Premier Praises Land Reform Project being Supported by Limpopo LED Programme

Limpopo Premier Sello Moloto (second from right) with Limburg Farming Enterprises' partners. (From left) Dries Bruwer of the Bruboer group; Bruboer partner Sekepe Maponya; and Bohwa Bja Rena Community Trust chairperson Pitso Sebata.

Limpopo Premier Sello Moloto has hailed a land reform project being partly supported by the Limpopo LED Programme as a model for South Africa.

The project involves the Bohwa Bja Rena community which was granted 25'700 hectares near Mokopane in central Limpopo under a land reform programme in 2001. Lacking the skills to turn their asset into a viable commercial farming venture, the community formed a strategic partnership with the Bruboer agricultural group in order to secure management and marketing expertise and to acquire skills enabling it to eventually run the venture. Known as Limburg Farming Enterprises, the partnership has revived a run-down citrus estate on the community's land and expects to export as many as 500'000 cartons of citrus this season. The partners have also set up their own citrus-based animal feed plant and revived cattle farming on the Limburg estate. Now, with support from the Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme, Limburg is diversifying into beef production by establishing a novel ICT-driven Agri-Hub in this remote rural area.

The hub is based on the establishment of feedlots that will not only serve Limburg's cattle rearing needs but will also enable some 300 marginalised emergent farmers to improve the quality of their stock and sell their cattle on mainstream markets. When fully developed, the feedlots will be able to handle 3'000 cattle at a time. The project also aims to open a niche market by securing organic registration.

Emergent farmers spread over a wide area will eventually be able to access feedlot services and agricultural information through a cell phone based system that will gradually be upgraded to handle a wide spectrum of information and communications capabilities.

Opening the first of two feedlots on January 25, Premier Moloto said the revival of the estate through a strategic partnership was a model for land reform and restitution in South Africa. He said Limpopo could be "proud of" the outcome of the partnership.

The Limpopo LED Programme has granted Limburg R2,2 million from its Marginalised Community Fund, enabling the group to establish two feedlots and provide training for emergent farmers.

The feedlots will act as a central buying, selling and service agri-hub to enable farmers to benefit from collective bargaining power. It will buy and distribute animal feed and supply veterinary and artificial insemination services and medicines. The hub will sell cattle and link small-scale farmers to mainstream markets, such as abatoirs and butcheries.

The first cattle to be herded into Limburg Farming Enterprises' feedlot.

The hub will also add value by developing better breeding stock and through agri-businesses such as an auction facility, production of animal licks, and sales of manure, skins and horns. Limburg is enlisting support from a State agency to develop a cell phone-based information and communications system enabling farmers to access the agri-hub for information and services. Limburg also plans to extend the agri-hub to chicken and goat farming.

For more information on the Limburg ICT Agri-Hub, please contact:

Annami Bruwer.
Tel: +27 (0)12 349 2572; cell: +27 (0)82 577 7928.
E-mail: annami@bruboer.co.za

Traditional dancers celebrate with a large crowd at the opening of Limburg Farming Enterprises' feedlot near Mokopane.

Bridging The Big Divide

The Phalala River will be used by emergent farmers to irrigate vegetable crops they will supply to a Gauteng trader.

With Lephalale set to become South Africa's fastest growing town, the Limpopo LED Programme is supporting an imaginative partnership which aims to ensure that the area's most marginalised community is not left behind.

The Phalala community of 100 000 people lives in 41 villages 70 kilometres from Lephalale where investment of some R100 billion is set to transform this western Limpopo town into South Africa's new energy production hub.

Here in the Waterberg coal field which contains about 50% of South Africa's remaining coal reserves, Eskom is building a second coal-fired power station; Kumba Resources is expanding coal mining to supply the new electricity generator; Sasol is considering establishing a coal-to-liquids fuel plant; and Anglo American and other energy companies are sizing up the potential to exploit coal-bed methane gas.

These developments are being mirrored across the border in Botswana where investors are planning to establish a large-scale coal mine to supply another new power station. Meanwhile, major eco-tourism investment is taking place in the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve south of Lephalale.

The Phalala community lives out of sight along the Phalala River between Lephalale and the Botswana border: a poor, survivalist community with unproductive communal lands, high poverty and unemployment, and extensive malnutrition. However, the community is no longer out of mind.

With support from the Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme which is investing R12,7 million in a range of inter-related projects in the area, the Phalala community is being drawn into the mainstream economy through development of the Lephalale Agricultural Development Corridor based on table grape and vegetable cultivation.

The other partners in this ambitious venture are the Limpopo Provincial Government, the Waterberg District Municipality, the Lephalale Local Municipality, local commercial table grape farmers, and, most critically, a fresh produce trader in Gauteng. The trader, Wigwam, has guaranteed a market for whole and processed vegetables produced by Phalala emergent farmers on some 400 hectares. Wigwam has committed itself to purchase in the first year of the venture R18 million worth of vegetables from Phalala farmers. They will receive intensive training as well as other support from commercial farmers and will cultivate vegetables under irrigation from the Phalala River which runs through the community.

A community-owned cold room will be built in the Phalala area to enable emergent farmers to store their vegetables. A small processing plant, also owned by the community, will be established to enable added value processing of vegetables into peeled, cut and diced convenience foods which will also be stored in the cold room.

Whole and processed produce will then be transported to Lephalale some 70 kilometres away. It will be held there in an existing large-scale cold room facility which has until now been used by local commercial table grape farmers. However, these farmers have been using the facility for only one month a year: during November when they harvest their grapes. Now, with the Phalala community set to use the cold room for final storage of their vegetables, the facility will be utilised year-round. A grape juice processing plant will be established alongside the Lephalale cold room,
enabling grape farmers to add value to their produce. Dedicated management and marketing units will be established to support commercial and emergent farmers.

Consolidated and packaged produce will not only be consigned to Wigwam in Gauteng; big companies in Lephalale, such as Eskom, have indicated they would be keen to buy Phalala produce for their canteens, giving the emergent farmers another substantial market. However, two other markets will be opened for the Phalala farmers. One of these is a fresh produce market that will be established in the Phalala area. In addition to supplying the local community, the market hopes to attract vegetable buyers from Botswana who currently travel past Phalala to make bulk purchases in Lephalale. The other market is for table grapes. Some commercial table grape farmers in the area are keen to sell or lease vineyards which occupy only a portion of their land. They would like to do so in order to free-up capital and focus on developing other portions of their land to meet demand for residential property as Lephalale grows.

