Hands-on Learning Brief January 2024 by DG Murray Trust

HANDS-ON Experience Learning

Issue 26: January 2024 The legacy of Douglas and Eleanor Murray

Invest in South Africa’s Potential

DGMT is a South African public innovator through strategic investment. Our goal for South Africa is a flourishing people, economy and society. Towards this end DGMT currently distributes about R200 million per year and leverages and manages a similar amount of funding through joint ventures with other investors. Through the newly rebranded edition of our Hands-on Learning publication, we hope to play a helpful role in synthesising information from innovators and implementers in civil society, supporting them to share what they have learnt so that others are able to draw from and build on their experiences.

Have you read our 2023-2027 strategy titled Escaping the Inequality Trap? To build a thriving society, more people must have the knowledge, skills and opportunity to participate fully in society and the economy, for the good of one another, and in synergy with the environment. To escape the inequality trap in South Africa we set three goals and then identified practical opportunities to realise each goal. This framework guides everything we do. We have identified ten opportunities that constitute some of the most profound twists to enable South Africa to escape the inequality trap. This is because we can’t keep tracing the same old pathways to development in South Africa. We need bold and decisive twists that get us out of the rut, give fresh perspective and create new opportunities.

OUR 2023-2027 STRATEGY available at:

dgmt.co.za/our-approach

National development

Twisting the nation's trajectory

Time

IN THIS ISSUE WE FEATURE LEARNING BRIEF 1

Why we need to support young people in agriculture If one considers that food should not only meet a person’s caloric requirements, but also support their nutritional status, there is an obvious link between agriculture and nutrition. Considering the role of agriculture in our food system, this learning brief explores the ways in which young people can participate in the sector and how this could influence environmentally friendly farming practices, as well as access to nutrition for poorer families and access to new consumer markets.

LEARNING BRIEF 2

Putting enough food on the table: Sustainable steps to address South Africa’s hunger crisis South Africa is experiencing a severe food crisis, both in terms of affordability and availability. Loadshedding (planned electricity cuts due to power supply constraints) and disruptions to supply chain systems affect food imports and exports, and therefore, the availability of food and how much it ultimately costs. Supply chain disruptions can result from war, geo-political conflicts, political interventions and pandemics. For instance, Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine in 2022 triggered a global food shortage because it threatened grain exports to the rest of the world. When food prices soar because of supply shortages or inflation, the world’s poor suffer the most. In South Africa, one third of the country’s children are excluded from adequate nutrition.

LEARNING BRIEF 3

Rethinking rubbish: Initiatives for waste management and reduction in South Africa South Africa’s waste problem is a threat to environmental, human and social well-being. Overflowing landfills are polluting our air and water, damaging our ecosystems, and making us sick. The legacy of apartheid means that people living in informal settlements, usually on the outskirts of cities, have both the highest exposure to dumpsites, and the poorest access to waste removal services. However, if we reframe the way we look at waste, it can become a source of value that we can reinvest in our shared thriving.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! We develop the Hands-On Experience Learning to synthesise information from innovators and implementers in civil society, supporting them to share what they have learnt so that others are able to draw from and build on their experiences. But, it only benefits civil society if it gets in the hands or on the screens of those who can benefit, so we want to find out from you how you interact with and use Hands-On Experience Learning. Please complete our short questionnaire and help us understand how you use our publication: https://bit.ly/HandsOnLearningSurvey

HANDS-ON Experience Learning January 2024 | Issue 26

OPPORTUNITY

Build productive synergies between communities and the environment

OPPORTUNITY

Create new connections to opportunity for young people.

WHY WE NEED TO SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE Agriculture is an economic growth sector in South Africa, a country with high rates of youth unemployment. The sector constitutes more than just farming and farm work. It’s an integral part of our country’s food system, which is an “interconnected system of everything and everybody that influences, and is influenced by, the activities involved in bringing food from farm to fork and beyond”.1

If one considers that food should not only meet a person’s caloric requirements, but also support their nutritional status, there is an obvious link between agriculture and nutrition. Considering the role of agriculture in our food system, this learning brief explores the ways in which young people can participate in the sector and how this could influence environmentally friendly farming practices, as well as access to nutrition for poorer families and access to new consumer markets.

WHY WE NEED TO SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE

Parsons, K., Hawkes, C., & Wells, R. 2019. Brief 2: Understanding the food system: Why it matters for food policy. (Rethinking Food Policy). Centre for Food Policy, City University, London.

Issue 26 /// January 2024

AGRICULTURE: WHAT THE STATISTICS TELL US The average age of a South African farmer is 62, even though a more than a third of our country’s population is made up of young people. On the one hand, the 'youth bulge' presents a demographic dividend, an opportunity to expand the economy; however, severe poverty, inequality, and unemployment erode those prospects. Agriculture is the backbone of many developing countries in Africa, where 65% of the population consists of subsistence farmers who rely on indigenous farming knowledge to feed their families.2 Furthermore, agriculture is typically the primary or sole source of income for smallholder farmers who continue to live in poverty while operating farms that are less productive than they could be, and miss out on key opportunities to contribute to broader food systems.3

Figure 1: Number of people employed in the agriculture industry in South Africa in Q2 2023, by province4

Western Cape

200

Limpopo

149

KwaZulu-Natal

148

Eastern Cape

121

Mpumalanga

101

Free State

North West

Northern Cape

Gauteng

28 0

100

125

150

175

200

225

People employed in thousands

Isadora Savage 2023. 10 facts about farming in Africa. https://borgenproject. org/tag/subsistence-farming/#:~:text=Roughly%2065%20percent%20of%20 Africa's,family%20until%20the%20following%20harvest

Dayo Aduroja 2021. What is the Role of Youth in Agriculture? https://www.heifer.org/ blog/what-is-the-role-of-youth-in-agriculture.html

Statista 2023. Number of people employed in the agriculture industry in South Africa in Q2 2023, by region. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1129828/number-of-peopleemployed-in-agriculture-in-south-africa-by-region/

GOAL 1 /// An innovative and inclusive society.

OPPORTUNITY 3 /// Build productive synergies between communities and the environment.

YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE SECTOR

Agriculture is the fastest-growing industry in South Africa, expanding at a rate seven times greater than the lacklustre growth of the overall GDP in 2023.5 Figure 1 (on the previous page) shows the number of people employed in the agriculture sector, with the Western Cape employing the most people at 200 000. The province successfully achieved a year-on-year increase of 13 000 people being employed.6 Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal also had a significant number of employees in the sector, with 149 000 and 148 000 people employed, respectively.7

It is reasonable to expect that young people in developing countries live in areas with the greatest agricultural potential, and as a result, they play a significant part in the agricultural sector.9 However, data collected in most African countries do not adequately reflect young people's present participation in these agricultural activities. However, this should not detract from the crucial role that young people play in agriculture, as well as the required support that ought to be in place for them to be successful in this profession.

Apart from being employed in the sector, 16.3% of households in South Africa were also involved in agricultural activities in 2022 as demonstrated in Figure 2 (below). Large proportions of households involved in agricultural production are recorded in rural areas in provinces such as Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In contrast, Gauteng and Western Cape recorded the lowest proportions as they are relatively more urbanised provinces and are less likely to be involved in agricultural activities.

Figure 2: Share of households involved in agricultural activities in South Africa in 2022, by province 8 40%

Share of households

35.2%

33.4% 30.3%

30%

19.1%

20%

16.7%

16.3% 14%

12.6%

10% 5.9%

3.3%

po M

ga Ea

pe ul aZ Kw

N u-

al ee Fr

e r No

pe No

rth

es W

t G

t au

g es W

pe So

ri Af

Geographical region

Rebecca Campbell. 2023. Agriculture was the fastest growing sector of the SA economy in the second quarter. https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/agriculture-wasthe-fastest-growing-sector-of-the-sa-economy-in-the-second-quarter-2023-0911#:~:text=While%20total%20GDP%20grew%20by,of%20the%20South%20African%20 economy

Statista. 2023. Share of households involved in agricultural activities in South Africa in 2022, by province. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1116075/share-of-agriculturalhouseholds-in-south-africa-by-province/#:~:text=As%20of%202022%2C%2016.3%20 percent,households%20involved%20in%20agricultural%20production

WHY WE NEED TO SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE

Dayo Aduroja. 2021. What is the Role of Youth in Agriculture? https://www.heifer.org/ blog/what-is-the-role-of-youth-in-agriculture.html

Issue 26 /// January 2024

YOUNG PEOPLE MUST BE SUPPORTED IN PURSUING A CAREER IN AGRICULTURE FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS: To prevent food insecurity:

Since farmers are often older than 60, agriculture is viewed as an ageing sector. Thus, it is important to help young people become active participants in agriculture, as increasing the labour force is necessary to prevent food insecurity.

