Phase 2 Milestone 4 Progress Report 3 | Mahlathini Development Foundation

RESILIM-O:

Resilience in the Limpopo Basin Program–

Olifants

MILESTONE 4: Progress Report No 3

Under the

Lower Olifants catchment

Agricultural Support Initiative (AgriSI)

30/11/2018

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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Acknowledgements

The USAID: RESILIM-O project is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development under

USAID/Southern Africa RESILIENCE IN THE LIMPOPO BASIN PROGRAM (RESILIM). The RESILIM-O project is

implemented by the Association for Water and Rural Development (AWARD), in collaboration with partners.

Cooperative Agreement nr AID-674-A-13-00008.

P O Box 1919

Hoedspruit 1380

Limpopo, South Africa

T 015-793 0503

W award.org.za

Company Reg. No. 98/03011/08

Non-profit org. Reg. No. 006 –821

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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ABOUT USAID: RESILIM

USAID’s Resilience in the Limpopo River Basin (RESILIM) program addresses ongoing degradation in the river

Basin in southern Africa, where people face water shortages, increased floods, and declines in crop

productivity as climate change further stresses an already water limited region.

There are twocomponents to theprogram; one operating at a basin-scale (RESILIM-B, which is implemented

by USA-based Chemonicsand addresses similar issues at the scale of the four SADC member states that share

the Limpopo Basin (South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique) and a catchment-scale project

(RESILIM-O) thatIt is being implemented by the Association for Water and Rural Development (AWARD).

Both projects share the same overall objectives. You can find out more information on the RESILIM projects

on www.usaid.gov websiteand www.award.org.za.

The USAID’s RESILIM-O focusses on the Olifants catchment. The program aims to reduce the vulnerability of

people and ecosystems in the Olifants Catchment specifically, by improving how transboundary natural

resources are managed. By understanding the systemic causes of vulnerability, including climate

vulnerability, it is promoting new ways of thinking and acting to promote integrated water and biodiversity

management.

ABOUT AWARD

At AWARD, we recognize that the natural world’s resources are limited, and undergoing rapid depletion and

transformation. We know current practices of use and management are inadequate to deal with the changes

and challenges we are facing. We design practical interventions to address the vulnerability of people and

ecosystems, and merge considerations from both environmentaland social perspectives. Our approach

involves thinking across disciplines, boundaries and systems.

We are working with diverse peopleand institutions in the waterandbiodiversity sectors in the Olifants

River Catchment to understand the multiple vulnerabilities to change, including climate change. Along with

quality scientific contributions, our engagement in the socio-political context of the Olifants River

Catchment allows us begin tobegin to institutionalize integrated, resilience-based practices, providing a

foundation for robust development policy and practice in the in this river catchment, and beyond

The Olifants Catchment: An overview

The Olifants River Catchment falls within the Limpopo River Basin, which is part of an international drainage

basin that stretches acrossSouth Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana. In fact, the Olifants River

contributes nearly 40% of the water that flows in theLimpopo Rivermaking it an important catchmentin

the system as a whole

AWARD: Annual Report.2016/2017 Financial Year. RESILIENCE IN THE LIMPOPO –OLIFANTS.10/31/2017

As above

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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AWARD, 2017.

At the heart of this catchment is the Olifants River, a vital artery that flows for 560 kilometres through

South Africa and into Mozambique, where it is known as the Rio dos Elefantes in Mozambique.

This mightyriver originates in South Africa’s MpumalangaHighveld, flowing northwards before curving in an

easterly direction through the Kruger National Park and intoMozambique, finally finding rest in the salty

water of the Indian Ocean near Xai Xai, just north of Maputo.

The main tributaries of the Olifants River are the Wilge, Elands, Ga-Selati, Klein Olifants, Steelpoort, Blyde,

Klaserie and Timbavati Rivers.

Along with its tributaries, it isone of the six major Lowveld river systems, occupying an area just short of

55 000 square kilometres. It traverses three provinces in South Africa; Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

About 3.5 million people live on the South African side of the catchment. In Mozambique, it flows through

Gaza Province, which is home to about700 000 people.

A system under change

Our catchment is the foundation of our livelihoods and development. Yet the river and associated natural

resources in the Olifants Catchment are under threat.

Unchecked pollution, inappropriate land resource use, weak and poorly enforced policies and regulations

and poor protection of habitats and biodiversity are degrading the Olifants atan alarming rate. What’s more,

the area is however under threat from factors such as mining for heavy metals, inappropriate land

management, rural sprawl and unsustainable use of natural resources. This affects the level of goods and

services provided by the ecosystem.

The diverse population groups living in the Olifants Catchment all have one thing in common; they rely on

the river and the catchment’s natural biodiversity for their livelihoods. This reliance can be direct or indirect.

Rural communities rely on it for things such as traditional medicine, grazing and browse, fuel, food and

housing materials. Some people in river-side communities harvestreeds, collect waterfrom the river for

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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washing and drinking and use it for recreational and spiritual practices. Subsistence farmers in Mozambique

rely heavily on the catchment’s flood plains. There are also large mines and associated industries, large

scale agriculture and the wildlife economy, which all rely on a healthy, functioning river system. Often

people forget that what they do upstream affects people downstream, sometimes with dire consequences.

The catchment is our home and it is worth investing in its future. The work reported here is part of the

ongoing activities of the RESILIM- O project under the grant from USAID: Southern Africa.

Project partners

Mahlathini Development Foundation (MDF) is a small public benefit non-profit organization consisting of

rural development practitioners who specialize in participatory learning and action processes, sustainable

natural resource management and low external input farming systems, including afocus on rain water

harvesting, conservation agriculture, intensive homestead food production, food security,climate change

adaptation micro finance and enterprise development.

MDF designs and implements rural development programmes and training processes providing learning

processes for adults all the way from semi-literate farmers to post graduate university level. Wework in

partnership with government and non-government organisations alike. We are sensitive to and mainstream

where possible gender, disability and people living with HIV/AIDs

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Contents
Table of Contents
Executive Summary .........................................................................................................7
1 Progress for the reporting period...................................................................................7
Project Objectives ..........................................................................................................7
1 Overview of RESILIM-O Project objectives.........................................................................7
2 Sub-grant Project Objectives ........................................................................................7
Milestone Description.......................................................................................................8
1 Definition of milestone and purpose................................................................................8
Approach/ Process/ Activities............................................................................................9
1 Summary of activities .................................................................................................9
Progress and Results...................................................................................................... 10
1 Learning and mentoring............................................................................................. 10
1.1 Botshabelo–Mid season review and planning............. Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.2 Tunnel construction........................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1.3 Innovations and Experimentation..............................................................36
1.4 Networking & collaboration.....................................................................40
2 Success and Challenges in meeting milestone. .................................................................41
3 Monitoring and evaluation.......................................................................................... 42
3.1 Garden monitoring (July-September 2018) ...................................................42
3.2 Indicators: Assessment October 2018..........................................................43
3.3 Project Life Change Questions:.................................................................44
3.4 Work Plan for next period (10 October- 15 December 2018)...............................46
Overall Progress of Project.............................................................................................. 46
1 Integration of milestone status.................................................................................... 46
2 Project risk and mitigation summary............................................................................. 47
2.1 Implementation risks and mitigation..........................................................47
2.2 Financial risks and mitigation...................................................................47
3 Project work not directly linked to the milestone............................................................. 48
3.1 Quantitative measurements.................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

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1Executive Summary

1.1Progress for the reporting period

Continuation from reporting for Milestone 3Phase II:

•Seasonal cluster review workshop

•Organic mango production; field assessments and training (Sedawa, Mametja Lepelle, Turkey)

•Expansion of organic herb and vegetable marketing process into Turkey

•Delivery of fruit trees orders (Lepelle –mangoes, citrus, litchis.)

•Report backs on water issuesand borehole assessments (Lepelle, Sedawa)

•Traditional poultry production training (all villages)

•Learning revision workshops; Fenale and Botshabelo

•Garden and tunnel monitoring; Sedawa, Turkey, Botshabelo, Mametja.

•Agroecology network meeting at University of Mpumalanga, Nelspruit

IMPLEMENTATION TEAM

MAHLATHINI: Erna Kruger, Sylvester Selala, Betty Maimela and Andries Maponya(intern)

AWARD: Cryton Zazu, Bigboy Mkhabela,

Note: Sylvester Selala resigned in October 2018. He is replaced by Betty Maimela and a new intern who

started in October –Andries Lethabo Maponya

2Project Objectives

2.1Overview of RESILIM-O Project objectives

RESILIM-O is large multi-faceted, multi-stakeholder, cross-boundary programmeto reduce vulnerability to

climate change through building improved transboundary water and biodiversity governance and

management of the Olifants Basin through the adoption ofscience-based strategies that enhance the

resilience of its people and ecosystems through systemic and social learning approaches. The programme

has been running for four years and is being implemented byAWARD (The Association for Water and Rural

Development) with funding from USAID.

The Agricultural Support Initiative (AgriSI) was initiated as a sub-grant process within the larger programmed

towards the end of 2016. This initiative works specifically with climate change adaptation processes with

smallholder communities in both the middle andlower Olifants River basin. In the lower Olifants it is being

implemented jointly by Mahlathini Development Foundation and AWARD.

The Agricultural Support Initiative (AgriSI) addresses two of the RESILIM-O programme objectives directly:

i. To institutionalize systemic, collaborative planning andaction for resilience of ecosystems and

associated livelihoods through enhancing the capacity of stakeholders to sustainably manage natural

resources of the Olifants River Basin under different scenarios

ii. To reduce vulnerability to climate change and otherfactors by supporting collective action, informed

adaptation strategies and practices and tenable institutional arrangements.

2.2Sub-grant Project Objectives

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Sound agro-ecological practices for soilandwaterconservation (SWC) and the ability to self-organise and

act collectively are regarded as fundamental for building adaptive capacity and resilience to climate change.

Not only do agro-ecologicalfarming approaches require minimum external inputs –which may be expensive

and increase dependency ifsubsdized –but they foster farmers’ sense that they can build sustainable futures

from local inputs and efforts. With knowledge aboutthe potential impacts of climate change included in

the learning journey, farmers can make purposeful decisions around practices such as seed saving and crop-

typeto plant. This approach supports livelihood diversification –also fundamental for increased resilience

–through ‘value-added’ associated activities such as seedling production, tree nurseries and bee-keeping,

harvesting and processing of marula fruits into jam and other usable products.

The overall aim of the Agricultural Support Initiative is to enhance the resilience of the people and

ecosystems in selected villages (5-8) in the Lower OlifantsRiver basin, usinga systemic social learning

approach, exploring the question:What are you learning about the socio-economic and biophysical

characteristics of your environment and how these are changing and how are you able to respond to that?

