Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable
Livelihoods Project
These pictures show current erosion
gullies and soil loss in Mambulu
Village as well some old growth
trees growing in the valley floor. The
tyre structures are from Manukelana
Nursery where they help to stabilise
soil movement in planting beds.
Final Report
Compiled for the UNDP GEF/SGP
By P A Cohen (Rucore)
Annex A
SGP Grant # SAF/SGP/OP4/RAF/09/01
Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project
Annex A contains the approved grant proposal that was prepared by the
Rural Educational Development Corporation for the GEF SGP.
Table of Contents
Project Summary Information
Project Location
Project Context and Motivation
Preliminary Elaboration of Components
Conclusion
Budget Summary (12 Months)
3
4
4
8
10
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RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project
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Project Summary Information
Project Title
Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable
Livelihoods Project
Implementing Agency
Rural Education Development Corporation
(RUCORE)
Contact Person
Paul Cohen, Executive Director
Total Project Cost
US$48,570
(R390,000)
Amount Requested
US$48,570
(R390,000)
GEF / SGP
Funds requested from:
12 months
Project Duration:
Brief Project Description
Proposal Prepared by
Propagation and planting of indigenous and
traditional medicine trees and supporting
sustainable livelihoods within Mambulu Village
(KZN) and the surrounding areas.
Rural Education Development Corporation
(Rucore)
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Project Location
This project is located in the Mambulu Village, near Kranskop, KZN, which falls
under the Maphumalulo Municipality. Mambulu Village is situated within Ward 2 of
the Municipality. The Maphumalulo Municipality is located within the Ilema District
(DC 29) of KwaZulu-Natal.
Project Context and Motivation
The Project Area
Mambulu Village is representative of many of the rural villages found in KwaZuluNatal. It consists of traditional homesteads spatially organised within the valley of
the Mambulu River. In this case, Mambulu Village residents rely solely on this
water source, a tributary of the Tugela River. The natural environment is arid and
semi-arid. The area does not have high agricultural potential according to the local
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project
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municipality, Maphumalulo. Over the past decades it has become increasingly
denuded through increased human settlement demands for grazing livestock and
firewood harvesting. Currently there is no water harvesting in place and rainfall
continues to contribute to land degradation and loss of biodiversity. As a result,
community members spend increasing amounts of time collecting water and
firewood. The village population is largely made up of women and children. Many
of the homesteads rely on remittances or state grants for an income. At this time a
new potable water line from the Tugela is being installed with no other services
from the state currently available. There are also few opportunities to generate an
income within the village. Villagers must travel to nearby urban centres to access
state services, purchase household supplies or generate income. As in many other
rural villages around the country, roads are poorly constructed and transportation is
irregular and costly. Travelling to and from urban centres consumes a great deal of
time and financial resources.
The Project Stakeholders and Beneficiaries
There is an important connection between what happens in a small village such as
Mambulu and the larger global community. The members of the Thandanani
Garden Club are the primary stakeholders and direct beneficiaries of this proposed
project. The club is a community driven project, which has been in existence for
almost ten years. While the community garden initiative is successful under the
leadership of Joseph Gcwabaza, it has also benefited from the long-standing
relationship between Rucore and Mr. Gcwabaza. This relationship has provided
the garden club with access to knowledge, expertise, experience and resources.
Rucore has visited the site several times over the past 4 years, engaged with the
garden club members as well as providing capacity building and skills development
in local sanitation technology. The garden club is supported and encouraged by
traditional authorities in the area, as well as the local authority and the Department
of Agriculture.
The Mambulu Village as a whole are also important stakeholders and beneficiaries
in this proposed project. Mambulu Village is situated within Ward 2 of the
Maphumalulo Municipality, which falls under the Ilema District (DC 29). Ward 2
consists of several villages and towns. The most recent Integrated Development
Plan (IDP) for the Maphumalulo Municipality (2009-2011) contains the following
statistics regarding the demographics of Ward 2:
1. There are 1694 households with a combined population of 10070 people
living in an area that is 159 square km.
2. Around 59% of the population is female and 41% male.
3. Almost half of the population is between the age of 5 and 19, 16% are
between 0 and 4, while14% are between 30 and 49.
4. It is one of the poorest wards in an impoverished municipal area: 18% of
the households receive no income, 17% earn between R1000-R2400, 15%
earn between R2401-R6000, 12% earn between R6001-R12000 and less
than 5% earn more than R12001.
While these statistics are aggregated for the ward that Mambulu Village is situated
in and provide only an indication of demographics of this specific community, they
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project
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do highlight some potential trends that are relevant for many similar rural
communities.
Local government is another important stakeholder. The statistics regarding ward 2
also highlight the reality that the local authority is working with. The recent IDP
document produced by the Maphumalulo Municipality highlights the importance of
job creation, service delivery, spatial development and environmental management
as key areas for development. The municipality’s ability to fulfil its responsibilities
will be enhanced through the positive efforts of the Thandanani Garden Club.
Project Partners
The Rural Educational Development Corporation (Rucore) and Thandanani
Garden Club from Mambulu Village in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) are the project
partners for this initiative. This partnership has emerged organically out of long
standing relationship between the Paul Cohen, the director of Rucore and Joseph
Gcumbaza, the originator of the Thandanani Garden Club.
Rucore was established in 1991 as a small NGO focusing on innovative and
integrated strategies for rural development. It is structured as a Section 21
company with advisory members and a professional management committee of
four. Rucore provides strategic support to rural communities. Its primary objective
is the promotion of sustainable livelihood practices in rural communities. Rucore’s
work in this field has focused on the establishment of the Tlholego Learning Centre
near Rustenburg in the North West Province. This learning centre has provided
training and capacity building in permaculture design, natural building technologies
and ecological design to support sustainable village development over the past 20
years. Rucore continues to work closely with the development of the Tlholego
Village and other rural projects such as Thandanani and is also a past GEF/SGP
partner.
The Thandanani Garden Club came into existence through the efforts of Joseph
Gcwabaza. Joseph spent two years on an apprenticeship at the Tlholego Village in
1997 where he was trained in permaculture and community self-reliance. He
returned to his home, Mambulu Village, in 2000 and set up the Thandanani Garden
Club as a community driven initiative focused on food self-reliance. The project is
not currently registered as community organisation. It is a membership
organisation, which presently involves 90 women and some men. Their
participation in the garden has a significant impact on the household economy of
their respective homesteads. Many of the women are unemployed. Up to 30%
receive no other form of economic support. Members collaboratively farm a 2
hectare plot of land and are developing a secondary site of similar dimensions.
Family members tend to work 3 days a week in the garden to farm their particular
sites within the larger community garden.
The Project Motivation
The existence of the Thandanani Garden Club presents Mambulu Village with a
significant and timely opportunity to focus on the rehabilitation of the natural
environment. The villagers involved in the garden club are clearly committed to the
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project. The fact that the project has been in existence for almost a decade bears
testimony to their commitment. The primary motivation for their involvement in the
initiative is a need for increased food security and income generation. There is also
a concern for the state of the natural environment although active engagement in
environmental conservation is thwarted with several challenges. In most instances
longer-term conservation projects have less tangible benefits to communities.
Water availability and its distribution are a challenge, so is education, resources
and management capacity. The establishment of a nursery for propagating
indigenous and traditional medicine trees in association with an environmental
education and planting program with local schools will create for Mambulu Village a
new capacity to engage directly in reforestation initiatives within their local
watershed and in the surrounding areas.
Community members are very ware of the issues around water, food and firewood
in relationship to their immediate lives. For instance, 70% of the time members
spend working in their community garden is focused on collecting water from the
nearby river. Vegetable seedlings have been purchased in the local town and are
only available at certain times of the year. Although some seedlings are now
propagated in open ground seedbeds in the garden, this method of production is
sporadic, prone to pest attack and unsustainable. Establishing a protected
environment for the production of seedlings will contribute significantly to
increasing the productivity of the garden as well as helping club members to
generate some income by selling surplus seedlings within and around the
surrounding areas. The proposed seedling nursery will also contribute to the
preservation and enhancement of local agro-biodiversity.
In the case of Mambulu Village there is great potential to integrate the activities
and aspirations of the garden club members with a wider program for
environmental reforestation and enhancement. This is the space that the
Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project is focused on
developing and expanding. It is an important space because the convergence of
local and global needs regarding sustainable development and rural livelihoods
means that there is possibility of developing a successful project that benefits local
communities and which has the potential to contribute to the national agenda
around sustainable development1. The experience and efforts of the Thandanani
Garden Club and Rucore will result in knowledge and understandings that can be
transferable and replicable in other areas around South Africa, as well as globally.