Youth employment is good for the economy and society:

Young people are able to participate in economically productive activities, which is good for their well-being, families and communities. Increasing access to quality education also enables young people to apply themselves in developing new and sustainable agricultural methods.

Agriculture is a dependable industry with growth potential:

As the demand for food increases so should the supply of a semi-skilled and skilled workforce in agriculture. This industry will always be active since people require food and nourishment to survive. As a result, it's a dependable industry that needs youth involvement to flourish.

Agriculture is more than just farm work:

Young people stigmatise agriculture as they often perceive a career in this sector as labour-intensive with minimal financial reward. In addition to these perceptions, their family, friends and community might criticise them for choosing this as a career path. Nevertheless, young people still view work related to food production and food systems as meaningful. It is crucial for them to have the required guidance, skills and mindsets to turn their aspirations into positive lived experiences as well as income generation.

Agriculture offers a variety of career choices:

Agriculture is an evolving and diverse field with a range of career pathways. A career in agriculture might involve working in laboratories, offices and a variety of other places; it's not limited to farm management and working within the vicinity of farms.

GOAL 3 /// All young people on pathways to productivity

OPPORTUNITY 9 /// Create new connections to opportunity for young people.

CURRENT POLICIES AND STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE Policies and strategies have been established, both continentally and nationally, to boost economic growth by integrating young people in the agriculture sector and fostering a sense of agency and self-sufficiency. At the continental level, institutions such as the African Union have developed several youth development policies and programmes, such as the Youth Decade Plan of Action and the TVET Continental Strategy.10 Such an expansive strategy allows exploration of new opportunities for young people related to globalisation and new production systems. It also necessitates the establishment of support mechanisms that will provide young people with the best chance of success. At a country level, South Africa’s Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) envisions an integrated and coordinated post-school education and training (PSET) system for improved economic participation.11 The White Paper for post-school education and training (WPPSET) states that this system is a crucial institutional mechanism that has to adapt to the needs of young people and society. As education, skills and health form part of the country’s priority in achieving the National Development Plan (NDP), DHET will partner with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development to enrol students for a Diploma in Agriculture at agricultural colleges.12 In addition, the Agriculture Sector Education and Training Authority (AgriSETA) is mandated to provide relevant, quality and accessible education, training and development in both the primary and secondary agricultural sectors.13 The majority of the 50 TVET colleges located around the country provide courses in farming management and agriculture. However, it’s difficult to determine how many young people complete these courses because information on completion rates and links to income-generating opportunities is not readily available.

PATHWAYS TO A CAREER IN THE FOOD SYSTEM Training for a career in agriculture is offered in different formats. In the Higher Education and Training sector, a person can study for a degree or diploma in agriculture (including many specialisations like farm management). These programmes are offered by universities and TVET colleges across the country and typically take three years to complete if studying full time. There are also registered occupational training programmes (learnerships) and short courses offered by accredited institutions. The duration of these courses varies greatly. Many non-profit organisations (NPOs) offer training programmes to people in the communities where they are active. Not all those programmes are registered and accredited by bodies such as the AgriSETA and South African Qualifications Authority. Part of DGMT’s efforts to make the food system attractive to young people is to diversify what is meant by work in this sector. While production is a key part of the food system, we need to look beyond the farm to make it attractive to young people. We should also consider the skills that are needed to support farming activities, such as the maintenance of tools and machinery, and installing and managing irrigation systems.

10 African Union. Continental strategy for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to foster youth employment

11 Department of Higher Education and Training. 2020. Strategic plan 2020-2025 12 Ibid. 13 Ibid.

WHY WE NEED TO SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE

Issue 26 /// January 2024

CASE STUDY: SIYAVUNA Siyavuna Abalimi Development Centre is a non-profit organisation based on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal. The organisation envisages a future in which young people are part of food system transformation: they recognise that farming is a viable career path, and that they as young people play a crucial role in the sector. For young people in rural settings, agriculture may be the only economic sector that can lead to employment or income generation. In 2022, the Social Employment Fund (SEF) awarded funding to Siyavuna to introduce agriculture as a means of employment and entrepreneurship to 1 000 rural young people in KwaZulu-Natal. Subsequently, through funding from DGMT, Siyavuna is working to transform this initial investment into a long-term opportunity for at least 500 young people from that same cohort to maintain their momentum for an additional two years. Importantly, Siyavuna recognises that the income that young people derive from this programme can be sufficient to meet their basic needs. Small-scale agriculture is not always commercially successful at a scale that creates greater income. Siyavuna has a guaranteed agreement with all farmers in its network, which allows market access to producers. This is often a major stumbling block for small-scale producers. This programme is compelling because it highlights the intersection of nutrition, food security and youth development. Siyavuna has identified five principles that guide its agricultural programme: 1. Sound environmental and agricultural management principles 2. Agroecological knowledge 3. Nutritional diversity and food security 4. Entrepreneurship skills and development for sustainable livelihoods 5. Strengthening of agricultural value chains

GOAL 1 /// An innovative and inclusive society.

The initial investment from the SEF entailed participants completing training for three days in chemical-free food production, with two days dedicated to theory and the third to practical application. The training components focused on how to start an agroecological food garden from scratch as well as theory on composting, raised beds, inter-cropping, seed saving, seedling growing, production maintenance, chemical free agri-inputs and pest control. After completing the three-day training, participants started their own gardens and were assessed on their production skills. The training provided was accredited by AgriSETA. The Siyavuna experts, who are local farmers, conducted weekly visits with each participant to monitor progress and to provide additional support, thereby extending the training beyond the initial three days. The ongoing support was also an opportunity for intergenerational engagement and skills transfer, as the local farmers are mostly older members of their communities. This element of the project builds social capital and strengthens the community fabric. Prior to this project, the Siyavuna team had expertise in developing home gardens, small-scale farming operations and community enterprises. However, the majority of the people they were working with were older than the youth age group. The shift to explicitly target young people meant they needed to tailor their approach. The team suggested that the most important input is in-field mentoring, which is “critical to enable the participants to successfully scale production”. They recruited farmers in their network as mentors, supervisors and technical advisors. In addition to face-to-face support, they also used digital platforms where possible. However, high data costs were a barrier, and digital platforms required a decent level of tech savviness from all parties. Within the current cohort of young people, the team finds that affirmation and public acknowledgement of success are big drivers for ongoing commitment. The most promising gardens are celebrated on social media and there is serious competition among participants to get one of these coveted posts on Facebook.

OPPORTUNITY 3 /// Build productive synergies between communities and the environment.

There is no single definition of agroecology; rather it is understood as a broad set of principles. There are three interlinking areas of agroecology: firstly, environmental sustainability and the incorporation of ecological processes as a core component of farming; secondly, social redress, which includes access to land and local ownership of processes; and thirdly, economic fairness in terms of participation, labour and diversification. Agroecology transforms and empowers people in the food system.14

LESSONS FROM OUR PARTNERS The definition of what work in the food system looks like (i.e. beyond agriculture) must be widened to consider nutrition outcomes and value chain development. Young people must be integrated into the agricultural workforce by focusing on the identification of reasons behind their (un)willingness to work in agriculture.15 Agriculture is vague, daunting and unappealing to young people because it is not commonly taught in school. Therefore, young people are unaware of the prospects that the industry can offer.

WHAT'S NEXT? DGMT is currently building a portfolio of projects that are trying to explicitly link young people to the food system. These projects include subsistence farming programmes, nutrition promotion efforts, building value chains and growing small agroecological businesses. Together with our partners, we are intentional about learning about the common principles that are required to attract, retain and develop young people in these sectors. Over the next two years, DGMT will continue to surface learnings, identify promising practices and celebrate the success of our civil society partners.

