Ezemvelo Eco-Campus

Is Malawi's 'green revolution' a model for Africa?

2011-01-02T13:50:00.002+02:00

By Charlotte AshtonBBC Radio 4's The World Tonight

Food is plentiful at Ekwendeni's street market

The road side market in Ekwendeni, in Malawi's northern region, is bustling.

Piles of mangos, sacks of maize flour and large pots of peas and beans glisten in the afternoon sun. But six years ago it was a very different scene.

"When we had acute hunger, you wouldn't have found people selling peacefully like this. It shows that people are food secure. Supply has overtaken demand," says Edgar Bayani, a local agriculturalist who remembers when Malawi suffered severe food shortages.

He attributes today's bountiful food supply to a combination of good rains and the government subsidy programme.

'Ruining the soil'

The poorest farmers get 40% off the cost of fertilisers and seeds, as part of a scheme that has turned Malawi from begging bowl to bread basket.

In 2005 Malawi had experienced six successive years of food shortages, but since subsidies were introduced in 2006, they have had back-to-back food surpluses.

But is it sustainable? Mr Bayani says not.

"The fertiliser itself ruins the soil fertility and soil structure. It changes the chemical constitution. And economically we can't sustain it because it's funded by donors."

Down the road from the market is Ekwendeni's hospital where Canadian researchers started a project called Soils, Food and Healthy Communities (SFHC) to help local farmers grow more diverse crops, including legumes like soya, pigeon-pea and groundnut, a much-needed source of protein.

Continued here

Cattle Egret Hitching a ride at Ezemvelo Nature Reserve

2010-03-10T03:13:00.004+02:00

Click to enlarge

Sacred Sites near Ezemvelo

2010-01-22T03:31:00.007+02:00

Located on or near Ezemvelo is the ancient sacred site known as "The Sacred White Cow". This is according to High Sansui Credo Mutwa when I spoke to him in September. Credo is also spoke at length about Adam's Calendar - an enormous sacred site in Mpumalanga. This site is being researched by Michael Tellinger who descibes the site on his website http://www.makomati.org as:

"These mysterious ancient ruins consist of dwellings, forts, temples roads, irrigation systems and agricultural terraces that cover thousands of square kilometres. It is our estimate that more stone went into building these features than went into building all of the Egyptian pyramids. It is an archaeologist’s dream that will unveil even greater and more mysterious secrets in years to come.

There is an overwhelming consensus by scholars, academics and even mystics that southern Africa is the cradle of humankind and that this is where the first humans walked the Earth before migrating to the distant corners of our planet."

Michael was recently interviewed by a US based internet radio station Project Camelot. Hear the latest news on this project here:
http://projectcamelot.org/audio_interviews.html

More pictures of Adam's Calendar at http://www.stonecircles.co.za and http://www.makomati.org

Solar-Powered Irrigation Significantly Improves Diet and Income in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa

2010-01-08T21:01:00.003+02:00

ScienceDaily (Jan. 5, 2010) — Solar-powered drip irrigation systems significantly enhance household incomes and nutritional intake of villagers in arid sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new Stanford University study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The two-year study found that solar-powered pumps installed in remote villages in the West African nation of Benin were a cost-effective way of delivering much-needed irrigation water, particularly during the long dry season.

"Significant fractions of sub-Saharan Africa's population are considered food insecure," wrote lead author Jennifer Burney, a postdoctoral scholar with the Program on Food Security and the Environment and the Department of Environmental Earth System Science at Stanford. "Across the region, these food-insecure populations are predominantly rural, they frequently survive on less than $1 per person per day, and whereas most are engaged in agricultural production as their main livelihood, they still spend 50 to 80 percent of their income on food, and are often net consumers of food."

Burney and her co-authors noted that only 4 percent of cropland in sub-Saharan Africa is irrigated, and that most rural, food-insecure communities in the region rely on rain-fed agriculture, which, in places like Benin, is limited to a three- to six-month rainy season.

"On top of potential annual caloric shortages, households face two seasonal challenges: They must stretch their stores of staples to the next harvest (or purchase additional food, often at higher prices), and access to micronutrients via home production or purchase diminishes or disappears during the dry season," the authors wrote.

Promotion of irrigation among small landholders is therefore frequently cited as a strategy for poverty reduction, climate adaptation and promotion of food security, they said. And while the role of irrigation in poverty reduction has been studied extensively in Asia, relatively little has been written about the poverty and food security impacts in sub-Saharan Africa.

Benin demonstration sites

To address the lack of data, Burney and her colleagues monitored three 0.5-hectare (1.24-acre) solar-powered drip irrigation systems installed the Kalalé district of northern Benin. The systems, which use photovoltaic pumps to deliver groundwater, were financed and installed by the Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF), a nongovernmental organization.

"As with any water pump, solar-powered pumps save labor in rural off-grid areas where water hauling is traditionally done by hand by women and young girls," the authors said.

Video here

Continues here

Free Energy in 2010?

2010-01-06T04:25:00.010+02:00

This story is making waves in the blogosphere right now so I thought I'd reproduce it here. I went to a lecture by Dr Steven Greer 10 years ago and have been following his work on new energy technologies ever since. This latest announcement from his Orion Project offers the promise of developing a "free energy" demonstration model as soon as March 2010. Such virtually free and clean energy would usher in an age of prosperity and peace for the world, since so many wars are fought over oil.

Top secret free energy scientist enters contract with Greer's Orion Project

On Christmas day, Steven Greer announced that the 'top secret' inventor they've talked about has been released early from military seclusion, and has contracted with them to bring a Tesla-related free energy technology to the world.

by Sterling D. Allan
Pure Energy Systems News
Copyright © 2009

On Christmas day, as "a Christmas present to the world," Steven Greer, M.D., and his science advisor, Ted Loder, Ph.D., from the Orion Project, announced on the World Puja Network that the "top secret" inventor they've talked about over the past year has been released early from military seclusion, and has contracted with them to begin bringing various technologies he has developed (in some cases at taxpayer expense) to the world, beginning with a free energy technology in the tradition of Nikola Tesla.

They are hoping to have a sample prototype to begin to disclose to the public this spring. However, much research and development, beta testing and durability testing will be needed before a completed device of several kilowatt output is ready for distribution to the public. Greer said that the Orion Project signed a contract with this top secret scientist some ten days prior to the Dec. 25 announcement.

Dr. Greer said:

"This is one of the most significant undertakings in the history of our country, as we try to bring forward, very boldly, and decisively, the sciences and technologies that would get our country off of oil and gas and coal and nuclear power; and into clean, free energy; so that every home and business and facility in America and the world may be running on this type of energy, without any costs, once you have the device in place; and without any pollution or impact on the environment."

Story continues here

2010-01-02T00:34:00.011+02:00

Ezemvelo Biointensive Workshop report in Ecology Action Newsletter

2009-12-11T19:24:00.005+02:00

Click to enlarge

Why we left our farms to come to Copenhagen

2009-12-11T10:04:00.006+02:00

Speech of Henry Saragih, general coordinator of Via Campesina

Opening of Klimaforum - Copenhagen Dec 7

Tonight is a very special night for us to get together here for the opening of the assembly of the social movements and civil society at the Klimaforum. We, the international peasant movement La Via Campesina, are coming to Copenhagen from all five corners of the world, leaving our farmland, our animals, our forest, and also our families in the hamlets and villages to join you all.

Why is it so important for us to come this far? There are a number of reasons for that. Firstly, we would like to tell you that climate change is already seriously impacting us. It brings floods, droughts and the outbreak of pests that are all causing harvest failures. I
must point out that these harvest failures are something that the farmers did not create. Instead, it is the polluters who caused the emissions who destroy the natural cycles. So, we small scale farmers came here to say that we will not pay for their mistakes. And we are asking the emitters to face up to their responsibilities.

Secondly, I would like to share with you some facts about who the emitters of green house gases in agriculture really are: new data that has come out clearly shows that industrial agriculture and the globalized food system are responsible of between 44 and 57% of total global greenhouse gas emissions.

Continued here http://www.foodfirst.org/en/viacampesina

Emotional scenes at Copenhagen: Lumumba Di-Aping @ Africa civil society meeting – 8 Dec 2009

2009-12-09T16:28:00.005+02:00

"Africa has been asked to sign a suicide pact.”

The leak of a so-called ‘Danish text’ that would sideline the UN in future climate deals is reverberating around the Copenhagen negotiations. (see http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/08/copenhagen-climate-summit-disarray-danish-text)

Today I witnessed an unexpected and extraordinary outburst of candour from one of the key players in these negotiations — Lumumba Di-Aping, Sudanese by birth and chief negotiator of the so-called G77 bloc (which mostly consists of poor countries).

I attended an ad-hoc meeting in a meeting room of the Bella Center attended by about 100 African representatives of civil society and a few African parliamentarians (among them Lance Greyling, an MP from South Africa) this afternoon. The meeting was called at short notice and its agenda was not announced. After a few minutes of introductions Di-Aping was given the floor to speak to fellow Africans. Requests were made by organisers to turn off all microphones so as not to record what was going to be said, although Di-Aping made a point of turning his on, saying half-jokingly “they are probably listening anyway”.

He did not start his speech immediately. Instead he sat silently, tears rolling down his face. He put his head in his hands and said “We have been asked to sign a suicide pact.” The room was frozen into silence, shocked by the sight of a powerful negotiator, an African elder if you like, exhibiting such strong emotion. He apologised to the audience, but said that in his part of Sudan it was “better to stand and cry than to walk away.”

Continues here: http://adamwelz.wordpress.com/2009/12/08/emotional-scenes-at-copenhagen-lumumba-di-aping-africa-civil-society-meeting-8-dec-2009/

New short film on western threats to traditional farming in Africa

2009-11-20T21:22:00.008+02:00

A Thousand Suns tells the story of the Gamo Highlands of the African Rift Valley and the unique worldview held by the people of the region. This isolated area has remained remarkably intact both biologically and culturally. It is one of the most densely populated rural regions of Africa yet its people have been farming sustainably for 10,000 years.

Shot in Ethiopia, New York and Kenya, the film explores the modern world's untenable sense of separation from and superiority over nature and how the interconnected worldview of the Gamo people is fundamental in achieving long-term sustainability, both in the region and beyond.

For more information and to view other great films like this one, please visit the Global Oneness Project.

The film is free online and will be aired in USA in April on PBS television. There is also a short trailer on YouTube - click on the lower image above.

President Chissano learns about Biointensive Agriculture

2009-11-17T15:25:00.004+02:00

We had a four hour meeting yesterday with Joaquim Chissano, the former President of Mozambique about the situation of increasing population, and increasing scarcity of food, water and farmable soil in the world and especially in Africa.

The President expressed great interest in the 37 years of research on these issues by Ecology Action in the USA under the direction of John Jeavons. President Chissano sits on the Board of the World Food Prize and the Gates Foundation's Global Development Programme as a member of the programme advisory panel.

UN Favours Organic

2009-11-07T18:28:00.007+02:00

Organic agriculture combines modern scientific research with traditional farming techniques in a sustainable, efficient farming system. By working with natural processes and making use of locally available assets, poor smallholder farmers can build up the fertility and productivity of their farms while avoiding dependence on expensive external inputs. Growing markets for certified produce mean that organic agriculture offers an important opportunity for the rural poor in developing countries to benefit from international trade.

Increased food security

Organic agriculture builds up stocks of natural, social and economic resources over time, thus reducing many of the factors that lead to food insecurity.

Full report here

Manor House Agricultural Centre, Kitale, Kenya

The Manor House Agricultural Centre was founded in 1984 in response to a three-year drought. The Centre's training and research complex includes demonstration gardens and livestock facilities that provide a working model of bio-intensive agricultural systems for trainees, visitors and members of local communities.

The Centre provides practical training to young people, farmers and staff of government agencies and NGOs, as well as conducting adaptive research. By 2005, over 70,000 Kenyans had been taught bio-intensive agriculture either directly or indirectly by the Centre.

The main impact has been on vegetable production. Many have doubled their yields by adopting double digging and composting techniques, using local natural methods of pest and disease control (such as planting sunflowers to attract predators, using local plant extracts to control maize stalk borer, and intercropping to reduce tomato blight). There have been big savings on pesticides, as farmers have cut out their use.