Commercial table grape grower Keith White who is playing a leading role in conceptualising and implementing the Lephalale Agriculture Corridor Economic Development Programme.

They are therefore offering their vineyards to emergent farmers who would finance acquisitions by accessing State land resettlement and related grants, and by using established vineyards and infrastructure as collateral to raise bank loans. The Lephalale Agricultural Development Corridor project meets the most fundamental objective of national and provincial government policy: to link marginalised communities in the so-called 2nd economy to the mainstream, 1st economy.

The project also tackles a fundamental weakness afflicting small-scale farmers in remote areas: their lack of organisation and access to markets. The project has secured as its first priority a substantial supply contract for the Phalala farmers as well as other markets. By operating as a co-operative, farmers will then be able to pool their resources and production to fulfil contracts. And by adding value to produce before sending it to markets, more income will be retained in the community, creating a base for further local economic development in Phalala. "Most of the R18 million from the Wigwam contract will flow back into the community," explains Keith White, a table grape farmer who has played a leading role in setting up the project. "In effect, we are bringing Gauteng to Phalala. Vegetables won't simply be sent to Gauteng for value addition through processing. They will be processed in Phalala, and the additional value will be retained in Phalala.

"Increased buying power in the community will create opportunities for other entrepreneurs to supply goods and services which people have until now been forced to obtain from outside the area." White views the project as a "perfect match" combining Lephalale commercial farmers' agricultural, management and marketing skills with the Phalala community's access to land, irrigation and State funding, and status as a BEE preferential supplier to mainstream markets.

Support From Commercial Farmers

The export-driven commercial table grape industry in the area is the catalyst for the project. Some 18 farmers have built up a substantial business by exploiting the area's competitive advantage. Table grapes ripen here earlier than in most other southern hemisphere regions, enabling Lephalale farmers to beat competitors to the European market.

A number of the 18 commercial farmers have indicated they would like to sell their vineyards to emergent farmers. One farm is subject to a land claim and another farm has already been bought by the State under a land reform programme. This farm is seen as a training ground for emergent farmers who will be trained by a highly qualified local commercial farmer not only in grape production, but in general agriculture, enabling them to participate in other farming ventures.

However, commercial farmers first needed to ensure that their industry remains viable and competitive and that it can be used as the base for pro-poor agricultural growth.

Pinky Kekana, executive mayor of Waterberg District Municipality which has budgeted R4,5 million to co-fund projects in support of the Lephalale Agriculture Corridor Economic Development Programme.

Support From the Limpopo LED Programme

To assist them to achieve this, the Limpopo LED Programme awarded a group of the farmers R850 000 from its Local Competitiveness Fund (LCF). This enabled them to conduct research on existing and potential markets and on value-added processing of grapes. It also assisted them to lay foundations for the establishment of an agri-business co-operative that would enable black participation in the grape industry.

A further grant of R7 million from the LCF has enabled commercial farmers, now grouped under an organisation known as the African Rural Development Corporation (ARDC), to take the next steps in the implementation of the project. These involved the establishment of an agri-business centre based on the existing Mogol Koelkamers (cold rooms) in Lephalale, and of the Lephalale Agricultural Development Corridor as a means of bringing together commercial and emergent farmers.

The grant enables the farmers to set up a project management system, establish marketing co-operative infrastructure, secure Mogol Koelkamers as the hub of the agri-business centre, refurbish infrastructure, develop a grape processing centre next to the cold rooms, and embark on a training and skills development programme for emergent farmers.

Members of the Lemagararo Food & Development Co-operative. (from left) Thabang Mfati, assistant secretary; Ditedu Moruane, general secretary; Dr Thapedi Kwadi, chairperson; and Mmamere Seretlo, deputy chairperson.

The process of strengthening the position of commercial farmers and their ability to engage with emergent farmers has been complemented by support for the Phalala community.

The Limpopo LED Programme has made two grants to community-based organisations from its Marginalised Community Fund (MCF) which aims to reduce poverty through pro-poor economic growth. A grant of R850 000 has been made to the Lemagararo Food and Agricultural Development Co-operative. This enables it to work with the commercial farmers' ARDC to develop an economic action plan for the Phalala community. This includes setting up a community leadership management group and researching all opportunities available to the community.

A further grant of R4 million has been made to the Lemagararo Agricultural Co-operative in partnership with the ARDC, other grape farmers and Mogol Koelkamers.

This enables the setting up of a project management system, the design and construction of the Phalala Agri-business Centre consisting of a cold room, a vegetable processing plant, a management office, a business centre, a packhouse, logistics and distribution facilities, and a fresh produce market. The grant also enables the establishment of the Phalala Asset Management Group and Community Trust which will own the agri-business centre. In addition, the grant supports the implementation of the Phalala vegetable growers programme to supply Wigwam.

Support From Government

The project enjoys strong support from government. It has been integrated into the Limpopo Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, with the Premier and senior government officials assisting to facilitate project development and implementation. Waterberg District Municipality has budgeted to contribute R4,5 million as a co-funder of the project which has become a key part of the municipality's Integrated Development Plan and Local Economic Development Strategy.

"Agriculture is a key building block of the economy," says Waterberg mayor Pinky Kekana. "We view this partnership between the private sector and the Phalala community as a major step to maximise the potential of agriculture and to link the marginalised 2nd economy with the 1st economy."

The project has also become part of Lephalale Local Municipality's Local Economic Development Plan. LED manager Moss Mokala says the municipality has been mobilising the community behind the project and assisting it to access additional funding from other government departments and agencies.

Support From Traditional Leaders

Kgosi Seleka, one of three traditional leaders in the Phalala community.

The three traditional leaders in the Phalala community -- a king and two queens -- are actively supporting the project and facilitating the allocation of communal land to emergent farmers. They are Kgosi Seleka of the Ga-Seleka community; MaKgosi Langa of the Makuruanyane community; and MaKgosi Shongoane of the Babididi community.

Four Community-based Tourism Routes Opened

Four new community-based tourism routes have been launched with support from the Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme.

Backed by world-wide marketing through an innovative website, the new attractions have been developed by Open Africa with a R628,000 grant from the Limpopo LED Programme's Marginalised Community Fund which focuses on linking poor rural communities to the mainstream economy.

Open Africa identifies tourism opportunities in rural communities, and assists them to develop the opportunities to their full potential and to market them to local, national and international tourism markets through its Geographic Information System-based website.