1
SA National Government: Our Vision
“South Africa aspires to be a sustainable, economically prosperous and self-reliant
nation state that safeguards its democracy by meeting the fundamental human needs of its
people, by managing its limited ecological resources responsibly for current and future
generations, and by advancing efficient and effective integrated planning and governance
through national, regional and global collaboration.” The Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism (2007) Planet-People-Prosperity: A National Framework for
Sustainable Development in South Africa, pp.13
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Preliminary Elaboration of Project Components
The Thandanani community garden project is focused on the enhancement and
expansion of an existing community driven initiative situated in the Mambulu
Village. The specific elements of the proposed project have emerged out of a
participatory process with the members of the Thandanani Garden Club facilitated
by Rucore over the past 4 years. The club members identified two objectives:
 To increase their productive capacity and to produce surplus;
 To grow more trees in the environment around them.
In addition to these two primary objectives, the club members have also expressed
a desire to learn as well as to share their knowledge and experience with people
living in their village as well as other in the wider region.
The two primary objectives of this project reflect the outcome of this process with
the members of the garden club. They are:
a. Conservation, sustainable use and management of biodiversity in and
around rural communities.
b. To support sustainable rural livelihoods.
The tables below provide a detailed breakdown of the specific outputs and
activities that are connected to each of these objectives. Broadly speaking, the first
objective will be realised through a tree propagation and planting initiative involving
schools in the village. The second objective will be realised through the
development of facilities that will enhance the current gardening initiative. These
proposed outputs and activities would be operationalised over a 12-month period.
This 12-month period is seen as the launch of a much larger project that Rucore
and the Thandanani Garden Club will continue to collaborate on over the next few
years. The proposed 12-month phase of the reforestation and sustainable
livelihoods project will include ongoing monitoring and evaluation of these
objectives.
Objective 1: Conservation, sustainable use and management of biodiversity in and
around rural communities
Outputs
Activities
1.1 Capacity to propagate
indigenous as well as traditional
medicine trees
1.1.1 Construction of tree nursery
1.2 Established relationships with
SGP partners
1.3 Educational programme to
plant trees in schools
1.1.2 Design and installation of nursery irrigation system
1.1.4 Seed harvesting
1.1.5 Tree propagation
1.1.6 Management of young trees
1.2.1 Building of relationship between Thandanani Garden
Club and Manukelana Indigenous nurseries
1.2.2 Engaging in a learning exchange between Thandanani
Garden Club and Manukelana Indigenous Nurseries
1.3.1 Environmental education and awareness raising around
conservation of biodiversity
1.3.2 Tree planting at local primary school
1.3.3 Tree management in school grounds
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Objective 2: To support sustainable rural livelihoods
Outputs
2.1 Enhancement of the existing
community food garden
Activities
2.1.1 Planning, design and construction of plant nursery with
storage shed
2.1.2 Design and installation of nursery irrigation system
2.2 Expanding local food
production knowledge
2.3 Enhancing communities
capacity to build and conserve
agro-biodiversity
2.4 Increase of food self reliance
for rural women and their families
2.5 Increase income generation
capacity for rural women
2.6 Establish sanitation facility at
garden
2.7 Strengthen organizational
structure
2.2.1 Evaluation of current production systems
2.2.2 Provision of training in garden techniques including pest
control
2.3.1 Local seed sourcing and propagation of seedlings
2.4.1 Year round seedling production at nursery
2.5.1 Production and sale of surplus seedlings
2.5.2 Production and sale of surplus food stuffs
2.6.1 Building of compost toilet2
2.7.1 Register Thandanani Garden Club as CBO
Conclusion
The project falls directly under programme one of the GEF SGP’s biodiversity
conservation focal area for arid and semi-arid ecosystems. This project will have
an immediate and hopefully long term benefit to the surrounding biodiversity. It will
also have an immediate positive impact on the livelihoods of rural women and the
wider community through fundamental improvements to the existing community
garden infrastructure and member capacities. The proposed project interventions
will result in increased food self-reliance as well as the as well as the capacity to
generate income for garden club members. The project objectives have emerged
from a participatory and consultative process with garden and community members
and have insured ownership and responsibility amongst the members, which will
clearly have a direct impact on the project success and outcome.
2
The compost toilet technology proposed for the Thandanani community garden is an
above ground, aerobic system that ensures safe management of human waste as well as
nutrient recovery to support future tree growth. This technology was selected because is
functions without water, a resource that is currently unavailable for this purpose. This
particular technology has been successfully tested at Tlholego over the past 15 years and
one unit has already been built at Mr. Gcwabaze’s homestead.
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Budget Summary (12 Months)
Note: Rucore’s annual financial statements and any additional company
documents are available on request. Thank you for your time and consideration of
this proposal.
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 10
Annex B: Project Budget of Local NGO
The local NGO project budget has not been included into this interim report
as discussed with the GEF SGP National Coordinator.
Annex C: Progress Report
In this interim report for (March, April and May 2010), I have focussed on the
progress both Rucore and the Thandanani Garden Club are making towards
achieving the objectives set out in the project proposal. I have followed the
proposal format below and consider each activity related to the main outcomes and
provide an update in each case. This format is consistent with that used for the
project budget that follows in Annex D below.
The two primary SGP objectives for this project are:
Objective 1: Conservation, sustainable use and management of biodiversity in and
around rural communities
Outputs
Activities
1.1 Capacity to propagate
indigenous as well as traditional
medicine trees
1.1.1 Construction of tree nursery
1.2 Established relationships with
SGP partners
1.3 Educational programme to
plant trees in schools
1.1.2 Design and installation of nursery irrigation system
1.1.4 Seed harvesting
1.1.5 Tree propagation
1.1.6 Management of young trees
1.2.1 Building of relationship between Thandanani Garden
Club and Manukelana Indigenous nurseries
1.2.2 Engaging in a learning exchange between Thandanani
Garden Club and Manukelana Indigenous Nurseries
1.3.1 Environmental education and awareness raising around
conservation of biodiversity
1.3.2 Tree planting at local primary school
1.3.3 Tree management in school grounds
Objective 2: To support sustainable rural livelihoods
Outputs
2.1 Enhancement of the existing
community food garden
Activities
2.1.1 Planning, design and construction of plant nursery with
storage shed
2.1.2 Design and installation of nursery irrigation system
2.2 Expanding local food
production knowledge
2.3 Enhancing communities
capacity to build and conserve
agro-biodiversity
2.2.1 Evaluation of current production systems
2.2.2 Provision of training in garden techniques including pest
control
2.3.1 Local seed sourcing and propagation of seedlings
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2.4 Increase of food self reliance
for rural women and their families
2.5 Increase income generation
capacity for rural women
2.6 Establish sanitation facility at
garden
2.7 Strengthen organizational
structure
2.4.1 Year round seedling production at nursery
2.5.1 Production and sale of surplus seedlings
2.5.2 Production and sale of surplus food stuffs
2.6.1 Building of compost toilet
2.7.1 Register Thandanani Garden Club as CBO
Progress towards meeting objective 1: Conservation, sustainable use and
management of biodiversity in and around rural communities.
1.1 Capacity to propagate indigenous as well as traditional medicine trees
At this stage the construction of the tree nursery has been successfully completed.
Recent images of the completed nursery are presented at the end of this report. An
irrigation system for the nursery has been installed which consists of a storage tank
of 5000 litres and three stand pipes located in the nursery. Thandanani garden club
members still need to carry water from the river to full up the storage tank. This is
something we are committed to changing within the grant period. However there
are several considerations that need to be worked on.
The Mambulu River, which is the only current water source for the village flows
over a rock bed as a shallow stream with no head of pressure during the wet
season and can run dry on the surface in the dry season. Local government
provided a pump and piping for the garden three years ago but have not yet
constructed a sump into which the pump can be placed for pumping. The rock bed
would have to be blasted away to create some debth for the sump to fill, which is a
major construction project. This would also effect using any form of hydraulic ram
pump for this purpose. Local government has made progress with regards to the
installation of water services from the Tugela to Mambulu village. Discussions are
in progress to connect this system to the garden water storage. However it is not
clear when this system will be switched on. There is a drilled well within 200m of
the garden that was installed some years ago where villagers can pump water via
a hand rotating system when the river runs dry. This may be the best short-term
system to tap into. A tank could be placed near the well point and an electrical
driven (or solar) mechanical device installed on the pump to drive water into a
supply tank in the garden. From here the whole garden could be irrigated as
needed. Further analysis and discussions need to take place before a decision can
be taken in this regard. This will happen in the coming month during 2 planed site
visits.