The overarching objective of this work is to provide support for increased adaptive capacity and resilience

to the effects of climate change for households involved in agriculture in select communities of the Olifants

River Catchment through:

-Improved soil and water conservation and agro-ecological practices for increased food security

-Livelihood diversification and supplementation through alternative climate resistant production;

-Increased community empowerment as a result of self-organisation and collective action.

3Milestone Description

3.1Definition of milestone and purpose

Each milestone and progress report indicate activities under the broad themes of learning and mentoring,

introduction to innovations and experimentation, collaborative work and networking undertaken during

the reporting period.

The table below summarises these activities against the milestone and indicate achievement of these

milestones.

Table 1:SummaryofdeliverablecompletionunderMilestone4: 10October-15December2018

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Activities

planned

Completed?

Expected

outcomes

Completed?

Verification

documenta

tion

Completed?

Reference

Learning &

Mentoring:

In all 6

communitie

s each 2

days

Learning &

Mentoring:

-Learning

sessions;

*Fruit production

and traditional

poultry

production

training for all

groups

Gardening

revision

workshops;

Fenale,

Botshabelo

-Learning groups;

learning sessions –

(Sedawa, Mametja,

Botshableo, Turkey,

Lepelle, Willows, Oaks,

Fenale)

Progress report

on outcomes

including the

following

documentation:

1. Photos &

photo

diaries

2. Farmer work

plans

3. Garden

monitoring

4. Monthly

assessment

5. Cluster

activity

records

6. Event

materials,

attendance

registers

1. Photos in

reports and–All

photos saved in

directories and

kept by Erna

2.Farmer work

plans are

recorded in the

garden monitoring

forms

3. 44 Garden

monitoring forms

across six villages

4. In this report

5.Appended to

this report

6.Appended to

this report

Introduction

innovations

and

experiment

ation:

-Individual

farmer

experimentation,

garden

monitoring.

-Tunnel

implementation

- Garden monitoring

conducted for 29

participants across 4

villages, including LF’s

-Monitoring of tunnel

implementation across

3 villages

Networking:

1. Local

facilitator

networking

2. Open

days, cross

visits

3. Review

and

planning

sessions

-Networking;

Agroecology best

practise

workshop

-Cluster network

session; Impacts

of activities

-Organic

marketing

initiative

-Workshop held in

Nelspruit on 22nd

November

Seasonal cluster review

session in October 2018

Expansion of organic

marketing to Turkey

4Approach/ Process/ Activities

4.1Summary of activities

This section gives an indication of activities undertaken during the reporting period to achieve the

outcomes for this period, time spent and people involved.

Table 2: Summary of activities for the reporting period October-December 2018.

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DATE

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY

Time

WHO WAS

INVOLVED

2018/10/01-

10/10

Milestone 3 report

5 days

Erna

2018/10/01-05

Seasonal Cluster review workshop –all villages;

mango producers field assessment visit

5 days

Betty, Erna, Sylvester,

Anri, Nelson, Geoff,

Cryton, Bigboy

2018/10/08-12

Setting up tunnel experimentation for 15 participants

across 3 villages, sorting out chameleons and

weather stations

5 days

Betty, Sylvester

2018/10/15-19

Fruit tree order deliveries, herb sales, monitoring

5 days

Betty, Andries

2018/10/22-26

Garden monitoring, (turkey, Sedawa, Botshabelo,

Mametja, herb grower workshop, turkey, herb and

veg sales

5 days

Betty, Andries

2018/10/29-

11/02

Organic mango production training at HH (4 days),

herb sales

5 days

Betty, Andries

2018/11/05-09

Tunnel implementation monitoring

5 days

Betty, Andries

2018/11/12-16

Gardening practices revision workshops, monitoring

of chameleons and set up tunnel experimentation for

this season

5 days

Betty, Andries,

Sylvester

2018/11/19-23

Agroecology best practise workshop, poultry

production training, marketing review meeting with

HH and Hlokomela

5 days

Erna, Betty, Andries,

Sylvester, Mazwi,

Khethiwe.

2018/11/26-30

Tunnel monitoring, mini workshops to review water

issues progress, Turkey, Sedawa, weekly marketing

process and planning workshops. Milestone 4 report

5 days

Betty, Andries, Erna

2018/12/03-14

Monitoring and weekly marketing process

10 days

Betty, Andries

Sylvester: 20 days, Erna: 20 days, Betty: 55 days Andries: 45

5Progress and Results

5.1Learning and mentoring

Learning processes conducted are summarised in the table below

Table 3: Summary of learning sessions conducted: October-December 2018

Village

Date

Activity

No of

participants

Comments

Lepelle, Sedawa,

Mametja

2018/10/02,29-

Organic Mango

production

training with

Hoedspruit Hub

10,29

-Field visits to

Lepelle and Sedawa

to assess mango

production and issues

with trees

-4 day training

including a visit to

Bavaria estate

Lepelle,

Sedawa,Botshabelo,

Mametja, Fenale,

Willows, turkey

2018/10/04

Seasonal cluster

review session

Review of season,

report back on

tunnels and

experimentation,

water issues and

organic marketing,

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planning for

upcoming season

Turkey

2018/10/23

Herb growers’

workshop with

new participants

in turkey

Betty provided follow

up training in herb

production and

marketing for the two

learning groups in

Turkey

Fenale, Botshabelo,

Sedawa, Mametja

2018/11/16,17

Gardening

practices revision

workshops

9,16

Review of gardening

practices for those

groups who requested

All villages

2018/11/20,21

Poultry

production

training

42,44

Focus on traditional

poultry and production

of poultry feed at

household level

5.1.1Seasonal cluster review workshop

Date of workshop: 04 October 2018 (75 participants)

5.1.1.1Agenda: Peer review and planning for the CSA innovation development programme –

(AgriSI) in the LowerOlifants.

This is a yearly event to review progress, tackle issues and broadly plan for the year going

forward for the learning groups involved. It also involves showcasing present successful activities

and community level discussion around issues and possible solutions.

TIME

Facilitator

Activity

Resources

9:00-9:30am

ERNA

Introduction; review of five fingers and general

comments for this season -

PP: data

projector, chords,

screen

9:30-10:30

SYLVESTER,

BETTY

Small groups to work on practices they are using

under each of the five fingers and report back to

plenary

Newsprint, kokis

10:30-11:00

ERNA

Compare this to the list of practices introduced

in the trainings and add these to the lists

PP presentation

11:00-12:00

ERNA,

SYLVESTER

Plenary for traffic lights, no of participants

implementing and also comments on these

practices (How much to they help)-

12:00-1:00pm

ERNA

Presentation on experimentation and

measurements

Discussion on herb growers and how that is going

Pp presentation

1:00-1:45pm

SYLVESTER,

BETTY

Small groups discuss experimentation and

practices for the next 6 months (summer season)

and make a list (with names of who will do

those) and report briefly to plenary

Including succession and continuity planning for

herb and veg sales.

Including new ideas… poultry…

Newsprint, Kokis

Announcements: Mango production training 29-31

October 2018

2:00-3:00pm

Christina

Visits to households

3:00pm

LUNCH

5.1.1.2General comments

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Report back from Ukuvuna cross visit

15 Participants from these groups attended a 3 day cross visit to the Ukuvuna learning sites in

Sekhukhune. Report backs were made by Alex Magopa and Christina Thobejane.

They talked about

➢Tree propagation using cuttings. This method is used if you want particular tree type and do not

have seeds. It works for oranges,naartjies, peaches, grapes and roses. This is an in situ method

where growing medium is tied onto the desired small branch and it is left there for around 3

months until roots are formed, before the branch is cut away from the tree.

➢Use of tobacco for pest control. A brew is made from the young leaves only as the older leaves are

too strong. It has been noted that the older leaves are tougher and thus harder to extract the

active ingredient from and that tobacco should not be used on crops from the same family such as

tomatoes and potatoes.

➢An easy way to plant and harvest potatoes; is digging a ditch and planting the potatoes in there

and then filling this ditch as time goes along. It reduced the need for time consuming ridging

activities.

➢Youth are involved there, and it would be important to encourage our youth here also to do

farming

➢We can start having poultry, so that we can use the manure in the garden and for compost and

liquid manure instead of having to buy manure

➢Many different herbs were shown and are being grown; including yarrow (for stress relief),

comfrey (for bones and liquid manure), parsley, coriander, wild mint (Mabele Mabutswa –for pest

control), Wild Dagga,Geranium.

➢A lot of different things were learnt as their gardens are full of different kinds of crops. However,

we now have a market for our crops, which they do not.

➢They build seed houses, that they insulate on the inside using old egg boxes and they place old

sugar cane on top of the roof. A gutter is installed and the run-off collected. This sweet water is

used as a kind of liquid manure on the gardens. This sugar water will provide for very sweet fruit

from fruit trees.

➢Mixed cropping; alternate rows of Lucerne and vegetables –this is for soil fertility and also saves

water. Lucerne is very deep rooting and thus it can find water in the soil and does not need that

much watering.

➢Flowers can be planted for pest control in between vegetables; they also attract birds and bees,

which are needed for pollinating crops.

➢They also shared on the issue of livestock integration –feeding them from the garden and using

their manure in the garden- like a cycle. This was a highlight for us.

This visit encouraged us to put more effort into our farming, even if we do not have much water. Some

farmers there see farming as a full time job- they are busy in their gardens every day for the whole day.

Mr Malatjie asked that these participants try out some of the ideas, so that our learning groups can also

learn these techniques in that way and also that they share some of the seeds they were given.

One of the fruit seeds that they brought with, were strawberry seedlings which they bought from one of

the farmers they visited who specialises in planting strawberries. Trona Morema, planted them inside her

tunnel, where she made a shallow trench bed that she built using cement bricks. See the picture below

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Mango production household visits

A few participantsinLepelle and Sedawawere visited by Jeffery Tshishonga, afarmmanager at Landman

Group the commercial Mango estates (Bavaria), so that he could give them advice on mango tree

management and also check on issues with deficiencies, pests and diseases. Thisinformation will also be

useful in designing the upcoming Organic Mango Production training, organised through the HoedspruitHub

for the (29-31 October 2018).

Report backs from the participants visited by Jeffry Tshisonga highlighted inputon pruning –both water

shoots, and excessive branches to ensure that all flowers have access to sunlight. Thiscan increase fruiting

substantially. Also, the tips of the branches that bearfruit are pruned in winter to stimulate more fruiting

branches. He emphasised that pruning shears should be used for straight clean cuts and not the pangas

people have been using. He spoke to irrigation and suggested they build basins around their trees to allow

for around 200-400l of irrigation in one go. Watering like thisneeds to be done once a week or bi-weekly.