Catering for tourists visiting remote and little known places, a feature of Open Africa's projects is the utilisation of its website: www.africandream.org. This gives potential tourists detailed maps and information on attractions and accommodation, and the ability to download GPS co-ordinates to guide them through routes.

Working closely with communities in developing routes, Open Africa says its projects co-ordinate them "around a vision of common purpose, brands their products as a collective, and makes it easier for visitors to make and plan itineraries".

The new routes will "expand the environmental economy, link more marginalised communities into the network, and through that to the formal economy, utilising indigenous skills and cultural assets, and adding to the bouquet of attractions to entice more visitors to these areas".

The four routes opened with support of the Limpopo LED Programme will enhance Open Africa's existing network of five community-based tourism routes in Limpopo.

Open Africa says each of its existing Limpopo routes has an average of 30 tourism establishments employing some 300 full-time and 100 part-time people. It says its new routes are likely to create a similar number of jobs, suggesting that they could create as many as 1,200 full-time and 400 part-time jobs. It also notes that "the trickle-down effect of tourism reaches a very high proportion of people within the vicinity of where it takes place".

Traditional homes nestle around Blouberg mountain which forms a striking backdrop to the Seraki Blouberg Tourism Route.

The four tourism routes opened with support from the Limpopo LED
Programme are:

The Bush to Beach Tourism Route

See the biggest land mammal in Limpopo today and skin dive with the biggest fish in Mozambique tomorrow. The new Bush to Beach Tourism Route offers the best of both worlds.

This gives a new dimension to tourism in Limpopo by linking the province's premier wildlife reserves and Mozambique's pristine coast. The route gives tourists the best of both worlds, enabling them to see the most majestic land mammals in Limpopo today and dive with the biggest fish tomorrow.

Some 70 lodges are participating in the Bush to Beach route which capitalises on the development of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) linking Kruger National Park and Limpopo National Park (LNP) in Mozambique via the recently opened Giriyondo border post.

The route is anchored around Phalaborwa where some 180,000 tourists annually pass through the Phalaborwa gate entrance to KNP.The route leads tourists through KNP and LNP to Massingir, Chokwe and the coastal resort of Xai-Xai before heading south to Bilene and north to the tourism centres of Inhambane and Vilankulo.

Open Africa's website -- www.africandream.org -- provides tourists with extensive details on Bush to Beach participating lodges which offer accommodation ranging from upmarket to modest community-based establishments.

Some 40 of the 70 lodges are situated around Phalaborwa which aims to reduce its strong dependence on mining by diversifying its economy through development of a tourism industry based on promoting the town as the gateway to "bush 'n beach" holidays.

Two of the participating lodges are based within the TFCA and six in the Mozambique interior towns of Massingir and Chokwe. Remaining lodges are situated in the coastal resorts of Bilene, Xai-Xai, Inhambane and Vilankulo.

Map of the Bush to Beach and Kruger to Canyon tourism routes launched by Open Africa with support from the Limpopo LED Programme.

The Kruger to Canyon Tourism Route

This links Phalaborwa on the border of Kruger National Park, Hoedspruit and Graskop on the edge of Blyde River Canyon.

For more information on the Bush to Beach and Kruger to Canyon Tourism Routes, please contact:

Mark Glanvill
Tel: +27 (0)15 781 3621; Fax: +27 (0)15 781 5503,
Cell: +27 (0)83 627 8739.
E-mail: mrglan@mweb.co.za

Bollanoto Information Office
Nadia Hanekom
Tel: +27 (0)15 781 5503/3620; Fax: +27 (0)15 781 5503.
E-mail: nadia.hanekom@pafound.za.org

The Seraki Blouberg Tourism Route

The logo of the Seraki Blouberg Tourism Route.

Open Africa describes this as the "gateway to an almost forgotten world" and as a new attraction for adventure travellers. Situated north west of Limpopo's capital city, Polokwane, the focal point of the route is the Blouberg mountain which is one of South Africa's biggest inselbergs, or free-standing mountains.

One of Limpopo's least developed areas, the Blouberg is home to some 160,000 people who live in 117 traditional settlements within close proximity of the mountain. The need for economic development here is underlined by the high rate of unemployment, estimated in excess of 50%.

The name "Seraki" refers to Chief Maleboho who played a pivotal role in the history of the Bahananwa people, the largest group in the area. The symbol of the baboon in the tourism logo represents the time the people's ancestors lived on the mountain, though some still live there today.

The route includes two nature reserves: Malebosch in the west, and Blouberg in the east.

The majority of tourism-related projects are situated at the southern foot of the mountain, but the route also includes attractions on top of the mountain.

The route offers a range of attractions including unique rock-art paintings, a wide range of fauna and flora, ruins testifying to past turmoils, vibrant cultural experiences, with opportunities for adventure in the form of rock climbing, hiking and exploration in breathtaking natural settings.

Projects include agriculture, brick-making, arts and crafts, community development and social awareness. Visitors can buy products, view agricultural initiatives and enjoy the keenness with which the locals are willing to share their experience.

For a full description of the Seraki Blouberg Route and details on attractions and accommodation, visit www.africandream.org

For further information, contact:

Patrick Morata.
Cell: +27 (0)72 1992 542 or +27 (0)76 994 8077.
Fax: +27 (0)15 501 0505.

Women potters and textile makers show their wares on the Seraki Blouberg Tourism Route.

The Land of Legends Route

This lies in the the heart of the traditional home of the VhaVenda people of northern Limpopo. With close links to the Great Zimbabwe civilisation, the area is steeped in myth and legend.

The route uses Thohoyandou as a platform to explore surrounding areas, reaching Nwanedi Nature Reserve, Makuya Nature Reserve, Lambani (near the Punda Maria Gate to Kruger National Park), Makuleke (also near the Pundu Maria Gate to the Kruger National Park), Malamulele and Muribani.
A central feature of the route is the Soutpansberg mountain range with its more than 500 tree species -- 50 of which are endemic -- some 467 bird species and a variety of mammal, reptile and amphibian species.

The Soutpansberg hosts nature reserves and offers travellers a range of game farms and accommodation facilities.

Other features of the route include the Dzata ruins, marking the original capital of the VhaVenda, in the Nzhelele Valley; the Lemba people who view themselves as Black Jews and descendants of the lost tribe of Israel; a rich culture of dance and drumming; and Lake Fundudzi which is regarded as sacred.

