my environment, my planet my future

My future, My environment,

My planet Newsletter

Green Africa Foundation

through STIDIT, EU, Pioneer

Foods Limited and FTFA is

involved in establishing and

supporting 29 sustainable or-

ganic food garden in 29

schools in Tzaneen Limpopo

province.

Green Africa Foundation is

assisting schools in the field of

permaculture (sustainable

organic food gardening, envi-

ronmental greening, mentor-

ship, enterprise development,

sustainable skills development

and training. The main focus is

to provide learners, educators

and local community

members with necessary

skills on sustainable land-use

design, Permaculture

food garden layout & design,

soil preparation, plant &

seed propagation, inter

-planting, crop rotation,

companion planting, water

conservation, harvest &

management, natural

resource management,

sustainable land care, com-

post making to learners and

educators. The produce

from permaculture food

gardens are supplementing

feeding schemes in schools

and generate income.

The next phase of the pro-

ject is installation of food

garden fence, water infra-

structure and plant & seed

propagation unit.

Green Africa Foundation turns school land into organic food forests

AgriSeta through Green Africa

Foundation awarded post-

graduate students with grant

that enabling them to be

placed in different placement

organisations in order to gain

work experience in scarce /

critical skills in the field of

Agriculture, environmental

management and nature

conservation. The programme

will provide necessary skills

and experience for post-

graduates and prepare them

for job market in the field of

agricultural and environ-

mental management sector.


looking forward to place

at least 100 Postgraduate

students into placement or- ganizations for gaining work

experience.

Postgraduates are excited to gain work experience

16 June 2016

Fifth edition

Inside Story 2

Inside Story 2

Inside Story 2

Inside Story 3

Inside Story 4

Inside Story 5

Inside Story 6

Feed the Nation and conserve

natural Resources.

Special points of interest:

Schools land turned

in sustainable organic

food garden forests

Postgraduate stu-

dents got a boost to

gain work experience

from AgriSeta

STIDIT landed in

Tzaneen for new de-

velopments

Education with pro-

duction for SA schools

University students

got bursaries to fur-

ther their education

Monde school turns

school land into pro-

ductive permaculture

food garden project

Meet our New Office

Administrator

Permaculture is a better alterna-

tive for developing solutions on

food security in the context of

the looming crisis of energy

depletion and climate change. It

offers a better life and an

abundant ecological future for

Africa. Permaculture encourages

systems-thinking and provides

tools for supporting communi-

ties to make a “soft” transition

to green energy descent.

Permaculture solution can be

applied on any scale, in all

climate zones, and improve the

environment and the commu-

nity. It improves disturbed and

damaged environments,

harvests water, builds soil,

reduces fossil fuel consump-

tion and saves energy.

Permaculture designs

encourage high yielding

sustainable production

integrating landscape,

people, animals, plants, build-

ings and community in

harmonious low impact

living systems. Permaculture

proves that by following

nature’s patterns, human

design successfully

preserves and improves

productivity by mimicking

natures systems.

Green Africa Foundation ’s

business philosophy is guided

and underpinned by the

concept of Sustainable devel-

opment, encompassing

environmental, social and

economic sustainability.


strongly believe that sustain-

ability is a strategy for

achieving economic and

social development for all,

while protecting the natural

resources on which all life

depends on.

Permaculture a weapon to fight poverty

Sustainable permaculture school food gardens

due to human activities in

the natural environment and

all of these events are detri-

mental to crop growth.

Droughts are damaging

because of the long-term

lack of water available to the

plants. Heat waves can cause

extreme heat stress in

crops, which can limit yields

if they occur during certain

times of the plants' life-cycle

(pollination, pod or fruit

set). Also, heat waves can

result in wilted plants (due

to elevated transpiration

rates) which can cause yield

loss if not counteracted by

irrigation. Most of plants

cannot survive in prolonged

waterlogged conditions

because the roots need to

breathe. In addition, flooding

can erode topsoil from

prime growing areas, result-

ing in irreversible habitat

damage.

Effects of climate change to agriculture

We might take it for granted

that there is no harm or damage

can be caused by Climate

Change. Believe it or not climate

change is real. Extreme weather

events include heat waves,

droughts, strong winds, and

heavy rains are indication of

Climate change. Changing of rain

or winter seasons these are

some of the signs of Climate

change. Climate models do not

do a good job of predicting how

extreme weather events might

change under global warming.

The natural circles has changed

My future, My F i f th edi t ion

STIDIT landed in Tzaneen for new developments

University students bursaries awarded

Education with production for SA schools

EXCITING NEWS: Green

Africa Foundation recently

took STIDIT representatives

to Limpopo region to assess

some possibilities of securing

funding to support the

establishment of youth agricul-

tural Training centre in

Tzaneen. The projects assess-

ment was carried out by Mr.