Also, the leaves that fall form the trees should not be swept away but placed around the tree as mulching.

Spraying for powdery mildew needs to be done when the trees are flowering. There are fungicides that are

not too harmful thatcan be used as powdery mildew is very common.A few of these fungicides are

acceptable under organic mango production systems.

Review of CSA practices

Here small groups made lists ofpracticesfalling into the five finger categories (water management, soil

management, crops, soil fertility and soil health and natural resources). These practices were then assessed

fortheir effectiveness orimpact; participants indicting who is using thepractice and comments were made.

The traffic light system of assessment of implementation was used (red –none or very little); (yellow-can

be improved) and (green- good implementation.)

The table below summarises this exercise

Practice

Implementation

No of

people

(N=62)

Comments

WATER MANAGEMENT

Mulching

Saves water, suppresses weeds

Furrows and

ridges

Make sure you allow the grass to grow before you

turn the soil. Helps control soil pests

Banana basins

Prevents water run-off, provides fertility and

water for the trees as you add leaves and compost

before planting the trees

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Roof water

harvesting

Tanks for storage not enough, so this does not last

long and does not work in the dry season. We use

this water for drinking

Underground

tanks

Very expensive and have now been dry for a long

time as there has been no rain. Holds 24000l, but

even that was not enough to use for gardening

Stone bunds

Reduces erosion and holds water

Diversion diches

This helps to control and increase the amount of

water that goes into the garden

Small basins

Provides some extra water for the crops planted.

SOIL MANAGEMENT

Use feedbags to

make ridges

Control soil erosion

Plant grass on

bare soil

Good idea, but no-one is implementing this. Can

use lemon grass, black oats for example, this

planted grass prevents weeds from growing

Contour planting

We are more aware of this now and are doing this

in the larger fields

Plant trees

around the fence

and yard

For wind protection; Not much planting of trees

now, due to drought, but it is known to be a good

idea. Plant any kind of no fruiting tree to protect

the fruit trees in the yard.

CROP MANAGEMENT

Correct timing of

irrigation

Early mornings or late afternoons- this reduces

stress and wilting

Planting sweet

potatoes

Works well on ridges and furrows and works even

in these hot, dry conditions –but needs some

watering

Tunnels (shade

houses)

These work extremely well and all participants are

interested

Bulbinella

To trap water and is used for medicinal purposes

(introduced by MDF)

Using organic

pest control

remedies

Chilli and aloe and liquid manure works well. Not

many pests seen

Liquid manure

Use black jack leaves, chicken and goat manure –

works well

Keep loosening

the soil

Traditional practice –( in fact not recommended

for soil health and soil structure-causes

compaction, and capping)

Drip irrigation

Helps to use less water and save the water

especially if mulching also used. Plants grow well

Use of herbs in-

between veggies

This is now becoming common practices. It helps

for pest control, water management

Trench beds

They make a big difference –good looking crops,

big and healthy

Shallow trenches

Easier than trenches with a similar result. Can be

done on larger areas

Compost

Labour intensive, not enough water

Use of manure

We all now use manure and understand that the

soil needs to be fed

NATURAL RESOURCES

Less cutting of

trees

We are all aware and trying to save the trees

Minimising veld

fires

We are all aware and are not burning veld

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Planting of

indigenous trees

We are all aware and are doing this on a small

scale in our yards

Presentation of experimentation results

A power point presentation was given (attached) that outlines the results of the experiments in the tunnels

(trench beds inside and outside the tunnel and also furrows and ridges outside the tunnel). It was shown

how the water productivity is much higher inside the tunnels and also how this is substantially increased is

deep watering and mulching is used. A cost benefit analysis showing the amount of profit possible for a

tunnel was also shown (R900 for 3-4 months), using spinach as an example.

A presentation was also done on theorganic marketing ofvegetables and herbs. Participants explained to

the group how the process works and some results of incomes made and specific crops sold were presented.

Hoedspruit Hub has tried out a number of different avenues for marketing –each with their own positives

and negatives

Market

Requirements

Local restaurants and health

shop

Small quantities, can deal with some variability of crops, but

quality must be good

Veggie boxes; facebook page

Medium quantities; quality must be good, required regular

supply and lots of different crops

Supermarkets (Lebamba,

PicknPay)

Larger quantities; lower price, continuity of supply is absolutely

crucial

Friends and individuals

Small quantities, will more likely take what is available,

Saturday farmers market and

boot car sales

Tested dried herbs and pesto as well as vegetables. –Small

quantities need good quality and regular supply.

It was discussed that these were all an initial testing of the market in Hoedspruit and that the farmers’

desired market of supermarkets could in fact be the most difficult and least rewarding as they want

contracts, large and continual supply and pay less. At the moment farmers are getting high prices as

produce is sold as organic and directly to consumers.

Crops with a HIGH demand: flat leaf parsley, basil, onions, spinach, beetroot, green beans, sweet

potatoes

Crops with GOOD demand (smaller quantities): curly leaf parsley, coriander, fennel, cabbage,

Crops with LOW demand: local tomatoes (the buyers do not like the variability in size and shape of

the tomatoes)

New crops to focus on: baby marrows, carrots

Suggestions for more participants to come on board (at the moment 10-15 participants only)

➢There has to be quality control at the village (learning group) level before produce is taken to the

market.

➢Planting intervals are important;so you have to plant regularly and not wait for everything to be

harvested before planting again. We need to set up planting calendars for all the groups

➢Protect the market by providing good quality and sticking to the requirements (borehole water for

washing, correct weights and packaging

➢Each village must make a plan -types of herbs and vegetables

➢Number of people

oSedawa: 13

oLepelle: 2

oTurkey: 9

oFenale: 5

oMametja: 5

oBotshabelo: 3

➢A contact person was chosen for each village –who will ensure availability lists are made for the

village and that the orders are prepared and delivered on time at the right places

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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Name and Surname

Village

Phone number

Mogofe Mabiletse

Turkey

0724151686

Julia Maneneng

Patricia Ngobeni

Lepelle

0717006817

Tronah Morema

Mametja

0799107186

Joyce Mafologele

Mametja

0799849098

Lucy Seemole Malepe

Botshabelo

0760158315

Planning for upcoming year

Below are summarised points related to group discussions for future activities. A general point was made

that due to the continued lack of access to water, that the groups would focus on small intensive

gardening activities. People are focussed on making more trench beds as well as raised beds with organic

matter as these are the best practices for now. There was a plea made to not forget about the issue of

livestock however.

1. Water issues: Turkey also wants to be

part of this process and discuss local

options and potentials

2. Underground RWH tanks: given the

difficult conditions there is a large

interest in underground tanks; but

funding would need to be found to do

this. 24 People made requests

3. Conservation Agriculture: Given the

continued dry conditions in the area a

group decision was made to focus this

activity on the fields of individuals who

have some irrigation. Experimentation

with diversification of crops (including

legumes) as well as some fodder production options are to be considered. There are (9-12

individuals). Crops requested: sorghum, cowpeas, jugo beans and runner beans

4. Organic herb and vegetable marketing:This process has now been piloted and is to be expanded

into 5 of the 6 villages. Each learning group will set up their own internal process for managing

production, orders and deliveries

5. Indigenous poultry production: training and support on breeds and local level feed production for

indigenous poultry. Training set up for 19-20 November

6. Lucerne: introducing mixed cropping with Lucerne into the gardens

7. Strawberries: these wereseen in Sekhukhune and people would like to try them

8. Revision workshops: These are important as new people come on board all the time and older

participants can take part to assist in the learning and mentoring.

9. Handouts:were again requested.

Announcements

✓6 October: Borehole survey and siting with Raymond Vonk, in Sedawaand Mametja.

✓29-31 October: Organic Mango production training; 15 participants form Lepelle and 5 each for

Turkey, Sedawa, Mametja. 19-20 November: Indigenous poultry and broiler production training –2

workshops with groups of interested participants from all participating villages

✓22 November: Agroecology workshop- Nelspruit

5.1.2Herb Growers’Workshop; Turkey

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The organic marketing system has been expanded to include turkey more coherently. A workshop was held

for 26 participants on 23rd October 2018, to induct them into the system and discuss planting calendars,

delivery options and produce quality.

The Agenda was as follows:

Introduction

•Herbs, uses and production

•Planting in their gardens

•Discussion on record keeping

Hoedspruit Hub market

•What kind of market HH is running

•Who are our clients

•Size of the market

•What kind of herbs and vegetables are we selling

•How do we weigh the herbs using a scale

Water

•Where are we getting your water

•What kind of water must be used to wash the herbs and vegetables

Logistics

•Weekly orders

•The meeting place for collection

•Who delivers the herbs and vegetables to Hoedspruit Hub

•How do you contribute for transport

SUMMARY OF THE WORKSHOP

During the Cluster review workshop at Sedawa on the 04/10/2018, there was a presentation of the herb

market focusing on the progress and how much people have made within two months. Mr Malatjie

requested that this process be formally extendedinto Turkey.

Participants needed some reminders about the names and uses of herbs they had been planting through

the AgriSi process; uses are both culinary and medicinal

Mostly farmers have never kept records and are not aware how long it takes from planting to harvest. The

importance of keeping these records was emphasisedas they need to learn how long it takes, so that they

can plan how often and when to plant their different successions of herbs.They also need to record how

much they harvested over what period of time.

Hoedspruit Hub market

The understanding is that the smallholders can supply small quantities and that this supply is likely to

come in batches for now, rather than being consistent and continuous. It is understood as well that quality

may vary. Hoedspruit Hub is assisting in the marketing process by finding different customers who need

different herbs and vegetables. Examples are:

➢Restaurants including Blue Mountain, Hat and Creek, Sleepers and the local health shop

➢Lebamba Supermarket

➢Pick and Pay

➢Individuals in Hoedspruit; through a veggie box scheme advertised on Facebook

➢Weekly farmers’ markets

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The market is still being developed and thus things can change at short notice; this includes prices, sizes

of bunches and packaging, depending on who the buyers are. A list is made of what farmers have to offer

and this is presented to the customers. The customers then choose what they want to buy. In the process

we can also find out what they prefer and what crops they would like that we as farmers are not yet

growing

Table 4: A list of the herbs and vegetables currently being sold and the weight and price of these crops

Herb/vegetables

Price

Coriander

100g

R20,00

Parsley flat leaf

100g

R20,00

Parsley curly leaf

100g

R20,00

Basil

100g

R20,00

Rocket

100g

R20,00

Fennel

100g

R20,00

Lemon grass

100g

R20,00

Mint

100g

R20,00

Brinjal

Per kg

R15,00

Sweet-potatoes

Per kg

R25,00

Spinach

Twenty leafs

R18,00

Round tomatoes

Per kg

R15,00

Onion

Per kg

R15,00

Cabbage

Per kg

R20,00

Beetroot

Per kg

R15,00

Spring onion

100g

R20,00

Baby marrow

Per 350 g

R20,00

Green beans

Per350 g

R20,00

Participants were shown how to use the scale by Mmatshego and Betty to ensure that they do the correct

thing. Firstly, we harvested curly leaf parsley from Sarah Mohlala’s garden

and washed the parsley then weighed 100g of curly leaf parsley.