Nearby is Thathe Vondo Forest within which lies the Sacred Forest, with giant hardwoods, tree ferns, lianas and creepers. The forest encompasses Thathe Vondo Tea Estates, Mahovhovho Falls and Mukumbani Dam. Then there's Phiphidi Waterfall which is said to be inhabited by the Zidutwane (water spirits).

Other features include the biggest baobab in the country -- over 3,000 years old with a girth of 43 metres -- found near Sagole Spa; Tshimbubfe, an archaeological site with iron furnaces dating back to 1,250; Thulamela, a site in Kruger National Park with evidence that gold was already being smelted here in 1,300; Makuya Park Nature Reserve along the border of Kruger National Park; Nwanedi National Park; Tshatshingo Potholes; and Mphaphuli Cycad Reserve.

For a full description of the Land of Legends Route and details on attractions and accommodation, visit www.africandream.org

For further information, contact:

Beth Mashawana.
Tel/fax: +27 (0)15 962 1500; Cell: +27 (0)72 401 1832.

Lake Fundudzi which is sacred to the VhaVenda people.

Keeping The Land Productive

The Limpopo LED Programme is supporting a capacity building programme to enable the Moletele Community Property Association (CPA) to manage its interests in restitututed land. Training is being undertaken by James Thrush (left). With him are Mike Scott, a strategic partner of the Moletele community, Ellen Chiloane, secretary of the CPA, Thandios Mashile, chairperson of the CPA, and Hudson Malebe, a Moletele community representative.

The Limpopo LED Programme is meeting a major challenge identified by Limpopo Premier Sello Moloto. Making his recent State of the Province address, the Premier said productivity on restituted farm land is declining and that vast tracts of land are lying fallow.

"The whole concept of land restitution will not yield the desired outcomes if beneficiaries do not understand that they equally have a responsibility to ensure that productivity of these farms is maintained," he said. "The need to develop a mechanism where adequate skills are transferred becomes imperative."

In line with the Premier's plea, the Limpopo LED Programme is supporting an initiative which could become a model for training farmers in communities that have successfully claimed back land alienated from them during the apartheid era.

Limpopo Premier Sello Moloto who has warned successful land claimants that they have a responsibility to ensure continued productivity of their assets.

The initiative focuses on the Moletele community of 1,615 families who have claimed some 50,000 hectares in the Hoedspruit area, with much of this being highly productive farm land. Land in the area also includes tourist lodges.

In the first phase of the settlement of their claim, the community has been granted 26 farms covering 3,400 hectares. The farms have been acquired by government from willing sellers and transferred to the community, but it lacks skills required to manage and develop them.

Recognising the need to maintain productivity on restituted land, the Limpopo government divided the farms into clusters and issued tenders to identify experienced strategic partners for the Moletele Community Property Association (CPA) which represents the families.

The tenders were won by some of the willing sellers, who have been given 10-year contracts to manage the farms in partnership with the Moletele CPA. As part of the contract, skills must be transferred to the CPA and farm workers. Two operating companies have been formed to run the clusters. The Moletele CPA has a 51% share in each company; former owners hold 47%; and 2% has been reserved for workers' trusts. The CPA and the strategic partners are each represented by three directors.

Operating companies now have ambitious plans to expand cultivation of fruit and vegetables, agri-processing and exports. One of them, New Dawn, is also entering agreements to take over operations on other farms once claims on them have been settled.

However, as New Dawn managing director Mike Scott explains, the key to the success of the newly-formed enterprises lies in transferring skills to the Moletele CPA.

"We want to develop a model for successful land restitution," says Scott. "The objective must be long-term sustainability of agriculture, and we can only achieve that by enabling new land owners to acquire skills required to run agricultural enterprises."

The Limpopo LED Programme has made a grant of R450,000 for capacity building of the CPA. A further R150,000 has been granted by the Bohlabelo Economic Development Initiative which is funded by the Business Trust, giving New Dawn a sizable R600,000 to fund its training programme.

Business consultant James Thrush is leading the capacity building programme in which some 40 CPA committee and community members have already received training in the duties and responsibilities of directors. Training also focuses on essential business skills and labour law.

CPA chairperson Thandios Mashile says committee members have gained considerably from training which also includes essential business skills and labour law.

A key aim of the CPA is to establish its own administrative centre to manage its interests in restituted land and farms. It hopes to establish support infrastructure from the proceeds of a R25 million post-land settlement development grant due to it from government. However, the CPA is being frustrated by long delays in the processing of the grant.

In addition to meeting concerns expressed by Premier Moloto, the Limpopo LED Programme support for the Moletele CPA is in line with key objectives of the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy.

As Scott explains: the project is creating sustainable economic development and job creation with long-term profit potential; it brings together commercial farmers in the 1st economy and emergent farmers and communities in the 2nd economy; it adds value to restituted land, the district and Limpopo's fruit industry; and it enables the retention and development of domestic and export markets.

"We are all very proud of what has been achieved thus far," says Scott.

For more information, please contact:

Thandios Mashile, chairperson of the Moletele CPA.
Tel: +27(0)13 795 0159;
Cell: +27(0)82 740 3797.

Mike Scott
Tel: +27(0)15 795 5190;
Fax: +27(0)15 795 5188;
Cell: +27(0)83 635 0502.
E-mail: rio@worldonline.co.za

Members of the first Moletele Land Claim Committee. The community has claimed some 50,000 hectares of land in the Hoedspruit area, and is now forming strategic partnerships with commercial farmers in order to sustain development of its new assets. The Limpopo LED Programme is supporting an initiative to transfer skills to the community. Photograph: courtesy Kruger2Canyons newspaper.

Flower Power

Members of the Stemora group and some of their partners who are working together to produce FairTrade-accredited essential oils from geraniums.

The Moria area is becoming more than the spiritual home of the Zion Christian Church. A village near the church is taking its own leap of faith by pioneering development of the first international standards for a form of agriculture far removed from traditional subsistence farming practised in most rural areas of Limpopo. With support from the Limpopo LED Programme, emergent farmers in Ga-Rampheri village have formed a range of strategic partnerships, enabling them to grow geraniums according to organic principles; to extract the high value essential oil from the plants; and to sell the sought-after oil to cosmetics' manufacturers worldwide. However, the project also aims to establish the first international standards for essential oils produced under the FairTrade label which commands premium prices and offers added benefits to marginalised communities.

The project is being led by Goldex, a Polokwane-based company specialising in marketing agricultural products. Goldex has received a R4 million grant from the Limpopo LED Programme to undertake the project in partnership with 10 Ga-Rampheri emergent farmers who will form a co-operative called Stemora Eco Projects. This will enable other farmers to join the project and also facilitate establishment of a community trust that will benefit from the venture.