There is a lack of data on young people already in the sector related to education, employment, and entrepreneurial successes and challenges. There is a need to publicise success stories in agriculture among young people. Farming and agriculture must be presented in a practical way so that students can learn by doing and seeing, not simply from an academic standpoint. We must be honest with young people about expectations and the commitment required to make a success in agriculture. This isn’t a sector characterised by quick wins.

14 HLPE. 2019. Agroecological and other innovative approaches for sustainable agriculture

and food systems that enhance food security and nutrition. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security, Rome. http://www.fao.org/3/ca5602en/ca5602en.pdf

This brief was written by Anna-Marie Müller and Agisanang Magooa, and edited by Rahima Essop and Cornè Kritzinger. The brief is based on contributions from Siyavuna Abalimi Development Centre.

15 Laura Girdziute, Erika Besuspariene, Ausra Nausediene, Anastasija Novikova, Jarkko Leppala and Martina Jakob. 2022. Youth’s (Un)willingness to work in agriculture sector

Th i s i s t h e l e a r n i n g ex p e r i e n c e of :

WHY WE NEED TO SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE

Issue 26 /// January 2024

GOAL 3 /// All young people on pathways to productivity

OPPORTUNITY 9 /// Create new connections to opportunity for young people.

HANDS-ON Experience Learning January 2024 | Issue 26

OPPORTUNITY

PUTTING ENOUGH FOOD ON THE TABLE: SUSTAINABLE STEPS TO ADDRESS SOUTH AFRICA’S HUNGER CRISIS

Build productive synergies between communities and the environment

OPPORTUNITY

Stop nutritional stunting of young children.

South Africa is experiencing a severe food crisis, both in terms of affordability and availability. Loadshedding (planned electricity cuts due to power supply constraints) and disruptions to supply chain systems affect food imports and exports, and therefore, the availability of food and how much it ultimately costs. Supply chain disruptions can result from war, geo-political conflicts, political interventions and pandemics. For instance, Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine in 2022 triggered a global food shortage because it threatened grain exports to the rest of the world. When food prices soar because of supply shortages or inflation, the world’s poor suffer the most. In South Africa, one third of the country’s children are excluded from adequate nutrition.1 We need to change the fact that nutritious food is too expensive and out of reach for poor households because inadequate nutrition can lead to stunting, which is a proxy measure for brain development in children, and this prevents them from reaching their full potential. This learning brief looks at an initiative focused on making nutritious food more affordable for poorer families led by DGMT and Grow Great, as well as projects by the Southern Africa Food Lab (SAFL) and the South African Urban Food & Farming Trust (SAUFFT), which empower poorer communities to grow nutritious food. 1

Hall K. 2022. Income poverty, unemployment and social grants, in The South African Child Gauge 2021/22. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/sjzpmvfn

PUTTING ENOUGH FOOD ON THE TABLE: SUSTAINABLE STEPS TO ADDRESS SOUTH AFRICA’S HUNGER CRISIS

Issue 26 /// January 2024

South Africa's food prices were up 14.4% year-on-year in March 2023, the highest rate of food inflation since March 2009; food inflation has since eased to 12%, but the figure nevertheless implies substantial erosion of families’ ability to buy nutritious foods.2 Even though South Africa is technically food secure at national level,3 the country is still food insecure at household level as not all families can afford to consistently put food on the table. The graph below shows the percentage of households that faced hunger in 2021.

Graph 1: Percentage of households experiencing food adequacy or inadequacy by province, 2021 100% 90% 80% percentage

70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

KZN

RSA

Food access severely inadequate

6,9

6,7

10,5

12,2

6,7

8,3

3,5

14,6

1,7

6,4

Food access inadequate

12,6

17,0

25,3

12,2

14,2

22,6

14,9

18,0

4,0

14,6

Food access adequate

80,5

76,3

64,2

75,6

79,1

69,1

81,6

67,4

94,3

79,1

Source: Statistics South Africa (2022). General Household Survey 2021. Statistical Release P0318. Available at: https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0318/P03182021.pdf

Food Basket Costs over R5 000

In November 2023, the average cost of a household food basket was R5 314,63 which reflected an increase of R17,05 (0,3%) from R5 297,58 in October 2023. The average cost of the Household Food Basket increased by R478,67 (9,9%), from R4 835,96 in November 2022.4

Lings K. 2023. Food price inflation is easing in the rest of the world – but not in SA, in Standpoint, published by Stanlib. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/22dkx4ca

Stats SA. May 2019. The extent of food security in South Africa. Available at: https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=12135

GOAL 1 /// An innovative and inclusive society.

November 2023 Household Affordability Index compiled by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity (PMBEJD) group. Available here: http://tinyurl.com/vmmnxdbu

OPPORTUNITY 3 /// Build productive synergies between communities and the environment.

HOW OUR CHILDREN ARE AFFECTED According to Statistics SA, more than half a million (683 221) households with children aged five years or younger reported experiencing hunger in 2021.5 Children who do not have adequate nutritious food cannot develop as they should and are at higher risk of acute malnutrition. This can lead to stunting, which affects both physical and cognitive development in malnourished children. Nutritional stunting is a (largely preventable) condition where young children are too short for their age and do not reach their full growth potential because their brains and bodies are not getting the nutrients and energy needed for proper growth and development. Stunting places a child at a disadvantage from an early age, which continues well into adulthood. It is associated with lifelong cognitive defects, educational and employment challenges, an increased risk of chronic diseases in adulthood and cycles of inter-generational poverty. Stunting is the main reason why South Africa ranks 88th out of 130 countries on the World Bank Human Capital Index, which measures the amount of human capital that a child born today can expect to attain by age 18.6 According to the World Bank, high stunting rates are one of the main reasons for South Africa’s dismal economic growth because the country does not have a sufficient human capital pipeline to drive productivity.

"If we ensured that all children had enough food, our long-term economic prospects would be radically different." David Harrison, DGMT Chief Executive Officer

Statistics SA. 2023. Focus on food inadequacy and hunger in South Africa in 2021. Available at: https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=16235

Kraay, A. 2018. Methodology for a World Bank Human Capital Index. Policy Research Working Paper 8593. Available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_ id=3255311

Parliamentary Monitoring Group. 2022. Differences between the Child Support Grant Top-Up and Foster Care Grant, DSD briefing with Minister. Available at: https://pmg.org. za/committee-meeting/35369/

8 9

SASSA. 2023. SASSA Child Support Grant. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/58bbfd6c Statistics SA. 2023. National Poverty Lines. Accessed here: https://www.statssa.gov. za/publications/P03101/P031012023.pdf

Over 13 million children in South Africa receive the Child Support Grant (CSG).7 The grant provides essential social protection, but the amount per child is not enough.

There is a 33% shortfall between the cost of the food children need to grow well and what their parents can afford to buy with the monthly grant. As of October 2023, the value of the basic CSG is R510 per child per month8, well below the food poverty line of R663, which was adjusted for inflation in 2023 to R760.9 But there are also many children in need who do not receive it. The uptake of the CSG has plateaued and even declined slightly over the past five years. Disconcertingly, the caregivers of almost half (48.3%) of children under the age of one say that they do not receive it. Add to this the fact that around 400 000 children are not eligible for grants among the estimated 2.4 million immigrants in South Africa10, and it becomes evident that roughly one in six children in need of support receives no form of social grant. Evidence shows that this group – eligible non-recipients of the CSG and children of foreign nationals – is even more likely to suffer from hunger11 and die from acute malnutrition.12

10 Statistics SA. 2023. Census 2022. Statistical Release No. PO301.4. https://census.

statssa.gov.za/assets/documents/2022/P03014_Census_2022_Statistical_Release. pdf

Hall, K., Proudlock, P. and Budlender, D. 2023. Reducing Child Poverty: A review of child poverty and the value of the Child Support Grant. Department of Social Development, Republic of South Africa. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374618161_ Reducing_Child_Poverty_A_review_of_child_poverty_and_the_value_of_the_ Child_Support_Grant

12 Thomas, A., Engelbrecht, A. and Slogrove, A. 2022. Severe acute malnutrition

outcomes for children of South African compared to foreign-born parents admitted to a rural regional hospital in South Africa: a retrospective cohort study. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36350713/

PUTTING ENOUGH FOOD ON THE TABLE: SUSTAINABLE STEPS TO ADDRESS SOUTH AFRICA’S HUNGER CRISIS

Issue 26 /// January 2024

What is the food poverty line?