A former pupil at Manor House, Susan Wekesa, tells how learning to use bio-intensive farming methods has impacted on her life: "My 0.3 acres of land is producing plenty and healthy vegetables that bring money to knock at my door in the wee hours of the day. I mean, people come knocking at the door of my house before 6:00 a.m. wanting to buy vegetables. Apart from food and money for my family, I am able to fertilize my soil from material that it produces and supports. BIA has recreated hope in me and my household. I can now face the future proudly".

From UNCTAD report here

Essay on Biointensive is finalist in World Bank Essay Competition

2009-11-04T21:59:00.002+02:00

Local Actions, Global Benefits

By Saptarshi Pal

Created Jun 22 2009 - 2:09pm

Highlights of the essay by Guillermo Recio Guajardo (Mexico) who is one of the eight finalists of The World Bank Essay Competition 2009 [1].

Sierra Tarahumara [2], Mexico, is known for its enormous diversity of natural resources with over 7,000 plant species, or one fourth of all the botanical species in Mexico, that includes various species of forest resources, such as pine, fir, and ash forests.

Widespread deforestation for commercial gains is having serious repercussions on the socio-economic conditions of the indigenous people of this region. Lack of forest cover has led to a decrease in the rainfall in that region and has led to extreme fluctuations in temperature. These conditions have led to the desertification of that region which has seriously affected agriculture. In the absence of their traditional occupation, the locals have been forced to turn to sawmills for their livelihoods, although they are witnessing its consequences! Some of the other impacts of this loss in livelihood include migration, malnutrition, and drug trafficking.

To address this situation, Guillermo and his friends established a Biointensive Orchard, with the help of a local family at Huiyochi. The orchard uses sustainable agricultural methods that put nutrients back into the earth. “Creating an orchard does not require big tools, only pick axes, shovels, and forks,” says Guillermo. They grew beetroot, zucchini, corn, potato, and radish, and it became a good source of revenue for the family. The Ecology and Population Association [Asociación de Ecología y Población] mentions the following features of the Biointensive Orchard: (a) It obtains results of between 400 and 3,100 percent, even in adverse soil conditions; (b) It does not require fertilizers or chemical pesticides; (c) It only needs 30 percent water, which is particularly important in arid zones or areas that receive little rainfall; and (d) It reconstructs the soil 60 times faster than nature itself.

During the 2007–2008 period, 12 such biointensive orchards were established in Huiyochi, extending to the neighboring communities of Guacayvo, Osachi, and Tayarachi. This initiative is one of the best examples of climate change adaptation strategy by youth that I have ever come across! As pointed out by the essay, poor local people are most vulnerable to climate change yet they are the ones who are most ignorant about it, till an irreversible change rudely brings in the realization.

In order to further combat climate change in this region, the essay presents two more projects. One of them is environmental education for the youth. This is vital in building up eco-conscious citizens and also because, “many of the best ideas come from young minds!”

Tarahumara Verde, a program in collaboration with environmental NGOs, seeks to reforest native species of the Sierra Tarahumara. This program aspires to slow down and reverse the climate change taking place in this region and will also protect plant species.

Source URL: http://youthinkblog.worldbank.org/local-actions-global-benefits

Ezemvelo Biointensive Workshop report on World Scouting Website

2009-11-02T23:05:00.001+02:00

Swazi Scouts attend workshop on sustainable farming

From 16 to 20 September 2009, a five-day workshop on bio-intensive farming was held at Ezemvelo Nature Reserve in South Africa. Participants came from England, Kenya, Ireland, South Africa, Swaziland, USA and Zimbabwe. Swaziland was represented by members of the Swaziland Scout Association (SSA), Wandile Simelane and Sibonakaliso Mdluli. Simelane is a teacher and Scout leader at Manzana Primary School while Mdluli is a full-time volunteer of the Thirst for Life Scout Initiative.

The workshop put emphasis on small-scale farming that can be done on family back yards. Participants were taught the benefits of bio-intensive farming with regards to water conservation.

SSA has an initiative project known as Thirst for Life (TFL) whose flagship activity is a garden project that benefits over 150 HIV/Aids orphaned and vulnerable children from the project area community.

For more details, please read their full report here

Director of the Mozambiquan Farmers Union addresses Rural Poverty

2009-11-02T14:37:00.004+02:00

Diamantino Nhampossa’s speech at the EU Forum on Sustainable Rural Development

Link to full speech

Excerpt:

My country – Mozambique – is one of those African countries in which the consequences of colonization, neo- or re-colonization, and structural adjustment programs are visible. There is a growing number of poor people living in rural areas without basic public services like water, health services and education, while our main urban centres are showing a concentration of wealth in the hands a small group of people. The suburbs are becoming more crowded than ever, and everyday life is a big challenge. countries have many experiences of the negative impacts of mono-culture, and of GM crops, however this same methodology is being promoted in African countries such as Moçambique – why? We must learn from the lessons of the past, and be innovative and courageous in our aid and agriculture policies. If not, the errors of the past will simply be replicated, and small holder farmers will become even more impoverished, all in the name of globalization.

It is important to recognise the difference between “development” and advancement in technological terms. Technological advancement does not necessarily equate to improved standard of living for poor rural peasant farmers – more often than not it further entrenches their impoverishment. Technology is not always the panacea.

One alternative that is left to fight poverty on the Continent is the proposal that comes from the movement of peasants, indigenous, migrants, women and rural communities, confirmed during the international forum held early this year in Mali: that is Food Sovereignty. Food sovereignty is the people’s right to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. It puts those who produce, distribute and consume food at the heart of food systems and policies rather than the demands of markets and corporations. It defends the interests and inclusion of the next generation. It offers a strategy to resist and dismantle the current corporate trade and food regime, and directions for food, farming, pastoral and fisheries systems determined by local producers. Food sovereignty gives priority to local and national economies and markets and empowers peasant and family farmer-driven agriculture, artisanal - fishing, pastoralist-led grazing, and food production, distribution and consumption based on environmental, social and economic sustainability. Food sovereignty promotes transparent trade that guarantees just income to all peoples and the rights of consumers to control their food and nutrition. It ensures that the rights to use and manage our lands, territories, waters, seeds, livestock and biodiversity are in the hands of those of us who produce food. Food sovereignty implies new social relations free of oppression and inequality between men and women, peoples, racial groups, social classes and generations.

2009-11-02T14:22:00.008+02:00

Pictures of Biointensive Workshop at Ezemvelo

2009-10-28T16:21:00.003+02:00

Click to Enlarge

President Chissano visits the Maharishi Institute

2009-10-28T15:52:00.006+02:00

Joaquim Chissano, the former President of Mozambique, visited the Maharishi Institute in Johannesburg yesterday. This visit was inspired by his recent visit to Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa USA. Chissano was in Iowa as a member of the UN’s World Food Council, in which capacity he presented this years World Food Prize in Des Moines.

Sustainable Mini Farming Centre to be established at Ezemvelo

2009-10-04T15:10:00.013+02:00

Click on images to enlarge.

Tracy Gonzalez and Raj Solanki, along with their five-year-old son Makaiah, are just completing a six month internship learning biointensive sustainable mini farming with Ecology Action in Willits California, USA. From there they return to Fairfield, Iowa, USA to assist with setting up the Midwest Sustainable mini Farming Center at the maharishi University of management.

This will be one of three centers being established in the USA and part of a global network of teaching centres with at least one in every country. The first such sustainable mini farming in Southern Africa is being established here at Ezemvelo.

Excerpt:

My introduction to GROW BIOINTENSIVE came from a workshop I took from Alex Kachan, a professor in the Department of Sustainable Living. ...He showed a video on the Tula project [in Mexico], and how it changed people’s lives in the area was so inspiring. I was in tears. I really connected with my desire to help people. I wanted to learn ... to be able to teach and help others. Raj and I talked for a long time about taking an Ecology Action workshop which we did last November. Meeting John [Jeavons] was life-changing as well. It was after this that I realized that sustainability is a much higher goal to shoot for (much higher than just organic) when looking for the best possible food, and, growing it sustainably yourself, well, you can do no better.

PDF version of the newsletter can be read online, click here. (You need to have a free google acct to read)

South Africa has widest gap between rich and poor

2009-09-28T12:59:00.002+02:00

Study finds SA now falls below Brazil

By Donwald Pressly

South Africa has overtaken Brazil as the country with the widest gap between rich and poor, according to figures put together by a leading South African academic.

Haroon Bhorat, an economics professor at UCT, told a briefing at Parliament on Friday that South Africa was now "the most unequal society in the world" with a significant increase in income inequality.

"In the long run it is bad for growth. It is a threat to social stability and to growth itself. The long-run trend is a worrying one," he warned.

Bhorat said South Africa's Gini coefficient index - which shows the level of income inequality - stood at 0.679.

This figure is drawn from figures collated by Bhorat using Statistics SA's income and expenditure survey. The figures are based on household income in the 2005/06 year.

The coefficient has risen from the All Media and Products Survey figure of 0.66 in 2007, but is down from an uncomfortably high 0.685 in 2006.

He argued that South Africa had enjoyed a long period of growth which had sustained a growing social security bill, but the country was now in "a high deficit" environment and its ability to maintain these payments was being challenged.

But the news may not be as bad it seems.

According to presidential policy adviser Joel Netshitenzhe, the figure may not necessarily be accurate because state benefits targeted at the poor - and particularly the unemployed - of free basic water and electricity, access to health care and the social welfare grants which now go to over 13 million of the poorest of the poor may not be adequately reflected in the Gini coefficient.

In the 2009 Development Indicators report, issued by the Presidency's deputy director-general, Alan Hirsch, the Gini coefficient reached 0.666 in 2008. Bhorat puts the figure at a higher 0.679.

A value of one reflects complete inequality while a value of zero reflects complete equality. A Gini coefficient above 0.5 "is unacceptably high", according to the report.

Bhorat's office pointed to World Bank figures for 2007/08 which give South Africa a slightly lower 0.578 and Brazil at a wee bit lower - but still unacceptably high - 0.57. While other countries such as Bolivia at 0.601 and Botswana at 0.605 are higher, the figures are based on old household income figures - 2002 and 1993 respectively. Colombia's figure of 0.586 is also based on 2003 data.

Netshitenzhe's view is backed by National Planning Minister Trevor Manuel, who said even French President Nicolas Sarkhozy had asked for a review of the manner in which gross domestic product was measured "and what it tells us about anything".

Manuel said he was not sure how relevant the Gini coefficient data was "any longer".

Manuel, indicating that the indicators were presented "warts and all", gave the assurance that social welfare policies would continue.

While the indicators showed more and more people were moving out of the very poor bracket - ascribed largely to the welfare grants - Manuel said the country would not retract its welfare policies.

Bhorat made the point that Brazil might have improved its position because it had allied upliftment grants to educating children. Thus a parent received a grant on condition that a child was sent to school and attended regularly.

Hirsch attributed Brazil's success in moving down the inequality ladder "to more successful industrial policies" than South Africa. Brazil had implemented "a greater variety of industrial development programmes and small business support programmes".

The indicator document noted that the living standards measure in South Africa showed that those households earning the equivalent of just R1 080 a month had dropped to about 1 million. This was down from 3.4 million households earning the equivalent in 2000/01, when the comparable income was R742 a month.

The document noted that this could be ascribed to economic growth, expanding employment as well as the government's poverty alleviation initiatives.

Published on the web by Business Report on September 27, 2009.

© Business Report 2009. All rights reserved.

CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS OF THE WEEK

2009-08-12T18:53:00.004+02:00

Washington Post Reports Meat Eating is 'Huge Contributor' to Climate Change

Last week, the Washington Post summarized a number of recent reports indicating that one of the best things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint or greenhouse gas pollution is to reduce your meat consumption. Here are some quick highlights:

-A Carnegie Melon study found that the average American would benefit the planet more by being vegetarian one day per week than by switching to a totally local diet (heck, why not do both?).

-A University of Chicago study found that switching to a vegan diet would have a bigger impact than trading your gas guzzler for a Prius.

-The head of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, recommended that people give up meat one day a week to take pressure off the atmosphere.

