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Health in every Hut

INCREASING RURAL HOMESTEAD FOOD AND INCOME PRODUCTION

The Donald Woods Foundation (DWF) has during the last five years, assessed Homestead Health and is providing primary health care to over 8500 homesteads, numbering some 34 000 people in the Hobeni Area of the Xora Municipality in the Eastern Cape. The system employs a team of 80 trained primary health care workers, who systematically visit the homesteads monitoring health, and provide a link to clinics and a rural Hospital.

The DWF has been asked by the local Hobeni communities to expand their work to assist women homestead producers and local farmers, to increase their production of food and income from their land and livestock assets.

Hobeni is one of the poorest areas of the Eastern Cape Province. Traditional land use and settlement patterns have not resolved homestead poverty and unemployment.

Yet the Hobeni district has a temperate subtropical climate, good soils and a high agricultural, timber, mariculture and livestock potential. The communities lack the essential vision, training, skills infrastructure and stimulus, to make sustainable subsistence and profitable use of their natural resources.

An analysis by a team of experienced rural development practitioners and academics, has confirmed that there is potential for significant increase in household food production. The environment is conducive for a number of profitable subtropical agricultural and livestock enterprises which can contribute significantly to homestead income, leading to a thriving business based, local economy.

Analysis further indicates that it is possible to build on traditional farming practices and promote climate smart, sustainable agricultural production. This can increase the production of food and other products and enable farmers to participate, through local processing and marketing, in the full value chain of their primary products. A method to achieve this by aggregating large numbers of

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small producers to achieve economies of scale, has been developed and is applicable to the communities of Hobeni.

What is required?

The Hobeni Consultation, a collective of 25 rural development and agriculture experts held in September at Hobeni , identified a number of issues which need to be addressed in order to assist the local communities to increase their food production and household income.

Of prime importance is the training of local homestead producers, farmers, school learners and educators, youth and community leadership. People need training and demonstrations of what is possible, they need education in entrepreneurial and business opportunities. There is a pressing requirement for the development of appropriate skills in the technical, professional, production, marketing and general business sectors.

In addition the remoteness of the area, lack of infrastructure, lack of convenient and economic sources of production requirements and the lack of an organised market for livestock and agricultural products, makes homestead and small farmer profitable production extremely difficult and risk prone. This may be why, with all the efforts that the people and support agencies have invested in the past, there is still so little improvement production.

A local convenient effect a Rural Service Centre (RSC) is required, which provides the support for intensified and profitable production within the local community.

The RSC can provide technical advice, training, skills development, entrepreneurial modelling, and make production resources and markets available for producers.

Records show that in the past there was greater local production. This was significantly enabled and supported by services provided by the local Trading Store, which provided credit, production requirements at affordable prices, storage, processing and marketing facilities, for local products. The Trading store was a centre for communication with the outside world, and provided the equivalent of banking and postal facilities.

Hobeni is the historical site of such a Trading Store, which in fact served in the past as a functional Rural Service Centre. DWF has built on this site a modern and effective administrative and management facility, with a residential conferencing and training capacity. This centre with the addition of purpose built units can form a platform for the facilitation of supportive and innovative rural development programmes for the Hobeni area and elsewhere.

The Rural Services Centre will provide the base for a 20 year social and economic development strategy, which can stimulate this local community, to carefully use their environmental resources for their present and future prosperity. Figure 1 illustrates such a rural services centre.

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Fig1. Rural service centre for Donald Woods Foundation Hobeni

Comprising of

a skills training and vehicle workshop; Store for agricultural production requirements; Resource Centre including retail outlet, postal and banking, office space for public services and

technical support local for producers and entrepreneurs; seedling greenhouse; environmentally sensitive homestead for manager; an intensive food production experimental and demonstration facility; produce collection and marketing facility; livestock handling sales and loading facility;

The RSC must be developed to become economically viable and provide goods and services at competitive rates. It is envisaged that DWF will provide the facilities that can be leased out to commercial enterprises which will operate on a franchise and cooperative system with entrepreneurs and local producers.

A comprehensive programme of food, field crops, livestock production in the Hobeni area should be initiated and led by DWF, on a carefully phased strategy over an initial period of five years. This will provide a platform for significant enterprise and business development and enable the local people to participate in an innovative and thriving urbanising development programme over the next 20 years.