The food poverty line represents the minimum amount of money needed to meet the basic energy intake of a person (2 100 kCals per day). While very young children have lower energy needs (1-6 year olds need about 1 800 kCals), this threshold does not consider the higher cost of proteins, which are especially required for child growth (about 0,9 g/kg/day). It also does not include other essential costs such as transport or cooking fuel. For these reasons, the food poverty level is a reasonable measure of the absolute minimum requirement for child nutrition.

CLOSING THE FOOD GAP In the second half of 2023, the DG Murray Trust (DGMT) and Grow Great, a national zero-stunting organisation, launched a national advocacy campaign involving over 300 billboards to call for immediate action to reduce the cost of basic nutritious food. The goal of the billboards is to get people to support a bold new idea that DGMT and Grow Great championed early in 2023. The idea calls for food producers, retailers and the government to work together to cut the price of 10 healthy foods by at least 30%. These items include: eggs, dried beans and lentils, tinned fish, fortified maize meal, peanut butter, rice, amasi, soya mince, 4-in-1 soup mix, and powdered full cream milk, which are staple foods in most South African households. These “10 best buys” are largely protein-rich dry products. The bulk of these products are bought by low-income households, with the notable exception of eggs, which are bought across income groups. Eggs are viewed as a superfood for young children, so critical for brain development that they cannot be left out of a list of best-buy foods. The proposal involves retailers and food manufacturers agreeing to waive the mark-ups of at least one product label of each of the “10 best buys”. Government would then show its support by agreeing to provide a rebate to retailers and manufacturers. This would provide a double discount, augmenting the child support grant to close the food gap for those who get it and providing some buying power for those who don’t. Over the medium term, the nutritious food supply chain must be improved, and ways to increase the accessibility of nutritious foods in the “food deserts” of informal settlements must be identified. GOAL 2 /// All children on track by Grade 4

OPPORTUNITY 5 /// Stop nutritional stunting of young children.

Grow Great’s 10 double-discounted best-buy food items Note: a balanced diet would require fresh fruit and vegetables too.

PUTTING ENOUGH FOOD ON THE TABLE: SUSTAINABLE STEPS TO ADDRESS SOUTH AFRICA’S HUNGER CRISIS

Issue 26 /// January 2024

LESSONS FROM THE FOOD GAP CAMPAIGN The billboard campaign and resultant media exposure, combined with DGMT’s behind-the-scenes policy discussions with government officials, resulted in a flurry of activity in the early days of the campaign. The National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) initiated a committee to review the viability of implementing the double-discounted “10 best buys” proposal. The proposal has also been included in the government’s draft Accelerated Poverty Alleviation Plan 2024-2030, and some political parties have since voiced support for public interventions that would mitigate the impact of soaring food prices in the run up to the 2024 general elections. To build on the campaign’s early wins, DGMT and Grow Great are continuing to drive public awareness about, and demand for, the "10 best buys". Beyond the billboards, Grow Great is focused on getting nutritional information into the hands of caregivers at community clinics through printed leaflets. The organisation is also working on getting the "10 best buys" endorsed by credible experts and the Department of Health.

MAKING FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE While closing the “food gap” can help poorer families afford a select basket of nutritious foods that include non-perishable products, eggs and amasi, a balanced diet requires fresh fruit and vegetables too. According to the Southern Africa Food Lab (SAFL), the diet in most vulnerable households is high in starch, consisting mainly of pap, with little protein, fruit or vegetables. The organisation is working with the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality to improve the potential for good nutrition in the metro, where approximately 200 000 households in over 300 informal settlements suffer from hunger due to soaring unemployment.13 The organisation’s programme focuses on increasing access to and consumption of healthy, nutritious food in communities near agroecological hubs. The hubs have been established as training and resource centres in Northdene, Newlands, Inchanga, Mariannridge, Cliffdale, Umbumbulu and Hambanathi. These are situated in strategic points across the municipality, supporting seven main (agricultural) zones.

13 Pillay, V. A look at how these 30 farmers are trying to feed their communities, published in IOL Business, September 21, 2023. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/272ff282

GOAL 1 /// An innovative and inclusive society.

OPPORTUNITY 3 /// Build productive synergies between communities and the environment.

WOZA NAMI In 2020, the Woza Nami (‘come with me’ in IsiZulu) project was launched in Inchanga, a large peri-urban settlement between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Woza Nami aims to scale farming in surrounding peri-urban areas based on agroecological practices and principles. This entails farming in harmony with the natural environment, without wasting water or using harsh chemicals and pesticides. The Inchanga Agroecology Hub is Woza Nami’s flagship demonstration site and serves as a working farm with crop planting, soil rehabilitation programmes, chickens and different types of composting methods. Farmers from surrounding areas are trained here in agroecological methods and municipal agricultural extension officers go out to local farms to provide support. It is close to a clinic (Fredville), which is important as the project is jointly about healthy food production and nutrition.

“Woza Nami has helped me to better understand organic farming, as well as techniques to mitigate, and adapt to, climate change. I developed skills to design the farm according to weather conditions.” Nontobeko Khanyile, KwaXimba Village, Cato Ridge

The project supports a range of farmers, predominantly women. Woza Nami currently works with 10 co-operatives (approximately 110 individuals), with between five and 10 farmers intensively farming vegetables on almost a hectare of land. All types of vegetables are grown, including wild crops such as amadumbe and bambara groundnuts (part of traditional diets in KwaZulu-Natal), as well as maize, carrots, spinach, onions, pumpkins, green peppers and lettuce. These farmers are directly supported by the eThekwini Agroecology Unit. It also works with 25 “One Home One Garden” farmers, who are growing backyard vegetable gardens that supplement household diets with vegetables, especially leafy greens. Since the inception of the project, these farmers have faced immense challenges ranging from COVID-19 and the resultant lockdown, to riots that impacted industries in the area, and floods that washed away many of their crops.

PUTTING ENOUGH FOOD ON THE TABLE: SUSTAINABLE STEPS TO ADDRESS SOUTH AFRICA’S HUNGER CRISIS

Issue 26 /// January 2024

A team from Stellenbosch University, the Medical Research Council and the University of KwaZulu-Natal, have also been working with neighbouring communities around the Inchanga Hub to better understand food consumption patterns, particularly the intake of vegetables, fruits and legumes. Their research has given rise to a community-focused nutrition awareness campaign that helps people learn what a healthy diet looks like and how to access foods that make up a nutrient-packed diet. Woza Nami is currently working to establish connections with Early Childhood Development (ECD) centres and schools near the Inchanga Hub so they can provide fresh produce to feed young children. The hub is also trying to encourage farmers to view ECD centres as potential markets so that ECD centres can tap into existing networks of small farmers. Ultimately Woza Nami aims to grow their farmers’ markets.

“The smallholder sector is a key point of entry to bring about more sustainable food systems in South Africa, both because these farmers support the most vulnerable populations through informal markets, and because they employ operations most suitable for the development of sustainable, agroecological and local food systems.” Professor Scott Drimie, SAFL Director

LESSONS FROM WOZA NAMI URBAN AGRICULTURE CAN SUCCEED WITH SUSTAINED SUPPORT AND SCALING “When we don’t know what to do about the question of hunger or food security, stakeholders, particularly government, say ‘OK, let’s build some urban gardens.’ By and large, they fail, often because there is not sustained support, but also because there is not that sustained real deep scaling at the beginning to really establish those systems,” explains Professor Scott Drimie, SAFL Director. In the past few years, different approaches have meant that urban farming gardens are becoming more self-sufficient. This can be attributed in part to the pandemic encouraging people to become more resilient, and it can also be attributed to the fact that more sustained support and scaling have been provided by government and civil society organisations.