Right and far right:

Mmatshego

demonstrated how to

harvest, wash and weigh

a 100g bunch of curly

leaf parsley.

Water for gardening and washing produce

Participants explained the challenges that they are facing when coming to water. They do get their water

from the municipality borehole once a week in some sections; other sections rely on spring and borehole

water. They also used to pay a local person, who had reticulated pipes from a local spring, but he was

unreliable and even with paying R70/ per month,there was often no water. They have now stopped this

arrangement. Most are buying water or asking from neighbouring households, to water their gardensand

for household consumption.

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Participants held a meeting before this workshop to discuss how they can copy what Sedawa has started to

get their own water and not rely on municipal water for farming.They decided to set up smaller groups

according to their sections to collect monies for setting up a borehole for each section. Both the sub-

groups agreed to contribute R500,00 per household towards having borehole water. The contributions will

start from the first of November 2018 till the 31st of January 2019. They decided on borehole water also

because then there would be no question about water quality as water reticulated from local springs can

be contaminated.

They also selected members for thewater committee:

➢Chairperson: Michael Magobatlou

➢Vice chairperson: Mogofe Elias

➢Secretary: Mabiletse Mogofe

➢Treasurer: Angelina Malatjie

Logistics

People committing to the marketing process:

1. Michal Magobatlou

2. Sarah Madire

3. Norah Tshetlha

4. Elizabeth Mogatla

5. Sarah Mohlala

6. Mabiletse Mogofe

The group choseMabiletse to coordinate the market and

communicate with Betty and MDF. Participants will call or sms

her to let her know what they have in their gardensand how

much. Mabiletse will forward a summary with thenames, types

of herbs and vegetables and quantities on a Monday morning to Betty.

The collection point will be at Mabiletse’s home in Turkey 1. Mr Malatjie is to assist if there is a need.

They suggested joining the Sedawa group in terms of transport, as doing this jointly will decrease transport

costs.Thus,the produce will be taken from Turkey to Sedawa and then everything will be added together

and takento the Hoedspruit Hub.Participants agreed on paying Mabiletse’s transport and her airtime.

Mabiletse will also distribute the money,afterthe 15% contribution of transporthas beendeducted by Betty.

The agreed on planting the following herbs:

➢Rocket

➢Basil

➢Parsley curly leaf

➢Parsley flat leaf

➢Thyme

➢Fennel

➢Lemon grass

Participants prefer planting using seedlings instead of seed because:

➢The seedlings are already a few weeks old and need less effort, time and water to grow.

➢You harvest sooner than when you sow seeds.

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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➢The only concern that farmers raised is that seeds are cheaper than seedlings, but Norah

Tshetlha explained that seedlings might be expensive but she managed to get herself 200

seedlings of curly leaf parsley for R15,00 in Tzaneen, thus 75c per seedling. Not all suppliers

of seedlings are this cheap, but at that price it is definitely worth planting seedlings instead of

seed

5.1.3Organic Mango Production training

This consisted of two processes:

1. A household visit by Jeffrey TShishonga Mango Estate Manager for Bavaria to assess the situation

and provide adviceand troubleshooting for the smallholder farmer participants.

2. A 3-day training workshop held at the Hoedspruit hub.

5.1.3.1Household visits

On the 2nd of October 2018 Mahlathini and Hoedspruit Hub, accompanied by Jeffrey TShishonga a farm

manager at Landman group, conducted household visits in Lepelle and Sedawa.

George Sebatane (Lepelle)

George has 42 peach mangos and one grafted mango tree. The trees were planted by his late father in 1969.

From all these trees George only harvests around 24 crates per year, to be sold in bulk for achar and juice.

His yields should be higher given the general good condition of his orchard and the availability of water.

George has cut back some branches on his trees. He was given specific advice by Jeffrey on how best to do

this pruning, to ensure that the sun can reach all flowering branch tips on the trees. If this isnot done

fruiting isreduced and this also increases the incidence of powdery mildew in the trees. This disease was

noticed on a number

of George’s trees.

Right: A picture of

George’s mango

orchard where he, Neil

and Anri are listening

to Jeffrey.

Far right: A view of

George’s irrigation

furrows, leading here

to a small nursery of

mango seedlings.

Jeffreyalso pointed

out the Girly fly from

the same farm, which affects the leaves and flowersleading to dark spot

on the flowers, where infected flowers drop fromthe tree. George was

advised to use a spray of diluted milk as a fungicide.

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Shakes Seerane (Lepelle)

We also visited Shakes Seerane in Lepelle. He planted

mango treesin his back yard andhe also has a farm where

he has planted fruit trees; mangoes and bananas.

Right: Mango trees in Mr Seerane’s back yard. These trees are

pruned every year after harvest, to allow the sun to reach allow

the branches increasing yield,and were considered to be in

prime condition by Jeffrey.

Above left to right: Mr Seerane’s orchard, a closer inspection of some of the mango trees and a fruit fly found in the

orchard.

In all,he has planted 56mangotrees; 1 Langes, 5 Tommy and 50 Sugar. He planted these trees in 2016.

During the visit Jefferycommentedthat the trees should be bearing fruits now, but they haven’t started,

which might be because Mr Seerane has been over irrigating his trees. He uses drip lines and microjet

sprinkles, which provide around 50l of water /hour, meaning these trees get around 450l/ day as the

irrigation is left on for the whole day. The idea is to stress the trees alittle in winter (through not irrigating)

to increase fruit set, otherwise vegetative growth will be favoured.

We also found Natal fruit fly in his farm.Fruit flies cause direct damage by puncturing the fruit skin to lay

eggs. During egg laying bacteria fromthe intestinal flora of the fly are introduced into the fruit. These

bacteria cause rotting of the tissues surrounding theegg. When the eggs hatch, the maggots feed on the

fruit flesh making galleries. These provide entry for pathogens and increase the fruit decay, making fruits

unsuitable for human consumption’ https://www.infonet-biovision.org/PlantHealth/Pests/Fruit-flies.

He also advised Mr. Seerane with respect to pruning and suggested that he cutsout the two central

branches in each tree, which grow straight up and become dominant, shading the rest of the tree.

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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Josephina Malepe (Sedawa)

She planted 24 mango trees in her household garden:4 Peach, 12 Kent, 7 Indian and 5 Fish mangoes.She

sells to the local community. The major problem encountered was that she doesn’t water the trees enough,

leading to a decrease in production as the trees drop their fruit when too dry.

Right: The group clustered under one of Josephina’s mango trees discussing watering and pruning options

Mpelesi Sekgobela (Sedawa)

She hasplanted 30 trees ofmangoes in her householdgarden; amixtureofTommy, Kent, Sensation and

‘Fish’ mangoes. In her case pruning has been a little too drastic and she was not to cut on the branch collars

(which is a swelling that forms around the base of the branch that forms where the branch and trunk tissue

meet. These are the areas on a tree that initiate the callus

growth to protect the wound created by the cut).She was

also advised to water the treesand build small dams around

the trees to avoid water run-off during watering.

There was some incidence

of blossom malformation

on Mpelesi’s trees(the

disease is known tocause

abnormal flower, leaf and

shoot growth).

The farmers were happy

and thankful for the

knowledge that was

shared. One belief that was held in the

communitythat was dispelled in this session is

that pruning after harvesting reduces yield in

following seasons.

5.1.3.2Organic Mango production training

at Hoedspruit Hub

A three-day training course was offered to 27

participants from Lepelle, Sedawa,

Mametja and Turkey, including Betty

and Andries at the Hoedspruit Hub from

29-31 October.

Right: Anri from Hoedspruit Hub addressing

the participants during the Mango

production course

5.1.3.2.1 Day 1

1. Overview of programme

2. Organic mango production in

Africa –its challenges

3. An introduction to soil structure

and soil fertility management

4. How to make compost (theory)

5. Proper establishment of the mango orchard

PRUNING

-Remove water shoots; from the base and

centre of the tree

-Cut large branches out of the middle of the

tree that shade other branches

-Ensure that all flowering branches receive

sun-to provide dappledshade on the

ground

-Use cutting sheers-not pangas to cut

branches

-Cut back the flowering tips after fruiting in

June-July

-Cut a branch at a spot just after the branch

collar, so that new growth can happen

FLOWERING

-Occurs around August.

-Flowering can be induced

by stressing trees in

winter-no watering June-

July –otherwise the tree

will provide new growth

rather than flowering from

the growing tips

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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6. Introduction to proper maintenance of mango trees

Framers outlined their expectations as being; learning how to increase their production, interested in

knowing how marketing works, pests and disease management, compost making, kinds of manure used for

improving soil fertilityand learning about pruning and grafting.

Farmers shared their challenges as primarily being a shortage of water, bad soil and lack ofmarkets to sell

their mangoes.

Organic mango production in Africa

Challenges of agriculture in Africa: Most farmers think farming mangoes is easy but it is not, because there

are a number of challenges that you might encounter as a farmer, including;

•Poor quality

•Pests and disease problems

•Poor management

•Postharvest losses

Anri also explained that, even though they are offering the training in organic mangoproduction,there is

as yet not an established market for organic mangoes. This is being explored with Bryanston Market that

sellsorganic fruit. Anri explained to farmers that Africa has challenges in agriculture. The first challenge

that they all knew was climate change, which leads to low soil fertility, limited access to safe and

sustainable inputs, shortage of land, low yields and limited access to reliable markets.

Characteristics of the best agricultural system: Farmers were asked what they think contributesto having

thebest agricultural system in your farm. Most of the farmers said you have to first make sure that you have

fertile soil and that you have knowledge about the crop you are growing.

Organic farming differs from traditional farming in thatit relies on non-chemical inputs by implementing

the following practices such as inter-cropping, crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest

control) to maintain soil productivity, soil fertility and control pests. In other words, we look after nature

and nature looks after us.

Introduction to soil structure and soil fertility management

Farmers were taught about types of soil structureandsoil erosion. The group was already well versed in

these concepts through their interactions with Mahlathini. Under the importance of organic matter, they

were taught about the structure of organic matter. The picture below was used to explain and show

farmers what the structure looks like using a microscope.

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Above: Soil structure, including organic matter as seen under a microscope

Farmers explained that they have been taught aboutthe importance of organic matter,that but they have

never thought it could also help their trees.