The first stage of the extended garden and nursery area is now fenced in.
Currently vegetable seedlings are being planted in the nursery and certain local
indigenous tree seeds have been collected and planted. At this stage there are
several hundred cabbage, beetroot, onions and tomato seedlings, which is
sufficient for all garden members. At this stage all young saplings are being
managed in the nursery. Further training is scheduled for later in the year.
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 12
1.2 Established relationships with SGP partners
After the initial visit to Manukelana a good working relationship has been set up
with Thandanani Garden Club. Plans are in place for a follow up visit with
Manukelana Indigenous nurseries Manukelana to visit Thandanani in September.
The objective of this visit will be to build further the local capacity in seed
harvesting and propagation of useful indigenous trees and plants. Manukelana
have expressed a keen interest for Thandanani to produce several thousand
(10000 or more) of the species papea capansis (umqhoqho) certain varieties to be
grown out at Thandanani. I am waiting for further details and will include them in
this report as soon as I have them.
1.3 Educational programme to plant trees in schools
Meetings have been held between Thandanani and the local school around
environmental education and tree planning at the school. As there are not yet trees
available to be planted from the Thandanani nursery, the school has approached
Food and Trees for Africa to supply trees for planting in the short term. Plans are in
place for this will commence in early September during arbour week when
Thandanani is planning its opening celebrations.
Progress towards meeting objective 2: To support sustainable rural livelihood.
2.1 Enhancement of the existing community food garden
The progress in terms of this outcome is the same as that for 1.2 above. The
nursery is complete and an irrigation system has been installed and if now
functioning well.
2.2 Expanding local food production knowledge
An initial evaluation of production techniques has been completed. Generally the
gardens are doing quite well although there are several areas where improvement
can be made. Mulching is difficult because of the presence of harvester termites in
the area, which consume all mulching material as soon as these are laid down. It
has also been determined that when mulch is used, harvester termites also will
damage young seedlings. Because of this, no mulch is currently used. Ideas of
using stone mulch have been explored and this could be implemented once a plan
for transporting more stone to the gardens has been arranged. Stone mulch has
been used in other similar environments quite successfully. Similarly other mulches
need to be explored including green mulches. Pest problems in the production of
seedlings have been reduced due to the propagation process moving to the
nursery. Further pest problems in the garden are been looked into and will be
considered in more detail during the upcoming garden evaluation in early
September. The use of local manures has increased. All the garden beds have
been reoriented to align with the natural contours of the land resulting in
significantly reduced soil erosion susceptibility. Generally there is a greater interest
in the gardens from members as well as the surrounding community who are very
happy with the improvements being made.
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Currently the following crops are being planted: spinach, beetroot, onion, potato,
tomato, carrot and cabbage. Ninety women are involved in the growing of these
vegetables and depend directly on them for household nutrition for their families.
The quantification of production is currently being determined.
While a garden space of approximately two hectares has been fenced in for the
production of staple crops such as corn, pumpkin and beans, problems obtaining
timely ploughing services have limited the production of these crops. Hopefully this
will improve as the garden develops. Traditional ox drawn ploughing is also being
considered.
2.3 Enhancing communities’ capacity to build and conserve agro-biodiversity
The capacity for Thandanani and the Mambulu to build and conserve their agrobiodiversity has been increased due to the completion of the nursery structure as
well and the initial training with Manukelana. The fenced in area surrounding the
nursery has created a goat safe area to begin planning out seedlings.
While Thandanani members have grown their interest for and understanding of the
value of local bio-diversity, members are looking forward to further training and
inputs from Manukelana in September. Ewald Viljoen, one of the key trainers
working on the project, has initiated discussions on behalf of Thandanani with Mr.
Elliot Ndlovu who runs a successful indigenous nursery in the Natal midlands to
provide important inputs to the nursery. Mr Ndlovu has also successfully
implemented the legal processes for registration, growing and marketing of
indigenous plants. Mr Viljoen has been in contact with Mr. Wilfred Umshlongo from
KZN Wildlife who administers this permitting process. Mr. Umshlongo visited
Thandannai in March to evaluate current developments on site.
2.4 Increase of food self reliance for rural women and their families
The new nursery infrastructure provides a year round environment for seedling
propagation. Seedlings are now being propagated for the current planting season
and the capacity is set for this process to be ongoing.
2.5 Increase income generation capacity for rural women
There have been several enquiries from surrounding community gardens for
purchase of vegetable seedlings from the Thandanani Gardening Club.
Propagation of vegetable seedlings has increased beyond Thandanani’s own
requirements in order to fulfil this market. In addition orders have been placed for
papea capansis trees from Manukelana Indigenous Nursery. In will take some time
for this production to develop however these are positive signs given the short time
the nursery has been operational. Currently no surplus produce is being produced
however overall productivity of the gardens is increasing. The garden club has
heard that there are plans in place to develop a new commercial centre closer to
Mambulu Village and there is growing interest within the club to supply this new
market with fresh produce.
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2.6 Establish sanitation facility at garden
Construction of the garden club’s compost toilet began in May. Good progress has
been made and the bottom structure was completed. Bricks for the top structure
have been made on site and completion of the top structure is now 90% complete.
The construction process has been implemented as part of a training and capacity
building exercise involving seven members of the Mambulu Village and the
Thandanani Gardening Club. The individuals involved have become very
interested in this technology and are now in a position to replicate this technology
within their village and well as the surrounding area. Given the fact that there is
almost no sanitation technology that exists in this area, a significant opportunity
has opened up in this regard. Time is being taken to ensure that all aspects of this
technology, both technical and skills based, are transferred to the new building
team. The compost toilet roof feeds rainwater into a 2200 litre storage tank, which
now provides a source of safe drinking water to garden members. Pictures of the
current progress are presented in the last section of this report.
In order to ensure that these skills are property transferred an additional budget
amount has needed to be allocated to this aspect of the project. At this stage an
amount of R10,000.00 from the irrigation and rain water harvesting has been
reallocated to the compost toilet training and construction. This has been the most
appropriate reallocation as it is expected that the local government’s water services
programme will bring water directly to the garden where the distribution and
irrigation infrastructure is now in place.
2.7 Strengthen organizational structure
Plans to register the Thandanani Garden Club as an NPO are in place. Currently a
list of office bearers is being compiled for later registration. A logo has been
chosen by the club which is a ‘bee’, Thandanani the busy bee’s.
The following section covers the main indicators that were included in the January
report and have been updated in terms of current project progress.
Outcome 1. Sustainable community protected area governance approaches
recognized, strengthened, and adopted by national partners, protected area
systems, and multilateral processes
At these early stages of the project the primary objectives are geared towards
strengthening the Thandanani Gardening Group in terms of their awareness and
role in the conservation of biodiversity in and around rural areas and the value of
Indigenous and Community Conserved areas. Additionally the value of these
assets to the local community and in terms of national and global policy within the
broader region has been discussed.
Considering that this project is geared, certainly in these formative stages, toward
strengthening the capacity of the Thandanani group to expand their food security
capacity and engage in the protection and management of their biodiversity, the
number of ICCAs currently recognised include the Mambulu Village, specifically
areas in and around the community gardens, the new plant nursery, members
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 15
homes (at this stage just over 90 members) as well as the local schools and church
areas.
Even so, there is a growing interest from the wider village and neighbouring
communities as many people here share similar concerns regarding these critical
landscapes and their longer-term capacity to sustain the tens of thousands of
people who rely on them for their livelihoods.
Currently these areas are not officially protected and no locally consultative bodies
have been set up. It is anticipated that Thandanani will become a node point where
such protections can develop. Introducing the required management of legislation
for growing and selling indigenous plants will strengthen Thandanani’s institutional
networking as the project develops.
Outcome 2. Sustainable use of biodiversity established in production
landscapes / seascapes (including agriculture, forests, fisheries, and
tourism) through community-based conservation, innovative approaches,
and market mechanisms
The Thandanani project is contributing to the conservation of native crops,
medicinal plants, NTFPs and other biodiversity products. There still exists much
traditional knowledge concerning the value of these plant resources within the local
community and many of these species are still broadly used.