The RSC should be facilitated by DWF in partnership with other stakeholders both from the community and from entities outside the Hobeni area The RSC will be developed to cater for the requirements within each phase, beginning with a modest infrastructure and services and then expanding as volumes and enterprises develop.

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HOMESTEAD FOOD AND INCOME PROGRAMME

The rural community in the Hobeni area, as is true of most rural communities in South Africa, is in a state of rapid social change. It has been described by Prof Leslie Banks these communities in transition as representing displaced urbanism. This leads to a focus on investing in urban type dwellings and lifestyle, in the rural space. This can lead to chaotic settlement patterns and the destruction of rural environmental and agricultural productivity.

The Hobeni District should be enabled to systematically plan for this urbanising future and build a society that satisfies their traditional and modern aspirations, with a sound productive local economy. For this reason the programme is being designed to be implemented over a 20 year period, with attention being paid to spacial development urbanisation and intensification of food and agricultural ( including livestock) production.

The first 5 years of the phased 20 year development programme is summarised in the table on page 5 following.

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ACTIVITY PHASE 1 (10 - 50 HH) PHASE 2 ( 50 -200 HH) PHASE 3 (200 - 2000 HH) PHASE 4 (2000 - 4000 HH) PHASE 5 (4000 - 8000HH DWF TRAINING PROGRAMMES

LIVESTOCK PROGRAMME training for livestock productiontraining for livestock production

training for livestock production

training for livestock production

training for livestock production

training for livestock production

DWF LIVESTOCK TRAINING

HEALTH

Innocul ati on, hea l ing, deworming, castrati on, vaccinati on, parti ci pate wi th Department of Veterinary services and drug manufacturors

PRODUCTIONmanagement, selection, breeding, culling, feeding,

MARKETINGhandling facilities, market information, market contracts, animal confirmation

PASTURE AND GRAZINGmanage grazing to ensure resting, introduce legumes and kikuyu pastures, use electric fencing, eliminate undesirable species

VALUE ADDITION

improve stock handling facilities at homesteads, fowl laying, broiler production, geese management, goat management, sheep management, slaughter facilities, cooked meat, feedlot management

cattle handling facilities, chicken rearing to 6 weeks, wool sorting, cattle fattening, milk processing

chicken rearing to 6 weeks, wool sorting, kid goat rearing, sheep breeding, cattle fattening, milk processing

introduce improved bulls, rams ( goat and sheep) broiler production, egg production, rabbit production.

establish cost effective feedlot with linked feed production

commercial dairy, local abattoir and butchery

DWF ENTREPRENSHIP TRAINING

FOOD GARDENS training for homestead gardeningtraining for homestead gardening

training for homestead gardening

training for homestead gardening

training for homestead gardening

training for homestead gardening

DWF FOOD GARDEN TRAINING

HOMESTEADSset up garden kits, fencing loans, water collection, seedling distribution, women's clubs,

50 home gardens 200 home gardens 2000 home gardens 4000 home gardens 8000 home gardens

SCHOOLSnew technique demonstrations, individual learner plots for profit

2 schools 5 schools 100 learners, R70.00 each 500 learners R 200.00 each 1000 learners, R200.00 each

COMMERCIALestablish irrigated 2 ha commercial production unit

2ha unit producing R 10,000profit

4 ha producing R60,000 profit

4 ha producing R120,000profit

8 ha producing R200,000 profit

MARKETINGestablish market at Hobeni, link to traders

establish market at Hobeni

facilitate marketing of produce

facilitate marketing of produce

facilitate marketing of produce

facilitate marketing of produce

FIELD CROPStraining for field crops training for field crops training for field crops training for field crops training for field crops training for field crops DWF FIELD AND FRUIT CROP TRAINING

MAIZEBEANSSOYASWEET POTATOESFEED FOR LIVESTOCKSUB TROPICAL FRUITHIGH VALUE CROPSRENEWABLE ENERGY

MARICULTURE negotiate with DAFFtrials established pilot production units

small scale commercial units small scale commercial units

WATER CONSERVATIONhomestead production, irrigation techniques, rain water harvesting

10 projects 20 new projects 50 new projects project maintenance project maintenanceDWF WATER CONSERVATION