-According to a 2006 United Nations report, livestock accounts for 18 percent of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.

Although we've reported similar studies in Organic Bytes over the years, it's refreshing to see a mainstream media outlet finally bring attention to the topic. Americans seem okay being told they should recycle, drive less, and weatherize their homes, but something short-circuits when you ask them to reduce their meat consumption.

Read the full story here...

Group faults UK's £100m support for GM crops in Africa

2009-08-12T14:45:00.002+02:00

From: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com

By Roseline Okere

The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has criticised plans by the government of the United Kingdom to spend about £100 million to support the growing of Genetically Modified (GM) crops in Africa.

According to ERA, a new white paper shows that the UK government will dramatically increase spending on high-tech agriculture in the next five years, much of which will be on GM crop research.

The breakdown of the funding, ERA/FoEN explained, shows that bio-fortified crops, containing so-called added vitamins, will receive £80 million of development money, while £60 million will go into researching drought-resistant maize for Africa, while pest resistance will be funded to the tune of £24 million.

Reacting to the development in a statement issued in Lagos Monday, ERA/FoEN depicted the gesture as an "attempt to control, colonise and contaminate food supply under the guise of helping the Africa continent.

The group added that the white paper avoids the terms "genetically modified" even when scientists and development experts were clear that much of the money would be spent on GM crops.

ERA/FoEN Executive Director, Nnimmo Bassey said: "It is extremely ridiculous that the British government overlooked contentious issues such as under-investment in African solutions to hunger, lack of infrastructure and extension services in rural communities and only narrowed our hunger challenge to yields and so-called vitamins. It is shocking that the British government would believe the claims of biotech industry to GMOs yield better than organic or conventional varieties at a time when empirical evidence has shown that such claims are not true."

Bassey reiterated ERA's position that Africans must be allowed to determine what they want to eat as well as how and where they want it grown, explaining that, a recent report from South Africa revealed that even indigenous chickens have refused to eat GM maize.

"If chickens will not eat it why should we? Do chickens have more brains than people? This unholy gesture should be an eye-opener to African governments that hobnob with the biotech industry and their allied research institutes that are only interested in providing un-African solutions to our challenges.

"Time and again we have said that the true test of the sincerity of the global North in addressing the food crisis in Africa is not the thrusting of GMO foods down African throats but to sincerely and without hidden motives listen to Africans and support ecological solutions being developed on the continent. Any attempt to arm-twist African countries into accepting GMO in the guise of aid will not be accepted," Bassey warned.

Biointensive Mini Farming Workshop at Ezemvelo

2009-08-07T15:14:00.003+02:00

Click on image to enlarge.

See earlier posts for more details:

http://ezemvelo.blogspot.com/2009/05/food-and-our-future-hope-and-solutions.html

Smart chickens weren't be duped by foul play

2009-08-06T13:26:00.002+02:00

The Sunday Independent, Aug. 2, 2009

By Eleanor Momberg

Chickens refusing to eat the maize they had been fed has led to the discovery that their feed had been genetically modified to include a well-known weed and insect killer.

Strilli Oppenheimer was recently approached by Dawid Klopper, the head gardener at the family estate, Brenthurst, informing her that her indigenous African chickens were refusing to eat the mealies in the chicken feed bought from a large supplier.

Concerned that the birds may be ingesting genetically modified maize, she instructed Klopper to have the maize tested.The chickens' diet was immediately changed to include organic vegetables, Oppenheimer stopped consuming the home-grown eggs and the maize was sent to the GMO testing facility at the University of the Free State for analysis.

The results confirmed Oppenheimer's initial suspicion - the maize had been genetically engineered to produce proteins that are toxic to certain insects and weeds. "It contained BT1 which makes the maize insect resistant, as well as Roundup which makes it weed resistant.

This is the first report we have had of chickens not eating GM feed," said a GM expert. While small quantities of BT1 and Roundup weed killer were found in the seeds, the concern remained with the cumulative effect of GM feed, not only on the chickens, but also on the eggs they produced for the family.

"This is of serious concern. Do you know that 96 percent of soya-based foods are genetically modified and that maize in South Africa is contaminated," asked Oppenheimer, pointing out that research by well-known scientist Dr Arpad Pusztai had shown that rats fed on GM potatoes suffered from a weakened immune system and stunted growth of their internal organs, including the liver, kidneys and brain.

Pusztai was fired by the Rowett Research Institute in the UK in 1998 after his research into the human nutritional consequences of GM. His findings had far-reaching implications for the biotech industry, which had contended that GM crops and products would not adversely affect human health.

International research has shown a direct link between certain types of genetic engineering and cancer.

Gundula Azeez and Coilin Nunan of The Soil Association, a UK environmental charity, stated in their paper, "GM Crops - the health effects", that international research had shown that milk, eggs and meat from GM-fed animals contained GM crop DNA, concluding that it was likely that people were frequently being exposed to GM DNA.

They concluded that because of the lapses in extensive safety assessments, there were "very good scientific reasons for being concerned about the safety of GM crops".

Rose Williams, acting director of Biowatch, said globally there was great concern that GM products had not been adequately tested in terms of their effect on people, animals and the environment.

"There has been no testing on humans, very limited testing on animals and very little research on environmental impacts. This is the case globally, but in South Africa even less work has been done, even though the commercial release of GM maize, GM soya and GM cotton has been approved."

Williams said concerns by NGOs such as Biowatch, the African Centre for Biosafety and SAFeAGE about the lack of control over GM crops and contamination of non-GM crops had largely been ignored.

"Government has not done enough to protect the public from the potential threats of GM foods. There is also the matter of liability - who will take responsibility for people's losses and any health problems relating to consumption of GM foods, whether they are for people or for animals.

"Williams said the contamination of non-GM crops was a real problem, with the biotech industry leading people to believe that co-existence of GM and non-GM crops was possible. "But it is not," she said.

While the recently implemented Consumer Protection Act called for the labelling of GM foods, the regulations linked to the measure had yet to be finalised.

About her chickens' refusal to eat their maize, Oppenheimer said: "They're smart."

When You Can't Go 100% Organic

2009-07-22T10:26:00.003+02:00

Even if you can’t afford to buy everything local and organic, the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a watchdog and research nonprofit, has identified the “dirty dozen”– those fruits and veggies that contain the highest amounts of pesticides. For these, it might be worth paying for the organic versions. Among conventionally grown, try sticking to the “cleanest 12.” The produce ranking was developed by EWG analysts based on the results of nearly 51,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2005. An EWG simulation of thousands of consumers eating high and low pesticide diets showed that people can lower their pesticide exposure by almost 90% by avoiding the top 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead.

Or better still eat organic instead. Note conventionally grown peaches are the top of the "dirtiest" list.

Source: www.care2.com

New study: Nearly three-quarters of U.S. families buy organic products

2009-07-20T05:25:00.001+02:00

Organic Trade Association PRESS RELEASE here...

GREENFIELD, Mass. (June 16, 2009)—Tightening their spending habits amid economic uncertainty, U.S. families, however, are not giving up their purchases of organic products. In fact, nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of U.S. families buy organic products at least occasionally, chiefly for health reasons according to a new study to be unveiled this week.

Findings from the 2009 U.S. Families’ Organic Attitudes and Beliefs Study, jointly sponsored by the Organic Trade Association (OTA) and KIWI Magazine, also show that three in ten U.S. families (31 percent) are actually buying more organic foods compared to a year ago, with many parents preferring to reduce their spending in other areas before targeting organic product cuts. In fact, 17 percent of U.S. families said their largest increases in spending in the past year were for organic products.

“These findings reinforce the data collected in OTA’s 2009 Organic Industry Survey that showed continued healthy growth in U.S. sales of organic products,” said Christine Bushway, OTA’s executive director.

“We are pleased that so many parents are continuing to choose organic. It’s inspiring to see the degree to which these parents are leading the charge for a healthier way of life among their families and friends,” said Maxine Wolf, chief executive officer for KIWI Magazine.

OTA collaborated with KIWI Magazine on the national research study to gauge attitudes and behavior of families concerning organic product purchases. Managed by RMI Research and Consulting, LLC, the study was fielded among U.S. households during April. Highlights of the findings will be presented in Chicago at the All Things Organic™ Conference and Trade Show keynote session “Into the Mouths of Babes—Parents’ Reflections on Organic for Kids” Thursday, June 18, at 9:30 a.m.

Compiling results gathered from 1,200 families across the United States, this research identifies and profiles those who promote buying organic among family, friends and co-workers, specifically exploring the role parents play as potential influencers. Data reveal the typical path of organic purchases, beginning with the most common points of entry and tracing this through succeeding product category purchases. The study also explores families’ organic grocery shopping experiences and their preferences for the way organic products are organized and displayed on the retail level. In addition, it examines consumers’ understanding of organic product labels.

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers' associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA’s Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA's mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy (www.ota.com).

Bucket Drip Irrigation

2009-07-14T18:34:00.002+02:00

I received this photo today from Kyomya, Uganda. Click on picture to enlarge. The system is described below courtesy of Ken Hargesheimer at NABUUR.com

The bucket must be suspended at least l meter above the ground. A tube is connected to the dripline and the other end is placed in the bucket to siphon the water out. Assuming the bucket is 20 liters, fill it twice for each row of vegetables. The dripline can be moved to another row for irrigating. Each row of vegetables is irrigated every other day. Plant a row of vegetables on each side of the dripline and use 40 liters of water.

Bucket Kits
The key to the simple drip irrigation system that we use is the gravity fed "bucket kit". The bucket kit consists of four 8m lines [or two of 50 ft or one of 100’] of drip tape connected to a bucket suspended 1m above the vegetable bed. Water is poured into the bucket and is evenly distributed to 100 watering points. By filling the bucket twice a day, a small kitchen garden can be watered. Studies in Kenya have shown that two of these kits can provide the water needed to produce enough vegetables to feed a family of seven during the dry season. These bucket kits are available in most countries (US$15), save water, save labor, and are easy to use. Go to Chapinlivingwaters.org.

Using sleeves
Farmers in Honduras invented a VERY cheap drip irrigation system. They buy the regular black poly hose. Then they punch holes in it where they want them with a nail or ice pick. A hot nail is best. Then take short sections [5 inches] of the same hose, cut it lengthwise to form a sleeve, and place a sleeve over each hole. This sleeve applies pressure to the hole, only letting a little water out, like a drip. This technology is quite cheap, VERY simple to do. Maintenance is also simple, because if a hole plugs up, you can often unplug it merely by taking the sleeve off and then replacing it.

Using screws
Farmers in Nicaragua are using cheap round tubing and wood screws. If drip tape is unavailable, this is a great alternative. We tried it with great success. The screw is inserted completely into the tubing at each planting location so that it protrudes through the opposite wall. It is then backed off to allow water to drip through that side. The flow is set by screwing it in or out as needed. This even allows for variations in pressure due to terrain.

DIY drip kit:
Roger Pigott [San Diego workshop] decided to use two bucket drip systems on a bed in the garden but he did not want to siphon the water. Kits from Echonet.org are $25 each. He went to the hardware store and purchased: 100' of ½" black poly tubing; a post to hang buckets on; a faucet rosette washer and nut; ¾" ring washers; ¾" swivel tubing adapter; union - ¾" pipe threads and garden hose threads. One for each bucket. He drilled a 3/4 inch hole in the bottom of the buckets and installed the fittings. He then connected the tubing from the buckets to a header. He has five driplines connected to the header using tees and ells. He used wood screws for the drip outlets. There is about 60' of dripline. He planted seed in the five rows and laid the dripline over the seed. Very original thinking!

Buy enough hose to connect the drip line to the top of the bucket to siphon out the water. It takes about 1-2 hours for the bucket to empty. The dripline can be moved to another row of vegetables or plant a row of vegetables on each side of the dripline. Use more water. If one is willing to carry the water, one line will irrigate several rows during the day.

Plant green manure/cover crops to cut and leave on top of the soil to improve the soil. This is a MUST. Also, can be intercropped with the food crop.