As a result of a successful learning exchange with SGP partner project
Manukelana Art & Indigenous Nursery in St Lucia late last year, there has been a
renewed interest in the value of local biodiversity in the Mambulu Village and
surrounds. New knowledge has been gained as to the identification, protection and
propagation of these species and the community are keen to expand their
knowledge and knowhow of production methods and marketing.
The visit to Manukelana was attended by eight project members including all five of
the Thandanani committee members and facilitated much practical learning
regarding actual nursery propagation and management practices, the costing of
inputs as well as the value of seedlings at market related prices.
Already Manukelana have requested production of particular tree species that
occur naturally in the Mambulu Village environment for sale to customers. There
have also been requests from other community gardens for food plant seedlings.
As the local production of seedlings proceeds, more native food and medicine
plants will be produced.
While the need for local food production and support by government in this regard
continues to grow, the demand for local knowledge of such systems is also
increasing. At this stage there are a number of volunteers interested in spending
time at Mambulu village learning and sharing their knowledge about local food
production. Thandanani members have identified this interest as a form of
agro/edu/eco tourism and opportunity to support local rural livelihoods in this area.
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 16
Outcome 3: Intensify the replication, scaling up, or mainstreaming of climate
change mitigation barrier removal models that have been successfully tested
and practically applied at the local level, in national development priorities
and plans
Currently as there is minimal supply of electricity to Mambulu Village, solar panels
have been installed on the roofs of many local homesteads, mainly to provide
electricity for charging cell phones and other small usage appliances. However in
most instances the batteries for these systems no longer operate resulting in power
availability from these systems being periodic.
Rucore is facilitating discussions with local organizations including an American
technology company to introduce renewable energy systems to the village.
Additionally biogas sanitation technology is being looked into that may contribute to
the energy supply for cooking and a reduced demand to fuel wood. However this
technology requires an understanding of micobiological systems to ensure the
microbes in the biogas system are healthy. There may also be some competition
for garden nutrients. At the same time high efficiency wood burning stoves are
being looked into that use small diameter fuel wood (pruning’s) for its operation,
both contributing to greater local resilience and less demand on local fuel wood. A
test unit will be trialled at Thandanani during the next scheduled site visit in early
August. Additionally solar cookers are another source of cooking energy that
would bring together a mix of technologies more suited to the needs of
Thandanani’s intent to mitigate the negative impact of climate change.
As the government is increasingly promoting rural development, these
technologies and approaches are important in influencing national development
strategies in this regard. Additionally as Thandanani strengthens as a centre for
sustainability practices, this will help influence the key institutions working in this
area toward investment and knowhow in climate mitigation capabilities in these
remote rural areas.
Outcome 4: Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) practices promoted and
incorporated in national development priorities
At this stage strategies for mitigation of anticipated effects of climate change have
been discussed in planning sessions at Mambulu village prior to the
commencement of the project in October last year. Initially these strategies have
centred on watershed management, with particular attention to rain water
harvesting and soil preservation on these extensive sloped areas. The
management of water in an around Mambulu village is seen as a key underlying
factor influencing biodiversity resilience in this area.
Thandanani project manager, Joe Gcwabaza, and the development practitioners
involved in this project are using Permaculture design practices to think about and
design the longer-term resilience planning for Mambulu Village. The Thandanani
members currently see the SGP project as an important beginning to this process.
Innovative strategies using water-harvesting earthworks on contour (swales) are
being incorporated into the water management practices around the new nursery
area. Terraced garden design linked to native plantings and water management
strategies on a wider scale has been discussed. There are plans in motion to use
Thandanani as a demonstration site for a specialised training workshop on water
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 17
harvesting in the village early in 2011 where all role-players will be invited to
participate.
Outcome 5: Demonstration of community-based approaches for the
implementation of SAPs, and models replicated, scaled up and
mainstreamed
At this early stage of the project such SAPs have not been formalised. However as
is indicated above discussions with role-players are moving in this direction. In this
way the value of this work in Mambulu Village is important particular with regards
to the potential for supporting an integrated land and water multiple focal area
operational program in the wider region.
Thandanani Garden Club is planning an opening celebration in early September
this year and has invited the most relevant role players operating in this area.
These include the local Nkosi and Nduna, local municipality, Departments of
Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Social Development and Water Affairs. It is
anticipated that this event will encourage further cooperation and investment
towards to overall objectives stated in the project.
Outcome 6: Innovative and adaptive community-based approaches
demonstrated, piloted, and integrated into global efforts to address
unsustainable agricultural practices, rangeland and forestry management,
while promoting local livelihood
Subsistence farming using a combination or traditional and modern approaches to
sustainable farming production has taken place continuously for the past ten years.
Project coordinators have backgrounds in permaculture design and this has
informed the strategies for developing a more resilient local social ecological
system. There are several areas where production processes can be largely
improved in the short term. These include pest management, soil improvement,
nutrient delivery, seedling production and irrigation technology, all of which are
being engaged in as the project progresses. In this way the community is
undertaking community based activities to support the implementation of national
plans for ecologically sustainable farming practice.
Outcome 7: Community-based approaches demonstrated on waste
management to prevent open burning and Persistent Organic Pollutants
pesticide management related to health issues, with good experiences
disseminated to support the National Implementation Plans (NIP’s)
No pesticides are currently used in farming practices at the Thandanani Gardens
and according to many local sources, have never been. Improved knowledge of
integrated pest management will help as well as will the increased use of
permaculture practices at the household level. The capacity for increasing organic
food production at homestead level is expected to improve as the governments
water delivery system comes on line, which is planned to be sometime this year.
The use of proven and appropriate sanitation technology will reduce the pollutants
currently being distributed within the Village. Rocket stoves and solar cookers
could reduce the use of open fires for cooking by up to 80%.
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 18
Outcome 9: Partnerships strengthened with bilateral and multilateral donors,
government development programs, as well as with non-traditional funders,
such as the business and financial sectors at the national and global levels
No partnerships with bilateral and multilateral organizations have been set up as
yet. Rucore is working within its network structure to connect Thandanani with
organizations to strengthen its current position and development plans within
Mambulu Village. These plan are geared to further investment in more resilient
social ecological systems, including (water, soils, food production, sanitation,
energy, education and training, marketing)
At this stage we have established good working relationships with Kranskop Buildit
who have supplied the project building material at lowest possible process.
Applications have also been sent to Buildit head office for further assistance in this
regard. The local Buildit are also assisting the local project in terms of
warehousing, transport, logistics and networking.
Rucore is planning to include Thandanani in a forthcoming earthworks for water
management workshop planned for 2011. Rucore is currently looking for funding to
assist in the construction of an agri/edu/tourism accommodation space for
volunteers to visit and work with the Thandanani garden club.
Most current efforts are centred on bringing the new nursery into operation. In
September, Thandanani will officially introduce the wider community and
stakeholders groups including local Department of Agriculture and Environmental
Affairs to the project and the wider vision of this work.
Outcome 10: Strengthened capacity for implementing concrete actions and
for networking on GEF priorities by communities, CBOs, NGOs, and other
civil society (through the project)
Currently three GEF SGP projects are connected which have mutual benefit to
each other.
The Tlholego Village, which specialises in sustainable construction technology, is
working with Thandanani on the development of a composing toilet technology.
Manukelana Nursery is engaged in an educational exchange and providing specific
training in nursery production. Thandanani is gearing up to supplying Manukelana
with product from its nursery.
Rucore is working on energy technologies for cooking for Thandanani as well as
being involved in ongoing relationships around overall programme development
and mentoring. Rucore is working on funding the implementing of an integrated
homestead resilience strategy around water, sanitation, energy and food.
Discussions are underway within the Thandanani group to incorporate
permaculture and other best practice approaches in order to expand local cultural
and traditional knowledge and capacity to support more resilient local social
ecological systems.
Outcome 11: Enhanced country institutional capacity by strengthening
positive government and civil society partnerships in GEF SGP National
Steering Committees and through GEF SGP participation in country
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 19
Resource Allocation Framework planning and coordination bodies, as well
as in other bodies concerned with environment and sustainable development
matters
Thandanani is currently building working relationships with strategic partners to
realise its goals. These partners represent individuals and organizations that have
been working in implementing sustainable development strategies at the
community level for many years.
Participation in national planning and coordinating bodies in these related fields is
at this stage still premature.
Outcome 12: Enhanced enabling environment for community involvement in
addressing GEF priorities in both policy and practice
Much of the knowledge and experience that is present and developing at
Thandanani is very relevant to the understanding of sustainable communities and
more resilient social ecological system in general.
As this project unfolds within the larger village framework, this knowledge and
experience is sure to become more significant and applicable within the wider
region.