Three steps of organic soil fertility management

-Step 1: Soil and water conservation; e.g. stone packing, mulching, irrigation basins, water furrows

-Step 2: Soil cover; mulching cover crops and green manures

-Step 3: Organic supplements; liquid manure andplant teas.

How to make compost

Nelson taught farmers on day one in class how farmers can make their own compost instead of buying

fertilizers, which are not organic. He also taught them about the importance of investing in compost

production. Compost in their garden is a balanced fertilizer(source of NPK), it improves the soil fertility

in the long-term, destroys diseases on crop residues and weed seeds in the heating phase and it also

suppresses soil borne diseases.

Materials you need for making your own compost

•Crop residues

•Animal manure(not fresh)

•Green plant material

•Ash

•Algae

•water

How do you make good compost?

You can use different methods to do your compost; some people prefer to dig pits in the ground and fill

materials layerby layer, mixing dry material, green material, athin layer of top soil/ashes and cattle

manure. This is then watered and finally covered with grass or banana leaves. Trench beds are another

example of this. The most usual way is to make a heap/pile.

Compost will go through three phases of decomposition; first the heating phase where bacteria develop,

second, the cooling phase, where fungi develop and small animals begin habitationand third, the

maturing phase where humic acids form.

Air

humus

Soil mineral

Organisms

Water

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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5.1.3.2.2 Day 2

Review of day 1:

•We learned about using compost that you made for yourself around the mango tree to improve soil

health and as a result get good quality mangoes.

•We learned aboutbalancing three elements to have good compost; sun, water and air.

•We also learned how to make our own compost instead of buying compost.

•Learned how to grow mango tree using mango seeds. Firstly, after eating you clean the pip and

dry it for five days. Secondly,before planting you cut open the shell of the pip and place the cut

side face up, with the flat surface facing down. This is done so that when the seed starts to grow,

it will shoot straight out of the soil instead of looking for direction.

•We also learned about spacing mango trees when planting in your farm.

•Learned about pollination and the importance of bees in our garden.

•Learned about pruning and the importance of pruning a tree.

Making compost (practical)

Firstly, it was explained why we had all the materials and why it is important to make your own compost

for your garden.

Then the process was started; Firstadd dry materials, then wet or green materials, then ash and finally

and organic activator.Mix the activator with water in a 500ml bottle which was cleaned, then shake for 15

minutes, then transfer to a 20l bucket with water. Finally using a funnel, we apply the activator liquid as

the last step in the layering. If the activator is not available then one can use cow, goat and chicken

manure (not wet manure).

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Above: Pictures showing the compost making site and box designed to hold the compost, as well as a pile of manure

to be used

The pictures above show the sequence of making

compost; dry material, then wet material, then

ash and the activator and finally water.

Practical pruning demonstration

This was done by Jeffery, a farm manager at

Landman’s group. He firstly explained what

pruning is -It is cutting back of a tree to

increase production and yield.He also

explained that we don’t prune small trees

after the initial formative pruning; we only

remove new small branches to shape up the

tree and for the tree to focus its energy in growing. With larger trees, structural pruning is undertaken;

we cut or prune the tree to allow the sun to reach all the branches of the tree, which will help in

increasing production. We only prune a tree after harvest.

He continued by showing farmers how to graft trees. Grafting of mango trees consists of transferring a piece

of mature orfruitbearing treeto a separate seedling rootstock. First you have to look atthe size of the

tree you want graft, so you can find the right size wood bud for it. The wood bud can be wrapped and

refrigerated for twotothree days and used, but he advised that we use fresh wood buds. When grafting you

wrap the joined wound with a tape in a manner that no air or water can affect the wound. You will keep

the wrapped tape until it removes itself to ensure successful propagation.

Right: Jeffrey explaining and demonstrating pruning.

He alsoadvised farmers on the kind of mangoes that will grow well with the kind ofenvironmental conditions

their facing, which was Kiet mango. This was good news for them since the market prefers Kiet, Kent and

Tommy mangoes.

Improving flowering and fruit formation

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-Young grafted trees may flower withintwo years; fruit formation shouldbe avoided because it affects

the growth of the tree. Flowering should be permitted in the fourth year.

-Keeping the orchard clean by removing all ripe fruits and weeds aroundthe trees.

-Mango trees are sensitive to climatic variations; low temperatures at night and dry climateimprove

flower formation.

-You can practice smudging,which is a practice of smoking moist organic material (grass or leaves) under

the tree before flowering to induce flowering. Smudging is done towards dry season when mango trees

are ready to flower(July-August).

-Smoking materials can be mixed with aromatic herbs like lemon grass or lantana

Water management and saving

•How do I ensure best use of rainwater?

➢Irrigation water is kept at minimum in order to allow for effective use of available water

resources, as an organic farmer to ensure best use of rainfall water and water harvesting,

they can use the following; planting in pits, contour ridges, furrows and stone-lines. This

will also help reduce erosion.

➢Establishing a diverse cropping system.

➢Mulching to prevent the soil from being washed away and protecting it from the heat -

reducing water loss through evaporation.

Pest and disease management

The most destructive mango pests are the mango seed weevil and the mango fruit fly, which was

found in Shakes Seerane’s orchard Lepelle.

Mango seed weevil and mango fruit fly

•During the larval stage, it does more damage as it burrowsthrough the flesh into the seed, where

it will feed until fully mature inside the seed.

•When it matures it tunnels through the flesh, leaving a hole on the fruit skin which will be an

entry for fungal infections.

•The pest can spread into clean areas through the movement of infested fruit for propagation or

consumption.

•Mango seed weevil can be managed by;

➢Continuously monitoring your orchard for any infected trees or fruits. Regular fruit scouting

during fruit growth.

➢Ensuring good orchard sanitation

➢Applying sticky bands when the tree starts flowering.

➢Can plant certain herbs in your orchard like dill, parsley, cosmos, sunflower and marigold or

you can introduce natural enemies.

5.1.3.2.3 Day 3

Organic certification and marketing

Participatory guarantee systems

•Nelson taught farmers about PGS (participatory guarantee system), since farmers explained that for

now,they can afford to pay for an inspector to certify their products, since they will need

certification to access the market.

•Participatory Guarantee System isa locally focused quality assurance systems. They certify

producers based onactive participation of stakeholders and are built on a foundation of trust, social

networks and knowledge exchange.

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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•He also explained why the certificate carries access to the market. Firstly, it ensures that everyone

in the organic supply chain adheres to the organic regulations, it also confirms that the product

carries an organic label,

•PGS isan affordable inspection process, as most is done by the group itself, which reduces inspector

fees.

A PGS is formed by agroup of farmers, consumersand retailers together,to ensure that farmers

adhere to organicregulations. Inspection will be done once a year

Site visit to Mango Nursery

Farmers dida site visit toBavaria Estatemangonursery with Andy and Emile taking us through the orchard.

Andy took the farmersthrough a process of grafting. Firstly they normally use Saber mango as arootstock

and graft with any type/variety (Kiet, Kent or Tommy)

Right: Farmers in the

Bavaria Estate mango

nursery Far Right:

Andy explained the

process of grafting,

while one of the

farm workers

demonstrated the

process

One rootstock of

Saber can be

grafted with different varieties of mangoes.

The picture below is an example of one rootstock grafted with different varieties of mangoes.

Above left: The rootstock has been grafted with three different varieties; Piva, ZIII and NanDocMai.

Above Right: This shows a point where the rootstock was joined with the fruit bearing scion

From the nursery we moved to the compost site behind the nursery.

Right; The Estate’s composting site where all the leaf litter and other organic waste is collectedto be used in

compost made for the orchards

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From the compost site we wentto the mango tree site, to see the kinds of mango trees theyare growing,

how the trees are pruned, ways of irrigation and to also look at how sanitation is done.

Far Right: Emile

used a soil auger

to show how drip

irrigation saves

water, as it

provides water

directly to the

roots of the tree.

The soil is mosit

underneath even if

it looks dry on top.

Right: Our learners

at the end of the

training session –

well informed and

enthused for their

organic mango

production

5.1.4Organic herb and vegetable marketing process

This process has continued. A number of different marketing options have now been tried, including

setting up of a Facebook page for Hoedspruit hub to do the weekly order of organic boxes and also farmers

markets.

Above left: the Hoedspruit Hub Facebook page and above right; Nelson and friend manning the stall at the farmers

market on the 6th of October 2018. Hoedspruit Hub was selling all coriander, parsley flat leaf, parsley curly leaf,

fennel, lemon grass, basil and pesto (made from parsley and coriander) at the market. The market went very well;

they managed to sell 75% of the herbs and 100% of the pesto.

Progress with marketing has been very positive and a number of new participants have been brought on

board. The herb and vegetable marketing group has also now been formally set up in Turkey (see section

5.1.2 above). Below is a table outlining the sales in October-November 2018.

Table 5: A record of herbs and vegetables sold in the organic marketing initiative with Hoedspruit Hub: August-

November 2018

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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Date

Herbs

No bundles

Price

Amount

Total

2018/08/17 to2018/09/28

R10 118,00

2018/10/05

Parsley flat leaf

R20,00

R300,00

Parsley curly leaf

R20,00

R900,00

Brinjal

R15,00

R150,00

Lemon grass

R20,00

R80,00

Cabbage

R20,00

R60,00

Basil

R20,00

R140,00

Beetroot

R15,00

R270,00

Spinach

R18,00

R108,00

Tomatoes

R15,00

R150,00

Fennel

R20,00

R60,00

Sweet-potatoes

R25,00

R450,00

Green peppers

R11,00

R99,00

R2767,00

2018/10/12

Green pepper

R11,00

R33,00

Parsley flat leaf

R20,00

R340,00

Parsley curly leaf

R20,00

R260,00

Mint

R20,00

R40,00

Spring onion

R20,00

Cabbage

R20,00

R80,00

Basil

R20,00

R200,00

spinach

R18,00

R378,00

Tomatoes

R15,00

R75,00

Fennel

R20,00

R100,00

Sweet-potatoes

R25,00

R175,00

R1668,00

2018/10/19

Parsley flat leaf

R20,00

R400,00

PParsley curly leaf

R20,00

R100,00

Spring onion

R20,00

R400,00

Brinjal

R15,00

R90,00

Rocket

R20,00

R80,00

Basil

R20,00

R440,00

Round tomatoes

R15,00

R135,00

Spiach

R18,00

R144,00

Cabbage

R20,00

R60,00

Sweet-potatoes

R25,00

R175,00

R2024,00

2018/10/26

Coriander

R20,00

R120,00

Parsley flat leaf

R20,00

R500,00

Parsley curly leaf

R20,00

R200,00

Rape

R15,00

Lemon grass

R20,00

R200,00

Cabbage

R20,00

R80,00

Basil

R20,00

R280,00

Beetroot

R15,00

R75,00

Baaby-marrow

R20,00

R180,00

Spinach

R18,00

R162,00

Tomatoes

R15,00

R165,00

Spring onion

R20,00

R340,00

Fnnel

R20,00

R60,00

Sweet-potatoes

R25,00

R350,00

Rocket

R20,00

R180,00

R2887,00

2018/11/02

Rocket

R20,00

R240,00

Parsley flat leaf

R20,00

R640,00

Parsley curly leaf

R20,00

R300,00

Lemon grass

R20,00

R200,00

Cabbage

R20,00

R60,00

Basil

R20,00

R140,00

Baby marrow

R20,00

R120,00

Spinach

R18,00

R108,00

Thyme

R20,00

R360,00

Fennel

R20,00

R60,00

R2248,00

2018/11/09

Parsley flat leaf

R10,00

R270,00

Parsley curly leaf

R10,00

R100,00

Pepper

R11,00

R44,00

Baby marrow

R20,00

R60,00

Thyme

R10,00

R120,00

Fennel

R10,00

Basil

R10,00

R30,00

Beetroot

R15,00

R75,00

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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Spring onion

R10,00

R40,00

Spinach

R18,00

R90,00

0nion

R15,00

R60,00

Brinjal

R15,00

R120,00

Sweet-potatoes

R25,00

R100,00

Green beans

R20,00

R60,00

R1239.00

Total sales

R21 855,00

The table indicates an income of aroundR21855,00 for a period of three months. This equates to an

average income for each participant of ~R500/month from their sales of herbs and vegetables.