The grant will contribute towards land preparation and infrastructure development; setting up and operating a seedling nursery; obtaining organic certification; procuring equipment and mobile processing units; training of farmers in organic geranium cultivation, oil processing and management of assets; facilitating community participation in the project; marketing; and developing the first benchmark for FairTrade standards and protocols for essential oil production.

The project will be undertaken on 50 hectares which have been made available to the emergent farmers by the local traditional leadership. The project will create about 30 permanent jobs, and 120 seasonal jobs during harvesting. Opportunities could also emerge for small enterprises to provide such services as compost and organic fertiliser making, and transport.

FairTrade enables small-scale producers to gain easier access to markets in developed countries. Products with the FairTrade label are sold at a premium because their prices are based on ensuring that workers who produced them receive a fair, living wage. Consumers are prepared to pay the premium as their contribution towards improving the position of producers in marginalised areas. Part of the premium is paid back to producers and is generally used to fund improvements to social facilities in their communities or to enable the producers themselves to improve their
operations.

FairTrade principles have been established for a wide range of products but none exist for essential oils production. Part of the Limpopo LED grant will therefore be used to develop the first standards and to have them accepted by the FairTrade Labelling Organisation.

Farmers who belong to Stemora Eco Projects have been part of a CSIR geranium cultivation pilot project. Their involvement in this new project will give them access to development capital, enable them to gain skills in organic cultivation, processing and marketing, and to share in ownership of equipment and oil processing units.

Other partners in the venture are:

* Earth Oils, a UK-based natural products marketing company which is the second largest international importer of essential oils and is strongly committed to supporting emerging farmers in developing countries through FairTrade. Earth Oils will secure markets for the Ga-Rampheri project.

* Epic Pharmaceuticals which will secure mobile processing units for oil extraction and undertake marketing and branding services.

* Agrimico Technologies which has experience in implementing community-based agri-business projects in Limpopo and which will undertake capacity building.

The project will meet key objectives of national and provincial government policy and of the Limpopo LED Programme's Marginalised Community Fund. The marginalised Ga-Rampheri community will be linked to the mainstream global economy; underutilised community assets will become productive, creating jobs, reducing poverty and stimulating local economic development.

For more information, please contact:

Hanneke Laatz: Goldex.
Tel: +27 (0)15 289 9540; Fax: 0866 722119; Cell: 082 960 1022.
E-mail: advidata@mweb.co.za

Counting On Beans

Improbable as it seems, Limpopo's platinum industry needs beans. And that's what a small-scale farming project being supported by the Limpopo LED Programme plans to deliver.

The bean so sought after is the guar. It is used as a vegetable for human consumption and as cattle feed. Guar gum is used as a stiffener in soft ice cream, and as a stabiliser for cheeses,instant puddings and whipped cream substitutes.

However, the guar bean is also used to make polymeric depressants which are important re-agents in the flotation of ores to recover metals, and especially platinum group metals.

The South Africa platinum mining industry consumes an estimated 1,000 tons of processed guar per month, of which mines in Limpopo consume some 30%. This used to be imported mainly from Zimbabwe, but the guar growing industry there has collapsed, leaving mines to source their needs from elsewhere in the world.

Now, the Limpopo LED programme has awarded a R564,300 grant to Teba Development which is supporting the drawing up of a community action plan for the production and processing of guar, initially in Sekhukhune district. The district in south eastern Limpopo covers the Eastern Limb of the Bushveld Igneous Complex where platinum mining is rapidly expanding.

Owned by a consortium of mining houses, Teba is a well known agency which supports mine workers. Teba Development was established in 2002 as part of a rural upliftment initiative to support the mining industry’s social development commitments under the Mining Charter.

Teba Development is drawing up the action plan in partnership with Limpopo-based Womiwu Rural Development.

Their initiative aims to identify pilot areas for guar production as well as suitable small-scale farmers, and to train and support them. The long-term aim is to establish a guar cultivation industry in Limpopo.The project developers estimate that in order to meet the mining industry’s monthly need for 1 000 tons of processed guar, some 30,000 hectares would need to be cultivated by large- and small-scale farmers. If even only 10% of this was produced by small-scale growers, then 1,000 farmers and their families would benefit in an area where unemployment is estimated to be as high as 75%.

Guar cultivation would suit small-scale farmers because it requires low inputs and produces a high value, competitive crop for which there is a ready market.

Guar is also suitable for cultivation in such dry areas as Sekhukhune district because it tolerates drought and high temperatures.

The project supports national and provincial policies to create opportunities for marginalised communities by linking them with the mainstream economy.

It will also help to diversify community-based agriculture which is based mainly on growing subsistence crops.

For more information, please contact:

David Cooper, Teba Development
Tel: +27 (0)11 353 6034 Fax: +27 (0)11 353 6138
E-mail: davidc@teba.co.za
www.tebadevelopment.co.za

A guar crop being cultivated as part of a pilot project is inspected. Guar project research leader Sarel Eloff (wearing a peaked cap) and project officer David Ngobeni (wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and denims), are joined here by local farmers, government extension officers and representatives of such support organisations as the Limpopo LED Programme, Business Trust and the Development Bank of Southern Africa. If the pilot project is successful, between 500 and 1 000 emergent farmers could start growing the crop.

BEE Power

The Inyosi Honey label under which products made by Limpopo beekeepers will be marketed.

The Limpopo LED Programme is supporting an initiative designed to establish a national black-owned honey production co-operative. The initiative is being undertaken by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) "Beekeeping For Poverty Relief Programme". The project envisages development of community-based co-operatives producing honey marketed nationally under the Inyosi Honey brand which has been developed for exclusive use by emerging beekeepers and is also a Proudly South African product.

The ARC chose beekeeping because of growing demand for honey. South Africa does not produce sufficient to meet local demand and therefore imports honey, and shortages on international markets are causing prices to rise, creating opportunities for exports. Some 2 000 rural beekeepers have already been trained and over 4 000 hives established, mainly in the Eastern Cape. Now, the Limpopo LED Programme is assisting local communities to overcome a major obstacle in their participation in the project: lack of funding.

The Inyosi Honey label under which products made by Limpopo beekeepers will be marketed.

The Limpopo LED Programme has made a grant of R1 862 000 to the ARC, enabling the organisation to facilitate the establishment of commercially viable beekeeping and honey production in the Greater Giyani area where conditions are ideal for beekeeping.