Rik Kleinjans, Ms. Wilma

Vennekens and Joe Matimba

(GAF Director). Data was

collected through interviews

with project members, local

chiefs, department of Agricul-

ture etc. Further information

was also collected through

observation of available land,

water, security, membership and

vegetable production available.

The assessment was carried out at

Shikhati, Thabeng, Matswidikanye

agricultural projects etc, in Lim-

popo province.

The assessed agricultural commu-

nity projects have the potential to

be supported and contribute

towards creating a huge impact

within the community in terms of

provision of fresh organic vegeta-

bles, skills development, mentor-

ship, community enterprise

development and job creation for

youths.

active learning areas. The

development of the manual

is supporting former Minis-

ter of Education Naledi

Pandor who declared, that

every schools should have a

sustainable organic food

garden or environmental

greening project.

GAF activities are in line

with outcome based Educa-

tion and skills development

strategies, which were launched

in 2001 by the government. The

strategy aimed at reversing the

country’s current low skills level

and high unemployment by pro-

viding learners and community

members with skills, knowledge,

democratic values and more im-

portantly opportunities to apply

them.

Official employment is things of

the past, youth should learn to

create their own employment.


turning the landscape of

most of South African

schools. GAF developed

user friendly training manual

that enabling schools to inte-

grate sustainable organic

food gardening and environ-

mental activities into the

curriculum. The training

manual is assisting educators

on how to integrate food

garden and environmental

greening project into all

in providing bursaries to Uni-

versity and college

students. GAF through

AgriSeta awarded a one year

study bursaries to 12 stu-

dents of University of Lim-

popo & Mangosuthu and

Cedara Agricultural College.


expecting to double the

number of students next year

2017-2018. For those

Apart from implementing

permaculture food garden-

ing, environmental green-

ing projects, conducting

workshops in community

enterprise development,

sustainable skills develop-

ment & Training and men-

toring youths in agricul-

ture.

The organization also assist

interested to apply for study

bursary, please send an email to:

[email protected]

My future, My environment, My planet F i fth edi t ion

Green Africa Foundation is a South African non-profit

organization (NPO) established for the purpose and objec-

tive of providing agricultural skills development & training

and nurturing communities mostly women, youths and

children across South Africa. We are specializing in the field

of permaculture (sustainable organic farming), environ-

mental greening, mentorship, enterprise development,

sustainable skills development & Training and food security

projects by means of community development. The

organization is registered as a social enterprise a Non profit

making and Public Benefit Organization.

Our priority is to provide sustainable life skills in enterprise

development, sustainable land use management, natural

resource preservation, conservation, management and teach

people to use natural resources to produce fresh organic

food to create a health community and environment.

www.greenafricafoundation.wiztechsa.co.za

and herbs were planted such as

spinach, beetroot, cabbage,

lettuce, onion, global artichoke,

lavender, mint, thyme, marjo-

ram, fennel, dill and tansy. The

participants were extremely

excited to be involved in estab-

lishing food garden at their

school. The vegetable will sup-

plementing feeding scheme at

School.

GAF through FTFA established a

permaculture food garden at

Monde Primary School. The learn-

ers, educators and local commu-

nity members were workshoped

in permaculture food garden

layout & design, analyzing

resources, available, topography,

soil profile, zone and sectors plan-

ning. The participants were also

involved in clearing the garden

site, prepare the soil, vegetable

layout & design, designing different

types of vegetable beds for multi-

purpose or functions such as

harvesting and conserving water.

The participants applied com-

post, mulch for conserving water,

watering and variety of vegetables

Green Africa Foundation

11th Floor, His Majesty Building

Cnr Commissioner & Ellof Street, Marshalltown 2090

P.O.BOX 4297, Rivonia, 2128

Republic of South Africa

Tel: +27 11 492 0982/ 011 264 3047 Fax : +27 86 551 3177 Mobile: +27 72 984 6370/ 084 517 7708 [email protected]

Green Africa Foundation’s slogan Eat Green, Love green, Think Green

MOLATELA MADIGA

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

My name is Molatela Madiga, I am a member of Green Africa Foundation. I joined this

organization in May 2016 as an Office Administrator and its been a great journey being

part of this organization. Green Africa Foundation is about empowering the nation,

teaching the communities on how to use the environment to feed their families, love their

environment and take care of it . And for me as a young person to be part of this project

its great opportunity, because as a member of this organization I am a part of the genera-

tion that is building a green legacy for our nation.

Monde school permaculturre food garden project

my environment, my planet my future

Environment