5.1.4.1The marketing system

At themoment around 15farmers are involved. Each group(Sedawa, Botshabelo andTurkey)harvests,

washes and packs the orders that were listed on the Monday and confirmed by Thursday, on Friday mornings

and deliver this toChristina in Sedawa. She travels by taxi to Hoedspruit hubto deliver the produce to

Nelson, who inspects and counts it and then pays cash for the produce, according to an invoice produced by

MDF.

Checking of quality is made once it is delivered at the Hoedspruit Hub, by Nelson, Betty and Christina.

Christina then distributes the monies to each farmer on her return home. This system is working well at the

moment, although we are aware that there is not enough of a paper trail. Each farmer is not aware of what

they will receive until they are given the cash andthis means that opportunities for money going missing

are being created. At the moment we are working on a system of management and control that would be

appropriate.

The initial agreement with Hoedspruit Hub (HH) was that they would buy all the herbs produced and then

sell it on –i.e. they take the risk as the “middleman”. As the farmers have produced a lot more herbs than

expected, this process has resulted in a reasonably substantial loss for HH in unsold herbs. This totalled

around R8500 by mid- November. For the vegetable sales, it has been based more directly on what can be

sold, as the list ofavailable produce, made on a weekly basis, is used to garner orders and on Thursdays

farmers are informedhowmuch to harvest and pack. It is likely that the latter process will be used for herbs

in the future as well.

5.1.4.2Changes in the market

•Hoedspruit Hub started working together with Hlokomela, so they can supply Hlokomela with our

fresh produce to LebambaSupermarket. As this is a retail market the prices have now changed

from R20 to R10 per bunch of herbs. This tends to create confusion

among farmers as it is hard for them to appreciate why they get paid

differing amounts every week. Also, for Hlkomela, the herbs do not

need to be packaged separately, but can be provided without packets.

Right: Herbs packaged in pacekts for the veg boxes and other markets and just placed

in bunches alongside for the Hlokomela/ Lebamba market.

•Quality is also a major concern, as farmers are not familiar with the

standard that Hlokomela will be looking for. Although we have worked

with the quality issues on an ongoing basis, the requirements for

Lebamba supermarket are slightly more stringent than before, as

produce now sitson a shelf, rather than going directly in a box to a

customer.

•Delivery dates have also changed, as Hlokomela delivers to Lebamba on

Friday mornings, and all fresh produce they will be buying from

Hoedspruit Hub have to be weighed again and packaged to be delivered

to Lebamba. Thus delivery for the Hlokomela/Lebamba market need to

be made to Hoedspruit Hub on Thursdays and not Fridays.

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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For the first delivery for Hlokomela we had Gavin from Hlokomela checking all the produce, and advising

us on harvestingand packaging processes for this new market.

Right: Gavin from Hlokomela showing us how to pick thyme Christina from Sedawa and Anri from Hoedspruit Hub are

watching the instructions closely

5.1.4.3Challenges

•Farmers started complaining about

the percentage contribution for

transport; most of themthink 25% is

too much given that we have

managed to save close to R1195.30

from the contributed percentage

from each farmer who sold their

fresh produce. It was decided to

decrease the percentage to 15% from the 26/10/2018. This amount that has been saved is used for

transport costs on anongoing basis and there was agreement to ensure that this fund is always kept

in the “green”. In November farmersagain tried to negotiate the transportprice down, nowto 10%,

this would not be a tenable amount as transport costsa minimum of R300/ week. A different system

may need to be considered.

•Another challenge we experiencing is that farmers want to sell, even when they know that the

quality of their produce is sub-standard. They want to take a chance just in case. Then, however

they become upset when their produce is rejected for sale and this also places pressure on the staff

at Hoedspruit Hub, Christina who has to inform them and also the clients wholose trust in the

process. Farmers have been informed on many occasions of thisdifficulty, but continue to chance

their luck. Thefurther problem is that for organic produce it is known that small visualdefects are

more likely and in formal markets this is compensatedfor by increased pricing of the class A produce

and in trying to find alternative markets for the class B produce. This is not really an option for an

operation of this small scale.

Right: Picture of a rocket leaf taken during a quality

check. There are too many small holes in the leaf for

sale purposes. This problem was encountered with all

the rocket submitted for sale during that week.

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5.1.5Poultry production training

Two, one day learning workshops were held; one in Turkey

(2018/11/20) and one for Sedawa, Mametja, Botshableo,

Willows and Fenale (2018/11/21). A total of 86 participants

attended these sessions.

Here issues of housing, feeding, poultry health and different

breeds were discussed. In addition, the groups went through

a budgeting exercise for broilers and layers and different

feeding schedules and regimes were presented.

Below small snapshots of the information presented and

discussed are outlined.

Feeding Chickens

Chickens are the same as humans; they also need a balanced diet which will allow them to grow to their

full potential. Herbs such as Comfrey, Fennel, and Thyme etc play an important role in the diet of the

chicken. Grains like sunflower are also needed to balance the diet. But the most important part in chicken

feed is the protein which they get from grubs. Grubs are required for body fat and they are a very good

source of protein. It’s like a full meal e.g. pap, meat and spinach or cabbage.

If hens eat their own eggs, it is a sign that they are not getting the right nutrients, not enough calcium

and not enough protein. Although it is recommended that egg shells are crushed and used in the feed, this

can actually promote the practices of eating eggs and so grit and seashells are used instead.

Commercial feeds such as grower and finisher are used for broilers and layers. The three- phase feeding

that includes post finisher is done to clear out the vaccines and other additives in the feed prior to

marketing

For commercial production and working with broilers and layers one has to stick very strictly to the timing

and feeding, so that the broilers can be ready after 5 weeks and layers are able to lay on average 1

egg/hen/day. If this is not done, the very small profit margin in poultry production can be lost. It is also

advisable to keep at least 100 chickens at a time for commercial production. Working with smaller batches

is generally not profitable

Below is a table of costs.

ITEM

COST

100 1st Grade Chicks per box (including ND&IB

sprays and chick box)

R740

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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2 phase feeding programme

0-21 days starter

22-36 days finisher

37-42 post finisher

R360 x 2=R720

R340 x 5=R1700

R320 x 1=R320

3 phase feeding programme

0-14 days starter

15-36 days grower

37-42 days finisher

R360 x 1=R360

R340 x 3=R1020

R340 x 3=R960

R320 x 1-R320

Drinker

R62 x 3=R186

Feeder

Day old

R40 x 3=R120

2 phase feeding

R3046

3 phase feeding

R2966

Housing

Chickens are very sensitive to

diseases. They need to be kept in

a clean environment and be

provided with clean drinking

water daily. They also need to be

kept warm/cool depending on

weather. So rondavels, or shaded

areas are a good place to keep

them. It is also possible to keep

them in moveable arcs or chicken

tractors, as this way they can

scratch and feed on bugs and also

fertilize the soil for you while

being moved regularly to a new

area that provides food and a

clean environment for them. This

dramatically reduces the

incidence of mites and ticks on

poultry

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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The groups also built chicken tractors as a part of the learning process

Right and far right;

Chicken tractors being

constructed in turkey

and Sedawa respectively.

Chicken tractors of

this size can house

around 10 chickens.

Take care to only have

1 rooster in any one enclosure. If there are more, they compete and may kill chicks that are born.

Health

A session was also spent on discussing poultry diseases and how to control these. The main way of

controlling diseases is vaccination. In terms of prevention, one needs to remove sick chickens as soon as

possible from the rest, as diseases generally are spread between the birds.

Below is a vaccination chart and schedule –so if day olds or other birds are bought one has to ensure that

these vaccinations were done. Some vaccines are added to the drinking water to avoid having to inject the

chickens. Vaccinations are important for indigenous chickens as well, even though they arehardly ever

done.

AGE

VACCINATION

ROUTE

Day 1

Marek

IB/ND Hitchner B1

Subcutaneous

Spray

Day 7

ND-IB-MG (Mycoplasma) (0.1ml)

Subcutaneous

Week 3

Gumboro Precise

Water

Week 4

IB H120

Gumboro Precise

Water

Week 6

ND la Sota

Spray

Week 7

ND-IB-MG (Mycoplasma) (0.1ml)

Subcutaneous

Week 8

Pox

Deworm

Wing Web

Water

Week 12

ILT

Eye Drop

Week 14

IB/ND Hitchner B1

Deworm

Spray

Water

Breeds

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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A short discussion on different poultry breeds for different purposes was also done The advantage of dual-

purpose breeds is that they are good meat and egg producers. They are generally slow growing, similar to

indigenous breeds, but produce better than traditional poultry and can be a profitable process, especially

if feed is produced for them rather than bought

5.1.6Gardening practices revision workshops

Two workshops were held, one in Fenale (2018/11/17), with 9 participants and one for Sedawa, Botshabelo

and Mametja (2018/11/16)with 16 participants.The intention of theseworkshops was to workthrough

practices introduced in previous learning sessions to bring new members on board and to provide a revision

for those already in the groups. Issues of implementation and adaptation were also discussed. More

experienced group members shared their knowledge and experience with the newer members.