GOAL 2 /// All children on track by Grade 4

IDENTIFY COMMUNITY NEEDS TO INFORM SUPPLY

Through the research partnership mentioned earlier, SAFL was able to identify potential nutrition deficits and use this information to inform supply. Results from the research findings are used to engage smallholder farmers on what to grow beyond the standard cabbages and carrots, like wild crops such as amadumbe and bambara groundnuts. Drimie says the aim is to encourage crop diversification, which makes food systems more resilient and stable in the face of climate change. Planting plans have also become much more diverse and chickens were introduced as a way of demonstrating the interconnection between small livestock and growing fruit and vegetables. Small livestock such as pigs or chickens are an important component of agroecological practice.

NURSES CHAMPION THE CAUSE

In Inchanga, malnutrition is commonplace; while most cases are mild, others are severe, and many health issues are related to vitamin deficiencies. Yet vitamin A, iron, zinc, and iodine are found in green, orange and yellow fruits and vegetables. Healthcare practitioners believe that the Woza Nami project has strengthened their outreach programme. For instance, Sister Shabangu heading the local clinic is a strong advocate of home food gardens, having seen the improved health outcomes of better nutrition first-hand.

Community nutrition research undertaken by Stellenbosch University revealed that upwards of 70% of Inchanga residents surveyed view nurses as their primary source of nutrition information (far more than media, doctors, teachers or family). COLLABORATE AND CONNECT WITH EXPERIENCE

A clear lesson that emerged from this project is: Don’t start from scratch. A key focus of Woza Nami has been to connect and collaborate with those experienced in farming. Drimie believes that for these projects to be successful and sustainable, it’s essential that they form an alliance between local government, local farmers, local consumers and local non-government organisations. “We should strengthen government, not work in opposition to or adjacent to it.” Woza Nami offers a scalable model for other urban centres to follow. It’s an opportunity to tackle local and national food security through sustainable farming practices, hectare by hectare.

OPPORTUNITY 5 /// Stop nutritional stunting of young children.

DEVELOPING STRONGER COMMUNITIES IN THE WESTERN CAPE THROUGH FOOD AND FARMING The South African Urban Food & Farming Trust (SAUFFT) works to develop stronger communities through food and farming. This section of the brief will look at three urban food garden projects in the Western Cape. It’s important to note that urban food gardens are not a solution to national food insecurity because they are too small to yield the produce that an average household needs to survive. Instead, food gardens provide supplemental nutrition. And, by growing their own food, people have a little extra money in their monthly budgets to spend on other household necessities.

MITCHELLS PLAIN AGRIHUB The food gardens in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, have coalesced around three nodes that fulfil the same agrihub role, but one of those has been challenged due to safety and security, so only two are now operational at a basic level. The focus of these agrihubs has been to work with school eco-clubs, coordinate bulk supply of inputs, and establish spaces where growers can take up allotments. While it has a network of 318 active growers, the agrihub in Mitchells Plain remains a work in progress.

KHAYELITSHA AGRIHUB SAUFFT is also working with a group of nearly 400 wellestablished growers in 84 food gardens across Khayelitsha, Cape Town. These growers are generally more commercially minded, but they suddenly lost their access to their usual market in 2022. SAUFFT stepped in to help them with logistics and infrastructure support by establishing an agrihub and partnered with the NGO, Abalimi Bezekhaya15, which is helping to re-establish market access.

LANGA AGRI/FOODHUB Since 2021 SAUFFT has been working with a local non-profit, the Masakhe Foundation14, to establish an agrihub for 33 food gardens run by an informal network of up to 160 farmers in Langa, Cape Town. The project site, owned by the Red Cross Society, is in the heart of Langa, adjacent to the Lerotholi Food Garden. The project aims to establish local supporting infrastructure, farming inputs and services (the agrihub) to assist existing and new growers, and also supporting infrastructure and services for market access (the foodhub) to local consumers. The goals are to strengthen existing urban small-scale farmers, micro-farmers and community gardens, increase the availability of locally-grown produce, increase the chances for small farmers to expand into commercial farming, improve household nutrition and food security in Langa, and strengthen social cohesion. SAUFFT provides strategic and planning support, implementation support, and ongoing mentoring as needed, which is anticipated to taper off over time.

14 The Masakhe Foundation, started by Thulani Fesi and Mpilo Ngcukana, supports some 30 gardens across Langa.

15 Abalimi Bezekhaya means farmers of the home in isiXhosa and was established in

1982. It is a non-profit organisation (NPO and PBO) that supports micro-farmers in the Cape Flats townships to grow vegetables organically. More information available here: https://abalimibezekhaya.org.za/

LESSONS FROM FOOD GARDENS RESILIENT COMMUNITY FOOD GARDENS MAKE FOR RESILIENT COMMUNITIES Food gardens and urban farming strengthen the ties that bind communities together, contributing to social cohesion, resilience and agency. Thobeka Gacula, a member of the Langa agrifood hub, says she found comfort and companionship in connecting with other smallholder female farmers, a form of connectedness unique to this type of network. For her, agriculture and social work are related, and her farm is a form of social work in itself. “My passion is helping other women, to show them there’s more life in hope, just like there is in plants,” she says. Kurt Ackermann, SAUFFT Chief Executive Officer, shares an example of these resilient networks of urban farmers helping their communities during a taxi strike in Cape Town in 2023. “They were making sure that everyone had food, people were looked after and that people who hadn’t been heard from, people were able to go and see them and make sure everything was OK.” Urban farming communities have access to produce they grow themselves, thus their food will typically be free from industrial pesticides used in large-scale commercial farming and genetically modified organisms.

PUTTING ENOUGH FOOD ON THE TABLE: SUSTAINABLE STEPS TO ADDRESS SOUTH AFRICA’S HUNGER CRISIS

Issue 26 /// January 2024

“There is a lot of knowledge among farmers in the network about how to use certain plants, whether they are culinary or medicinal herbs to manage their health a bit better. So, for people who can’t afford to buy over-thecounter medicines, or get to a clinic or so on, there is knowledge about dietary practices that can help people maintain their health, or address illness.” Kurt Ackermann, CEO of SAUFFT

GOAL 1 /// An innovative and inclusive society.

URBAN FARMING NETWORKS HAVE MORE LEVERAGE SAUFFT supports urban growers to buy in bulk directly from suppliers so they can source cheaper inputs and compost. Ackermann explains: “We have shown that farmers can save typically 67-80% on their input costs, so what they are spending on seeds, seedlings and compost, they can get three to five times as much for the same amount of money when they do it through an agrihub.” SAUFFT’s main objective is to help growers develop and explore their power to improve the running of agrihubs at a community scale, in terms of growing, selling and buying. This will fundamentally strengthen the agency of the growers and give them more resources to work with so they are less vulnerable to shocks such as drought, their community is also less vulnerable, and they have a resource base that they can work with.

OPPORTUNITY 3 /// Build productive synergies between communities and the environment.

NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL MODEL These three agrihubs now operate as part of a broader network. For example, the Langa farmers can send their produce to the Khayelitsha agrihub and tap into that market, too. In September 2023, for the first time, 100 representatives from all three hubs came together, representing 644 growers and 132 sites. They shared their stories, exchanged knowledge through masterclasses, and explored ideas for strengthening their collective. Together they discussed how to open up new markets, share tools and vehicles, and use their buying power to lower costs even further. Ackermann expands: “But they also saw the opportunity to add their voice to policy debates on urban land use for agriculture, to work on community-level problems with ward councillors and sub-councils and tackle other issues that contribute to the vulnerability of their communities. They know full well that being resilient is about more than just food security, and that if they stick together, they might be able to do something about it.”

The three hubs mentioned in this brief have faced common challenges: a pandemic, drought, floods, loadshedding, and taxi strikes. But they also have their own distinct challenges. For example, the Langa gardeners are in a high-density area where it is relatively easy to get around on foot with a wheelbarrow. Mitchells Plain is more built up and it’s less practical to get around on foot. A mobile cold room and trucks with trailers for moving manure and compost had to be brought in so that movement and distribution of resources and harvests could be managed more effectively. There appears to be less social cohesion in Mitchells Plain and more issues with gangsterism and violence. “Understanding these challenges is good for the overall sustainability of our agrihub initiative, because we are learning about adapting to different contexts,” explains Ackermann. SAUFFT plans to develop an open-source methodology so that organisations in other communities can adapt the programme to their own needs.

