Erosion threatens agriculture and even the towns downriver
In the Eastern Cape of South Africa, Living Lands initiated a dialogue within PRESENCE (Participatory Restoration of Ecosystem SErvices & Natural Capital, Eastern Cape) to create dialogue and get projects started. To date 1 000 ha of land has been reforested, 5 river and alluvial fan sites have been restored and the land is becoming more productive.
Living Lands show how creating a holistic and collective understanding of the area as a living landscape opens up to a sustainable future.
Seanet works through schools to create food security for the pupils and their communities
Kenyan applicant SEANET is working with education, to bring school gardens that feed students and act as demonstration plots for the whole community and to stimulate entrepreneurship. And SEANET are using the power of the Internet in their E-Learning approach. To date, via the 11 schools participating, thousands of pupils, parents and local people have been involved.
Seanet shows how schools can play a key role in supporting the community to transition to a sustainable, food secure future
ZIMBAWE: NORTHWEST CORNER
The more deserts spread, the less inhabitable our planet becomes. Characteristics include erosion of soil, the inability to retain water in the soil and when rain does come it washes even more soil away. Often times over-grazing has been the explanation. But what if hoofed animals can be part of the solution instead?
The African Center for Holistic Management uses cattle in a way that mimics the behaviour of grazing animals that created the savannas in the first place.
Cattle can be good for the soil if managed holistically
By keeping the herds together in a small space for a short time the hooves break up the hard ground so air and water can penetrate the soil. They trample down old grass, fertilise the area with their dung and urine and their grazing keeps perennial grasses healthy.
Sometimes yields have increased four-fold
The African Center for Holistic Management shows us how livestock might reverse land degradation and improve lives in Africa on the massive scale needed
Tamil Nadu and Odisha INDIA: Climate change, poor soil, high immigration, were all contributing to low productivity and poverty.
The M.S Swanminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) brought people together in various water user groups/associations, paddy and pulse farmers groups, women’s self-help groups, and well water user groups. The Foundation taught holistic farming, community based equity approaches and helped with enterprise development. This involved 5000 indirectly in the project sites and has brought increased land productivity, through improved water harvesting structures and an increase in local enterprise. The Foundation demonstrates how effective science-based inititiaves can be when combined with a people-centred and process-oriented approach.
MSSRF shows us science-based initiatives combined with a people-centred and process-oriented approach can restore productivity and enterprise
USA, Milwauke:
65% children in live poverty, 82% of school children are on a lunch subsidy. Many are overweight. One of the problems of urban areas is food deserts: where nutritious food is not available or accessible from local shops leaving fast food stores as the only option.
GROWING POWER is an initiative that transforms useless properties to highly productive community food centers. Their approach ingeniously integrates multi-level greenhouses, vermiculture, composting, aquaponics, bee-keeping and smaller livestock. And they incorporate waste recycling, solar energy and heat recycling.
Multi-level greenhouses use waste from fish to fertilize plants and plants to clean the water.
Now, growing power feeds a multitude of people including schools and formerly insecure neighborhoods with organic produce. Not only that, Growing Power offers a wide array of education and demonstration opportunities, including to the youth.
Growing power shows us how urban food insecurity can be reversed when community organises and combines available solutions like aquaponics for protein.
