A new programme in partnership with 150 communal farmers’ associations is being implemented across more than 420 000 hectares in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, as well as the buffer zone of the Kruger National Park. It turns out the rewards are evident already.
By Lebogang Mashala
Meat Naturally Africa (MNA) and the WWF Nedbank Green Trust have initiated a groundbreaking project aimed at transforming communal farming practices in South Africa.
This initiative collaborates with over 150 communal farmers’ associations to implement regenerative grazing techniques that not only sustain healthy communal grasslands but also enhance the profits and livelihoods of the farmers involved.
Launched in January 2025, the project is currently being implemented across more than 420 000 hectares in Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape, Ulundi in KwaZulu-Natal, and the buffer zone of the Kruger National Park.
Both MNA and WWF Nedbank Green Trust assert that improving the livelihoods of communal farmers is essential for achieving conservation goals related to grasslands, water, and biodiversity in these grazing areas.
“When farmers see that their livestock are healthy and gaining weight, and they begin receiving good prices for their cattle, sheep and wool, they experience the benefits of participating in environmental conservation projects,” says Sarah Frazee, CEO of MNA.
Frazee also highlights the MNA’s strategy, which centres on incentivising farmers through various support measures, including training, vaccinations, breed improvement and access to markets. “This approach rewards communal farmers’ associations committed to environmental outcomes, such as the restoration of degraded grazing lands, water conservation, wildfire prevention and the management of invasive alien plants,” she says.
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Vulnerability To Climate Change
According to Frazee, an estimated 90% of South Africa’s rangelands are degraded, which means this project is essential. She explains that in many communally managed rangelands, poor land and livestock management are threatening livelihoods and biodiversity, and degrading strategic water catchments – all contributing to overall vulnerability to climate change in these areas.
The three-year project promotes four distinct innovations:
1. Business Training
This initiative involves developing training materials for MNA and NGO partner extension staff to effectively implement a pilot training programme with communal farmers’ associations. The goal is to empower these farmers to engage in and benefit from MNA’s social enterprise value chains, particularly in fields such as mobile livestock auctions, wool shearing and sustainable meat distribution through abattoirs.
In May, Frazee says, they successfully trained more than 20 extension officers who will facilitate business training sessions with farmer’s associations.
“To improve the condition of rangelands, it is crucial for farmers to follow well-managed communal regenerative grazing programmes that enhance both livestock and rangeland health, ultimately increasing income from improved livestock. The business training supported by this project will assist farmers in expanding their operations within the MNA social enterprise network.”
Efficient grazing practices help maintain healthy grasslands and wetlands, keeping the soil intact and producing healthy, well-fed livestock. In contrast, unmanaged grazing can lead to grassland degradation, poor-quality livestock and severe soil erosion, all of which threaten the water catchment system.
According to Frazee, MNA has also introduced mobile auctions in areas with participating communal farmers, providing them the opportunity to sell their cattle and sheep at competitive prices. “Without these mobile auctions, farmers would need to walk their livestock to the nearest auction, often taking several days. The turnover from these mobile auctions ranges between R600 000 and R2 million per auction, with MNA hosting approximately 22 auctions each year,” she says.
2. Women In Wool And Wildfire Prevention
With funding from the WWF Nedbank Green Trust, MNA and its partners, including WWF-SA, will incentivise female farmers who actively champion wildfire prevention in their communities by providing them with quality sheep to enhance their flocks.
Frazee explains that wildfires occur too frequently, resulting in the destruction of homes and rangelands and the loss of community members and livestock. “These fires are often caused by improperly extinguished cooking fires and children playing with fire.”
“Forty percent of the clients involved in MNA’s Fleece Naturally initiative are women,” she says. “Our goal is to help them produce better-quality sheep and wool. The breed improvement donation, in exchange for participation in educational activities and leadership in fire prevention and rangeland protection, achieves several goals simultaneously.”
3. Building A Circular Green Economy
Meat Naturally (MN) Kruger Meats is part of the MNA social enterprise network. The MN Kruger Meats mobile abattoir exclusively purchases and legally slaughters cattle from farmers in communities adhering to a rangeland improvement programme that is coordinated by the NGO Conservation South Africa.
Through an outreach programme, MN Kruger Meats encourages women and young people to buy beef directly from the MN Kruger Meats abattoir and sell it in their own communities from spaza shops equipped with freezers. This initiative aims to create a circular economy that benefits local communities by keeping financial resources within the area and promoting stewardship of their rangelands.
“The link between conservation and local food security is critical in the Kruger Park buffer zone, where the alternatives for protein are either paying for a taxi to town an hour away or poaching game,” says Frazee.
4. Clearing Alien Invasive Plants
This innovation aims to encourage volunteer efforts to clear invasive plants in the communities where MNA operates, Frazee explains. MNA will collaborate with its NGO partners, including the LIMA Rural Development Foundation, the Institute for Natural Resources, Environment,and Rural Solutions, and BirdLife South Africa, on projects focused on restoring natural catchments. The initiative even includes a “Clearing Team of the Year” programme, she says.
It is a project that goes beyond enhancing local livelihoods and support rangeland conservation – it is critical for the entire country, as the targeted areas are recognised as strategic water source areas (SWSAs) for South Africa. Although SWSAs cover less than 10% of the country’s land, they provide more than 50% of the national water supply. Given South Africa’s heavy reliance on water from these areas, careful management is essential at all levels, from policy and legislation to actual implementation on the ground.
Each of the four innovations supported by the WWF Nedbank Green Trust will offer unique benefits, but this project in particular is the perfect example of how the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts, says Frazee. “We are confident that it will significantly improve livelihoods, promote rangeland health, enhance biodiversity and restore water catchments across a large area.”