WHAT'S NEXT? We need a robust and holistic approach to address household food insecurity at policy and implementation level. This brief shows just how civil society is innovating in addressing the challenge. But civil society organisations need support and investment from government and the private sector. We need to get behind policy proposals that seek to make nutritious food cheaper for poorer families, urban farming initiatives that demonstrate longevity and sustainability, and environmentally friendly farming practices that reap benefits for communities in synergy with nature.

Learning brief developed by Daniella Horwitz, and edited by Rahima Essop and Cornè Kritzinger. This brief was based on contributions from Grow Great, Southern Africa Food Lab (SAFL) and the South African Urban Food & Farming Trust (SAUFFT).

Th i s i s t h e l e a r n i n g ex p e r i e n c e of :

GOAL 2 /// All children on track by Grade 4

OPPORTUNITY 5 /// Stop nutritional stunting of young children.

HANDS-ON Experience Learning January 2024 | Issue 26

OPPORTUNITY

Build productive synergies between communities and the environment

RETHINKING RUBBISH: INITIATIVES FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT AND REDUCTION IN SOUTH AFRICA South Africa’s waste problem is a threat to environmental, human and social well-being. Overflowing landfills are polluting our air and water, damaging our ecosystems, and making us sick. The legacy of apartheid means that people living in informal settlements, usually on the outskirts of cities, have both the highest exposure to dumpsites, and the poorest access to waste removal services. However, if we reframe the way we look at waste, it can become a source of value that we can reinvest in our shared thriving.

Civil society organisations, municipalities, waste reclaimers, social enterprises and engaged citizens are coming up with solutions to South Africa’s waste problem. This learning brief profiles three problem-solving initiatives.

RETHINKING RUBBISH: INITIATIVES FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT AND REDUCTION IN SOUTH AFRICA

Issue 26 /// January 2024

i THE PROBLEM OF PLASTIC The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) estimates that the average South African uses between 30-50kg of plastic each year. This problem is worse in many South African townships that are drowning in waste due to a lack of, or inconsistent, waste removal services. Plastic contributes to greenhouse gas emissions at every stage of its lifecycle, from its production to its refining and the way it is managed as a waste product.4 As greenhouse gas emissions blanket the Earth, they trap the sun's heat. This leads to global warming and climate change. The world is now warming faster than at any point in recorded history.5

South Africa is teetering on the brink of an environmental disaster. According to the latest available statistics, South Africans generate roughly 122 million tonnes of waste per year, equating to roughly two tonnes per person per year. A maximum of 10% of this is recycled or recovered for other uses, meaning at least 90% ends up in landfills or illegal dump sites.1

Plastic dropped in the street or taken to landfills does not stay there. Wind and rainwater can carry it into streams and rivers and then to the sea. According to the United Nations Environment Programme roughly 80% of plastic in the ocean originates on land.6 When the pollutants reach our ocean, they affect the marine environment with enormous repercussions both on ecosystems as well as on the socio-economic well-being of local communities.

Landfill sites are reaching capacity and most municipalities have not been able to commission new ones. Gauteng, which accounts for 45% of the country’s municipal waste, has not been granted new permits for landfills in two decades.2 With stringent environmental impact assessment regulations and waste licensing, it can take up to five years to approve a new landfill site, and, on average, another year to construct it. We need to drastically change South Africa’s waste system and encourage a circular economy3, where materials are reused for as long as possible. 1

Stubbs, K. State of the South African waste industry. Published in Infrastructure News on 10 March 2022. Available at: https://infrastructurenews.co.za/2022/03/10/stateof-the-south-african-waste-industry/

Report: Recycling of Waste and Scrap in South Africa. (2021). Available at: https://tinyurl.com/3w9fhyuv

Laville, S. 2019. Single-use plastics a serious climate change hazard, study warns. Published in The Guardian on 15 May 2019. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/ environment/2019/may/15/single-use-plastics-a-serious-climate-change-hazardstudy-warns

2 3

The circular economy is a model of both production and consumption that extends the life cycle of products as long as possible, through refurbishment, re-appropriation, repair and recycling.

United Nations. Causes and Effects of Climate Change. Published in Climate Action. Available here: https://tinyurl.com/5a2ff7xb

WWF. HOW DOES PLASTIC END UP IN THE OCEAN? Available at: https://tinyurl.com/ bdez3far

GOAL 1 /// An innovative and inclusive society.

OPPORTUNITY 3 /// Build productive synergies between communities and the environment.

IF WE WANT TO ADDRESS SOUTH AFRICA’S WASTE ISSUE, WE MUST FIRST LOOK AT THE SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CONTEXTS. THE PROBLEMS IN OUR WASTE SYSTEM ARE SYSTEMIC AND HAVE FOUR ROOT CAUSES:

South Africa is making progress in some areas:

It is one of the world leaders in metal packaging recycling. Over 75% of all metal packaging recovered.7 Food tins, tin foil packaging and aluminium beverage cans are among the most common metal items sent for recycling. Most recycled metals are sold locally.

Under apartheid South Africa, all people classed as ‘nonwhite’ were dispossessed of their land and removed to designated areas. These were often on the outskirts of cities, near areas of industrial activity such as factories, airports and landfill sites or waste sites.

It has a large informal waste sector. Research on waste reclaimers in South Africa by Professor Catherina Schenck has shown that waste reclaiming provides between 60 000 and 90 000 informal self-employment opportunities in South Africa.8 The work of informal waste reclaimers has saved South Africa at least R950 million in landfill space.9

COMPANIES CREATE WASTE

There is no ‘away’ to send our waste to. If it’s not biodegradable and it’s not being recycled (and most of it isn’t), then it goes to a landfill. It becomes litter. This is a problem of waste generation, not waste removal.

The updated National Waste Management Strategy (2020)10 focuses on improving household waste collection, diverting waste from landfills, promoting a circular economy and promoting community awareness of the effects of illegal dumping on health and the environment.

Since May 2021, by law paper and packaging manufacturers must ensure that their waste is recycled, re-used or converted into other end products.11

Report: Recycling of Waste and Scrap in South Africa 2021. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/3w9fhyuv

Chirona, M. (2022). South Africa: Recycling is About So Much More Than Waste #AfricaClimateCrisis. Published in allAfrica on 12 August 2022. Available at: https://allafrica.com/stories/202208120540.html

Banda, M.2022. A linchpin of SA’s recycling economy, informal waste pickers should be integrated into the mainstream economy. Published in The Daily Maverick on 20 January 2022. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/487wdnnn

10 Department of Environmental Affairs, Republic of South Africa. 2020.

Today, peri-urban informal settlements continue to be located near dumpsites and industrial zones. To add to this, these settlements have limited infrastructure and basic services, which means they are often not properly catered for by municipal refuse removal.

Companies making cheap, fast-moving consumer products such as bottles, food packaging and nappies are responsible for huge amounts of non-recyclable waste.

It has progressive legislation.

National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) 2020. https://sawic.environment.gov.za/documents/11949.pdf

SPATIAL INEQUALITY

Available

However, the government still needs to go further to make sure that packaging producers limit the amount of nonrecyclable material they are creating. Most of our focus in South Africa has been on waste disposal rather than on waste prevention. This means that instead of corporations taking responsibility for their littering, we instead focus on how best to clean up their mess.

Staatskoerant. 5 May, 2021. National Environmental Management: Waste Act, 2008 (Act No. 59 of 2008). Available here: https://tinyurl.com/mrym842r

at:

RETHINKING RUBBISH: INITIATIVES FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT AND REDUCTION IN SOUTH AFRICA

Issue 26 /// January 2024

i 3

WASTE SORTING AND RECYCLING IS NOT SUPPORTED

Even in wealthy areas, waste is often not sorted before it lands at the dumpsite. Consumers who sort their household waste can only recycle if the infrastructure for collecting and processing their waste exists. Similarly, recycling larger volumes of waste relies on more and more households to participate in sorting. Informal waste reclaimers, volunteers and innovative businesses provide essential services, but are not well supported. To make matters worse, although informal waste reclaimers contribute 90% of South Africa’s recycling output,12 they are often harassed, or stigmatised as criminal and dirty, especially in affluent areas. Despite the hard work of informal waste reclaimers, a large amount of waste that could be recycled, composted, or converted into energy is still going to landfills. Many landfill sites have closed down because of the amount of waste being put into them. A lot of waste ends up in illegal dumpsites or is burnt by residents who have few other choices for getting rid of it. This pollutes the air and is a risk to human health.