Ken Hargesheimer
minifarms@gmail.com

We Want This World to be like Heaven - Prof Muhammad Yunus

2009-07-10T19:59:00.009+02:00

Speaking today at the annual Nelson Mandela Foundation annual lecture, Prof. Muhammad Yunus concluded his remarks by saying "We want this world to be like Heaven. This is the challenge we face".

He was picking up on a comment from the audience, which was asked to envision the world we a would like to live in in 2050.

One person stood up from the audience and said "Heaven on Earth". So Prof Yunus selected this from the many comments to conclude his remarks to the audience assembled at CIDA City Campus, in downtown Johannesburg.

Three young people were invited by the Nelson Mandela Foundation to join the Nobel Peace Prize winner on the stage. A CIDA City Campus graduate Dumisani Dladla was among them and spoke eloquently of his own work in the field of social development with a project he worked on to help school leavers in Orange Farm to further their education with business skills.

Solly Mhlongo and Director Nhlongo from Ezemvelo were also in attendance today as part of the internship programme at Ezemvelo studying Biointensive methods of organic agriculture.

More pictures here

Building with Rice Hulls

2009-07-04T11:59:00.006+02:00

The earth bag building project I mentioned in an earlier post here on Building with Earth is rapidly taking shape. It is a home for a family of orphans on an Indian Reservation in South Dakota, USA. When I visited them last February, they were living in a mobile home with constant plumbing problems and very high heating bills.

So an inspiring group called Natures Compassion in my home town in Iowa decided to do something about it. They organized a fund raiser at Fairfield's new Convention Center led by the mayor of Fairfield. Funds were enough to build the family a home. Volunteers are now on site and building the home. They want to attract public support for other families on the reserve by building a first class eco home at very low cost and already some major magazines are interested to publish stories.

Owing to the extreme cold they decided to do two layers of bags - one earth and one with rice hulls on the exterior for insulation. The main structure should be in up in 2 weeks. Then comes the finishing - they will use only the best natural ingredients and energy saving technologies.

More pictures here.

San Francisco Signs Mandatory Recycling & Composting Laws

2009-06-25T07:48:00.003+02:00

Just yesterday On June 23rd, the City of San Francisco signed into effect the nation’s first law mandating that all residents and businesses separate their recycling and compost material from normal trash. While many other cities in the US require recycling, no other city requires separation of food scraps and foot material to be composted. The measure, which will take effect this fall, is intended to help increase landfill diversion rates to 75% by 2010 as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

San Francisco is already well known for it’s impressive recycling and participation rates. The city diverts 72% of it’s trash from the landfill, and if everyone in the city participated in the new mandate, the Department of the Environment expects they could reach a 90% diversion rate. Ultimately though, the city has a goal of zero waste by 2020. The Department of the Environment conducted a study and determined that 36% of what is sent to the landfill is compostable and 31% is recyclable, most of which is paper.

Every residence and business in the city will be expected to have 3 different color-coded bins to separate their trash: blue for recyclables, green for compostables, and black for the remaining trash. Residences and businesses that cannot comply with the mandate can write the city a note explaining why it is unfeasible.

The purpose behind the mandate was to encourage businesses and residents who currently don’t recycle to start participating. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom wants to “get recycling and composting happening in buildings where it is not currently provided.” And while there are fines associated with noncompliance of the recycling and composting ordinance, fines are not expected to be handed out except in extreme cases. The potential for fines is meant to increase awareness and add a sense of urgency to the matter, but they will only be implemented after repeated notices and phone calls. Additionally, a moratorium on fines is in effect until 2011.

The Board of Supervisors passed the measure, which is the first of it’s kind in the US, 9-2 on the first read through. “San Francisco has the best recycling and composting programs in the nation,” Newsom said, praising the board’s vote on a plan that some residents had decried as heavy-handed and impractical. “We can build on our success.”

Wyoming University Students Study Grow Biointensive in Kenya

2009-06-09T13:01:00.004+02:00

We just received these pictures from Philip Munyasia, a GROW BIOINTENSIVE instructor in Kenya. The pictures from top: the bountiful harvests possible using this method of agriculture, Philip with Professor Rick Smith from University of Wyoming USA, Kenyan students demonstrating the making of compost the Grow Biointensive way (using plant material and soil only), and Kenyans demonstrating biointensive planting to University of Wyoming students using close spacing in double dug beds. Click on pictures to enlarge. More pictures at Philip's blog site:
http://organicfarminghealingtherift.blogspot.com/

An inspiring vision of possibilities for Ezemvelo!

2009-06-06T11:24:00.012+02:00

Why Rural Empowerment is Important

2009-05-26T12:21:00.009+02:00

Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, the ten-year-old star of Slumdog Millionaire, lost his home ten days ago. It was torn down by authorities in Mumbai. The Guardian reports that city authorities said the land was needed for a garden.

So writes Robert Neuwith on his blog SquatterCity. "These neighborhoods--which dominate most of the cities of the developing world--are vibrant and energetic, but horribly misunderstood. My book, Shadow Cities, is an attempt to humanize these maligned settlements."

Having spent two years living in squatter communities across four continents, Neuwirth finds people living lives of complexity, challenge, and surprising resiliency.

To understand more about this pressing problem of migration of the rural poor to the cities please see this video here.

Also see our earlier post on a thriving organic farm that has arisen in the midst of Kenya's largest squatter city.

Biointensive Garden Progress-2

2009-05-25T11:57:00.012+02:00

We've double dug 22 raised beds in 4 weeks. Each bed is 100 square feet or 9.2 square meters. First we thoroughly soak the soil for at least 24 hours. Then remove all grass and weeds for composting. Then double dig the soil to 2 foot depth (6oomm) below the surface. When the soil is returned it is higher due to air added to the soil, so overall the cultivated depth is 600-850mm. This is much deeper than most systems of farming and allows for a closer spacing of plants.

Research at Ecology Action has shown that 40 such beds will adequately supply all the nutrition needs for one year for one person as well as carbon crops to compost for the soil and sufficient income for one person. In South Africa, organic produce sells for approximately double the rate of non-organic produce. So 40 beds should enable a good income as well as healthy food for the family.

We’ve made both the curved top beds used in biointensive gardens (bottom picture, click to enlarge) and the “flat top” often favoured in Africa for raised beds (top picture). We found that the planted area is up to 25% more for the curved top so this is our preferred design. It does require more care with watering until the plants are well established to prevent soil erosion.

Most of the crops we’ve planted initially are soil building cover crops including clover, Luzerne alfalfa grass, fodder radish and fodder rape. The GROW BIOINTENSIVE method encourages planting by the moon, which we have done. Additionally we are doing some planting using a Biodynamic calendar based on the teachings of Rudolph Steiner. The Biodynamic Calendar considers the moon and also the planets for choosing the best planting times. Ezemvelo means "return to nature" and so we teach methods which have been verified by science to be in harmony with and be supported by nature.

The top picture shows biointensive agriculture instructor Simphiwe Tinini demonstrating the biointensive method for spacing plants in a hexagonal pattern which maximizes foliage cover of the soil to reduce soil erosion and inhibits weed growth by shutting out the light.

Grow Bio-Intensive – a Brief Description

2009-05-21T16:08:00.006+02:00

Onions, avg yield 380lbs/100 sq ft

From: http://harmony-essentials.com/biointensive.html

Bio-Intensive agriculture is a millennial old production technique that uses low tech methods for food production.

Over the last 35 years John Jeavons has developed these timeless techniques into a system that can be used to attain sustainable food production. He has developed a matrix of these dimensions: calories for people and carbon for the soil in the smallest area possible using the least amount of resources. These developments are being called Grow Bio-Intensive to differentiate them from the older potentially unsustainable methods.

Grow Bio-Intensive is based on a balance of eight important elements:
* Deep soil preparation, with Raised Beds
* Composting
* Intensive Planting
* Companion Planting
* Carbon Farming
* Calorie Farming
* Open Pollinated Seeds
* Holistic Farming Method

GROW BIO-INTENSIVE mini-farming techniques make it possible to grow food using:
* 67% to 88% less water
* 50% to 100% less organic fertilizer
* 99% less energy than commercial agriculture

These techniques can also:
* Produce 2 to 6 times more food
* Build the soil up to 60 times faster than in nature, if properly used
* Reduce by half or more the amount of land needed.

More information on Grow Bio-Intensive can be found here and at our upcoming 5 day workshop at Ezemvelo, September 16-21.

Impala

2009-05-21T15:31:00.003+02:00

This impala has been coming into the campground every night for the last several weeks, along with a herd of about 15 smaller impala. This photo was taken last night at sunset, his usual time for arriving at the camp. They come for the proximity to humans at night as the leopards hunt at night and thankfully keep their distance from humans. At the last count in 2006 14 leopards were counted at Ezemvelo and Telperion Reserves.

Interns Get a Lesson on Thatching

2009-05-19T18:13:00.004+02:00

One of the interns today gave us a demonstration on thatching by reroofing our small kitchen at Eland Lapa. Pictured is Director from Hazyview in Mpumalanga.

Cob Homes in Cullinan

2009-05-17T18:29:00.011+02:00

I visited two delightful homes today in Cullinan, just a short drive west of Ezemvelo. I helped with construction of a home made of cob in Iowa, USA, last year. Cob refers to the clay-sand-straw mix used to make the walls. It comes from Europe where there are homes that have survived for 100's of years made of cob. It's very suitable for South Africa as it is very inexpensive, and the homes are cool in summer and warm in winter. And unlike in USA, cob homes can only get building permits in South Africa if the walls are not structural. This turns out to be an advantage in that the roof must go up first, supported by round wood poles. So the slow process of making the walls can proceed in all weather conditions under the roof.

The creativity that this method allows is seemingly endless. The homes I saw had very beautiful recycled glass windows of all shapes and sizes, shelves, bathtubs, sinks, counters, nooks and bench seats all made of cob. I was truly impressed and present some pictures here for something to consider for exhibiting different sustainable building technologies at our planned eco-campus at Ezemvelo.

See our earlier post on Building with Earth.

Greenhouse Expert coming to South Africa

2009-05-09T07:18:00.006+02:00

Steve Moore was affectionately termed the "Gandhi of Greenhouses" by his students for his low tech innovations to keep his plants warm in winter without using fossil fuels.

He is coming to Ezemvelo in September to assist John Jeavons in the Food and Our Future 5 day workshop we're presenting here. In the relatively mild winters of South Africa it is possible to grow year round with only modest protection from the cold winter nights.

Some of his low-cost greenhouse innovations are described here:
http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/features/0404/moore/greenhouse.shtml

Pictured above is Steve and his wife Carol on the cover of Home Power magazine in 2004.

Food and Our Future: Hope and Solutions through Biointensive Farming.

2009-05-08T20:02:00.006+02:00

John Jeavons and Steve Moore present the GROW BIOINTENSIVE™ farming method in a 5-Day Workshop, Wednesday to Sunday, September 16-20 at Ezemvelo.

(click here to download the Ezemvelo April Newsletter)

The GROW BIOINTENSIVE method gives farmers and
gardeners of all skill levels the potential to use up to
67-88% less water, and 94-99% less energy per unit of
production compared with conventional farming and
gardening methods. At the same time the method creates
a substantial increase in soil fertility and yields.

The workshop will cover eight essential aspects of the
GROW BIOINTENSIVE method including: Deep Soil
Preparation, Raised Beds, Composting, Intensive Planting,
Companion Planting, Carbon Farming, Calorie Farming,
Use of Open-Pollinated Seeds, and A Whole-System
Farming Method. John will also provide time for questions
and answers concerning small-scale farming, long-term sustainable soil fertility, climate and market challenges.

John Jeavons has been the director of Ecology Action’s Mini-Farming programme since 1972, is the author of How to Grow More Vegetables...” (the textbook of the GROW BIOINTENSIVE Sustainable Mini-Farming system), and has authored, co-authored and/or edited over 30 other Ecology Action publications. He directs research and education in GROW BIOINTENSIVE food raising methods, advises biologically-intensive projects in 141 countries around the world, and holds a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University. He has received the Boise Peace Quilt, Santa Fe Living Treasure, Giraffe, and Steward of Sustainable Agriculture awards for public service.