Outcome 13: Global Knowledge Platform for exchange, codification, and
dissemination of community knowledge established
Currently +/-90 families are receiving new knowledge on their community’s cultural
and environmental assets, improved production techniques and livelihood
opportunities.
Co-Financing
Plans are in place to include Thandanani in a water resources workshop to build a
more resilient hill side rainwater harvesting and soil management system that
would have a significant benefit to improving the biodiversity in an around Mambulu
village. The value of participation in this training will be in the region of R100,000
including the usage of earth moving machinery for completing certain aspects of
the work.
Rucore continues to invest its resources into the development of the Thandanani
project. In 2004 Rucore funded a composting toilet that including an education
component to the value of R15,000.
Rucore is negotiating finance in the order of R100,000 to provide a vehicle for use
by Mr Joseph Gcwabaza which will also be available to service Thandanani’s
transport needs.
Mr Ewald Viljoen is approaching Food and Trees for Africa as a potential partner
and currently applications have been sent to FTFA by the local school. Exact value
of these contributions is not yet available, however the value of this relationship
could amount to R50,000 being invested into Thandannai over the coming few
years.
Recently Thandanani has started a new relationship with Phinduvuye, a project
based in Pinetown supporting nutrition for children. This has prompted the
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 20
establishment of a new crèche at the garden where gardeners can leave their
children while they tend to their gardens. Additionally Phinduvuye has organised
significant resources from food products, clothing, bedding and storage for the new
crèche. The value of current contribitions is in the region of R10,000. It is the hope
of Phinduvuye that Thandanani can become a strategic centre for the wider region.
Mainstreaming, Up-scaling, Replication
At this stage of the project all efforts are geared to ensuring that the systems
currently being developed are as successful as possible. Based on these
successes Thandanani will provide an important community resource for upscaling
viable local solutions for water, food, nutrition, energy, sanitation and environment
management within Mambulu village as well and within the wider region.
Rucore is assisting in setting up a web presence for Thandanani to communicate
more widely their successes and opportunities related to relevant practices that
develop more resistant community livelihoods in this area.
Lessons learned, Challenges or Other Matters
While the project is progressing well, certain challenges have slowed operations
down slightly. These have included late materials deliveries due to excessive
rainfall and the remoteness of the project from nearest supply centre (Kranskop).
The overall timing of the project has not been affected and planned outcomes are
expected to be complete on time.
There was a general slow period during December and start up in Oct/Nov – but
main objectives well underway.
Additionally normal project disruptions and delays have occurred such funerals,
work offerings for individuals away from the project for short periods, incorrect
deliveries and the general time and degree of difficulty accessing resources from
Kranskop. While these have resulted in some delays, the overall progress and
enthusiasm is very positive and we are on line for a successful project
implementation.
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 21
Annex D
Interim Report on the use of RAF funds
SGP Grant # SAF/SGP/OP4/RAF/09/01
Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project
Date: 4 June 2010
Project Title: Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project
Name of the Local [NGO]: Rural Educational Development Corporation
Total Amount of RAF Funds Under the Agreement: $50,000
Date of signature of the Agreement 4 October 2009
FOR THE PERIOD COVERING FROM March 2010 to May 2010
Total Budget approved: $50,000 (R370,000 @ exchange rate of 7.4)
RAF Funds already advanced: R262,075
Amount of expenditures: R160,796.83
RAF Funds requested: $10,000
Balance (if it exists): R101,282.17
Date of the next request for RAF funds: 28/06/10
Certified by: Mr Paul Cohen
Name and signature of the Representative of the Local [NGO]
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 22
Annex E: FINAL REPORT
Contractor
Name of the Local NGO providing the report: Rucore (Rural Educational Development
Corporation)
Address: PO Box 48226, Kommetjie Cape Town, 7976
Person in charge of the final report: Mr. Paul Cohen
Identification of the project
Name of the project: Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project
Agreement number: SAF/SGP/OP4/RAF/09/01
Type of project: Rural communities, biodiversity and livelihoods
Location: Mambulu Village (near Kranskop) KZN
Start-up Date: October 2009
Completion Date: September 2010
[Participants/beneficiaries
Capacity Building/Training]
Number of females:
Number of males:
Number of children:
Number of females:
Number of males:
Number of children:
200
80
250
90
10
40
Budget and finance
Total Project Cost:
Amount received under this Agreement:
Amount received from other sources of funding:
Contribution of the Local [NGO][CBO] or the recipient community:
R462,236.00
R352,236.00
R60,000.00
R50,000.00
Activities
The planned activities performed under this agreement are listed in the table below. The
extent to which these activities were performed follows afterwards.
Objective 1: Conservation, sustainable use and management of biodiversity in and
around rural communities
Outputs
Activities
1.1 Capacity to propagate
indigenous as well as traditional
medicine trees
1.1.1 Construction of tree nursery
1.2 Established relationships with
SGP partners
1.1.2 Design and installation of nursery irrigation system
1.1.3 Seed harvesting
1.1.4 Tree propagation
1.1.5 Management of young trees
1.2.1 Building of relationship between Thandanani Garden
Club and Manukelana Indigenous nurseries
1.2.2 Engaging in a learning exchange between Thandanani
Garden Club and Manukelana Indigenous Nurseries
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 23
1.3 Educational programme to
plant trees in schools
1.3.1 Environmental education and awareness raising around
conservation of biodiversity
1.3.2 Tree planting at local primary school
1.3.3 Tree management in school grounds
Objective 2: To support sustainable rural livelihoods
Outputs
2.1 Enhancement of the existing
community food garden
Activities
2.1.1 Planning, design and construction of plant nursery with
storage shed
2.1.2 Design and installation of nursery irrigation system
2.2 Expanding local food
production knowledge
2.3 Enhancing communities
capacity to build and conserve
agro-biodiversity
2.4 Increase of food self reliance
for rural women and their families
2.5 Increase income generation
capacity for rural women
2.6 Establish sanitation facility at
garden
2.7 Strengthen organizational
structure
1.1.1
1.1.2
1.1.3
1.1.4
1.1.5
1.2.1
2.2.1 Evaluation of current production systems
2.2.2 Provision of training in garden techniques including pest
control
2.3.1 Local seed sourcing and propagation of seedlings
2.4.1 Year round seedling production at nursery
2.5.1 Production and sale of surplus seedlings
2.5.2 Production and sale of surplus food stuffs
2.6.1 Building of compost toilet
2.7.1 Register Thandanani Garden Club as CBO
Construction of tree nursery: Successfully completed.
Design and installation of nursery irrigation system: The basic installation has been
successfully completed, consisting of a 5000l supply tank with supply lines to
standpipes at each end of the nursery with hosepipes and spray nozzles that cover
production throughout the nursery.
Seed harvesting: Seed harvesting knowledge and skills have been improved
through the learning exchange established with Manukelana Indigenous Nurseries.
Several varieties have been identified by Manukelana Nurseries for direct purchase
in seed and plant form. The main variety is the Jacket Plum or umqhoqho, which
Manukelana has requested, in large amounts (10000 +).
Tree propagation: Tree propagation commenced in April 2010. Indigenous varieties
currently include 35 lucky beans, 50 umvumvu and 10 mathundulukwa (wild fruit).
Twenty pawpaw trees have been planted as well as 10 avocados.
Management of young trees: Management of young trees in the nursery has been
established and is ongoing as part of the regular garden management. Most of
these trees will be planted into the garden around the edges and where there is
adequate protection from goats and for ease of management. Trees will also be
planted at club members’ homesteads.
Building of relationship between Thandanani Garden Club and Manukelana
Indigenous nurseries: This relationship was first established through a visit to
Manukelana by Thandanani project leader Joseph Gcwabaza and directors from
Rucore and the GEF SGP in October 2009. Following on from this, nine members
from Thandanani spent three days training at Manukelana in nursery techniques. In
September this year three members from Manukelana visited Thandanani to share
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 24
in the opening of the nursery and the 10th year celebrations of the community
garden. This was a good opportunity for Manukelana members to learn first hand
of the progress taking place in the Mambulu Village and to determine how these
two projects can best support each other with knowledge sharing and supply of
seed and plant material. Thandanani are progressing with collecting seed and
propagating the Jacket Plum or umqhoqho as requested by Manukelana.
