

This report contains the following Annexes:

1. Work calendar; January - March 2017.

2. Location map and community names.

In addition, the following are relevant support documents held in separate project folders:

a) Baseline Workshop 1 reports; Lepelle (last remaining report; the others were

submitted under the last milestone).

b) Baselineworkshop 2 reports; Botshabelo, Oaks & Finale and Willows (2 remaining

The following table summarises the various required documentation of the Expected

Outcomes under this milestone, and the submission status of each. Progress on each

Expected Outcome can be found in sub-sections B and C below.

1. Progress reporton

1.1 Learning

Submitted Separate project folders

for (a) learning materials

(b) photos

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1.3 Garden monitoring

Submitted Separate project folder

contained within

Homestead Assessment

& Monitoring Forms

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Demonstration of new ideas in the form of community basedworkshops for bucket

drip kits for greywater use and efficient irrigation andtower gardens for intensive

Household visits were conducted to complete the HomesteadAssessment &

Monitoring Forms and discuss implementation and progress with individual farmers.

This includes assessment of current experimentationby thehouseholder. 12 of these

were conducted across 4 communities – See Homestead Assessment &

f) Initial assessments for potential for underground RWHstorage structures at

household level (team workshop with Kevin Mitchell and Chris Stimie);2 x household

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Learning

and

6 villages

x 2 days

New practice

training:

experimentation

100%/ 85%

farmer

Lepelle. CA

introduced in all

villages. Further

training under

milestone 4.

Learning

materials

Yes:

includes

Attendance

registers

Yes

Photos Yes

Garden

Yes:

Sedawe (1)

Farmer

monitoring

initiated

50% / 45% -

Homestead

assessment

forms (Oaks (3),

Lepelle (7),

Finale (1),

Sedawe (1)

N/A

Further input, discussion and learning on dryland cropping practices, as follow-up

from the Round 2 baselines discussion on practices. Past, present and changes have

Either not planting traditional crops such as millet and sorghum anymore(in some

areas- due to bird damage), or focusing on thesecrops (finger millet, pearl millet

and sorghum) in the back yard plots as these are much more drought tolerant

than maize.

Planting and irrigating maize in the fields in preference to the more traditional

sorghum and millet as even theseare not drought tolerant enough - and are

susceptible to birddamage.

Planting seed without addition of fertilizer as it is expensive or manure - as it is

becoming scarcer and people are now charging for it.

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We also introduced the concept of the Five Fingers framework to assess land use and

good practices with regard to Climate change, water management, soil erosion, soil

health and crop management – See Training Materials.

Started initial assessments and “walkabouts” with community members in Sedawe

and Willows to check on erosion issues impacting on households (2 days).

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AGENDA:

Theme: Climate change adaptation (CCA) criteria

Theme: Climate Change Dialogues as an approach

Theme: Climate change impacts and the five-finger framework

What CCA options may Mahlathini support with regards to these potential

What support would Mahlathini need from the KRA4 team for these CCA

manage and overcome adverse conditions with the aim of achieving basic functioning of

people, institutions,organisations and systems in the short and medium term.

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Adaptation is the process of

adjustment to actual or

expected climate andits

effects. In human systems

adaptation seeks to

moderate harm or exploit

beneficial opportunities. In

natural systems human

.. Increasing the resilience

of people, places and

livelihoods to the impacts of

climate change through

improved access to

information, planning and

action

Discussions initiallycentred arounda potential definition appropriate for the AgriSI team.

There was some questionas to the need to suggest that CCA had to be a conscious

intervention by the farmer to be counted as adaptation. As there are already a number of

examples of Climate change adaptation responses; both negative and positive, in the

villages, it was argued that these need to be included, considered and worked with.

Adaptation does notneed to be pro-active – adaptation as evolution. That would fit into the

It was stressed that with the process of participatory innovation development a systemic

that a number of natural resource management erosion control and soil health improvement

practices may take some time to show positive outcomes

Rainfall events are more extreme (drought, flooding, storms, hail etc.)

Look at combinations of practices to arrive at sustainability through different configurations.

Sub grants are to identifyad hoc needs for specialist inputs, which can be provided; for

example, new crop options and rainwater harvesting. 3-4 CCA workshops will be held for

each of the sub grants per year. This will include some assistance and support in facilitation

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Indicators: Assessment January 2017: Baseline and Conservation Agriculture

responses

>3 (10-15%)

OVERALL:

1-2 (25%)

2-3(10%)

No of participants

experimenting with new

innovations

-local

-co-designed

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45

5

5

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No of participants showing

80 10

-increased availability of food

-increased diversity of

activities and livelihoods

options

40%

5%

-

-

-

-

Qualitative assessments;

-stakeholder engagement

-Increased understanding and

agency to act towards

- Adaptation and innovations

-Potential for increased

resilience

Stories, case

studies, photo

diaries,

collaborative

Stories:

-Building of a Tall

Crop Tunnel in

Sedawe

-Erosion control

harvesting storage

assessments for

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underground water and what the effect of this could be. Ground water recharge is not

People do not really practice good water management once they do have access.

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