The following agenda was covered in both sessions:

•Bed design (Deep trench beds, tower garden, eco-circle, shallow trench beds)

•Soil fertility measures/ techniques (use of manure, liquid manures and teas)

•Soil movement control measures/ techniques (stone bund, stone lines, diversion furrows)

•Experimentation (this was discussed in relation to experiments involving tunnels)

•Options for field cropping this season (Trying CA)

•Irrigation techniques (use of salty water for irrigation, deep watering, drip irrigation)

•Natural pest and disease control

FENALE

Below isa summary of some of the points of discussion and adaptations made and suggested by participants:

➢Soil erosion control measures havenot beenused, as there has been little to no rain and participants

only do these when they see a need. It was mentionedhowever that the diversion ditches that were

made in the workshops and then planted tosweet potatoes work very well and much better than

the furrows and ridges participants are more used to.

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➢Deep trench beds have been tried by most participants, but due to the shallow and rocky soils in

Fenale participants requested different options. Raised beds in this situation make a lot of sense,

using the same principles as for deep trenches, but just going up instead of down. It wasalso

discussed that it is not a good idea to just add soil to “sinking” trench beds – there is some settling

that occurs over time as the organic matter decays; adding more organic matter isa much better

idea than just adding more soil

➢Eco-circles, shallow trenches and tower gardens have not been implementedsince training and

participants needed reminding of how these practiceswork. Eco-circles do not work well if the crops

are planted too far away from the central ‘watering bottle’. Also, the bed needs to start out being

very well irrigated, so that the daily or weekly top ups in the bottle can keep the soil moist-

otherwise the beds end up drying out. The situation for tower gardens is similar.

➢With liquid manures, participants tend to use this as an alternative to other fertility options, even

though it is meant to be an additional practice. Using more and fresher manure for making the brews

shows a definite improvement.

➢A discussion on types and freshnessof manure followed–the traditional practice is to use old manure,

but there is very little nitrogen or phosphorus in manure that has been exposed to the sun for long

periods. The use of fresher manures from kraals that includes urine and also for composting manure

was re-introduced.

➢Participants remembered the pest and disease control brews well and could introduce those to new

members in detail

➢Drip irrigation has been tried to good effect bySarahNyathi. The water inthe area is however salty,

leaving a white residue on the drippers that clogs them. Participants asked for an alternative or

solution to this problem

➢Deep watering was discussed and an experimentation process for this was introduced. Participants

still try todo small amounts of watering in the mornings and evenings and try to spread the water

across all their beds. This practiceis counterproductive and leads toeven greater waterand heat

stress in the plants.

➢Even though it is likely that another dry season lies ahead participants were keen to take a chance

and do the CA field cropping experiments again. TheFenale participants requested also to try the

bird resistant sorghum

SEDAWA, MAMETJA, BOTSHABELO

Here, the workshop was conducted in the Kgwana High School garden at the request of new group members

who are part of the Community Work Programme (CWP).Participants(new learning group members)are

interested in advancing their knowledge around gardening and finding new ways to improve their gardening

techniques. They have attended several combined AgriSI workshops where different gardening techniques

were presented but never had a chance at the practical component of the workshop. Currently, CWP

environmental monitors use short furrows to irrigate their vegetables (mainly beetroot and spinach).

Challenges these participants are facing with the furrows is that they are not level,thus the irrigation is not

uniform. Theyfind line level to be very useful and said it will come handy for them when redesigning the

furrows. The group was given a practical session on how to measure trench beds, because they were more

interested on having trench beds in their gardens, as they have seen the results of planting vegetables on a

trench bed from Sedawa local facilitator Christina Thobejane.

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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Left clockwise: Two

views of the CWP

garden at Kgwana High

Shool, And Christina

giving the team some

advice on how to

measure a trench bed

and they start digging

a trench bed.

5.1.7Innovations and Experimentation

5.1.7.1Fruit tree orders and deliveries

As a part of the intervention in fruit production in Lepelle, a process was put in place for participants to

order grafted trees. Access to good quality trees is very limited in the villages and participantsdidnot know

where tofind affordable trees .MDF offered to source trees for them. The system is that participantspay

R25 towards each tree, which MDF has manged to source. Trees were delivered end October-beginning

November for planting and participants were provided with information on best planting options (including

fertility and watering)

13 Members of the Lepelle learning group ordered a total of 113 trees between them. The summary table

of trees ordered is shown in the small table below. Avocados, pecan nuts and grapefruit could not be sourced

for participants, asthey were not available at the time. Other trees were sourcedfrom Tzaneen and

Letsitele.

Items (Trees)

Quantities

Avocado (fuerte)

Mango (Tommy Atkins)

Mango (peach)

Mango (Sabre)

Mango (Keit)

Mango (Sensation)

Pecan nuts

Macadamia nuts

Shaddock (grapefruit)

Litchi

Orange

Naartjies

Total

79 (113)

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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The process worked well and all but 4 trees bought for participants have been claimed and paid for. They

have paid a total of R2 500 towards these trees. As prices were higher than this, MDF opted to subsidise

this process.

5.1.7.2Report back water issues and borehole assessment survey

LEPELLE

Very little progress has been made in Lepelle, as the water committee has floundered under the political

instability caused in the village due to strife caused by lobbying in the area to change the traditional

authority and headmen for the area. Community members have not contributed as agreed and thus MDF is

unable to take the next step in the process. The agreement was that MDF would match whatever

contributions the community made, so that the first steps in renovation of the furrow can be made. No

progress has been made in the community to deal with water leakages caused by broken pipes and joins.

SEDAWA

Here Raymond Vonk, a hydrological engineer specialising in borehole surveying(geophysical services), was

employed by MDF to do a survey of three potential borehole sites for the Sedawa community

(2018/10/07). He produced a report clearly indicating three potentialsites along the three lines suggested

by the community. This will be reported back to the learning group and water interest group so that the

next steps can be taken.

Above: Assessment of Line 2 for borehole options. This line is close to the river in Sedawa and thus also has the

greatest possibility of finding a strong source without deep drilling

Suitable sites were found along all three of the lines, although the line close to the mountains above the

village, likely would need to have a deeper hole drilled. Mr Vonk suggested the community members find

out from others the average depth of drilling for the area. He was unable to conduct his usual

electromagnetic survey to access this due to the presence of too many fence lines in the vicinity, which

interferes with these measurements. Mr Vonk also offers remote assistance when boreholes are drilled to

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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access the condition of the rock and slurry being removed, to be able to advice whether the hole should

be drilled deeper or not.

TURKEY

In this village learning group members have met independently and decided on a process for saving

towards drilling of joint boreholes for agricultural water provision. They have suggested that MDF meets

with them once they have collected enough funds to assist them with planning and siting of these

boreholes

In addition, Chris Stimie produced a more detailed budget for the two water provision options

(reticulation from the mountain spring and the boreholes).

5.1.8Networking & collaboration

5.1.8.1LRC Right to Food and Seed

Smallholder farmers’ workshop –

Sedawa (2018/11/07-08)

Around 36 participants attended this session

and learnt about the new Seed bills and the

potential impact on their traditional seed and

seed saving systems.

Discussions included small group discussions on

methods of seed saving and types of seed saved

by the community members.

5.1.8.2Agroecology best practise workshop

This networking process was hosted by the University of Mpumalanga and co-organised by AWARD and the

LRC (Legal Resource Centre), with input from MDF

The agenda for the session is provided below

Item

Task/ Discussion

Facilitator

time

Arrival and Registration

Gerhard V (UMP) &

Bigboy (AWARD)

08:30-09:00

Welcome Remarks

Prof F Kutu (Head of

School of

Agricultural Science

at UMP)

09:00-09:15

Networking and Systemic Social Learning Approach

•Why is this critical?

•AWARD’s experiences

Dr Sharon Pollard

(AWARD Executive

Director)

09:15-09:30

Guest Presentation: The Right to Food and Seed Systems

(The Seed Bill): Implications for Smallholder farmers in SA

•Overview of the agricultural system in SA and the

future of farmer seed systems

•UPOV & The Seed Treaty explained

•Implications for seed saving/exchange/sale

highlighted

Busiso Moyo (LRC

Researcher) & Linzi

Lewis (African

Centre for

Biodiversity)

09:30-10:30

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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•Role of CSOs/NGOs discussed & possible way

forward mapped out

TEA

10:30-11:00

Sharing Best Practices and Lessons Learnt

•"Developing a decision support system in CSA for

smallholder farmers in SA(Catherine van den Hoof;

WITS)

•Permaculture Explorers: Seeding Agroecologists

from the Ground Up(Becky Harmon; Zingela Ulwazi

Trust)

All (AWARD Chairing)

11:00-11:30

Sharing Best Practices and Lessons Learnt

•A Meeting of Networks (Lawrence Sisitka et al..,

Amanzi for Food Project)

•Linking herb farmers to markets: Lesson Learnt by

Hoedspruit Hub (Betty T. Maimela & Nelson Ngoveni;

Hoedspruit Hub)

•Vuhehli Climate Smart Agriculture Nursery &

VegetableProject (Linda Ngatshane; Exillite)

•Maximizing benefit from water stewardship for

emerging farmers, Lesson Learnt about success

factors (Mbali Mashele, WWF Nedbank Green Trust

Project GT5650

All (MDF Chairing)

11:30-13:00

LUNCH

All

13:00-14:00

Sharing Best Practices and Lessons Learnt

•"Using innovation Systems to define and assess best

practice options in CSA" (Erna Kruger; Mathlatini

Development Foundation)

•Mediating Agroecological learning through Learning

Networks (Pesanayi Tichaona; Rhodes

University/Amanzi for Food Project

•Bokashi Composting and community Gardening in

the United States of America ( Penelope Colly &

Kathleen Rauch, Seeds of Light)

All (UMP Chairing)

14:00-15:00

Closing Remarks and Way forward

Dr Cryton Zazu

(AWARD)

15:00-15:10

Vote of thanks

Any Volunteer

15:10-15:20

A total of 51 participants from a wide range of organisations, including CBOs, NGOs, tertiary Institutions

and Government attended this very informative session.MDF’s presentation on citizen science related to

water productivity in the gardening experimentation and specifically in the shade tunnels and trench

beds, was well received.

The intention of the experimentation process in the communities was to work with smallholder farmers to

access the potential impact of these practices, both on production and water use efficiency as well as

profitability.

5.2Success and Challenges in meeting milestone.

MILESTONE 4: PROGRESS REPORT NO 3

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Lack of water has restricted activities of farmers even further in this quarter. However, work with tunnels

and trench beds has intensified in the communities, despite these difficulties, to the extent that the

organic herb and vegetable marketing process has progressed well and even expanded.This initiative

points to the huge potential for income generation in the villages if appropriate support and resources can

be provided.