ANOTHER LOOK AT WASTE RECLAIMERS “Across the world, large numbers of people from low-income and disadvantaged communities make a living collecting and sorting waste and then selling reclaimed waste through intermediaries to the recycling industry. Where others see trash or garbage, the waste pickers see paper, cardboard, glass, and metal. They are skilled at sorting and bundling different types of waste by colour, weight, and end use to sell to the recycling industry. Yet waste pickers are rarely recognised for the important role they play in creating value from the waste generated by others and in contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions.” Martha Chen and Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez, World Bank13

12 United Nations South Africa. 2022. Waste Reclaimers empowered through UNIDOCoGTA partnership to combat South Africa’s challenge on plastic waste. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/4kszsmf4

13 Chen, M. and Ijjasz-Vasques, E. 2016. A virtuous circle: Integrating waste pickers into solid waste management. Published in Voices, World Bank Blogs on 2 March 2016. Available at: https://tinyurl.com/z4kuhtj5

GOAL 1 /// An innovative and inclusive society.

OPPORTUNITY 3 /// Build productive synergies between communities and the environment.

LACK OF WASTE REMOVAL SERVICES

In South Africa, nearly half the population still lacks access to municipal waste collection, most prominently in historically non-white communities on the peri-urban fringe and in rural areas.14 Informal settlements often have few or no waste removal services. This is in large part because of the history of apartheid spatial planning, but also because of rapid urbanisation, poor planning, a lack of funds and capacity in municipalities, and the inability of garbage trucks to reach some areas in informal settlements. Some informal settlements receive no services at all because they are not recognised.

CIVIL SOCIETY INITIATIVES

OPERATION CLEAN TOWNS (CLANWILLIAM, WESTERN CAPE)

Children could often be seen playing in the rubbish heaps outside Khayelitsha, a high-density informal settlement on the periphery of Clanwilliam in the Cederberg, Western Cape. Most of the 8 500 people who live there have migrated from the Eastern Cape and Lesotho to look for work on surrounding fruit farms. The community does not have regular waste collection and tends to dump waste in a common area outside the settlement. Local farmers Bernie van den Heever and Melissa Visser had long regarded the rubbish blowing around not only as an eyesore, but also as a health risk to the community and a threat to the environment, especially when it was burnt. There had been sporadic attempts over the years by local residents and private companies to sponsor a rubbish skip but there was no cohesive waste management approach. In June 2022 Barbara Creecy, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, handed over a waste collection and landfill management truck to the Cederberg municipality. This was part of a national waste management intervention that sought to address waste collection issues in neglected areas, illegal dumping and landfill operations in selected municipalities. However, due to budgetary constraints, the municipality could not afford to purchase the skip bins needed. Van den Heever and Visser seized the window of opportunity and began collaborating with community representatives of the Khayelitsha settlement in the Cederberg, as well as local businesses, Clanwilliam residents and the municipality, to resolve the problem of having a skip truck, but no skips. Ultimately, local businesses and residents sponsored the manufacture of 10 skip bins and donated them to the municipality.

Action is Required NOW Illegal dumping surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the July 2023 AfriForum annual landfill audit report, featuring landfill sites in towns and cities where AfriForum’s branches are located, only 17,5% (28 of 161) of these sites meet the minimum requirements of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act 59 of 2008.15 Unless we act now, South Africa will be drowning in waste.

Eventually in May 2023, after a change in political leadership, the skip bins project received the green light. Dr Ruben Richards, the executive mayor, launched Operation Clean Towns and the skips were placed at strategic points outside the settlement.16 The private sector also raised funds to pay the salaries of two rubbish collectors.

14 Kalina, M. 2021. As South Africa’s cities burn: We can clean-up, but we cannot

16 On 3 May 2023, the executive mayor delivered a speech inside the informal settlement

sweep away inequality. Published in Local Environment, 26:10, 1186-1191, DOI: 10.1080/13549839.2021.1967900

15 Afriforum. 2023. LANDFILL SITE AUDIT: LANDFILLS IN SA JUST MORE PROOF OF MUNICIPALITIES’ INCOMPETENCE. Available at: https://afriforum.co.za/en/landfill-siteaudit-landfills-in-sa-just-more-proof-of-municipalities-incompetence/

Unfortunately, more municipal red tape and political infighting meant that the skip bins project was placed on hold for several months.

at the launch of “OPERATION CLEAN TOWNS”, a waste management collaboration between the Cederberg Municipality, private sector and civil society. See the YouTube video of the launch of Operation Clean Towns here: https://web.facebook.com/ CederbergLocalMunicipality/videos/822319345985939

RETHINKING RUBBISH: INITIATIVES FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT AND REDUCTION IN SOUTH AFRICA

Issue 26 /// January 2024

In addition to the 10 privately sponsored skips, the national government, through the Department of Forestry and Fisheries, donated five additional skip bins for garbage collection in August 2023, one year after the donation of the truck. These bins were placed in the Riverview informal settlement in Citrusdal, which is also under the jurisdiction of the Cederberg municipality. The skip truck regularly removes the skips to dispose of the rubbish. This is an example of how collaboration between ordinary citizens, civil society, the private sector and government led to the resolution of a waste issue.

LESSONS FROM OPERATION CLEAN TOWNS COLLABORATION AND PERSISTENCE PAY OFF

Despite the many challenges, the community and municipality worked together to address their own litter and waste problems. Individual and community initiatives demonstrate how residents care about their environment. These types of environmentally-focused actions create new social ties and social solidarity, along with a strong sense of ownership and belonging.

EDUCATION IS NECESSARY

DIEPSLOOT COMMUNITY TURNS PLASTIC WASTE INTO ECO-FRIENDLY CLASSROOMS (JOHANNESBURG, GAUTENG)

Diana Musara runs Khensani’s Collection, a non-profit educational organisation that offers after-school and Saturday classes to children in the small and under-resourced township of Diepsloot in Gauteng. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing requirements meant 70 children could not fit into one classroom, so she began researching ways to build another classroom. She discovered that eco-bricks, which are 2-litre PET plastic bottles stuffed with tightly compacted clean plastic, sweet wrappers and other material, were environmentally friendly and cost-effective. Perhaps most importantly, the raw material was abundantly available. She recalls: “People just come and dump outside the gates or the fence. I knew we could ask the kids to bring empty plastic cool drink bottles to school and gather any plastic they found.” Musara co-founded Earthly Touch Foundation (ETF), an environmental NPO, to mobilise communities to get involved in making eco-bricks and building an eco-brick classroom, the first of its kind in the township. The classroom was completed in 2020 using 3.5 tonnes of plastic, which is pollution that would have ended up in the environment or landfills. Since then, ETF has built five more classrooms.

Mamoeketsi Makhasane, secretary of the Khayelitsha Community Committee and a healthcare worker in the community, says thanks to the skips, the area is much cleaner, although initially many residents did not understand their purpose. She thinks more awareness initiatives would have been beneficial as the community was not used to regular waste removal services.

“It used to be dirty everywhere, and we had to tell residents not to burn their rubbish as people were getting infections from the pollution. I have to say the skips made a big difference, although, at first, some people did not know what to do with them.” Mamoeketsi Makhasane, Secretary of the Khayelitsha Community Committee

GOAL 1 /// An innovative and inclusive society.

OPPORTUNITY 3 /// Build productive synergies between communities and the environment.

LESSONS FROM THE ECO-BRICK PROJECT UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT FIRST

The impact of plastic pollution should be explained – the community needs to understand why plastic pollution is an issue. Education begins not by teaching people how to make eco-bricks, but by getting them to understand carbon emission and how it impacts global warming. Time and money must be spent on educating the community because as Musara says, “once it clicks and the lightbulb is there, it becomes easier to mobilise them to pick up the plastic.”