The project involves the training in beekeeping and honey production of 45 members of the Greater Giyani Natural Resource Programme. They come from two villages in the area and from the Rivoningo Agricultural School and will be joined by 15 Elim community members who have already been introduced to beekeeping. They will form four associations each consisting of 15 beekeepers who must demonstrate that they have the support of their communities. Community structures will be established to take ownership of equipment.

The Inyosi Honey label under which products made by Limpopo beekeepers will be marketed.

The Limpopo LED Programme grant will support capacity building among prospective beekeepers and communities, and the establishment of beekeeping associations, populated hives, a honey processing facility, and linkages with mainstream markets. This will be achieved through the Inyosi Honey brand and the packaging, marketing and distribution infrastructure already established to support it.

The ARC envisages the eventual establishment of a Black Economic Empowerment company that will be largely owned by beekeeping groups developed through the programme.

For more information, please contact:

Elize Lundall-Magnuson: Agricultural Research Council.
Tel: +27 (0)12 356 9809; Fax: +27 (0)12 329 3278.
E-mail: lundallme@arc.agric.za
Website: www.arc.agric.za

A Gem Of An Idea

An assortment of polished stones similar to the types that will be produced by Vhembe Colourstone Mining Co-operative.

Rural women developing a colour stone mining co-operative in Vhembe are entering the mainstream economy through partnerships with the public and private sectors.

The Vhembe Colourstone Mining Co-operative in the Musina area has received a R3 967 200 grant from the Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme to assist it to develop a commercially viable business, expand mining, establish a beneficiation plant in Musina in order to add value to its colour stones, and to market them nationally and internationally.

Further support has come from Vhembe District Municipality which has pledged R2 million towards the project. State-owned mining research and development agency Mintek is providing technical support to the Co-operative, and the national Department of Trade & Industry's Small Enterprise Development Agency is providing business training and support.

The non-profit organisation, Vukani-Ubuntu, will assist the Co-operative to create market linkages with international companies that support FairTrade, and a private company, Africa Grace, will distribute the Co-operative's colour stones to shops in South Africa and Namibia.

The Co-operative has also found a partner with considerable expertise in colour stone mining and marketing. The partner is VN Mining headed by former De Beers employee Peter-John van Niekerk. VN has a colourstone beneficiation plant in Nelspruit and already buys from the Co-operative some R80 000 a month worth of stones which it markets in Asia. VN will provide the Co-operative with expertise, technology and links to markets.

The Co-operative, which consists of 12 members of whom seven are women, aims to create sustainable jobs and empower marginalised communities to participate in the mainstream economy.

The Co-operative already employs 41 people. Funding from the Limpopo LED Programme and other entities will enable the Co-operative to explore new mining sites and develop three existing sites in addition to establishing a beneficiation plant. The Co-operative believes the project will create 90 permanent jobs and 120 jobs downstream. Profits from the project will accrue to a community trust.

For more information, please contact:

Agnes Gausi: Vhembe Colourstone Mining Co-operative.
Tel/Fax: +27 015 534 3372; Cell: 073 6373068.
E-mail: vhembecstone@mweb.co.za

Right On Their Doorstep

Members of some 100 communities along Limpopo’s border with Kruger National Park (KNP) stand to benefit from an ambitious tourism-based project being supported by the Limpopo LED Programme.

The LED Programme has awarded a R850,000 grant enabling the project leader, the African Wildlife Foundation Trust, to undertake a series of initiatives aimed at supporting economic development in the area by mobilising community assets and resources, and maximising existing economic opportunities.

The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is an international organisation based in Kenya, and has been active in community development in Limpopo through its involvement with the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA).

The Great Limpopo TFCA incorporates KNP, Limpopo National Park in Mozambique and Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe, and aims to involve surrounding communities in the benefits of tourism and conservation.

AWF brokered the landmark tourism partnership between the Makuleke community and a private investor, Wilderness Safaris, in northern KNP. The Limpopo community had won a land claim on part of KNP, and Wilderness Safaris became its strategic partner in developing the area for tourism. The Pafuri Camp lodge developed by the company employs 45 people, and the community receives quarterly land lease payments, according to AWF.

The project being supported by the Limpopo LED Programme aims to:

Referring to the Makuleke experience, AWF notes: “Many marginalised communities living adjacent to KNP are not aware of the vast value of their own natural resource assets or are in a position to capitalise on them for tourism development".

The project meets key objectives of national and provincial policy by aiming to link the 1st and 2nd economies and to build community capacity to participate in partnerships with private investors.

The achievements of the Makuleke people are a model for the development of community-based tourism on communal land in the vicinity of the area where the Limpopo LED Programme is supporting a major community-based tourism project. After successfully claiming some 24,000 hectares in Kruger National Park under South Africa’s post-apartheid land restitution laws, the Makuleke community formed strategic partnerships with established tourism groups to develop their new asset. The community awarded the owners of 10 Bompas Hotel in Johannesburg a 30-year concession to build and operate The Outpost lodge on its land. The Outpost has already won international acclaim after being selected as one of the 100 Best New Hotels In the World by the prestigious Conde Naste Traveller magazine in 2004. The Outpost pays 8% of its turnover to the community as a concession rental and a further 2% is paid to a community development trust. It also has an obligation to transfer skills and to place the Makulekes in a position to maintain The Outpost when its ownership reverts to the community at the end of the 30-year concession period. The community has also granted a concession to Wilderness Safaris which has developed the Pafuri Camp on its land. For more information, please contact: Harry van der Linde, African Wildlife Foundation Trust Tel: +27 (0)13 751 2483 Fax: +27 (0)13 751 3258 E-mail: hvanderlinde@awfsa.org www.awf.org

Linking Communities And Our Forests

Forestry group SAFCOL is planning to facilitate and participate in the development of community-based tourism in and around some of its forests in Limpopo.

The process is being supported by the Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme which has made a grant of R455,000 to SAFCOL, enabling the group to commission a detailed study of the best options for developing community-based tourism.

The study focuses on Limpopo’s two most beautiful mountain areas: the Soutpansberg in Vhembe district, and Magoebaskloof in Mopani district, both of which contain large tracts of SAFCOL's 18,000 hectare Komatiland Forests.

The project is being driven by a special eco-tourism unit within SAFCOL which sees considerable potential for development of areas as new tourism destinations, offering a wide range of outdoor and adventure activities such as camping, hiking and mountain biking.