TRAINING

TOURISMevaluate opportunities, establish amenities

facilitate community negotiation with appropriate partners

facilitate training and entry into tourism projects

facilitate expansion of tourism and profitability projects

facilitate expansion of tourism and profitability projects

facilitate expansion of tourism and profitability projects

TOWN AND REGIONAL PLANNINGnegotiate with Local Government to provide assistance in settlement and land use planning

facilitate meetings with appropriate authorities and consultants

facilitate research and support for the development of a settlement and land use plan

facilitate community leadership negotiations with appropriate public sector and private developers

assist in the management of a strategic development plan

assist in the management of a strategic development plan

RESEARCH PROGRAMME

base line studies, social indicators, economic indicators, production improvements, value addition, markets

link with academic institutions and establish programmes

link with academic institutions and establish programmes

link with academic institutions and establish programmes

link with academic institutions and establish programmes

link with academic institutions and establish programmes

DWF RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP

VALUE ADDITION MILLING AND FOOD PROCESSING

30 Cattle,40 goats, 60 fowls, 10 sheep, 5

geese per HH

300Cattle, 500 Goats, 3000 Fowls,500 sheep, 10

Geese

2000 Cattle, 2000 sheep, 3000 goats,10,000 fowls 300

geese

5000 cattle,4000 sheep,3000 goats,15000 fowls,300 geese

5001 cattle,4000 sheep,3000 goats,15000 fowls,300 geese

200 farmers

continue training and support 200 farmers

continue training and support 200 farmers

demonstrate climate smart technology, provide training, make equipment available, make input requirements available, provide marketing

10 farmers 100 farmers

ESTABLISH SOLAR DRIER

HOUSEHOLD

FOOD AND INCOME

PROGRAMME

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IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY AND COSTS FOR 6 MONTH SET UP

REQUIRED ACTIVITY COST IN SA RAND

1. Adoption in principle the Increasing Homestead Food and Income Programme. The draft concept proposal and programme as outlined in this paper should be presented the DWF Executive for discussion and adoption.

2. A Programme Manager should be appointed on a 6 month contract to implement the following

2.1 Expand the current Livestock Health Programme, visit KZN for training and adoption of Mdukutshane system; begin livestock production training; implement marketing system.

2.2 Identify existing and intended interventions in the Hobeni area by other Government , Academic and private sector role players 2.3 Through DWF Advocacy Team meet local Farmers Association, Development Association, Community Property Association, Local leadership, local business entrepreneurs, schools and clinics, to discuss programme possibilities. 2.4 Firm up draft proposal and make presentations to other potential partners, investors and donors such as Provincial Government Departments, Municipalities, Mining Houses, Universities, and others, in order to obtain technical, professional and financial support for the envisaged programme. 2.5 Implement pilot food garden, field crop and school garden entrepreneur programmes with appropriate training and demonstration 2.6 In order to accomplish the tasks required the Programme Manager must have dedicated transport as required by the intensive 6 month programme, both in the Hobeni area and in order to make contacts with potential partners.

3. DWF Executive to evaluate progress, implement modifications and appoint appropriate staff to manage and implement the phased programme

85 000.

210 000.**

5 000.

3 000

45 000

240 000*

* this amount is required if a suitable vehicle is to be purchased. Alternatively a vehicle can be rented

** the current total operating costs of the current animal health programme

*** Cost estimates for the Rural Service Centre have not been included in this 6 month period.

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SOME PROTOCOLS REQUIRED FOR SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION

To assist the people of Hobeni to increase their household food production and income the following issues need to be observed.

1. Increasing Rural Homestead food and income production through the intensification of traditional crop and livestock production by applying climate smart low input systems, which are environmentally responsible and support the growth in agribusiness.

2. Promoting organic social and economic growth through individual and community participation, effort and energy, enabling people to be aware of their aspirations and envision a positive future.

3.Providing a platform such as a Rural Services Centre,( RSC) that enables rural homesteads to increase their production, target and reach available markets, satisfy firstly their own food needs and derive significant income from their local resources. The RSC will make cost effective inputs conveniently available, provide markets for produce. There should be space for the development of entrepreneurs. The Centre and staff will provide linkages between knowledge and research, and technological support,for local producers. Replicable and implementable enterprises can be demonstrated. Infrastructure for local production and value addition can be developed within a agribusiness framework.

4. Support the aggregation of large numbers of small production units into economically viable enterprises and to achieve a scale that reduces poverty in the Hobeni area .

5. Provide vision, and training that creates a positive mind-set and confidence to enable homesteads to produce increase food sustainably and to derive increased income from their production. This will be done by providing modular practical courses, demonstration, and on farm advisory services using the farmer field school approach. There must be a focus on school learners and the youth with specially created programmes.