Ezemvelo is offering special 5 day accommodation packages including all meals and course tuition as follows (R/person):

Rhino House (2 persons/ room) R3250
Legae-Chalets (3 persons / chalet) R3175
Family Huts (3 persons/room) R3025

Group rates:
Hikers Huts (16 per dorm room) R2850
Impala Lapa (8 per dorm room) R2850
Caravan & Camping (max 6 per stand) R2700

Workshop and meals only R2300

Accommodation is limited and will be allocated on a first come
first served basis with full payment.

For bookings and further information:
E-mail: horsfield@lisco.com or ezemvelo@telkomsa.net
Tel: 013 680 1399 / 083 440 5886 /083 655 3638/ 083 287 6832

Economies of Small Scale in Agriculture: A lesson for Congo

2009-05-07T21:38:00.005+02:00

I post this recent story as case study for sustainable development pertaining to South Africa. The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has decided to deal with food shortages and poverty by giving free 99 year leases on 10 million hectares of land to South African farmers to produce maize, soybeans, poultry and dairy farms. It raises serious questions such as:

• How many local people will be displaced in this process of giving land away to foreigners?

• What will be the environmental cost of destroying rain forest up to twice the size of Switzerland to make way for genetically modified maize, soybeans and poultry and cattle farms?

Here at Ezemvelo, natural wildlife habitats have been restored by removing cattle farms, and poultry and pig raising buildings in order to create a nature reserve over 10,000 hectares (Ezemvelo adjoins the private Telperion Nature Reserve).

Research at Ecology Action in the USA has shown that with GROW BIOINTENSIVE agriculture farmers can approximately double the output per unit area of land of conventional agriculture, and sometimes up to four times the yield. These biointensive food raising principles are based on a foundation of traditional forms of agriculture that are thousands of years old. Moreover, unlike with modern conventional agriculture, soil is not diminished in the process but is increased. The conclusions are clear: there are significant “economies of small scale” in food production.

The Government of Congo could serve it’s people far better by improving food production on currently farmed land with biointensive farming methods. These methods, combined with a better understanding of crop calorie efficiency of predominantly vegetarian diet versus a meat-based diet could enable up to half of the world’s present farmland to be returned to wild areas to preserve the plant and and animal biodiversity that is essential to promote balance in the global ecosystem.

There is no need to destroy more rain forest to feed the world.

Congo Republic Offers Huge Land Area to South African Farmers

SustainableBusiness.com News 04/16/2009

The Republic of Congo has offered South African farmers 10 million hectares of farm land in an effort to increase the country's food security.

The area of land is twice the size of Switzerland and is to be used for growing maize and soy beans as well as poultry and dairy farming.

South Africa has one of the most developed agriculture sectors on the continent, and is Africa's top maize producer and No.3 wheat grower.

"They've given us 10 million hectares, and that's quite big when you consider that in South Africa we have about 6 million hectares of land that is arable," said Theo de Jager, deputy president of the farmers union Agriculture South Africa.

The deal, which is to be finalized next month, will be a 99-year, no cost lease.

Source: Reuters

Scholarships for September Grow Biointensive Five-Day Workshop

2009-05-04T14:06:00.007+02:00

We have some scholarships available for the 5 Day Grow Biointensive Workshop we're having at Ezemvelo taught by John Jeavons. For more information about the course go to the post Food and our Future.

One student in the US is raising funds for a teenage woman to attend the workshop. Sarah Moore was assigned a High School Freshman Project. As she thought of what she might do, her thoughts focused on hunger throughout the world. A preliminary investigation revealed that children and women suffered the most. Sarah had a basic understanding of GROW BIOINTENSIVE (GBI) principles and felt that supporting a GBI project she could make a difference. She studied hunger and the geographic distribution throughout the world. She thought initially about raising money for seeds, but an e-mail to Brian Horsfeld in South Africa revealed a financial need to sponsor someone to the fall 2009 John Jeavons South Africa Workshop. Sarah raised over $200 to sponsor a teenage woman to the workshop. If others are interested in sponsoring or would like to refer a young women to be sponsored please contact Sarah at goldtkdgirl@gmail.com

Hey! My name is Sarah Moore and I’m a freshman at the Wayne School of Engineering in North Carolina. As part of a humongous project for my school, I had to research a subject and present it to a panel of judges. I chose to do mine on world hunger, and specifically, on solving world hunger through GROW BIOINTENSIVE principles. I studied hunger and these principles, and realized that women and children suffer the most from this world problem. So, as part of my project I raised over $200 at school and in my community to sponsor a young women to go to the September 2009 John Jeavons South Africa Workshop at Ezemvelo Nature Reserve. If you want to contact me or help me send a young woman to this workshop, e-mail me at goldtkdgirl@gmail.com. Can’t wait to hear from you!!

Biointensive Garden Progress

2009-05-02T18:10:00.011+02:00

Biointensive gardening is progressing well. We created an inexpensive storage tank for our free gravity fed spring water system. The tank is made of one piece of poly sheeting 7 x 6 meters supported by poplar posts and some old fencing (top picture). It stores 2000 liters of water for a total cost of R118. Filling buckets and watering cans is much quicker from this tank than from a hose.

We also started biointensive beds 9 and 10. Each bed is 100 square feet or 9.3 square meters. In order to double dig to 2 foot (600mm) depth it is much easier if the ground is moist. Since we have a free supply of water 24 hours a day we made a trench to irrigate the 2 beds for 24 hours. It's amazing how easily a spade will slide into properly moistened soil. Our motto is "if it is hard work, STOP before you break something, you're doing it the wrong way." Done properly double digging should be easy and fun.

The third picture shows our temporary nursery area with 22 seed flats planted so far. The seed flat trays are 3 inches (75 mm) deep and made from old apple boxes lined with plastic, with drain holes in the bottom. We will move the nursery into one corner of the main garden soon.

The last picture shows our system for making seed flat soil. We don't yet have compost made so we are improvising by collecting leaf mold (the top 5 mm of soil raked up under leafy trees). A quick way to sift this is to use a 15 mm mesh screen tilted at a high angle (in this case supported by an old bed frame). Though the mesh size is larger than ideal, when tipped at a high angle the coarse particles roll down easily off the screen and the sifted material is about 6mm or less. It's much faster and much easier than the traditional horizontal 1/4" (6mm) screen often placed over a wheelbarrow.

Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization?

2009-04-26T18:51:00.007+02:00

A new article by Lester Brown of the World Watch Institute in the latest issue of Scientific American Magazine examines this question. This is a highly important issue, and the GROW BIOINTENSIVE approach we are teaching here at Ezemvelo produces food with a fraction of the energy, water and soil amendments of conventional approaches. 34 students on a the Leadership Course here this week, spent this morning learning how to make new soil from plant based compost and how to conserve water and promote healthier plants with higher yields by double digging a new vegetable bed for our new GROW BIOINTENSIVE demonstration garden.

The following two posts are alarming, and one needs to remember that the root of the word "crisis" has the same origin as "circle", ie that a crisis represents lack of balance, and the beginning of a return to balance again. It seems we humans need to be pushed to the brink of catastrophe before we will change our ways! Also the word for "crisis" in Chinese is associated with the word "opportunity".

From the May 2009 Scientific American Magazine

Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization?

The biggest threat to global stability is the potential for food crises in poor countries to cause government collapse

By Lester R. Brown

Food scarcity and the resulting higher food prices are pushing poor countries into chaos.
Such “failed states” can export disease, terrorism, illicit drugs, weapons and refugees.
Water shortages, soil losses and rising temperatures from global warming are placing severe limits on food production.
Without massive and rapid intervention to address these three environmental factors, the author argues, a series of government collapses could threaten the world order.

One of the toughest things for people to do is to anticipate sudden change. Typically we project the future by extrapolating from trends in the past. Much of the time this approach works well. But sometimes it fails spectacularly, and people are simply blindsided by events such as today’s economic crisis.

For most of us, the idea that civilization itself could disintegrate probably seems preposterous. Who would not find it hard to think seriously about such a complete departure from what we expect of ordinary life? What evidence could make us heed a warning so dire—and how would we go about responding to it? We are so inured to a long list of highly unlikely catastrophes that we are virtually programmed to dismiss them all with a wave of the hand: Sure, our civilization might devolve into chaos—and Earth might collide with an asteroid, too!

For many years I have studied global agricultural, population, environmental and economic trends and their interactions. The combined effects of those trends and the political tensions they generate point to the breakdown of governments and societies. Yet I, too, have resisted the idea that food shortages could bring down not only individual governments but also our global civilization.

I can no longer ignore that risk. Our continuing failure to deal with the environmental declines that are undermining the world food economy—most important, falling water tables, eroding soils and rising temperatures—forces me to conclude that such a collapse is possible.

Full article here...

A Water Warning

2009-04-26T18:38:00.002+02:00

Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, chairman of Nestlé, argues that water shortage is an even more urgent problem than climate change

Reuters

The rise in the price of basic food has had devastating effects on the most vulnerable—the poor who spend up to two-thirds of their income on food. Some of the measures taken in response, such as export restrictions, have been highly counter-productive. In 2009 the world needs to reflect on the underlying causes of the food crisis and start addressing structural factors, in particular the link to biofuels and water.

Frank Rijsberman, from the Sri Lanka-based International Water Management Institute, gave warning in 2003 that if current trends continued, the livelihoods of one-third of the world’s population could be affected by water scarcity by 2025: “We could be facing annual losses equivalent to the entire grain crops of India and the United States combined.” Normally, when people hear about water scarcity they think of tap water; he talked about crops. And the dimension of the problem ahead is vast: America and India combined produce about 30% of globally consumed cereals.

Continued here...

Student Hike

2009-04-25T13:27:00.008+02:00

Students from the Maharishi Institute in Johannesburg begin their one week course on Leadership with a 3 hour hike. We walked from Reception past remains of a kraal and rondaval hut east of the main dam. From there we followed animal tracks to the old farmhouse (middle picture), and up by single file on a well-used animal track to the spring (at lower left in bottom picture) near block 14. Just close to this spring is another old kraal where the students rested (top picture). This path marks the main route between the spring and the Wilge River and is likely thousands of years old. There is evidence of human habitation in this area dating back to the Middle Stone Age (about 250,000 to 25,000 years ago).

Understanding the environment of our ancestors here provides an opportunity to understand how people have learned to live in harmony with nature over the ages.

Enlightened Leadership

2009-04-23T05:31:00.016+02:00

Today a group of 40 students arrive at Ezemvelo from the Maharishi Institute in Johannesburg for a weeks course on Leadership. So it's very fitting that this week in a newspaper report from London the former President of Mozambique, while receiving a $5 million award for Achievement in African Leadership, is quoted as crediting group practise of Transcendental Meditation for bringing "political peace and balance in nature in my country."

An excerpt from London's Independent:

Joaquim Chissano: Democrat among the despots

Sunday, 19 April 2009
By Claire Soares

Yesterday, however, at City Hall in London, the focus was on Africa's good things. Well one good thing to be precise – Africa's equivalent of the Nobel Prize, whose very first winner is Joaquim Chissano, the former President of Mozambique.

It was without doubt the most lavish of all the presents Mr Chissano received as he celebrated his 68th birthday yesterday. The Achievement in African Leadership, to give it its proper name, comes with $5m in prize money, making it the world's largest individual award.

While the financial gains leave the real Nobel (with its comparatively paltry $1.5m pot) for dust, the African version lags behind the Oslo original in one respect. It is not quite so slick at getting hold of the winner. "It has been difficult to reach the former president," Mr Annan, the former UN Secretary-General who led the panel of six judges, said with a sheepish grin.

Yet there was no need for embarrassment. The absence of Mr Chissano from the ceremony was, in fact, entirely in keeping with the Mozambique leader, who is the antithesis of the stereotypical African Big Man. While egomaniacs would be fidgeting by the phone, waiting for that all-important call, Mr Chissano was busy in southern Sudan on a United Nations mission to broker peace between the Uganda government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army. "It shows the dynamism of the ex-president that he is still travelling and doing his good work. But we will find him," Mr Annan promised.