However, as SAFCOL project leader Piet Bezuidenhout explains, previous attempts to develop community-based tourism have been largely unsuccessful because projects were too small and under-capitalised to attract sufficient interest. The major source of domestic tourism in the Gauteng area also perceives such areas as the Soutpansberg as being too remote.

The SAFCOL study will therefore assess the feasibility of larger projects that would be more viable and attractive to tourists and help to establish a new tourism destination.

Projects will not be confined to SAFCOL plantations and could be based on a combination of forest land and nearby properties.

SAFCOL already has guest houses and hiking trails in some areas.

The study will assess existing facilities and plans in each area; refine development concepts; test their marketability; and develop a Marginalised Community Action Plan for proposed developments. SAFCOL plans to have a stake in tourism facilities developed from the study, but does not preclude investment by private groups.

The project promotes the objectives of national and provincial government policy. It will bring together the 1st and 2nd economies; draw communities into mainstream tourism, transfer skills to them and alleviates poverty; promote more competitive tourism destinations; and facilitate more sustainable land reform in cases where restituted land is used as part of a tourism development.

For more information, please contact:
David Mbulaheni SAFCOL
Tel: +27 (0)12 481 3659
E-mail: davidm@safcol.co.za

Big mines have needs, as do small businesses around them. Faced with the need to meet targets set out in the Mining Charter, mines must procure a growing proportion of goods and services from BEE entities, preferably in their areas of operation. However, local small businesses are too often ill equipped to deliver the goods and services mines require, and often to meet the standards expected of them.

Now, the Palabora Foundation aims to bridge this great divide and create a "win-win" situation for all communities in the renowned mining town of Phalaborwa.

As the social investment arm of Palabora Mining Company (PMC), the Foundation has been awarded a R940,000 grant from the Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme to expand the range of services provided by its Business Advice Centre (BAC).

The aim is not only to empower small businesses to become reliable suppliers of goods and services to the mines, but to transfer skills enabling them to participate in development of other sectors of the local economy, such as its growing tourism industry, and as suppliers to local government. This is particularly important in Phalaborwa where the town's principal mines -- copper producer PMC and phosphate producer Foskor -- have a limited lifespan.

PMC has extended the life of its mine by some 20 years by sinking an underground shaft below its huge open pit operation, but the message is clear: the people of Phalaborwa need to reduce their dependency on the mines as providers of jobs and to diversify their economy.

Situated on the border of Kruger National Park and the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA), Phalaborwa is already establishing itself as a tourist gateway, with lodges & bed'n breakfast inns opening in the town.

PMC itself has sold its renowned Hans Merensky Country Club to an Irish entrepreneur who has invested heavily to transform the facility into a luxury "game and golf" hotel and residential complex on the border of Kruger National Park.

This is a particularly distinctive tourism destination which has given Phalaborwa a competitive edge, with golfers often playing in the company of wild animals and where a cheetah kill on a fairway is not an uncommon site.

In turn, the Palabora Foundation has supported the local municipality in drawing up a comprehensive tourism strategy, and in promoting Phalaborwa as a gateway to the Great Limpopo TFCA which covers Kruger National Park, surrounding private game reserves, Limpopo National Park in neighbouring Mozambique, and Gonarazhou National Park in Zimbabwe.

PMC and Foskor are already meeting their Mining Charter procurement targets, but they draw mainly on a national pool of some 55 registered BEE suppliers.

PMC spent R162 million on supplies from these companies last year out of its total procurement expenditure of R478 million. Foskor's largest operating division in Phalaborwa procures annually goods and supplies worth R650 million.

However, the mines need to procure more from local businesses. The Palabora Foundation's BAC has already built up a database of 258 local businesses, and now plans to use its Limpopo LED grant to extend support services to small businesses.

These will include:

• Counselling and advisory services, with training in various business skills and disciplines.
• Developing networking and business linkages in Phalaborwa.
• Secretarial and administrative support.
• Database management facilities to ensure that BEE entities are linked to supply chain tender processes of mining houses and local government.
• A One-Stop-Shop information centre.

With the support of a Limpopo LED Programme grant, the Palabora Foundation will be able to provide better training to local BEE companies, enabling them to supply goods and services to Palabora Mining Company whose huge open pit copper mine is a landmark in the Phalaborwa area. The life of the mine has been prolonged by the sinking of an underground shaft beneath the open pit.

Services will include computer literacy training in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Internet and e-mail usage; assistance in drawing up business plans and in accessing finance; and training in such disciplines as business and financial management, cost accounting, tender procedures, marketing and sales management, logistics management, and safety and security.

A mentorship programme is also envisaged. In addition, assistance will be given in market research and opportunity identification, and feasibility studies and product assessments.

Promoting Tourism

The Palabora Foundation has also been awarded a further R940,000 grant by the Limpopo LED Programme, enabling it to play a role in the promotion of Phalaborwa as a premier tourism destination. The funds will be controlled by the Foundation, the Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality and the Greater Phalaborwa Trade and Tourism Council who are joining forces to market Phalaborwa and to promote the town as the gateway to the Great Limpopo TFCA.Initiatives include development of a community website, production of a video, CD ROM and brochures, opening of tourism routes, erection of signage, and participation in tourism conferences and seminars.

Numerous people trained by the Palabora Foundation with funding from the Limpopo LED Programme are now playing a productive role in Phalaborwa's economy. Among them are: (left to right) Cyfrance Matsane who has formed a BEE partnership with a local building group which has won a R1,9 million tender to construct the Palabora Foundation's new Business Development Centre; Thomas Lekwadu who was unemployed before undertaking a Palabora Foundation training course. He now runs a multi-faceted business specialising in labour hire for the mines, panelbeating, roadworthy testing and building maintenance; and Sharne Petrus who has formed a BEE partnership which has won contracts to supply a range of products and equipment to local mines. Also in the photograph are (second from right) Jenni Fleming, who heads the Palabora Foundation training centre and (right) Calvin Mashakeng, a Palabora Foundation business advisor.

Limpopo communities have secured a R1 million grant enabling them to play their part in the development of the first new clay brick factory to be established in South Africa in the past 10 years. The grant, from the Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme, has been awarded to the Setlhare Traditional Authority, factory workers and local communities in the Bushbuckridge area.

A R1 million grant from the Limpopo LED Programme to communities in Bushbuckridge has enabled them to contribute towards the cost of machinery for a new clay brick factory which went into production in May.