1.3.1
1.3.2
1.3.3
2.1.1
2.1.2
2.2.1
2.2.2
Environmental education and awareness raising around conservation of
biodiversity: In September this year the Thandanani Gardening Club, together with
members of Rucore and their international training team spent a day at the local
primary school raising awareness of the value, preservation and enhancement of
natural environment. Considering that this took place during a national strike, there
were nevertheless a turn out about 40 children and 4 teachers including the
principle who participated in the learning day.
Tree planting at local primary school: During this education day several trees were
planted in the school grounds as part of the 2010 arbour day celebrations. Trees
planted included Natal wild plum and two citrus varieties.
Tree management in school grounds: The school principle was very happy to have
these trees planted at her school and will be taking personal responsibility for their
care.
Planning, design and construction of plant nursery with storage shed: The nursery
is complete as per 1.1.1.above. After the compost toilet construction project was
successfully completed, it was decided to build the storage shed out of the same
technology. The new shed has been designed and preparation to make the blocks
is in place. All materials have been purchased and the project is moving forward in
pace with existing capacity.
Design and installation of nursery irrigation system: As per 1.1.2.
Evaluation of current production systems: Current production systems have been
evaluated. See report in Appendix G below.
Provision of training in garden techniques including pest control: Throughout the
period of this grant training has been ongoing. Focus has been on flood
management and water harvesting as well and production techniques. Training has
been provided through the services of Rucore contracted field trainers, Mr Ewald
Viljoen and Ms Robina McCurdy. Generally production yields have improved and
this could be observed during our recent visit to the gardens in September. The
following yields were noted.
 Spinach was growing in thirty-five 70m-length rows (divided into smaller
sections) roughly 700mm wide. Each row consisting of 12 plants per section, a
total of 500 plants per row, the total number of plants being 17500. Estimated
market value for spinach is around R3 per bunch.
 Cabbages were growing in twenty-five 100m long rows, divided into smaller
sections of 700mm wide. Each row consisted of 6 plants per section, a total of
300 plants per row, the total number of plants being 7500. Retail market value
for cabbages is around R6 per head.
 Onions were growing in fifty 100m long rows, divided into smaller sections of
700mm wide. Each row consisted of 9 plants per section, a total of 500 plants
per row, the total number of plants being 25000. Retail market value for onions
is around R.75 per onion.
At the average prices given above the retail value of vegetable production
generated by the Thandanani Gardening Club would be in the region of R52,500
for spinach, R45,000 for cabbage and R18,750 for onions.
All plants looked to be in a healthy condition considering the lack of organic matter
and nutrients present in the soil. Given the scope for improvement outlined in the
garden report below, there is much for Thandanani to look forward to in terms of
production and diversity and yields in the years to come.
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 25
2.3.1
2.4.1
2.5.1
2.6.1
2.7.1
Local seed sourcing and propagation of seedlings: Seedlings are now being
propagated in the nursery. Current varieties include spinach, beetroot, onion,
cabbage, green pepper, eggplant, tomato, potato and carrot. Mr Joseph Gcwabaza
is sourcing local varieties to introduce into the garden production system.
Year round seedling production at nursery: Seedling propagation in the nursery is
ongoing. Currently there are spinach, onions, tomatoes, eggplant, green pepper
and green beans.
Production and sale of surplus seedlings: With the knowledge and observation of
the growth at Thandanani within the Mambulu Village, requests have been coming
in from the wider community for purchase of seedlings locally. Surpluses are being
made available for this purpose and Mr Gcwabaza has taken over the running of a
local store where seedlings will be sold which can be more easily accessed by
members from the surrounding villages.
Building of compost toilet: The compost toilet construction project was successfully
completed and included integrated rooftop rainwater collection and permaculture
landscaping around the toilet structure. This has created a source of potable water
in the garden itself. Members of Thandanani gardening club participated in the
training and skills for replicating this technology within the wider village have been
transferred. The modern usage or traditional earth materials in the construction
was easy for Thandanani members to relate to and appreciate. Discussions are
underway to develop a mechanism to roll out this technology in member’s
homesteads.
Register Thandanani Garden Club as CBO: two mini workshops have taken place
between Mr Gcwabaza and office bearers of the Thandanani Gardening Club and
Rucore around registering the club as a CBO. The relevant registration forms are
with the gardening committee and are complete. Rucore has arranged for
Thandanani Garden Club’s membership with KZN CBO Coalition (COMBOCO).
This relationship connects Thandanani to a regional network and source of
mentoring and capacity building over the longer term, which is important
considering that Thandanani as an organization is at an early stage of
development.
The Thandanani’s branding exercise is complete and project logo, stationary and
signage has been produced. Rucore has included a web presence for Thandanani
on its official site website and signage at the garden site.
Results:
The following section describes to what extent the objectives of the Agreement were
accomplished. The two main objectives of the agreement are:
1. Conservation, sustainable use and management of biodiversity in and around rural
communities and;
2. To support sustainable rural livelihoods
Given the unanimous support Thandanani received, at the celebrations in early September
this year, for their positive involvement in both the livelihoods of the Mambulu community
and the health of the surrounding environment, it is clear that overall the project has been
very successful and to a large extent all the objectives have been achieved.
Key infrastructure elements have been built, skills have been transferred and relationships
have been established, both with outside organizations and within the larger local
community itself that will stand Thandanani in good stead going forward.
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 26
Immediate benefits received by the participants and/or the recipient communities:
From an infrastructure perspective, the nursery and water system are a major asset for
Thandanani. This foundation has laid the ground from which the community is
concentrating its efforts to building indigenous plant stock as well as significantly improving
the environment for seedling production and management on an ongoing basis. Local
economic opportunities have been created through the improved ability to sell seedlings
and knowledge services.
Additional skills in nursery management, plant propagation, seed harvesting and
gardening practices have been transferred to Thandanani members. Environmentally
sound sanitation technology using local materials and traditional knowledge has been
successfully introduced to the Thandanani group and plans are in place for rolling this out
at member’s homesteads within the village. Further application of this building technology
has been applied to the storage shed and other structures within the village. A source or
potable water harvested from the compost toilet roof is in place in the garden.
Valuable relationships have been established with the GEF SGP, Manukelana Indigenous
Nurseries and Rucore. Phinduvuye, a local NGO, are involved in supporting early
childhood development at Thandanani. A new crèche has been built in the garden for this
purpose.
The wider community have been exposed to the work of Thandanani Gardening Club and
are fully supportive of their development plans going forward. The integration of local
cultural activities in relationship to a love of gardening and working with the soil has been
strengthened. This supports both local development as well as creating an inspiring
learning environment for young people locally and globally. Quantification of this interest
comes from the numerous requests to spend time at Thandanani from international
volunteers and from the wider South African community.
The registration process for Thandanani as a CBO is in place and a mentoring relationship
with Rucore and KZN CBO Coalition (COMBOCO) has been established to support this
process. Materials in the form of branding, logo, website and video documentary have
been developed to market Thandanani both locally and globally. This improves
Thandanani’s ability to raise further funds and to attract volunteers to this area.
Relationships are ongoing with Rucore and Phinduvuye. Rucore is working with
Thandanani on a program for rainwater harvesting/farming, which is one of the most
important issues to address in the immediate future in relationship to biodiversity
conservation, farming and community livelihoods. Phinduvuye are discussing creating a
central hub for their activities at Thandanani through which they can reach more people in
these remote rural areas of KZN.
Long-term benefits:
Thandanani Gardening Club has been operating successfully for the past ten years and
has shown its capability for long-term sustainability. The investments that have been made
over the past 12 months in terms of infrastructure, skills and new relationships have
strengthened Thandanani’s capacity to continue their important work as a locally driven
social enterprise supporting biodiversity conservation and rural livelihoods.
Thandanani is already a key resource in this area and for locally driven environmental
conservation and climate adaptation in an around rural communities. From this perspective
it is important however to continue finding ways to support Thandanani over the long-term.
While significant progress has been made, there are still many refinements that must be
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 27
implemented to improve production, build further capacity and create greater wealth within
the local community. This process of community driven development in partnership with
supportive organizations, adapting global knowledge and expertise to local culture and
development is creating a viable space for the younger generation to become inspired
about. This project has played an important role in laying the foundations for this ongoing
process.
New Developments and unexpected difficulties/problems:
Providing enough time for relationships and understanding to develop between the
different people involved, while important for achieving project objectives over the longterm, is also in conflict with the shorter timeframe (12 months) of this grant. Adapting to the
natural disruption in project implementation plans due to the remoteness of the project,
weather, local capacity and availability of resources resulted in difficulties to ensure all
outcomes could be achieves within the timeframes allocated. The fact that the project
started towards the end of 2009 and had to absorb the inevitable December/January
downtime resulted in two months being lost to the available implementation time. This has
resulted in a few of the project activities been rolled outside of the stipulated timeframe.