6 Enable people to productively harness incoming grants from government and private sector remittances, to catalyse local production and markets; retaining the benefit of production within the local community and reversing the current trend of grants being used to import goods and services from outside retailers

7. Provide a base for applied research and academic enquiry which may support innovation and critical thinking regarding rural development and creatively deals with spacial planning and increasing displaced urbanisation

8. Enable base line research data to be collected so that future programmes and projects can be measured and evaluated for their contribution to positive change in the Hobeni Area

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REQUIRED RESEARCH

The 20 year Rural Development programme should be based on competent research describing the actual situation in the Hobeni District and providing innovation for improvements in technology, spacial planning and enterprise development. The following are topic areas amongst others, that require significant attention academic and adaptive research attention. It is anticipated that DWL will encourage Academic and other partners to embark on this research and be responsible for cross correlation and collation between different disciplines and research projects.

Nutrition and food requirements of 8500 households

How much of what….. optimal diet / current praxis by demographic classes….. elderly, working adults, 15-20 adults, 10-15 children,5-10 children 3-5 children, 0-3 children QED how much food is required by when, in what form, price and availability.

Education and technology adoption

A major mind set change in established homesteads, and among the youth, may be required for a positive rural modernisation programme, to be imagined adopted and implemented. Already the influence of Urban values and lifestyles is significant in the Hobeni district. Homesteads are adopting urban building standards and demanding urban services. The youth generally are not positively engaged in rural activities; these are more of an obligation than a positive desire and long term objective. Young people desire a living standard far above that of their parents and search for urban oriented employment.

A new world view may be needed, where the benefits of transformed rural environment can be desired and worked for. Positive energising goals may replace the current disappointment, depression and despair which leads to social breakdown and substance abuse.

The role of traditional and faith based organisations may be vital in this quest.

Local activities base line

Who has done what in the area and who is doing it now and what is being done; Local farmers, women gardeners, schools, churches, public agencies eg LED, Soc dev, PW, Agric, Econ Affairs, Health, COPTA, District Municipalities, Universities, Trading Stores, Spaza Shops, Eskom, Water Affairs; private sector stakeholders eg taxis, hotel, shebeens, contractors traders and service providers.

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This research and information will enable DWF to focus on strategic facilitation, advocacy and strengthening of appropriate activities, that will undergird a positive rural future.

Traditional agriculture practises

Study and analyse current farming practises to record traditional knowledge.“why do farmers and homestead producers do what they do in the way that they do”…….. what are the reasons, beliefs and experience underlying the practises; livestock penned over night with no food or water; why is maize planted so late in spring in the fields; why are poor bulls left intact; why is selective breeding not practised; why is there no conserved feed for winter; why is grazing not managed……..

It is essential to evaluate these and other practises in order to find an appropriate enhancement to increase food production and income from farming. Then with farmers test other methodologies and techniques to enable farmers to compare their traditional with other and make modifications and innovations.

Home garden production kits.

It is not possible to produce significant quantities of food at the homesteads without certain essential requirements; fencing (protection from livestock especially goats), water to supplement rainfall, seed and seedlings, tools for harvesting material for mulch, access to organic rich plant nutrition to enrich impoverished soils. A programme must be researched to enable Households to acquire the items necessary for successful homestead food production will be developed, on a form of hire – purchase scheme. This can begin with a small unit and be expanded incrementally until a full commercial unit can be achieved. The scheme will be conditional on payments and use of the facilities.

It is desirable to work with government partners in their Siyazondla programme. But this may be difficult as the Government programme is a straight forward grant .

Homestead food consumption and food preparation practices

The nutrition status, food consumption, preferences and traditions of Homesteads in the Hobeni area should be recorded. Existing practices and consumption may be evaluated in terms of the Homestead aspirations;

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current consumption within the existing limitations, compared to preferred or desired consumption. This is important data which will determine food production strategies.

Training

Various entities of the years have invested time and effort in training people in rural communities in a variety of skills and proficiencies. Before further training is embarked on, an evaluation needs to be made to assess the actual training that has been done, to evaluate the impact and to understand why people are not applying their new knowledge. Once this has been assessed, then further training programmes can be developed, incorporating the success factors which have been derived from the research.

Field Cropping

The traditional cropping systems are to be respected but it also should be recognised that they have failed to provide sufficient food and income for the local Households. Additional crops both for food and income should be researched for their nutrition contribution, yields and economic value. A range of subtropical should be investigated including fruit and other high value crops, such as aromatic oils, spices, phytopharamaceuticals, biofuels, fibre crops and other crops of industrial value.

