By Robyn Joubert
Trees are at the heart of a unique project at Inchanga, KwaZulu-Natal, to create a resilient, sustainable small farming community. Trees have the potential to provide more than shade and beauty – they can enhance food production landscapes, improve soil health, and foster resilient, healthy communities.
“At Woza Nami, the focus is on deepening farmer and community resilience through productive and diverse farming, which translates into rich and diverse local diets,” said Tatjana von Bormann, Southern Africa Food Lab codirector.
“The introduction of indigenous trees strengthens the structural and functional capacity of local farms by providing fencing, shade, water and windbreaks to other crops, as well as livelihood opportunities from fruit, fibre, fodder, fuel and medicine derived from these trees,” Tatjana said.
Woza Nami was launched in early 2020 at Inchanga hub, a large peri-urban settlement between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. It provides support and training to 135 small scale farmers – 80% of whom are women – to progress towards sustainable food production, scale-up vegetable farming and nutrition awareness, and create community markets to sell their produce.
Woza Nami Phase 2 was launched in February 2023, funded by the WWF Nedbank Bank Green Trust in partnership with the Food Lab and eThekwini municipality’s Agroecology Unit.
“In this next phase, the participation of the Institute of Natural Resources (INR) enables us to expand beyond the scaling of sustainable food farming to incorporating trees in the food production landscape as a means to improve the social-ecological resilience of the Inchanga smallholder community,” said Tatjana.
This three-year phase puts trees at the forefront of a multifaceted approach to scaling up production. It includes providing and planting indigenous tree seedlings and crop saplings; training in plant propagation and plant care, and training in harvesting non-timber forest products like fibre, fruit and medicine.
This will equip farmers to reap the many benefits of including trees in their food production landscape.
Trees and food security
The fruit of trees like mangoes, avocados and guavas will improve nutrition by providing fresh vitamins and minerals. Indigenous trees such as marula and baobab have the added advantage of cultural significance on top of providing essential nutrients not found in staple crops.
Trees also improve soil health and soil fertility, and play a crucial role in managing and conserving water resources. Their root systems stabilise the soil and minimise erosion, and help maintain soil moisture levels, reduce runoff and promote groundwater recharge.
Additionally, trees can fix nitrogen in the soil, reducing the need for synthetic fertilisers and improving crop yields.
Critically, trees also act as natural climate regulators. They absorb carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, and help mitigate the effects of climate change. In regions prone to extreme weather events like droughts and floods, trees can provide essential protection for crops and reduce the vulnerability of farming communities.
Woza Nami Phase 2 aims to develop a proof of concept and become a model for other urban centres to follow, contributing to food security and sustainable agricultural practices.
Mallika Sardeshpande, INR senior scientist at INR, said the performance of trees and crops at Woza Nami would be closely monitored.
“This will include quarterly assessments of the growth, quality and yield of indigenous trees and crops to evaluate their impact on food security, nutrition, livelihoods, and landscape value, as well as periodic reviews of the socioeconomic benefits of the project hubs to the community,” said Mallika.