Several challenges were experienced in terms of finding a suitable solution for pumping
water from the river into the supply tanks in the garden. While efforts were explored to
access a suitable position in the river for installing a ram pump, in the end it was decided
that the Mambulu River was simply unsuitable for this purpose. At that same time local
government was in the process of installing the village wide water supply system and it
was hoped that this supply could be connected to the garden. The challenges in making
this work have proved quite difficult thus far and it is still unclear if this will be possible. The
borehole which is located about 300m from the garden was identified as a suitable source
to connect into but with the delays in switching on the village water system, this source
had to remain available to villagers who rely on this water, especially during the dry times
when surface water from the Mambulu river becomes more scarce.
After running the project implementation for several months it became clear that certain
activities originally planned for within the budget, required adjustment to fit the realities on
the ground. The two main areas where this was necessary were to do with seed collecting
and the pumping system from the available river water. Additionally certain outcomes were
over budgeted for and certain items under budget. The items completed under budget
were the construction of the plant nursery. The items requiring additional budget included
the training and construction of the composting toilet and the registration, branding and
signage for the Thandanani Gardening Club.
Actions taken to solve them:
The challenges relating to the short timeframe of this project are more challenging to
overcome and the inevitable scaling down of activities has been unavoidable. Certain
relationships have been established which are ongoing, namely the early childhood
development and the ongoing relationships with Rucore and Manukelana. Rucore, as
mentioned in working on the next stage of development around rainwater harvesting and
the further implementation of composting toilets in the village. The activities that could not
be completed within the timeframe ending September 30, 2010 have been completed in
2011 period. These activities include completion of the storage shed and the registration of
Thandanani as CBO.
As far as the water system is concerned, the municipal supply is now coming on line and
water is becoming available at standpipes nearer to people’s homesteads. This will vastly
improve access to water in the village and support tree planning at household level. The
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 28
issue of pumping water into the supply tanks still needs to be solved. With the village
system coming on line, this frees up the borehole near the garden to be used for supplying
water to the garden. As an interim strategy we are laying a supply pipe from the borehole
to the supply tanks, which means that Thandanani members do not have to carry water
from the river to the garden when river water near the garden is unavailable. Our next
stage, once the municipal water supply becomes more stable, will be to obtain consent
from the local authority and community to reequip the borehole to supply directly to the
garden tanks.
As far as financial readjustments of items are concerned, we have made the necessary
changes to our implementation and budget plans. Our amended plans have been
successfully implemented and all activities envisioned under the scope of this project are
now competed. We have notified the GEF SGP country reprehensive of these adjustments
as required.
Remarks/lesson learned:
The Thandanani Garden Club and the development context around the Mambulu Village
has proved to be a powerful space for learning and capacity building in relationship to
environmental protection, climate adaptation and sustainable livelihoods for both members
of Mambulu village and a wider community. One clear example of this is in relationship to
the construction technology used in the building of the composting toilet. There is
something unique and powerful here, where those interested in sustainable construction
using earth based technologies, can learn from people who have been working with these
materials, and still do, for hundreds of years. While this learning environment creates value
for a wider learning community, the delivery is at a local level where it is most needed.
There is certainly much scope to develop and leverage these community assets in the
interests of local and global conservation efforts in the years to come.
While this project has added significant value and created meaningful capacity in relation
to the challenges addressing biodiversity and climate issues in and around rural
communities, adequate longer-term interventions are beyond the scope of this project.
While the foundations that have been laid are important, in order to engage with the
present challenges more effectively, especially concerning current patters of land
degradation, ongoing support over the longer term is needed.
While these issues are well known, findings ways to maintain such creative development
processes is vitally important. Within the scope of this project however, I believe the work
that has gone into Thandanani and the Mambulu village, through the partnership with GEF
SGP, has created tremendous value for all concerned and it is Rucore’s intention to
continue with this process to the best of its ability in the years to come.
Date: October 2011
Proposed by: Mr Paul Cohen
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 29
Annex F: Final Report on the use of funds
Project Number: Project Title
Date: 5 October 2011
Project Title: Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project
Name of the Local [NGO]: Rural Education Development Corporation (Rucore)
Total Amount of Funds Under the Agreement: US$ 50000
Date of signature of the Agreement: 4 October 2009
FOR THE ENTIRE PERIOD OF THE GRANT
Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project
Budget (12 Months; October 2009 to September 2010)
Global Budget @ 7.3:1
Global Budget
(with reallocations)
Actual Expenditures
Balance
General Category of Expenditures
Project Planning
Stakeholder co-ordination
Implementation plan
R18 250,00
R13 690,00
R18 250,00
R13 690,00
R 18 283,98
R 13 690,00
-R33,98
R0,00
Project Implementation
Local Community
Programme coordination
R54 750,00
R56 806,41
R 56 806,41
R0,00
Thandanani Plant Nursery
construction of 1800sqm plant nursery
install irrigation technology and rain water harvesting
R63 875,00
R45 625,00
R49 068,59
R30 000,00
R49 062,59
R 30 000,00
R6,00
R0,00
Nursery Operation & Start-up
seed harvesting and collection
training and capacity building
tools and equipment
production resources
storage shed
fencing
R18 250,00
R21 900,00
R4 562,00
R7 300,00
R13 690,00
R10 950,00
R0,00
R21 900,00
R5 500,00
R7 300,00
R28 690,00
R10 950,00
R 21
R5
R7
R 28
R 10
R 0,00
900,00
500,00
231,84
690,00
950,00
R0,00
R0,00
R0,00
R68,16
R0,00
R0,00
School environmental education and reforestation program
R13 690,00
R12 082,75
R 12 082,75
R0,00
Thandanani Garden Club
construction of members toilet
registration of community organization (branding, sinage)
R13 690,00
R2 737,00
R22 105,75
R21 362,00
R22 105,75
R 21 362,00
R0,00
R0,00
R12 775,00
R15 512,00
R7 300,00
R13 690,00
R352 236,00
R16 444,25
R17 096,25
R7 300,00
R13 690,00
R352 236,00
R 16 444,25
R 17 096,25
R7 300,00
R13 690,00
R352 195,82
R0,00
R0,00
R0,00
R0,00
R40,18
Operational Costs
project management and communications
travel and accommodation
administrative costs and audit fees
evaluation and reporting
Totals
Total Budget approved: US$ 50,000.00
Funds advanced: R338,075.00
Amount of expenditures: R352,195.82
Funds requested: US$ 5,000.00
Balance (if any exists): R40.18
Certified by: Mr. Paul Cohen
Executive Director
Rucore Sustainability Foundation
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 30
Annex G: Thandanani Garden Report
CURRENT SITUATION
90 gardeners, the majority being women from family homesteads in the Mambulu Village,
manage this whole garden co-operatively under the guidance of project leader Joseph
Gcwabaza. The system of bed allocation and responsibility is: one family member is
responsible for a 70 m long row, currently growing silverbeet, spinach, onions, cabbage,
carrot, eggplant, green pepper and green beans. Additionally they have one 40 m long
row of tomatoes. The gardens are laid out with ‘indented’ segments (for water retention),
with 3 – 4 plants of the same species in each segment = 24 plants in 4 sq meters.
There is no piped water to the garden, and each gardener carries buckets of water every 1
- 2 days to water their plants. This is labour intensive and time consuming, although it
does generate some social connection through people meeting down at the river and en
route to and from the garden.
CONCERNS
 evaporation and water loss
 soil exposure to sun
 distance from water source and quantities carried
 optimised space utilization
 pest management strategies
 crop diversity
 mulch consumed by termites
 green manure’ grown as living soil-food
 shade for crops in very hot summer
 composting system
 humus in soil
RECOMMENDATIONS
(A) LAYOUT
(1) Adapt configuration of mini-beds: In the rows, expand each indented mini-garden in
size to encompass the 3 neighbouring mini-gardens, so the overall size is 2 * 2 m, the
maximum size to enable harvesting from all sides. This shape optimizes space, as there
is less space taken up with bunds between smaller indented beds. An inter-planting
approach (see below) should also increase the number of plants in 4 sq m from 24 plants
to 36 (minimum). These ‘indented’ beds of 2 * 2 m (slightly rounded at the corners) do not
necessitate altering the row distances, as this shape is the width of 2 current rows. It is
also possible to harvest from the outside to all places in the garden space.