Mr Chissano is living proof that power doesn't have to go to the head. Perhaps his zen comes from the Transcendental Meditation he is said to practise. Indeed, in literature published by devotees of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Mr Chissano is quoted as saying: "First, I started the practice of Transcendental Meditation myself, then introduced the practice to my close family, my cabinet of ministers, my government officers and my military. The result has been political peace and balance in nature in my country."

Full story here...

Today also is the day after South Africa's General Election. It seems fitting then that the new government should take heed from this giant among African Leaders, and that political peace and balance in nature is available now following the experience learned in Mozambique.

Related links:

Recent editorial in USA Today by Dr John Hagelin and Maj. Gen. Singh describes how Invincible Defence Technology can help any nation

Major Werner Klokow in the South African army suggests the South African military should follow the example of Mozambique and have the soldiers practice Transcendental Meditation in a group to promote peace in the country.

See articles Major Klokow has posted here:
http://rsasoldier.blogspot.com/2009/02/meditation-is-path-to-peace-mozambique.html
http://rsasoldier.blogspot.com/2009/02/invincible-south-africa.html
http://rsasoldier.blogspot.com/2009/01/invincible-defence-technology.html

Monsanto GM-corn harvest fails massively in South Africa

2009-04-20T21:33:00.001+02:00

By Adriana Stuijt.
Published Mar 29, 2009

South African farmers suffered millions of dollars in lost income when 82,000 hectares of genetically-manipulated corn (maize) failed to produce hardly any seeds.The plants look lush and healthy from the outside. Monsanto has offered compensation.

Monsanto blames the failure of the three varieties of corn planted on these farms, in three South African provinces,on alleged 'underfertilisation processes in the laboratory". Some 280 of the 1,000 farmers who planted the three varieties of Monsanto corn this year, have reported extensive seedless corn problems.

Urgent investigation demanded

However environmental activitist Marian Mayet, director of the Africa-centre for biosecurity in Johannesburg, demands an urgent government investigation and an immediate ban on all GM-foods, blaming the crop failure on Monsanto's genetically-manipulated technology.

Willem Pelser, journalist of the Afrikaans Sunday paper Rapport, writes from Nelspruit that Monsanto has immediately offered the farmers compensation in three provinces - North West, Free State and Mpumalanga. The damage-estimates are being undertaken right now by the local farmers' cooperative, Grain-SA. Monsanto claims that 'less than 25%' of three different corn varieties were 'insufficiently fertilised in the laboratory'.

80% crop failure

However Mayet says Monsanto was grossly understating the problem.According to her own information, some farms have suffered up to 80% crop failures. The centre is strongly opposed to GM-food and biologically-manipulated technology in general.

"Monsanto says they just made a mistake in the laboratory, however we say that biotechnology is a failure.You cannot make a 'mistake' with three different varieties of corn.'

Demands urgent government investigation:

"We have been warning against GM-technology for years, we have been warning Monsanto that there will be problems,' said Mayet. She calls for an urgent government investigation and an immediate ban on all GM-foods in South Africa.

Of the 1,000 South African farmers who planted Monsanto's GM-maize this year, 280 suffered extensive crop failure, writes Rapport.

Monsanto's local spokeswoman Magda du Toit said the 'company is engaged in establishing the exact extent of the damage on the farms'. She did not want to speculate on the extent of the financial losses suffered right now.

Managing director of Monsanto in Africa, Kobus Lindeque, said however that 'less than 25% of the Monsanto-seeded farms are involved in the loss'. He says there will be 'a review of the seed-production methods of the three varieties involved in the failure, and we will made the necessary adjustments.'

He denied that the problem was caused in any way by 'bio-technology'. Instead, there had been 'insufficient fertilisation during the seed-production process'.

And Grain-SA's Nico Hawkins says they 'are still support GM-technology; 'We will support any technology which will improve production.' see

He also they were 'satisfied with Monsanto's handling of the case,' and said Grain-SA was 'closely involved in the claims-adjustment methodology' between the farmers and Monsanto.

Farmers told Rapport that Monsanto was 'bending over backwards to try and accommodate them in solving the problem.

"It's a very good gesture to immediately offer to compensate the farmers for losses they suffered,' said Kobus van Coller, one of the Free State farmers who discovered that his maize cobs were practically seedless this week.

"One can't see from the outside whether a plant is unseeded. One must open up the cob leaves to establish the problem,' he said. The seedless cobs show no sign of disease or any kind of fungus. They just have very few seeds, often none at all.

The South African supermarket-chain Woolworths already banned GM-foods from its shelves in 2000. However South African farmers have been producing GM-corn for years: they were among the first countries other than the United States to start using the Monsanto products.

The South African government does not require any labelling of GM-foods. Corn is the main staple food for South Africa's 48-million people.

The three maize varieties which failed to produce seeds were designed with a built-in resistance to weed-killers, and manipulated to increase yields per hectare, Rapport writes.

Read the source and comments here...

A new map of Ezemvelo

2009-04-19T15:20:00.008+02:00

We've completed a new map of Ezemvelo. Click on image to enlarge. This is being distributed at Reception. On the back is the map of the very popular Penduka Trail.

A simple water system

2009-04-19T14:16:00.005+02:00

We finished the fence enough to begin the gardens last week. Still have to add electric fencing on the top for the baboons and monkeys. To source water, we made a simple dam from a small trickle of water higher up the hill. This drains a large marshy area and flows most of the year. 70 meters of pipe was all that was needed to give us a very adequate supply of water. The outflow is seen at top soaking the ground in preparation for double digging to 2 foot depth. The interns each have their own GROW BIOINTENSIVE 10 square meter bed so they can learn all stages of biointensive food raising.

Interns start work on Biointensive Gardens

2009-04-17T13:09:00.006+02:00

We're putting in a gravity fed water system for the garden so we won't have to pay electric bills to pump from the main borehole. Walking up to a marshy area to locate a site for a dam I found the remains of an ancient dam. A few large stones in a straight line deep into the grass. So it seems a validation of our choice of location - people have found this area many years before us and captured the very same water we'll be using in the garden.

We have not yet made wooden seed flats to start seedlings so local intern Thabo is pictured improvising with cardboard boxes lined with plastic. They seem pretty strong so it will be interesting to see how long they will hold up. All made from materials that would otherwise go to the landfill. (Like many rural areas in South Africa, there's no recycling yet in Bronkhorstspruit).

Top picture is our two new interns from Mpumalanga Province, training at Ezemvelo to learn Biointensive food raising to support a community garden project. We're very grateful for their support in creating the garden for the first GROW BIOINTENSIVE five day workshop in South Africa, here at Ezemvelo in September.

The view to the North East

2009-04-12T18:01:00.010+02:00

The view above the reception is quite stunning. The Ezemvelo and adjoining Telperion Nature Reserves stretch for as far as one can see. Without a building in sight except the reception, the stillness and silence is almost palpable. I found another ancient kraal at the top of this hill, as well as a perfect skull of a small monkey.

Ancient Stones and Cacti?

2009-04-12T16:28:00.005+02:00

Walking just one minute up the hill behind Eland Lapa presents a glorious view of the entire reserve to the north and northeast. It is quite a surprise from living under the trees in the campground. The view is enabled by a rocky outcrop just above the trees. These rocks have been worked into many ancient buildings the remains of which are dotted around Eland Lapa. I believe they may be hundreds of years old. I often find cacti wherever I see evidence of old buildings. The prickly pear and this less common variety pictured here. The prickly pear was cultivated for food.

Veggie Garden at Ezemvelo

2009-04-11T13:37:00.006+02:00

We started the fencing for the veggie garden this week close to the student housing at Eland Lapa. This will be the demonstration garden for our upcoming Food and Our Future 5 day workshop on GROW BIOINTENSIVE mini farming in September. We are also planning a 3 month course in Sustainable Agriculture to begin with this workshop.

Pictured at top is Simphiwe Tinini and Sandile Nkosi with their students in South Africa's first GROW BIOINTENSIVE courses at CIDA City Campus in Johannesburg. Their programme has over 200 graduates since it started in 2007.

The lower picture shows Simphiwe next to the fence for the new Biointensive demonstration garden at Ezemvelo.

Change Begins Within

2009-04-03T06:32:00.005+02:00

The most common report of new visitors to Ezemvelo is the silence. So close to the noise of Johannesburg, the economic powerhouse of Africa. I believe it is this silence more than anything that draws people to this place. We all need some silence in our busy lives.

Ezemvelo was donated to the Maharishi Institute in Johannesburg last year by Strilli and Nicky Oppenheimer for the express purpose of protecting this haven of silence and natural beauty, and to provide an opportunity for the Maharishi Institute to extend it's Consciousness Based Education programmes to Ezemvelo.

There is an exciting promotion of the benefits of this system of education today by a group of celebritries including Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Russell Simmons, David Lynch and others in New York City. This will be followed by a benefit concert to raise money for one million students to learn Transcendental Meditation. Russell Simmons in particular is devoting a considerable amount of his time to raise funds for South African students to learn Transcendental Meditation.

Basking in the silence and beauty of Ezemvelo provides a good backdrop to consider what is most important in our lives. Giving more young people the opportunity to experience deep silence within regardless of where they are is perhaps one of the greatest gifts we can give. As the slogan for the concert and press conference reads: "Change Begins Within".

The organiser of the event, film producer David Lynch, has edited a two-minute summary of the Beatles in India with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. When he showed it to Paul, there were tears in his eyes. People in Paul's office said they haven't seen him this happy in 20 years.

After the concert, Paul will be auctioning a signed guitar, Ringo will auction signed drum skins, Donovan, a guitar that he said was George Harrison's favorite.

Read more about the press conference here.

Silence and Antiquity on the Veld

2009-03-26T18:52:00.008+02:00

Tramping the 4,500 hectares of the Ezemvelo Nature Reserve is the perfect respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life for most of us. Leave the car at reception and enjoy one of the many hiking trails and an abundance of wildlife awaits, as well as archaeological treasures. Earlier this week I found this stone bowl for grinding grain just sitting on the ground not far from the remains of an ancient rondaval style hut (lower picture - click to enlarge). This bowl is a very rare specimen and we'll be putting it on display in reception. What grains were ground in this bowl? Not maize - that was introduced to Africa from South America by Europeans. Were the grains cultivated here, or harvested from the wild? If they were cultivated, how did the farmers protect their crops from wildebeeste, warthogs and other wild animals? I am keen to find the answers!

Evidence of past human inhabitants here is found in many places. It gives cause to wonder at the immense scale of time humans have occupied this land. I have yet to visit the caves here with paintings recording the different people that have lived at Ezemvelo over the ages. So that will have to wait for another day.

Meditation in the Classroom

2009-03-26T17:11:00.003+02:00

Students around the world are benefiting from
the practice of Transcendental Meditation –
academically, emotionally and socially

By Steven Yellin

According to an American Psychological Association poll in 2007, one-third of Americans are living with extreme stress and nearly half of Americans (48 percent) believe their stress has increased over the past five years.

And our students are facing the same challenges.
Consider the facts: There are 10 million kids on antidepressants, and 5 million kids have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), a stress related disorder, of which 4 million are on Ritalin. And the third leading cause of death among teenagers is suicide.
This is not a pretty picture. Certainly the growing tendency to prescribe high power, potentially dangerous adult drugs to treat this epidemic of stress is not the answer.

Another option, proven effective in schools around the world is Transcendental Meditation (TM), which is a simple, natural and effortless mental technique practiced for 15 to 20 minutes twice a day, and gives deep rest to the mind and body.

During the practice, the mind settles down and experiences finer levels of the thinking process.
When the mind settles, the body settles, and deep rooted stresses and strains are released. When coming out of meditation, a person feels like he or she has taken a bath from the inside out — the mind is clear and alert, and one has more energy and happiness radiating from within.

More than 6 million people from all countries, religions and educational backgrounds have learned the technique, and hundreds of scientific research studies confirmed the practical benefits of the TM program for mind, body, behavior and society as a whole.

Research shows this state effectively reduces stress and vulnerability to stress — and protects the developing brain of a student while fostering learning and emotional development.

Full article here...

