An Overview Of Our Solution
When is a farmer more than just a farmer? When s/he is a scientist, a guardian, an inventor, a community leader, an educator, a steward? We can teach the science of regenerative agriculture, but too often we get lost in the detail and all the possibilities. Drawing from our previous knowledge obtained while practicing Holistic Management on a large ranch in Zimbabwe. We strive to inspire small-scale entrepreneurial farmers in Southern Africa, who are attempting to make a good living from small areas of land, with an alternative approach to land and rainfall management. The skills required in practice can only be learned by doing and this cannot happen overnight. The holistic context remains imperative and simplicity is key.
Who is this solution impacting?
Community Type
Suburban
Additional Information
- Population Impacted:
- Continent: Africa
General Information
Organization type
Cooperativa
Ecosystem (select all that apply)
Grasslands
Urban/Built Environment
Population impacted
>400 visitors in the past year & exposure to an es
Challenge
Size of agricultural area
40 hectares
Production quantity
Production over past 12 months: >80 locally adapted >18 tonnes of organic pork >1,500 piglets >500 indigenous chicks hatched>1,000 free range/organic meat birds produced > 3,000 of raw milk consumed
People employed
12
Solution
Describe your solution
Focused on improving soil fertility, ours is a broad contextual approach, which embraces rehydration of the landscape, biomass diversity, density and quality increase, along with community and wildlife benefits. We work with animal behaviour to enhance ecosystem process functioning.
Working with animals to work for us rather than us working for them
Infrastructure – Always portable, always multi-purpose
Through trial and error and over a period of 2.5 years we have developed a very simple, low tech management model using the principles of Holistic Planned Foraging in brittle environments. We mimic nature by harnessing the renewable energy of multi-species, locally adapted livestock. There are variations to the model dependent on location, natural, human and financial resources, land area (1 ha – 200 ha). Lastly, we hypothesize our decision making and constantly challenge our outcomes, striving to keep things as simple as possible.
Implementation
Describe your implementation
Specific Activities: All animals are herded & movement restricted/controlled by use of portable electric fencing & mobile infrastructure (dairy & water dispensers). All animals are moved on a daily basis, allowing natural behaviour, optimum utilization of resources and adequate recovery of plants and soil. Precision control enables animal tillage where this is desired.
Adoption of Solution: Challenging the paradigms & dangers related to industrial ag production & temptations of ‘fast money’ farming projects, which are easily funded but not easily repaid. Developing alternative, practical options to the above
Enabling Conditions: Developing a common, evolving vision of what we want the landscape to look like in the future and what we need to do to share our knowledge to help others. Starting with NO money forced us to come up with innovative ideas to reduce costs.
Key success factors: Simplicity. Observing, un-learning and re-learning - constantly testing our perceptions. Quantifying what we have to produce to achieve our financial goals. How we have to manage our livestock. Understanding of Holistic Management, limited financial resources, observation, perseverance
Obstacles encountered:
• Very limited financial resources with which to expand the enterprise.
• Beginning with land in a very poor state & coping with challenges of successive extreme droughts
• Opposition from some neighbors objecting to our perceived ‘illegal’ method of farming – citing unsubstantiated claims of disease & health risks.
• Our own paradigms and pre-conceptions of ‘how to farm’
External connections
Since inception, we have worked closely with the South African & Zimbabwean, Ministries of Agriculture, Veterinary Departments and State Research Institutes (Irene, Mara and Onderstepoort in SA) & Matopos (Zimbabwe). Savory Institute, Olive leaf Foundation, ACHM, Grain SA, Foundations for Farming, Catch Rain inter-alia. Our networking has focused on alternatives to over-capitalization of small-scale/new-era farms which increase dependency on the corporates than drive agriculture. We have encouraged re-consideration of rules and recommendations made during a politically different era, aimed at industrial production from farmland by an elitist society and for their self-interests.
Results
What is the environmental or ecological challenge you are targeting with your solution?
Our area consists of small-scale commercial farms interspersed with urban settlements & communally owned land. It is a very brittle environment and very prone to drought with temperature extremes.
Symptoms of large scale desertification, micro-climate change & biodiversity loss are everywhere – huge tracts of bare ground, reduced resilience of landscapes & ability of the soil to hold rainwater, bush encroachment etc. All induced by human decision making & beliefs (linear thinking) & decades of unsustainable production methods – vegetation clearing, conventional tillage, fertilizers, chemicals, indiscriminate use of fire and selective grazing.