Livestock production

Various attempts have been made over the last 4 decades to ‘achieve the livestock potential of the rural communal areas. These strategies have been aimed at genetic improvement, grazing management, marketing and more recently “targeted feeding”. Commercial western production models have generally been as a base for these strategies.

A new approach needs to be explored which begins with the Homestead and livestock owners investment, spiritual, traditional, status, income, and food requirements from their livestock. Existing and historic livestock management systems need to be recognised and evaluated in terms of the household requirements and risk mitigation, before so called livestock improvement strategies are suggested.

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In an urbanising community within a rural space, the role of livestock should be researched in terms of their contribution to household food, health, income and wellbeing, in order to enhance the contribution that livestock can make to lives of present and future people in the Hobeni area.

Irrigation water conservation and rain water harvesting

Intensification of food and income production will require reliable sources of water, particularly during the drier months. There are many well research technologies and methods. What is required is to introduce these to the local homesteads and assist in the adoption and implementation of appropriate systems.

Urbanisation within rural space Urbanisation and migration, spacial development plans, infrastructure requirements, green building promotion, recreation facilities and the like require urban and rural planning and design to create the optimal settlement for the future. Social processes need to be designed and employed to enable people to participate in the development of, and adopt, the future design requirements

Business and enterprise opportunities, meaningful local job creation, employment for educated youth, tourism and other service industry opportunities, component manufacturing, crafts, art, entertainment and other urban related remunerative activities.

Green energy and renewable energy, timber products, new fibre opportunities, solar cooking, biomass to gas conversion for household use.

Mariculture and fresh water fish production, The coast line is largely protected and the community require assistance to develop environmentally sustainable systems that are beneficial to them.

FOOD AND INCOME VALUE CHAINS

In order for the full benefit of primary production to be enjoyed by producers, they should be enabled to participate in the complete value chain of their products. The RSC will facilitate this.

A prime example of this potential is the maize value chain.

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Current production on homestead fields is equivalent to less than 500 kg per hectare (ha) per annum. The environmental potential is 6500 kg per ha per annum. Despite their production opportunities, most households have to buy maize products, their staple food, which is imported from out of the area. Anecdotal evidence suggests that each household consumes some 1500 kg of maize products per annum. If the household is enabled to not only produce more maize, but to be able to store the full crop with minimum spoilage, household food security can be significantly enhanced. Furthermore excess maize can be transported, processed and marketed or it may be fed profitably to livestock.

Using the full maize value chain, a significant enterprise in the Hobeni area can be developed. It is estimated that the area has a potential to produce some 20 000 tons of maize per annum, which may ensure homestead food security and enhance thriving poultry, pig, beef, milk and other livestock enterprises.

Maize may be intercropped, and grown in rotation with other food crops and crops for livestock or for market. Currently many farmers produce beans; and there are a range of other subtropical and temperate climate vegetables, field crops and fruit, which can be grown both for local consumption and for profitable export markets out of the area.

The people of Hobeni appear to be more dependent on Public sector grants, loans, retirement packages, urban employment remittances and livestock investments, than they are on local primary agricultural production.

participation and enable the greatest economic and social value to be obtained within the local community.

COLLATION

The Donald Woods Foundation Health in every Hut primary health care programme, involving over 8500 households, supporting more than 34 000 people has established a remarkable footprint of community involvement and an infrastructure which is capable of supplying highly professional services in the Hobeni District.

A further development for the Foundation is to support this initiative by embarking on a programme to increase household food and income production, based on traditional systems and infusing appropriate climate smart, environmentally sustainable technology and management practises, which will increase food and income.

The DWF centre can become a platform for intensification of food production, increasing household income, creating agribusiness enterprises and aggregating large numbers of small unit production into a significant economic scale, to address poverty and under employment in the Hobeni District.

A crucial perspective of the programme is that while immediate action is being taken on pressing issues, attention is given to longer term planning over a 20 year scenario. This recognises the social impact of displaced urbanism on the traditional rural society and the requirement to enhance

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traditional systems to support the newly developing society, while retaining the rich heritage and indigenous knowledge.

The programme calls for active participation of a number of stakeholders, facilitated by DWF and the community leadership in providing the support to enable this programme to undergird anew model of urbanising rural development.