Workshops and networking processes have been well attended throughout the periodand commitment by

the learning group members and their facilitators to this process is impressive.

Handover from Sylvester Selala to the new field worker and supporting intern has gone smoothly, although

Sylvester will be greatly missed by the community.

5.3Monitoring and evaluation

5.3.1Garden monitoring (October-December 2018)

Garden monitoring has been conducted for around 20 participants in this period. The number is low, as not

many participants are active in gardening due to lack of water. Presently only those with access to their

own or shared borehole water are still gardening.

This number indicates additional monitoring,i.e.different households to the 29 households monitored in

the previous quarter. The number is also lower, as field staffs arespending much more time onorganising

the logistics around the marketing process and have been involved in anumber of trainings and exchange

events, limiting days available for the monitoring.

Below are some descriptive photographs of the monitoring done. A full analysis will be conducted again in

the next reporting cycle.

TURKEY 1

Garden at Molokane Creche, where two eco-

circles were planted, but have subsequently

died off due to lack of water.

Mabiletse’s tunnel. She has used tree

leaves as mulch and is producing well, due

to the fact that they have a borehole in

their homestead

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SEDAWA, MAMETJA and BOTSHABELO

5.3.2Indicators: Assessment December 2018

Figures in the table reflect numbers for the period of reporting, in this case October-December 2018. Some

of the information has remained similar in this period, when compared to the July-September period.

Table 6: Summary of indicators assessments for the duration of the AgriSi project: October-December 2018

Bigman’s farm above Sedawa. He uses drip irrigation

and farms vegetables on a large scale ~1,5ha. He uses

a water source that “belongs” to him-

Joyce Mafologela’s garden in Mametja. She has a

household borehole for water access and employs a

gardener to assist in vegetable production

Miriam Malepe’s tunnel in Botshabelo. She has run

out of water completely.

Alex Mokgopa’s garden in Sedawa. Although he is an

enthusiastic gardener, he too has been able to do

little without access to water

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Indicator

Overall target

Actual December

2018

No of participants in learning groups

120

123

No of learning groups

6-7

No of local facilitators

Percentage of participants engaged in CC adaptation

responses

1-2 (45%)

2-3 (25%)

>3 (10-15%)

1-2 (10%)

2-3 (50%)

>3 (40%)

No of participants experimenting with new innovations

-local

-co-designed

15%

45%

10%

75%

No of participants showing increased knowledge

35%

72%

Percentage of participants engaged in collaborative

activities

35%

44%

Percentage of participants with improved livelihoods

-increased availability of food

-increased income

-increased diversity of activities and livelihoods

options

40%

-86%

-27%

-12%

Qualitative assessments;

-Increased understanding and agency to act towards

achieving increased resilience

- Adaptation and innovations into local context

-Potential for increased resilience

-Social engagement

See project life

change questions

Stakeholder engagement

Hoedspruit Hub and Hlokomela, Agroecology

network members, National Climate Change

Committee Stakeholder process,

5.3.3Project Life Change Questions:

1. Do we have examples orstories of how we orothers are in the process of adaptive management

related to CC? (adapt, reflect and respond to….) and examples of what this adaptive management

is?

In the learning groups concern about access to water has come to the forefrontand the members

of groups are working on a number of joint strategies to address access to agricultural water for the

groups. They have decided to do something themselves rather than wait for Government to provide

and have also decided to try and do this together –seeing that individual solutions have limited

benefit for others. MDF is providing support in the necessary dialogues and negotiations within the

villages and have included participatory video as a way for the learning group members to be heard

and also for them to express their thoughts and needs in a coherent fashion.

The small videoshave helped a lot inside the villages to open up the discussions, but to date we

have not managed to set up viewings with other stakeholders.

Some of the learning group members are making the linkages between organic matter, water holding

capacity and evapotranspiration and are adapting practices introduced to still include these

principles.

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Use of climate information has yet not assisted in decision-making as participants feel they cannot

rely on this information and want to try and take a chance on dryland cropping with the hope that

they will succeed even in the face of quite overwhelming odds.

Also, they have left the issue of grazing access toolate and now have to rely on bringing in feed and

hay to keep livestock alive.

2. Do we have stories that show innovation or lack of innovation towards positive change? What

insights have we gained into how innovation can lead to positive change? (INCREASED RESILIENCE)

There are many examples of small adaptations and innovative changes that participants have made

to the practices introduced. One obvious example is that participants have seen the value ofmicro-

climate management (shade netting) in vegetable production under these increasingly dry and hot

conditions. A number of participants have extended their gardening areas under shade netting and

a few have purchased additional tunnel kits. Asthis particular innovation is now directly linked to

the participants’ ability to make a small incomefrom selling organic produce, it is being

implemented to various degrees by around 30-40% of the participants

Another adaptive innovation is the building up of trench beds, where digging is difficult due to

shallow and rocky soils. Participants have grasped the importance of deep beds with lots of organic

matter and have adapted that principle.

Right: Mphelesi Sekgobela’s garden (Sedawa). She has extended her

garden area under shade netting and also made built up “trench beds”

partially under shade of trees as adaptations to allow better production

in the hot and dry conditions being experienced in the re

3. Do we have storiesthat show evidence of, or an interest

in self organisation towards collective action? What

insights have we gained into how self-organisation can lead

to collective action?

The members of learning groups that have set up the water

committees have actively sought each other out tolearn

about how these have been set up and how they are

working in the different villages. This has meant that in

Turkey, which hascome on board a little later than

Sedawa, they have incorporated some of the learningsform

the Sedawa group. A significant learning that they are

working with is not to try and organise the whole community into one water committee, but to work

with smaller neighbourhood groups of 10-15 families who work together in managing one sources (a

spring or borehole) and do the reticulation for themselves. They have learnt thatthese smaller

groups are more coherent and manageable.

Collectively, members from these groups have also entered into discussions with their local

authorities to ensure that their initiatives are supported at that level and they have negotiated also

with more powerful individuals in their villages who presently hold ‘power’ over certain water

sources and attempted todraw them into the broader process of sharing and managing water

resources in their village

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The collective action is based around people sorting out their own water problems independent of

the municipal and other Government structures, as they no longertrust that these institutions have

their interests at heart or have the will to assist them.

4. Do we have storiestoshow that learningtogether is happening or that there is an interest in

learning together? What insights have we gained about how to learn together?

Learning group members value the revision sessions and specifically value the input from other

learning group members who have learnt new practices and are implementing them. The confidence

of some of the smallholders has grown significantly and with this their will to support and ‘tech’

others has also grown. They have now suggested that they do these revision sessions regularly among

themselves and that they want to set up a network of farmers across the villages of implementation

to share information and their experiences.

5.3.4Work Plan for next period (15 December 2018-12 April 2019).

1. Continuation with water committees and water provision projects in Sedawa and Lepelle –to

include a borehole survey in Sedawa, further workshops for planning and collection of

contributions form participants, writing of funding proposals by MDF to source co-funding.

2. Continuation of herb and vegetable production for sale through the Hoedspruit Hub partnership

process. The next round of seedlings was supplied in mid- November and participants are also

growing crops from seed.

3. Continuation of learning sessions; review of S&WC and CSA,for all groups (1 day) –with a focus

on more bed design options and also pit composting

4. Conservation Agriculture re-introduction into fields with supplementary irrigation options

(Sedawa, Botshabelo, The Oaks, Turkey and including bird resistant sorghum and fodder

production

5. Exploration of options to bring more learning groups on board.

6. Further seed saving focus groups –linked to seasonal reviews and planning

6Overall Progress of Project

6.1Integration of milestone status.

The table below indicates overall completion of activities according to milestones.

Table 7: Milestone target completion October-December 2018

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6.2Project risk and mitigation summary.

6.2.1Implementation risks and mitigation

Implementation is proceeding well at this stage, with no further risks identified.

6.2.2Financial risks and mitigation

The project is on track and is being managed within the budget confines set out.

MAHLATHINI

MILESTONE COMPLETION: Completion to date % (in black)

Key activities /

Milestones

MILES

TONE

MILESTONE

MILESTONE 5

MILESTON

E 6

MILESTON

E 7

Inception report

100%

Setting the scene

50%

New villages,

baselines, visioning

scenarios

Turkey,

CCA

workshops,

visioning

and

baseline

New village,

CCA

workshops,

visioning and

baseline

Learning and

mentoring

25%

38%

Learning sessions x 3-5

for ea learning group,

value adding

activities, mentoring

LFs (24 sessions total)

Turkey (3

sessions)

Sedawa,

Botshabelo,

Lepelle (3

sessions)

Botshabelo

(1 session);

Turkey (1

session)

Mango

training (4

sessions)

Poultry

production

(2 sessions),

gardening

revision(2

sessions),

CA (2

sessions)

Experimentation &

intro to innovations

20%

Individual

experimentation

New innovations –seed

saving, fodder

production etc

2 villages

(Turkey,

Sedawa)

4 villages

Turkey,

Sedawa,

Botshabelo,

MametjaA

(tunnels,

drip kits,

trench

beds, herb

growing,

greywater)

6 villages

Turkey,

Sedawa,

Botshabelo,

Mametja,

Lepelle,

Fenale

6 villages

Collaborative work

20%

Joint experimentation

on new ideas

Collective action

RWH, erosion control

activities

3 villages

(Turkey,

Sedawa,

Lepelle)

3 villages

(Turkey,

Sedawa,

Lepelle)

3 villages

(Turkey,

Sedawa,

Lepelle)

Networking and cross

visits

15%

30%

Community level cross

visits

Stakeholder

engagement

-Agroecology

network

-Hoedspruit

hub

-Hoedspruit

hub (herb

growers-

visits to

buyers)

-Ukuvuna

cross visit

-Agroecology

best practice

workshop

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6.3Project work not directly linked to the milestone

6.3.1Presentation at NCCCS

A two- day stakeholder workshop was hosted by the national Climate Change Committee. The objective

was to provide a platform to facilitate wider stakeholder engagement on outputs/products of the

implementation of the national climate change response policy. The first day of the dialogue focussed on

the National Adaptation strategy and the UNFCCC COP24 Negotiating position and preparations and the

second day covered discussion on climate change thematic areas including climate finance, mitigation, as

well as information sharing presentations from stakeholders.

MDF presented a paper entitled Community based climate smart agriculture” to this group of around 100

participants which included a very large range of stakeholders including DAFF, DEA, Eskom Sasol, CSOs and

university representatives.

The AgriSi work was showcased in this presentation. The following three slides were included.

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This presentation was very well received and future collaborations with the CSA Unit for DAFF and the CCA

Unit in DEA has been arranged, which would involve designing training processes for DAFF extension staff

and collaborating in a monitoring and evaluation framework for CCA through the DEA.