The project has the support of the Bushbuckridge Municipality which views it as part of its LED programme.The grant will be used to purchase machinery for the factory. It will not only give the community a better sense of ownership, but will free up project capital during the initial stages of production when sales cannot be made for at least two months while the first bricks dry and get fired.The community says it will invest its share of profits in the development of social projects.

The Bushbuckridge venture will help to relieve South Africa's estimated annual shortage of some 500 million clay bricks. It will create an estimated 400 direct and 600 indirect jobs in an area with a dire 60% unemployment rate. "The area needs a large scale economic investment injection which could create hundreds of primary jobs and stimulate or mobilise available expertise and resources in the area to create more secondary jobs", says Van Rhyn. The factory will annually produce about 100 million clay bricks. Some of these will be used in the building of 3,000 new RDP-type houses, providing shelter for 2,000 people.

Limpopo has an unlikely new export -- Mopani worms. They are being sold to a London company by a Giyani community enterprise which is developing a range of Mopani worm-based foods and flavoured snacks with support from the European Union-funded Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme.

The London company, Edible, specialises in importing exotic foods which it sells via its website, to retail and wholesale outlets and to novelty stores. Owner Todd Dalton has been buying small quantities but believes he could annually sell as much as 200 kilograms of dried Mopani worms.
"They sell well and people buy them for their novelty value", says Dalton. Edible sells the worms on-line for about R150 for a 40 gram pack, and markets them as "an interesting addition to dinner parties".

"For centuries, insect consumption has been part of the everyday diet of many of the world's inhabitants", notes Edible's website www.edible.com.

"We in the West have closed our minds to insect eating but in doing so have forgotten that these are one of the most nutritious foods, higher in protein levels than chicken, and cholesterol free". South African researchers in fact claim that 100 grams of dried Mopani worms provide up to 76% of a human's daily protein requirement.

Mopane worm processing centre manager Pork Mkhari.

While Dalton sells Mopani worms only in dried form, he adds value to other insect-based products by giving them what he calls "a western twist". These include such delicacies as chocolate covered giant ants and scorpions, toffee scorpion candy, and Thai curry crickets.

However, the Giyani enterprise is planning to add value to Mopani worms by producing a wide range of processed foods and snacks branded under the Shangaan name for Mopani worm: Masonja. The enterprise is being developed by a non-profit organisation, Mohlanatsi, which has received R1,2 million from the Limpopo LED Programme. The funding has been made from the Programme's Marginalised Community Fund which aims to link poor rural communities with the mainstream economy.

The funding will be used to train some 1,200 people employed by 12 co-operatives which will be responsible for harvesting Mopani worms twice a year and for drying them. Funding will also be used to expand a processing plant in which the co-operatives will have shares. The expansion will include a warehouse in which worms can be stored, enabling the enterprise to sell products year round.

In addition, funding will support the CSIR in the development of packaging and added value products. Mexican chilli, barbecue and jungle spice snacks are already being sold under the Masonja brand, but Mohlanatsi MD Abednigo Mashele says the enterprise hopes to sell such products as Masonja sausage, polony and a Marmite-like bread spread. Mashele says it's difficult to estimate demand for the products, but there is clearly great potential.

Researchers estimate more than 1,6 million kilograms of Mopani worms are annually traded in South Africa.

For more information, please contact:
Nyiko Mashele, Mohlanatsi Integrated Rural Development Programme.
Tel/Fax: +27 (0)15 318 6066
Cell: +27 (0)82 564 6214
E-mail: nyiko@mecernet.co.za

South Africans love Mopane worms. No fewer than 760 million of the vividly-coloured little critters are traded annually in the country, according to researchers. And the reason for their popularity is clear. Researchers claim that 100 grams of dried Mopane worms provide up to 76% of a human's daily protein requirement. Mopane worms are usually traded in 20 kilogram bags each containing an average of 9,500 worms. It is estimated that more than 1,6 million kilograms of dried Mopane worms are annually traded in South Africa. Distinguished by its vivid colours, the Mopane worm is in fact a caterpillar and represents the larval stage of the Anomalous Emperor Moth (Imbrasia belina).

Nyiko Abednigo Mashele (second from right), managing director of the Mohlanatsi organisation which is developing a Mopani worm processing project near Giyani with support from the European Union-funded Limpopo LED Programme.

An idea conceived by two retired Limpopo government officials is opening opportunities for subsistence farmers to become small-scale commercial farmers able to market good quality cattle. The plan, worked out by retired government environmentalist Riem Venter and former teacher Pat Mdluli, will enable subsistence farmers to graze and care for their cattle on municipal and restituted land.

The plan has now been adopted by a new company, C2C Agricultural Co-operative which derives its name from the concept: communal to commercial. C2C has now secured a R1 million grant from the Limpopo Local Economic Development (LED) Programme to plan and develop livestock projects in the Waterberg municipalities of Modimolle, Mookgophong & Mogalakwena.

The project was initially based on the fact that municipalities own and manage relatively large tracts of land, some of which is already leased to individuals for cattle grazing. However, little appears to have been done to utilise this asset for the benefit of poor rural subsistence farmers who live in nearby formal and informal settlements.

Many beneficiaries of restituted property also suffer from a lack of grazing land.Many of these subsistence farmers are forced to haphazardly graze their cattle in limited areas or next to roads, often invading private property or endangering motorists.

Developing municipal and restituted land for grazing on an organised, scientific basis backed by proper training and stock improvement programmes will not only stimulate local economic development but also reduce deforestation, unplanned veldfires and littering.

Farmers are organising themselves into branches of the C2C Agricultural Co-operative for each municipal area in which well fenced land with suitable cattle handling facilities, reticulated water, and livestock breeding and animal health programmes will be developed.

As a guideline to potential, they estimate that a 6,000 hectare project with an average carrying capacity of 10 hectares per large stock unit will accommodate 600 cattle. If each Co-operative member is allowed to graze 10 cattle in a total herd of 580 cows and 20 bulls, 58 members can be accommodated. Based on an 80% weaning rate, eight weaners should produce an average profit of R12,000 a year or R1,000 per month. This is already higher than the minimum farm wage, says C2C Agricultural Co-op.

Stock will be identified with a unique co-operative brand, and each member's females will be identified with ear tags. Proper control will be applied by recording on a computerised system all data on each individual animalÕs performance. This will aid in the selection process.

Improving stock by introducing good quality bulls will result in increased yields and buying power, thus decreasing production costs through bulk buying and transportation of viable numbers of animals to local markets.