Friends of Ezemvelo

2009-03-24T15:09:00.004+02:00

A dedicated team of volunteers took part in the monthly work party last weekend, staying at Bambanini. On the Saturday we collected about 20 bags of litter and a trailer full of large items that had been dumped by the side of the road 3 km from our gate. It looks so much better now! Then we painted the kitchen at Bambanani - one of the cottages on the Reserve and made signs for the Protea and Burkea trails which will be put up at the next work party weekend in April.

New Trail in the making

2009-03-16T21:24:00.004+02:00

We are working on a new trail in the east part of Ezemvelo. The idea is to open up this area to hikers, since it's close to the river and contains a rich variety of wildlife. There is also a rich variety of sites to see. The glacially polished rock surfaces date from around 290 million years ago. These are fresh on the surface just as if the glaciers left yesterday. The significance is that this indicates that some of the landsurfaces at Ezemvelo have been left virtually unchanged for 290 million years. Truly among the oldest landsurfaces on earth.

There's also a natural spring near there which is about the only water on the high plateau so is rich in bird and animal life. A well made animal track leads from the Spring all the way to the Wilge River. The trail goes past an amazing early pioneers farmhouse and outbuildings.

Some of the animals I've seen in my first week: pictures here...
More pictures here...

Hikers Paradise- the Penduka Trail

2009-03-14T19:40:00.005+02:00

After a week at Ezemvelo I’ve done a fair bit of walking and today I hiked the Penduka Trail. It is spectacular and has been created and maintained by a wonderful group of volunteers called the Friends of Ezemvelo. It’s possible to walk to the Penduka Trail from the main camp in a hour. I took a longer route along the Wilge River trail beginning north of Rhino House. The wildbeste were very close by on this little used trail. This leads to the picnic area at the start of the Penduka Trail. The trail itself took me 2 hours including a break at the Valley View lookout. From there I could look down on the Wilge River (pictured above). It is an exhilarating and delightful spot, very silent except for the sound of the river far below. I was lucky enough to see a large bird on a rock in the river far below with wings outstretched to dry after it had taken a dive in search of fish. My bird watching neigbour at the camp, tells me it was a Darter and is rather rarely seen around here. This is the perfect halfway resting spot on the trail.

On the way back I stopped at the rapids below Raptor Ridge, and found the remains of a small crab – left most likely by an otter. The Cape Clawless Otters are seen along the Wilge River here.
Walking the road back to the camp one can enjoy expansive views of undeveloped land looking to the north east across over 10,000 hectares of nature reserve. Nearing home I was met by a group of horse riders setting out for an afternoon ride. It was long hike and very interesting with a wide range of landscapes and wildlife along the way.

More pictures here...

One hiking family has made a nice website of their hiking weekend at Ezemvelo, including pictures of 2 hikes: the Protea Trail and Day 2 on the Penduka Trail. Click here.

South Africa becomes net importer of food for first time in 20 years

2009-03-08T09:50:00.005+02:00

In 2007 South Africa became a net importer of agricultural products for the first time in more than 20 years as local food output failed to keep pace with a growing population, according to the National Agricultural Marketing Council.

Also the number of farms in active production fell by 12.7 percent to fewer than 40 000 in the five years to 2007, Statistics SA said yesterday. Agriculture experts attributed the decline to consolidation while discounting a government view that food producing land was being bought up for golf courses and game farms.

Full story in the South Africa Business Report

And another threat to the food supply ...

In the Wheat Fields of Kenya, a Budding Epidemic
Stem Rust, Vanquished by Science Five Decades Ago, Has Returned in a Destructive New Form

By Sharon Schmickle
Special to The Washington Post
Wednesday, February 18, 2009; A08

GREAT RIFT VALLEY, Kenya -- A virulent new version of a deadly fungus is ravaging wheat in Kenya's most fertile fields and spreading beyond Africa to threaten one of the world's principal food crops, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization.

Stem rust, a killer that farmers thought they had defeated 50 years ago, surfaced here in 1999, jumped the Red Sea to Yemen in 2006 and turned up in Iran last year. Crop scientists say they are powerless to stop its spread and increasingly frustrated in their efforts to find resistant plants.

Nobel Peace laureate Norman Borlaug, the world's leading authority on the disease, said that once established, stem rust can explode to crisis proportions within a year under certain weather conditions.

"This is a dangerous problem because a good share of the world's area sown to wheat is susceptible to it," Borlaug said. "It has immense destructive potential."

Full story...

Source: http://africanagriculture.blogspot.com

Outcry against GMO's continues to grow

2009-02-27T12:46:00.014+02:00

South Africa has been Africa's leader in terms of use of Genetically Modified crops. But the outcry against GMO's is growing stronger all the time as seen in recent press articles here:

EU court attacks GM crop secrecy

Anti-GM campaigners have widespread support in the EU

Europe's top court has ruled that EU governments have no right to conceal the location of field trials of genetically modified (GM) crops.

The European Court of Justice was responding to a case brought by Pierre Azelvandre in Alsace, eastern France.

He wanted to know where GM field trials had taken place in his local area. Continued here...

Germany May Ban Monsanto Corn, Minister Tells Berliner Zeitung

By Rainer Buergin

Feb. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government may revoke a license for the cultivation of Monsanto's genetically modified corn because neither consumers nor farmers want it, Agriculture Minister Ilse Aigner told the Berliner Zeitung.

Genetic engineering “has so far not yielded tangible benefits for the people,” the newspaper quoted Aigner as saying. Germany has granted a license for the cultivation of MON810 while France and Italy haven’t yet, due to environmental concerns, the newspaper said.

Continued here...

Leading scientists publicly denounce unethical use of children in GM experiments

This formal letter of protest relating to a severe breach of medical ethics has been sent by 22 senior scientists from around the world to the Tufts University School of Medicine, together with a call for these GM feeding experiments to be terminated immediately. Read more...

Some Photos at Ezemvelo

2009-02-21T11:52:00.004+02:00

ezemvelo nature reserve.bn, originally uploaded by Ezemvelo Nature Reserve.

wow!

More photos here...

Top Bar Hives Produce More Honey

2009-02-17T06:34:00.000+02:00

Case study: Mrs Nyani

With Practical Action's advice and training, Mrs Nyani's bees give her 480 bottles of good-quality honey a year, and with good access to market she can sell it at twice the price of honey she previously harvested before using the top bar hive. Surprisingly, Zimbabwe still imports 60% of honey for domestic needs. So there's a ready market for this liquid gold.

Mrs Nyani continues to use honey for medicinal purposes, and also makes floor polish from the beeswax the hives produce, and hopes to start producing candles as well. She has no fear of her family going hungry, and is passing on the benefit to others by teaching her bee-keeping skills to local women through the bee-keeping association.

"My friends the bees work hard for me so we need not go without food. Now I shall show others how to use their hives to good advantage."

From the Practical Action website.
Top bar hives are favored by Biodynamic Beekeepers and are considered a more natural way to keep bees. See the Barefoot Beekeeper website.

Shaping eco-leaders of the future

2009-02-17T06:10:00.001+02:00

(click picture to enlarge)

THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT AUGUST 17 2008

by ELEANOR MOMBERG,

Previously disadvantaged youths are to benefit from the donation of thousands of hectares of land to the Maharishi Institute by the Oppenheimer family

Prominent conservationists and philanthropists Nicky and Strilli Oppenheimer, of E Oppenheimer and Son and De Beers, this week donated the 4 500-hectare Ezemvelo nature reserve to the institute with the aim of promoting environmental and conservation-related education among South Africa’s youth

Nicky Oppenheimer said at the handover ceremony in Johannesburg that this was the fulfilment of a dream for the couple who had wanted to share “something special” since their purchase of the adjoining property 35 years ago

“We believe this will make a difference to the whole of South Africa,” he said

The reserve will be used to develop a rural eco-campus as well as promote ecotourism and conservation of the area situated on the Bankenveld, a transition ecozone between the grassland and savanna biomes, about 20km from Bronkhorstspruit

“Ecologically this is valuable as elements of both biomes occur within the reserve, creating a rich biological diversity,” said Duncan MacFadyen, manager of research and conservation at E Oppenheimer and Son

School-leavers attending the institute are taught not only business skills but also life skills through what is known as consciousness- based education, which includes transcendental meditation, the creation of a “safe, happy, harmonious” school atmosphere and the elimination of stress in the educational process as key elements

MacFadyen said more than 100 students had already attended structured leadership camps at Ezemvelo, with which a partnership had developed since its opening in Johannesburg a year ago

Although the donation of the reserve means that the land has been transferred to the institute, the Ezemvelo reserve, which boasts more than 34 species of animals and 250 bird species, will continue to remain open for business as an ecotourism destination

Taddy Blecher of the Maharishi Institute said the university’s intention was to create a showcase of sustainability using a maximum of possible alternative energy sources to move Ezemvelo off the electricity grid and to implement fair trade practices along with community upliftment programmes, such as access to further education

There were plans to expand the reserve to include an eco-campus where young people from previously disadvantaged communities would be trained for careers in conservation, guiding, eco-tourism management, organic farming, as well as alternative energy

Besides the eco-campus, the institute planned to create a centre of excellence in natural law-based programmes at Ezemvelo that would include consciousness- based education, a permanent exhibition venue for the total knowledge of natural law, a health spa, training in transcendental meditation and an organic vegetable farm

Dr Richard Peycke, the Maharishi Institute’s national director, said the combination of the university’s educational methods to develop the full potential of each person, combined with the beauty of the reserve, promised to create great future leaders for South Africa

Strilli Oppenheimer said she was confident that the institute would be successful in training future conservationists and environmentalists as the founders of the organisation had been with the training of business managers

“Ezemvelo Nature Reserve will be used as a tool, a rural, outcomes-based university, to allow these young men and women to connect and build their relationship with the environment we all so desperately want to conserve for future generations,” she said.

What Inspires You?

2009-02-14T23:25:00.000+02:00

Huffington Post editorial,
by Russell Simmons Editor-in-Chief of Global Grind

Valentine's Day is here and we are thinking about love. Not the passionate, intense, anxiety-producing am-I-worthy/are-they-worthy kind of love. Not the dim the lights, cue the Al Green music, heart pounding, getting lucky kind of love that can leave you electrified or electrocuted by the object of your desire.

Today we are thinking about compassionate love. The kind that comes from empathy, affection, care, trust, and, above all, a shared respect for all people. This is the kind of love we are after, the kind you see when an elderly couple spend their time joyfully helping each other through aches and pains that escalate to terminal illness and end-of-life small gestures to insure that dignity and love are the last things they share. The kind of love that is everyday business as usual for teachers, physical therapists, nurses, well-diggers, and just about anyone of any profession who has the ability to be kind in handling their affairs no matter the chaos they may be living in.

We are thinking about the question "What inspires you?" and we are inspired by compassionate love. With great love all things are possible. This is true. In Mahatma Gandhi's words, "love is the strongest force the world possesses, and yet it is the humblest imaginable. "Mother Teresa spent her life working to give a voice to the poor and to promoting love as an essential ingredient to life. Her life devoted to the poor was among the richest in human history. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years imprisoned because of his actions to end the loveless and dehumanizing oppression of Apartheid. After surviving circumstances and abuses that would seem impossible to endure, this giant among leaders and humanitarians presided over the transition of South Africa to a post-Apartheid democracy with justice and compassion. In Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela wrote of love, "No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite." Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela both were awarded Nobel Peace Prizes, and Gandhi sadly was overlooked for that honor, but we can safely say we believe these three know their stuff and that love is central to human rights, civil disobedience, ending poverty, and achieving peace.

Continued here...

Agriculture and Climate Change

2009-02-09T20:34:00.000+02:00

Distinguished panel tells packed room of environmental journalists that the way we grow our food matters to a heating planet.

A top USDA climate-change scientist, a university professor specializing in agriculture in developing countries, and the farm director at the Rodale Institute agreed: How we reward farmers to produce our food across the planet will have great bearing on our ability to dial down the mercury and deal with other coming consequences of global warming.

These specialists comprised the “Climate Change and Agriculture” panel, moderated by National Geographic Executive Editor Dennis Dimick, as part of a recent Society of Environmental Journalists conference that brought together environmental writers, educators, policymakers, industry leaders and special-interest groups from around the nation and globe, included Nobel Prize winner and International Panel on Climate Change chairman, Rajendra Pachauri, who delivered the conference keynote address.