There is very little knowledge available in advisory structures and no other working models (as examples for regenerative agriculture), exist which could assist new or existing farmers who show an interest in more responsible land stewardship
Describe the context in which you are operating
Social: In reality, commercial ag communities in S.A. still racially polarized, an entrenched paternalistic structure of management (owners of European descent & labourers African). Most of farm workers in Limpopo from neighboring Zimbabwe seeking employment to support families due to political & financial constraints at home. Worker productivity generally low
Community: 80% of these small scale farmers rely on offsite work to supplement income. Communal area folk produce little & dependent of family members employed in urban areas & Social Security
Water: Area is very flat with no perennial streams or wetlands. All water from wells & marked evidence of rapidly receding water table (every property wells of depths ranging 30 m to >200 m, shallower ones dry)
Food Security: There is industrial production of grains, oilseeds and livestock in the area yet most people buy their food in shopping malls operated by large corporations. Most of the chicken is imported from Europe and the Americas. 90% of all Pork in South Africa is imported.
Nutrition: Most foodstuffs are purchased in supermarkets & fast food outlets. Poor nutrition evidenced by increasing levels of obesity and diabetes
Economic: Poverty is rife. Weak local currencies create lucrative conditions for dumping subsidized ag products by first world.
How did you impact natural resource use and greenhouse gas emissions?
Biodiversity Regeneration: From a virtual monoculture of fire resistant, poor quality grass when we started in Oct ’14, there is now more diversity (including indigenous legumes), biomass & quality forage
Production Regeneration: Increased livestock # from 9 pigs to >600, cattle numbers to 46 head and the chickens to more than 1,000 hens.
Social Impact: >400 visitors in 1 year, introduced field days & 4 different training modules. Farm has featured in 2 major ag magazines & numerous articles
Water: Piped water to portable drinkers which accompany the herds have prevented the negative effects of nutrient transfer which occurs with permanent water points. Observed water flow during heavy rains and planned for diversions & effective utilization by ‘slowing & spreading’ with temporary ridges (sand-bags) & ‘leaky weirs’.
Ground Cover: End of dry season ground cover increased from only 6% in Oct ‘14 to > 50% in Oct ‘16, (despite 2 years of worst drought in history)
Soil carbon: Too expensive to measure scientifically. Improved evidenced by more life in the soil & abundance of wildlife. Smell, texture, color, improved penetration & faster drainage
Language(s)
Which language(s) are spoken in the area where your solution is implemented?
Water
Piped water to portable drinking units prevented nutrient transfer which happens with fixed water points. Temporary surface water created in wallows directly behind moving herds increased activity of insects & small creatures seeking moisture (especially butterflies, birds & small mammals)
Food Security/Nutrition
All local food needs could be met through adoption of the principles & activities of this model, with surplus for sale or to feed back to the animals. Minimal processing & marketing costs are required. We have also grown vegetable & grain crops for on farm consumption within the perennial grasslands we are creating
Economic/Sustainable Development
Reduced reliance on imported/off-farm or donor funded inputs (seed, fertilizers, chemicals, stockfeed, food aid). Teaching practical, relevant skills to farmers & service providers. Broadening community involvement to include greater areas, specifically river catchments and watersheds
Climate
Micro-climate: by increasing organic matter, ground cover and encouraging tree growth – enhances entire ecosystem process and specifically rehydration of the soil by reducing the amount of bare, capped soil. Macro-climate: Showing others in a working example how we can use natural animal behaviour to grow more grass and trees to increase photosynthesis.
Sustainability
Market price must prevail for sustainability & even the poorest people deserve access to healthy food at competitive prices. Costs of production have to be reduced to compete with subsidized imports & industrially produced food. Can only be done by growing biological & social capital & working with nature. ROI on every $ carefully prioritized.
Our models encourage investment only in assets that are alive & growing (vs. dead & deteriorating) along with portable, multi-purpose supporting infrastructure. Income from a multi-species operation reduces risk & ensures daily income from milk, eggs, vegetables & meat. Lowering cost of production (ever decreasing external inputs), means produce always compete at market level.
Return on investment
Our current investment in this operation is US $ 180,000. The learning curve has cost us $ 46,000
A similar project initiated in Zimbabwe in Aug ’15 cost $ 9,500 to establish and build pig # to 160 by Sept ’16. Typically, most farmers could start developing own versions of these models from as little as $ 5,000 to $ 10,000 & quickly scale up or grow their farm organically
Infrastructural set-up costs < 40% (excluding Livestock), reducing to <10% of total investment within 3 years (including depreciation). Break-even periods of 1-2 years and total payback on investment of 3-5 years. ROI ranging from 20 – 30%.
Replication and Scale
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
How to replicate: Support the establishment of ‘Model Farms’ in different regions as Proof of Concept Learning Centres. These double-up as a source of seedstock for locally adapted animals
Has it been replicated: YES. Although a relatively new concept, similar models applying the same principles in different contexts in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Farm sizes vary from 1 ha to 60 ha.
Funding required:
1. Large-scale production of adapted dairy heifers: USD 300,000 to produce suitable animals to supply small-scale farmers who adopt the model. Most practically by means of an IVF program, requiring specialist management, (already planned in detail), but very doable.
2. Logistical support: USD 8,000 per hub for logistics & setup of learning centres, each self-supporting & profitable, fully capable of repaying own establishment costs.
3. Training Materials: USD 3,000