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 31
(2) Interplant instead of mono-crop - for diversity, pest and disease management, space
utilisation and minimizing water transpiration. A series of 4 indented rotating garden crops
could be planted, with fresh manure/compost and/or some green manure tops (see below)
forked in between each new planting of crops. Given the range of vegetables eaten and
currently grown, an example of progression is: Bed 1: interplant with carrot, cabbage and
onion (pest management) Bed 2: Bush beans Bed 3: Cabbage, kale, onion etc. then after
harvest plant the next crop in the cycle in each bed. Bed 4: Sunhemp (a green manure
crop)
(3) Forest Garden concept: In places, apply the forest garden approach. Change the
garden layout to 30 – 40% forest garden system with guilds of perennial vegetables as the
under-story. This can also include a few perennial green manure shrubs. Around the
periphery of the garden, as well as having one area in the centre (circular shaped is
recommended), allocate the garden as a typical forest garden pattern, with fruit trees
providing a shade canopy for vegetables in the hottest times of the year. This planting
pattern consists of: a main fruit tree, smaller fruit tree, and an understory of perennial
veges (e.g. parsley, silver beet, celery, onion) under the outside trees and annual veges
under the innermost trees.
It should be calculated in advance how much shade these trees will throw when fully
grown (especially the central area) and the area around them plant accordingly in the
kinds of veges which like the types of microclimates this will provide. The underneath and
surrounding annual vege species will change from the time of initial tree planting (when
tree is small) to when the tree is fully mature.
Also around the outside, in between each guild, perennial nitrogen fixing shrubs (see
species list below) should be grown, to provide twiggy branches for the temporary shade
strategy (see below).
(B) MULCH & SHADE
(1) Use bark/chunky wood mulch and stones to mulch between plants, and smallish
branches sticking into the edge of the small north facing bunds around each indented
garden. This is to help prevent water evaporation and lessen plant transpiration. Wood
suitable for mulching was found lying on the ground under the trees at the entrance to the
garden.
(2) In the hotter months, it is important to create temporary shade for young veges until
their inter-planted guilds get sufficiently big to provide some shade for each other and
leave none of the ground in the garden bed exposed to the sun. This can be done in two
ways:
(a) stick short skinny branches/long twigs into the north-facing side of the bund, so that
shade is created over the bed when the sun is at its most intense time of the day
(b) stretch small branches/brambles across the indented gardens, resting on their minibund sides, to provide shade when the plants are still small.
(3) In autumn, plant a ‘living mulch’ – a suitable mix of ‘green manure’ and grain crops
specifically for soil fertility building, every 4th row, in-between the indented gardens. This
would mean that this row was not organized in the smaller indented gardens pattern,
rather be one long straight row with slightly lipped edges to better hold water. One
concern is that this ‘green manure’ crop also needs watering until it gets up high enough to
hold its own moisture. This would require the amount of it minimized initially until improved
watering systems are in place.
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 32
In early spring, when the seasonal calendar would guide a new planting cycle to begin in
50% of the gardens, half of this mulch is slashed and given to other beds (indented), and
lightly turned in as food for the soil. The next season this ‘green manure’ bed then
becomes a main cropping bed e.g. 1 row for potatoes, another row for tomatoes. NB: to
avoid soil borne diseases, tomatoes should never be grown in the same place twice, as is
currently the place with ongoing dedicated tomato beds, in which some of the plants are
diseased.
To avoid changing the shape of the ‘indented beds’, as this would require considerable
effort, this long straight row bed should continue as the main green manure bed. It could
also support an edible nitrogen-fixing crop that doubles-up as green manure, such as peas
and beans.
(C) COMPOSTING
(1) Each homestead, as well as the crèche to have its own worm farm, fed from the scraps
from the kitchen (also shared with the chickens), situated within the homestead compound.
This would also be given manure and dry leaves or damp cardboard (packaging waste).
The liquid ‘tea’ and vermicast from these worm farms would provide increased fertility for
the garden.
(2) Once a year, at the end of a major harvesting season (autumn), make long ‘windrow’
composts to provide fertility for the nursery trees and gardens. The maize stalks
(chopped), pumpkin stems etc will be utilized for this purpose.
(D) STAPLE CROPS
As done last year, allocate a separate area for the ‘3 sisters’ – maize, beans, squash
combination, ploughed and then planted in just before the main rains. In between crops,
to cover and cool the soil, provide nitrogen and encourage soil micro-life, this garden
should carry a hardy more rambling type, green manure crop e.g. akou sulla, hairy vetch.
(E) SEASONAL CALENDAR
To assist all of the above recommendations to work more effectively, since this system is
expected to be more complex than previously practiced, following a seasonal calendar is
most helpful. The development of this calendar should be done as a participatory process
with the Thandanani garden club contributing their local knowledge and new information
(e.g. on green manures) included by the facilitators. This timing is an opportunity for new
concepts to be introduced and a sample re-shaping of gardens and planting of a green
manure crop done.
(F) RAISING SEEDLING
The allocated area within the tree nursery structure for the raising of seedlings is well
suited for this purpose. Independence in seedling raising and seed saving is improving and
certainly important for the sustainability of Mambulu Village. Raising seedling, as is
currently happening, is leading towards a viable income stream.
(G) POTENTIAL GREEN MANURE SPECIES & PLANTING TIMES
Warm-season (sow spring/summer)
Legumes: cowpea, Glen jointvetch, lablab, mung, soybean
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 33
Non-legumes: buckwheat, Japanese millet, sorghum
Cool-season (sow autumn/winter)
Legumes: lupin, Woolly pod vetch, field pea
Non-legumes: oats, rapeseed, annual ryegrass
Cover Crops (sow spring/summer)
Legumes: Bargoo jointvetch, Crotalaria (shrub species), Desmondium, Glen
jointvetch, Lablab, Lotononis, Pigeon pea (shrub species), Pinto’s/Amirillo
peanut, Wynn’s cassia.
Cover Crops (sow autumn/winter)
Legumes: Haifa white clover, Kenya red clover, Lucerne, Maku lotus
Non Legumes: Perennial rye
Legumes, Annual & Biennial: broad bean (W), Mung beans (S), Soy (S), Willy-pod vetch,
Botali beans, Blackeyed peas, Cow-peas (S/S), Japanese millet
Perennial: Lablab (S/W), Pigeon pea, Wattle (Brisbane), Moringa (drumstick tree) – also a
water cleanser, Arrowroot, Havea, Sasparilla vine (mini ha-ha) – a climbing N-fixer.
(3) Guide to proportions in different soil types:
Sandy: two-thirds grain, one-third legumes; Clay: one-third grain, two-thirds legumes.
(4) Some green manure combinations
1.Cowpea, lablab, mung bean
2.Cowpea, linseed, Japanese millet, buckwheat
3.Pidgeon pea, amaranth, millet (+chickweed, comfrey)
4.Cowpea, mung, millet
5.Cowpea, soya, Japanese millet
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 34
Progress Pictures
1. Completed nursery structure
2. Thandanani Garden Club members
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 35
3. Changed orientation of garden beds aligned with natural contours
4. Paul Cohen explaining compost toilet designs to Thandanani building
team prior to construction.
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 36
5. Breaking ground on the composting toilet
6. Construction of substructure in process
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 37
7. Completion of substructure
8. Thandanani Garden Club founder and coordinator Joseph Gcwabaza
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 38
9. Thandanani ladies plastering
10. Compost toilet nearing completion with rain water harvesting
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 39
11. Crèche being build using local traditional methods
12. Phinduvuye coordinator, Jabu, handing out supplies to Thandanani
Garden Club members
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 40
13. Compost Toilet complete
14. Locally available building materials
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 41
15. School environmental education day
16. Schools gardens
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 42
17. School tree planning day
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 43
16. Thandanani gardens – September 2010
17. Mr. Gcwabaza discusses garden bed design with Robina McCurdy (NZ)
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 44
18. Opening of nursery celebrations – September 2010 - youth
19. Opening of nursery celebrations – September 2010 – Shembe Church
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 45
20. Opening of nursery celebrations – September 2010 – Mambulu Village
21. Opening of nursery celebrations – September 2010 – Representatives
from GEF SGP and Manukelana interviewed by film crew.
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 46
22. September 2010 – Thandanani Chairperson
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 47
23. September 2010 – Thandanani project manager, Joseph Gcwabaza
RUCORE / GEF SGP – Thandanani Reforestation and Sustainable Livelihoods Project 48