Organic solutions for a broken food system

“It’s become painfully clear over the past few weeks that our banking system is broken, and I think it will become equally clear that our food system is broken,” said Rodale Institute Farm Director Jeff Moyer, at the October 2008 event.

The Rodale Institute, he said, has been working to connect the dots between agriculture and climate change and to help farmers make the necessary changes to become more environmentally responsible while maintaining yields. Research at the Institute has, Moyer said, shown that organic yields hold up to conventional ones—and even surpass them in times of extreme weather conditions such as drought or excessive moisture.

But in an age of global warming, he said, yield is not the most significant issue. “How we produce food is the critical issue,” he said.

In the Rodale organic research trials, Moyer said, “We are able to sequester three times as much carbon,” compared to conventional no-till systems, when utilizing cover crops, crop rotations and the application of compost. “We are changing the soil’s ability to support life, to sequester carbon and, ultimately, to feed us.”

Farming organically with a focus on long-term biological interactions actually turns soil into a carbon sink, or reservoir, while conventional farming with chemicals has the opposite effect of releasing carbon into the atmosphere, Moyer told the packed room.

Full Story here...

Malawi strikes organic gold

2009-02-06T00:24:00.000+02:00

Poverty and penury often push people in Africa into innovation. So it was with Jailos Kanyanga. The story began when government agents arrived at Mr Kanyanga's compound in this central region of Malawi, and demanded that he immediately repay money he owed under a fertiliser credit scheme – with "no further excuses".

The sum involved was 3,750 kwacha (about £17) – an amount that it was unimaginable the poor subsistence farmer would have to hand. If he couldn't pay, the agents said, they would seize his 11 pigs – livestock Mr Kanyanga saw as ensuring the survival of his family of eight. He was lucky. The local pastor lent him the money. But it was then that Mr Kanyanga resolved he could not allow himself to fall into such peril again.

"I decided the only way out was to resort to the methods of growing crops using the composts that we were taught in the old days, when we didn't know fertilisers," he says. He gave up expensive chemicals and went back to the organic ways of his father and grandfather.

Organic farming 'could feed Africa'

2009-01-29T06:26:00.000+02:00

Traditional practices increase yield by 128 per cent in east Africa, says UN

Organic farming offers Africa the best chance of breaking the cycle of poverty and malnutrition it has been locked in for decades, according to a major study from the United Nations to be presented today.

New evidence suggests that organic practices – derided by some as a Western lifestyle fad – are delivering sharp increases in yields, improvements in the soil and a boost in the income of Africa's small farmers who remain among the poorest people on earth. The head of the UN's Environment Programme, Achim Steiner, said the report "indicates that the potential contribution of organic farming to feeding the world maybe far higher than many had supposed".

Full report...

Building with Earth

2009-01-26T01:41:00.001+02:00

There's an inspiring project to build a Youth Centre at nearby Dennilton using Earth Bag Construction. Pictured here is the recently completed Administrative Office (above) and Performance Space (left).

The great advantage is that this utilizes a resource that is already on the site, and can be done entirely by hand without requiring machinery. Among the many volunteers who have helped with construction were seventy five students from the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls who visited in October 2008.

In the USA, students from Maharishi University of Management and community members from Fairfield, Iowa are planning to build a home made of earth bags for a Native American family in Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota. The group's aim is to give the indigenous people of North America the best that the permaculture and sustainable living world has to offer. Learn more about this project at the group's website: Nature's Compassion.

Another approach is to use compressed earth blocks. These can be made by hand as has been done at Tlholego Ecovillage near Rustenberg. Here buildings are made with compressed earth blocks in a system called The Tlholego Building System. Says founder, Paul Cohen: "we have shown that it is possible to construct a 45sqm family home for around R18 000 plus sweat equity using the TBS (Tlholego Building System)". The project was supported with a grant from the Cottonwood Foundation.

Compressed Earth Blocks can also be made using a machine which greatly speeds up the construction. One machine is manufactured in Johannesburg by Hydraform.

These are some of the building technologies we are exploring for new building at Ezemvelo.

Some good links on Earth Bag Construction:
http://earthbagbuilding.com/videos.htm
http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/earthbag.htm#ricehulls
http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/articles/riceland.htm
http://naturalhomes.org/links-earthbag.htm
http://www.sgnb.com/intro.php
http://www.okokok.org/index.php
http://www.brokenearth.org/beehivehome/index.htm
http://earthbagbuilding.wordpress.com/

Community Supported Agriculture

2009-01-17T17:03:00.000+02:00

One of the most immediate ways entrepreneurs can generate income for schools in rural areas is by growing organic food for sale. To address the economic challenges of small family farms competing against "agri business" the concept of "community supported agriculture" (CSA) was born in the United States in 1985. Since then it has grown to a movement of over 1300 farms throughout North America and spreading to other countries as well. South Africa is ripe for this!

We're very happy to have a leader in this field, Steve Moore as a presenter for the upcoming Workshop on Food and Our Future to be held at Ezemvelo 16-20 September, 2009. Steve is the Small Farm Manager at North Carolina State University's Center For Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS). He has farmed organically since 1973 and has used Biointensive techniques in market scale production for the last 15 years. He was the past Director of the Center for Sustainable Living, Wilson College, where he founded the Robyn Van En Center for CSA resources and co-founder (with his wife Carol) of Harmony Essentials. He is an associate editor of the peer-reviewed journal Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, a board member of Ecology Action and past member of the board of Directors of PASA (Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture).

Some online resource lists for CSA's:
USDA Resource list for CSA's
www.LocalHarvest.org
UK Soil Association's Links to overseas CSA's

Some CSA's at University Organic Farms:
Cal Poly Organic Farm
Clemson University CSA
Michigan State University Student Organic Farm
Maharishi University of Management /Abundance EcoVillage CSA
Rutgers University Student Organic Farm
Washington State University CSA

In 2008 North Carolina State University's CEFS unit started a very innovative extension of the CSA concept by coordinating production from seven farms into one CSA with a central pickup:
Research Triangle Park CSA, Raleigh, NC

The CEFS webpage also has many resources for CSA's and small farms, including a CSA Calculator to determine planting schedules. To download the Excel file click here

Education That Pays For Itself

2009-01-16T19:50:00.000+02:00

Watch an inspiring 13 minute video of the recent Teach a Man Fish conference held at the Eden Campus, near Kynsna.

From the Teach a Man to Fish website:

The 'Education that Pays for Itself' model
Creating jobs requires creating entrepreneurs. We believe that the most successful institutions at producing graduates equipped for running their own businesses are those that themselves take an entrepreneurial approach to managing their programmes.

By incorporating production into the educational process not only can students gain a first-hand knowledge of the subjects they study, but useful income can be generated to finance academic overheads.

A realistic long-term goal
Could a school eventually be 100% financially self-sufficient? Yes!

Our first school, the San Francisco Agricultural High School in Paraguay is now covering all of its operational costs in this way - including depreciation! - while meeting internationally recognised standards for excellence in education.

This school uses the GROW BIOINTENSIVE system of 100% organic agriculture.

Ezemvelo Nature Reserve Maps & Newsletters

2009-01-16T15:46:00.005+02:00

The Google Earth Image above shows the Reception Area (left), Chalets (top left) and Camping Area (to the right) also shown on the map (left). Click on images to enlarge.

New map at:
http://ezemvelo.blogspot.com/2009/04/new-map-of-ezemvelo.html

Past newsletters and articles on Ezemvelo including photos and accounts of activities and research at the Nature Reserve:

February 2009

May 2008
December 2007
July 2005
Penduka Hiking Trail

Africa Agriculture News

2009-01-15T20:26:00.000+02:00

"Organic agriculture has actually increased yields by 120% in some areas of Africa"
- UN Food Production Report, October 2008

How youth in Kenya's largest slum created an organic farm
An interview with an organic pioneer, Su Kahumbu

Kibera is one of the world's largest slums, containing over a million people and one third of Nairobi's population. With extremely crowded conditions, little sanitation, and an unemployment rate at 50 percent, residents of Kibera face not only abject poverty but also a large number of social ills, including drugs, alcoholism, rape, AIDS, water-borne diseases, and tensions between various Kenyan tribes.

However, the majority of Kibera's residents are just trying to live as well as possible under daunting circumstances. Proving that optimism and entrepreneurship are very much alive there, in July of this year the slum's only organic farm began selling its first harvest of ripe green spinach and kale, while sunflowers unfurl upward from soil that had once been a garbage dump. The idea of the farm came from boys and girls in Kibera's Youth Reform Program. They had the vision and the ambition, but in order to make their dream a reality they needed help.

Su Kahumbu in front (Paula Kahumbu)

Su Kahumbu, a tireless advocate of organic farming in Kenya, was quickly enlisted. Her participation came with one request: it must be an organic farm.

Read more...

Mozambique in food crisis warning

Thousands have been made homeless by recent flooding

The UN has warned it is running out of funds to help the 350,000 people in Mozambique in need of food aid.

Source, BBC News Wednesday, 14 January 2009:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7827935.stm

Welcome to Ezemvelo Eco-Campus Blog

2009-01-15T19:22:00.001+02:00

This blog is a forum to develop ideas for expanding the educational programmes at Ezemvelo Nature Reserve, in Gauteng, South Africa. The property has recently been gifted by the Oppenheimer family to the Maharishi Institute in Johannesburg.

Please see:

Oppenheimers donate nature reserve to free university
Maharishi Institute
Ezemvelo Nature Reserve Website

It consists of 4,500 hectares of game reserve, with accommodation for visitors up to about 300 including campsites. It is used frequently by schools and other groups as well as tourists. Last year horseback riding was added to the amenities offered there. This blog is primarily for those working with the Maharishi Institute to develop ideas for expanding the educational programmes at Ezemvelo. And also to share current news related to Eco Tourism, Eco Construction and Sustainable Agriculture that will be helpful for designing our educational programmes. At present our blog is unmoderated, and we welcome comments and contributions from anyone interested.

Food and our Future: 5 Day Workshop

2009-01-15T18:36:00.006+02:00

South Africa's first GROW BIOINTENSIVE Teaching Centre was started at CIDA City Campus in 2007 by Sandile Nkosi and Simphiwe Tinini and was featured on 2008 cover of Ecology Action's Seed Catalogue (pictured left) which is mailed to subscribers in over 120 countries.

Click on images to enlarge.

We are very excited to be able to offer a 5 day workshop at Ezemvelo in September on GROW BIOINTENSIVE agriculture by John Jeavons.

For over 30 years Jeavons has been a trail blazer in the field of sustainable agriculture, developing a mini farming system known as GROW BIOINTENSIVE.

This method has been extraordinarily successful in over 141 countries worldwide.

"There are probably a billion people in the world who are malnourished. The Jeavons approach could enable that segment of the population to feed itself adequately for the first time ever. That would be a remarkable development in this world, and would do more to solve the problems of poverty, misery and hunger than anything else we've done."
-Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Bob Bergland

In Africa Kenya is a leader in this field. 2008 was a record year with over 20,000 Kenyan farmers attending 5 day workshops taught by graduates with 2 years training from Manor House Agricultural Centre. See: 2008 Biointensive Report in Kenya

A leading teacher and proponent in Kenya is Joshua Machinga. He has taught over 37,000 farmers in this method at the Common Ground project. Their website provides a great online resource for farmers at:
Village Volunteers: Sustainable Village Library

Ezemvelo is offering special 5 day accommodation packages including all meals and course tuition as follows:
R/person
Rhino House (2 persons/ room) 3250
Legae-Chalets (3 persons / chalet) 3175
Family Huts (3 persons/room) 3025

Group rates:
Hikers Huts (16 per dorm room) 2850
Eland Lapa (8 per dorm room) 2850
Caravan & Camping (max 6 per stand) 2700

Workshop and meals only 2300

Accommodation is limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis with full payment.

For bookings and further information e-mail: horsfield@lisco.com or ezemvelo@telkomsa.net

TEL: 013 680 1399 / 083 440 5886 /
083 655 3638 / 083 287 6832

See our more recent post here:
http://ezemvelo.blogspot.com/2009/05/food-and-our-future-hope-and-solutions.html