ECO-BRICKS FORM PART OF THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Musara’s organisation trains youth and women to make ecobricks, which gives them a sustainable, valuable skill that they can use in the circular economy, as they can sell eco-bricks to construction companies. However, sometimes there are no immediate construction projects or ETF does not receive funding, so they are unable to pay volunteers a stipend. Musara acknowledges that people are unlikely to continue volunteering to make eco-bricks if there is no incentive. So, she devised a barter system in which eco-bricks are exchanged for clothing, food or stationery.

ESTABLISH A TRACK RECORD

At first, it was difficult to get the community and funders to believe in the eco-brick project, because they were unfamiliar with the concept. Once the first classroom was built, it became easier to convince them of the viability of eco-bricks, as evidenced by the five additional classrooms constructed. Once a proof of concept is established, an organisation has the grounding to embark on other projects. ETF’s next project is raising funds to buy a plastic baling machine.17 This means that EFT can start to collect a wider range of plastic.

“Don’t throw your plastic away. Bring it to us. Plastic is an issue, global warming is a threat, and we can all do our bit. It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you live; pollution affects all of us.”

DEVELOPING SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS IN RURAL AREAS (NORTH WEST, EASTERN CAPE AND NORTHERN CAPE)

In 2010, Lizelle Coombs launched Angels Resource Centres, an NPO which focuses on development in under-resourced communities. The aim is to provide the right kind of support, in the form of mentorship and training, to get small businesses off the ground and keep them running successfully. South Africa’s waste problem was one of the main areas that Angels identified as needing urgent attention. The first sponsor was the City of Cape Town, with waste awareness and management training being given to survivalist entrepreneurs. Angels realised that more waste initiatives were needed in rural areas and branched out into the North West, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape with two initiatives: Waste4Change and The Green Club.

WASTE4CHANGE

This programme creates sustainable small businesses in the waste industry by equipping interested community members with the skills, tools and equipment they need to address waste challenges and create jobs within their community. In 2021, Waste4Change provided accredited business skills and waste management training to a group of 10 entrepreneurs in Postmasburg, Northern Cape. The participants completed the programme with viable business ideas that have the potential to create employment and generate sustainable revenue in the waste management sector. Their ideas included a focus on manufacturing upcycled products, selling collected recycling materials, composting, and exploring other sustainable opportunities in their communities. Two years later, one of these businesses is an e-waste (lighting and electronic waste) company run by Itumeleng Mojatau. Angels connected him to E-Waste Africa, which is providing knowledge and support, and they are working together to set up the first e-waste facility in the Northern Cape. The other growing business is an upcycling enterprise run by Ruth Rens. She makes shopping bags, furniture and other functional items out of recyclable material and sells them to her community.

Diana Musara, ETF Managing Director

17 A baling machine is a hydraulic press that compacts materials into a dense package of a specific size.

RETHINKING RUBBISH: INITIATIVES FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT AND REDUCTION IN SOUTH AFRICA

Issue 26 /// January 2024

THE GREEN CLUB The Green Club is an initiative undertaken to establish recycling clubs specifically focused on schools in low-income rural areas. Pupils at Francois Visser Primêre in Pofadder and Pella Primêre in Pella, Northern Cape, are cleaning up their neighbourhoods, while having fun and learning about the environment. In addition, recycling clubs can serve as a profitable fundraising activity. Coombs acknowledges that organisations far bigger than Angels have more impact with school recycling programmes. However, the NPO operates in rural areas with minimal resources, so the first step is to improve environmental awareness. She explains: “Through little projects and competitions, we get the kids excited and generate awareness, and we hope they take this back home to their families or to other adults in their communities.”

LESSONS FROM ANGELS UNDER-RESOURCED ENTREPRENEURS NEED TRAINING AND FUNDING

Coombs attributes the success of the two waste solutions entrepreneurs in Postmasburg to the fact that both individuals have full-time jobs and e-waste and upcycling are “side hustles”. Essentially, they fund themselves. The other entrepreneurs on the programme developed sound business ideas but were not able to get the funding necessary to turn them into profitable businesses. Coombs explains: “We have found that it’s best to have some kind of funding to help entrepreneurs after the training, because many of them are unemployed and don’t have the resources neede to kick-start and sustain their businesses.”

i ANGELS LINK ENTREPRENEURS TO RECYCLING COMPANIES Some big companies in the Northern Cape do recycling, but like big companies in larger cities, they all expect a consignment of a minimum of 30-40 tonnes to collect recycling material. This makes it impossible for small entrepreneurs to get their recycling waste to recycling centres. This is where Angels Resource Centres comes to the rescue by playing the role of a link between small entrepreneurs and recycling companies. They organise the collection of the goods in small quantities (the minimum is 1kg) from different places and combine them to reach the amount required (40T), which is then transported to big recycling companies.

GET A TOEHOLD WHERE YOU CAN

Angels works in poor communities where people are struggling to put food on the table, so for many recycling is not a priority. The Green Club was initiated in schools, to get a toehold in the communities. So far, the clubs are successful in the schools, but not yet big enough for the community to get behind.

UPCYCLING IS ON THE UP

Waste4Change has found that upcycling (creating resalable items from recycled materials) is becoming more popular. Coombs thinks this is because for a single entrepreneur, there is more profit to be made from upcycling.

GOAL 1 /// An innovative and inclusive society.

OPPORTUNITY 3 /// Build productive synergies between communities and the environment.

WHAT’S NEXT? Uncollected waste and waste that has been poorly disposed of pose significant threats to the environment and health. As the World Bank reports, the cost of addressing the negative impact of poorly disposed waste is much higher than the cost of developing and operating simple, adequate waste management systems. It makes economic sense to invest in sustainable waste management. The wheel is slowly turning, but addressing South Africa’s waste challenge needs joint effort from all of us, including everyday consumers, big producers, policymakers, municipalities and waste treatment facilities.

This learning brief was developed by Daniella Horwitz and edited by Rahima Essop and Cornè Kritzinger. This brief was based on contributions from Bernie van den Heever, Melissa Visser, Mamoeketsi Makhasane and Dr Ruben Richards (Cederberg mayor), Operation Clean Towns, Earthly Touch Foundation and Angels Resource Centres.

Th i s i s t h e l e a r n i n g ex p e r i e n c e of :

THE LEGACY OF DOUGLAS AND ELEANOR MURRAY DGMT is a South African foundation built on endowments from Douglas and Eleanor Murray to promote charitable, educational, philanthropic and artistic purposes within South Africa. Douglas Murray was the son of, and successor to, John Murray, the founder of the Cape-based construction company, Murray and Stewart, which was established in 1902. This company merged in 1967 with Roberts Construction to become Murray & Roberts, with the parent Trusts as the main shareholders. In 1979, the Trusts combined to form the DG Murray Trust as the main shareholder before the company was publicly listed. Subsequently, the Trust relinquished its ownership to a major finance house. Eleanor Murray remained actively engaged in the work of the Trust until her death in 1993. The Foundation is now the holder of a portfolio of widely diversified assets, which reduces the risks in funding the achievement of its strategic objectives. DGMT currently distributes about R200 million per year and leverages and manages a similar amount of funding through joint ventures with other investors. DGMT’s ultimate goal is to create an ethical and enabling environment where human needs and aspirations are met; where every person is given the opportunity to fulfil their potential, for both personal benefit and for that of the wider community. By investing in South Africa’s potential we aim to:

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Create opportunity for personal growth and development that will encourage people to achieve their potential.

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Help reduce the gradients that people face in trying to seize those opportunities.

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Affirm the value and dignity of those who feel most marginalised and devalued by society.

The DGMT Board

TRUSTEES Mvuyo Tom (Chairperson) - John Volmink - Ameen Amod - Shirley Mabusela Murphy Morobe - Hugo Nelson - Maria Mabetoa - Diane Radley - Michael Kahn CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER David Harrison

Douglas Murray House, 1 Wodin Rd, Claremont, 7700 PO Box 23893, Claremont, 7735 +27 (0)21 670 9840 www.dgmt.co.za