Jeunesse Park, FounderAWARD WINNING SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

United Nations Global 500 Laureate United Nations Global 500 Laureate President Nelson Mandela Forestry Award Department of Environment Conserva Award Mail & Guardian Green Trust and Investing in the Future Awards Impumelelo Award PMR Awards Eskom Chairman’s Award for Excellence Mail & Guardian Chairman’s Award for Excellence Institute for Housing SA Community Upgrader Award and the International Chevron Conservation Award International Chevron Conservation Award United Nations Environmental Programme 2007 Sasakawa Climate Change Award Arbor Day Foundation Caroline Morton French Award SAB Environmentalist of the Year 2008 Sangonet Best Use of Social Media and Website Award 2009

South Africa’s national social enterprise started in 1990 to facilitate community based greening, climate change response and permaculture food gardening

Food & Trees for Africa

gardening

FTFA runs Trees for Homes, National Tree Distribution Programme, EduPlant and Urban Greening and Food Gardening programmes with support from government, the private and public sectors and civil society to facilitate enterprise development, corporate social investment and carbon offset in partnership with recipient communities (community ownership)

FTFA programmes address:

Biodiversity, the prevention of erosion of the environment, regeneration, rehabilitation and sustainable management of degraded and denuded environments, greening projects, the planting of indigenous and fruit trees and environmental education, the redress of historic imbalances, nation building, job creation, capacity building and skills transfer and the creation of partnerships and opportunities for disadvantaged communities

20 years of FTFA Distributed +3.6 million trees, trained +6 000 CBEs and facilitated +2 500

natural permaculture food gardens for underserved communities across natural permaculture food gardens for underserved communities across South Africa

Facilitated some of the first ever township and emerging nurseries Run the most successful national schools’ greening and food gardening

programme since 1994 Introduced urban forestry (1991) and co wrote first SA policy, lobbied for

inclusion of urban forestry, urban agriculture and permaculture in government policy and in the school curriculumgovernment policy and in the school curriculum

Raised the funds for all activities and extensively promoted climate change action, greening, food security and environmental education and awareness through proactive publicity campaigns and workshops

Launched the Carbon Standard, now the Carbon Protocol, and SAs first Carbon Calculator in 2006, and now certifying tree programmes as VERs

• 1991 introduced urban forestry to South Africa

• 1994 established partnerships with Depts of Forestry, Agriculture, Education, Housing and others

• 1996 co wrote urban forestry policy and arranged study tour for government reps to USA

Long history of greeningwith governments

• 1996 co wrote urban forestry policy and arranged study tour for government reps to USA

• 1998 to 2004 worked with Danced, later Danida, to develop urban forestry in South Africa to promote sustainable natural resource management and development agendas contributing to capacity building and the piloting of approaches for participatory management of natural resources in urban settings

• 1998 to 2000 worked with the Swedish government on the Greening of Port Elizabeth and Kimberly, through trees for homes, streets and schools, in partnership with local government –booklet produced for municipalities

• 1999 set up the first Urban Greening Association, Fund and Forum in partnership with Depts of Forestry, Agric and SALGA to support community projectsForestry, Agric and SALGA to support community projects

• 2000 Published Urban Greening Booklet for local government and communities and My Nursery Booklet for community nursery development

• 2002 conceptualised, fund raised and ran the first African Green Cities Conference to promote economic and sustainable development opportunities for local government

• 2002 Urban Greening Forums facilitated for local government in Gauteng and Free State. When Danida funding ended this was taken up by the IERM membership and these forums ended

• 2003 wrote Emerging Nurseries Report for Dept of Forestry - many failures and challenges

Reforestation and Greening

Greening is vital technology in combating climate change and developing sustainable settlements, can provide local green job opportunities and economic development, can attract private and public sector investment and promotes community ownership

$$$ – municipalities to allocate budgets, stop competing in fundraising, rather support NGO activity to develop CBOs

Nurseries – facilitate through space, infrastructure, Nurseries – facilitate through space, infrastructure, resources and a ready market (off take agreements)

Employ CBEs to develop and maintain green spaces

Water Act 1998 – stream flow reduction/water use licence for any agri or timber crop planted for commercial activity

Trees for Homes Trees for Homes provides fruit and indigenous trees, supports

local nurseries, gives training, some employment and awareness for residents (CBEs) in low cost housing awareness for residents (CBEs) in low cost housing developments and contributes to carbon storage

The programme includes meetings, presentations to residents, distribution events and sponsor branded materials, adding value as a marketing tool

Demand for trees to contribute to more sustainable human settlements and offset carbon emissions across South Africa is highhigh

Recognised by government for contributions to climate change, sustainable settlements, greening, food security

540 000 trees have been distributed and over 6 600 community based educators trained and given short term employment through Trees for Homes

• Greening of Mpumalanga, the Premier’s flagship project – 180 000 fruit and indigenous Trees for Homes for residents – 2 000 trained and subcontracted

• Greening of the Cape Winelands Municipality – 14 000 fruit and indigenous

FTFA implements greening

provinces & municipalities

• Greening of the Cape Winelands Municipality – 14 000 fruit and indigenous Trees for Homes and for schools – 280 trained and given stipends

• Greening of Ekurhuleni Mayoral project to plant fruit trees in every home –30 000 trees to date – 350 CBEs employed

• Soweto Greening towards 2010 – supported by various funders FTFA has already planted around 40 000 Trees for Homes in Soweto – 400 CBEs employedemployed

• Greening of Cosmo City – again many funders have supported the distribution of 10 000 Trees for Homes – 154 CBEs contracted

• Greening of Mogale City – working with the municipality and funders 12 500 Trees for Homes and 160 CBEs contracted

ALL ABOVE = 286 500 trees = 706 tons CO2 and

7162 hectares of urban forest

Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Metro2010

• Ekurhuleni Parks Department is facilitating a community nursery alongside the municipal nursery in Kempton Park to nursery alongside the municipal nursery in Kempton Park to provide plants for the parks, streets, cemeteries and other public spaces

• Ekurhuleni Economic Development is hoping to stimulate and support economic development in the agricultural sector (around 50 individual small farms and some cooperatives, three former farms or commonages of around 600 hectares former farms or commonages of around 600 hectares belonging to the municipality) and in 2010 approached FTFA for concepts

• Those presented include greening schools and homes for carbon offset, bamboo production, organic farming conversions and support through training and marketing

Bamboo Potential

• FTFA is working with Renewable Energy Solutions to scale up bamboo production for economic development, climate bamboo production for economic development, climate change response and energy efficiency

• There is a ready market for energy provision and many products

• FTFA can facilitate the development and planting of hectares of bamboo on under utilised land and commonages with nursery development and buy back agreementsnursery development and buy back agreements

• Opportunities exist around development of many small enterprises to produce and process bamboo for building materials and other products

• DTI has expressed interest in funding to facilitate this

Conclusion

• There is much opportunity to respond to climate change, renewable energy and enterprise development through greening such as Trees for Homes, bamboo and nursery developmentfor Homes, bamboo and nursery development

• Local government can facilitate this with sufficient and sustainable funding and support (longer than four years in office)

• Nursery development requires a ready market, considered selection of recipients and beneficiaries, land and water, nursery equipment, sustained support through a number of years, defined species, training in horticulture, business and marketing are essential, as is training in horticulture, business and marketing are essential, as is

nursery management training

• All the above can be provided with the necessary support and could lead to great greening, a lower carbon future, a greener economy and green job opportunities

Development of a Permaculture Project

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