South African Social Innovation and
Community Development – Strategies
and Perspectives for Australia?
Anthea Fawcett
SOUTHERN EXCHANGE
anthea@southernexchange.com.au
SA innovation - inspiring examples
• Woolworth’s Trust EduPlant Programme
• Youth Empowerment Network (YEN), David Liknaitzky, “Facing the
Future with Courage” ‘Lost generation’ - Life skills and personal
development http://www.yen.org.za
• Conquest for Life, Glen Steyn, Township based youth empowerment,
life skills, crime: rehabilitation/mentoring http://www.conquest.org.za
• Glen and David’s work: internationally recognised social
entrepreneurs, ASHOKA Fellows
SA social innovation? context
• Creative spaces + needs = innovative partnerships: business, civil
society, NGOs, social entrepreneurs, committed individuals
• Wealth & poverty, first & third world conditions/challenges
• CSI & BEE culture – transformation & reconciliation
• Sustainable development & ‘development’ imperatives – social justice,
poverty, local environment/ livelihood needs
• INNOVATIONS - Australia may learn & draw from
• OPPORTUNITIES - OZ resource companies in Africa & in Oz:
Australian indigenous community needs
FOOD AND TREES FOR AFRICA
Woolworths Trust EDUPLANT
Permaculture & Food Gardens programme
Intro: Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA)
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www.trees.org.za
‘Trees for Africa’ NGO Est 1990, first core program “Trees for Homes”,
RDP housing – shade & fruit trees, Slovo’s “a house without a tree is
not a home”
To Improve degraded township environs & livelihoods
Community based urban greening – 5 core programs
Organic permaculture principles, climate change and local action since
inception have informed all programmes
Poverty & food insecurity – TFA change to FTFA in 1994
EduPlant initiated 1994 alongside permaculture garden training &
development courses
Since 1990 FTFA resp. for over 2.8 million trees planted
National/international recognition: 2007 UNEP Sasakawa Environment
Prize - CEO, Jeunesse Park
Woolworths Trust EduPlant
- schools growing good food naturally
• Leading national food gardening & greening programme
• Education for FOOD SECURITY, NUTRITION, SUSTAINABILITY &
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS
• Partnerships: Landcare SA, SABC Education & Radio, National Dept.
Water Affairs & Forestry – Education Dept support for OBE
• Woolworths SA (Woolworths Trust) lead sponsor: EduPlant the Trust’s
flagship programme since 2004
• Leverages further sponsors to support individual school projects
• STRUCTURED around ANNUAL NATIONAL SCHOOL COMPETITION
• EMPOWERS; MOTIVATEs & REWARDS teachers, schools,
communities to develop permaculture projects & food gardens
EduPlant: key elements
COMPETITION STRUCTURE:
• 4 categories – Emerging, Intermediate, Advanced, & Provinces (9)
• Motivates schools to annually re-enter & build on past achievements
JUDGING CRITERIA – holistic capacity building. Criteria:• “The entry shows that the school understands how to create a
sustainable, food producing environment that conserves and manages
natural resources sustainably
• The school has shown initiative by implementing a project, raising funds
or finding assistance and information
• The project will, or does, involve the maximum number of educators,
learners, parents and other community members
• The project is, or will be, integrated into the outcomes-based curriculum
• The quality of the presentation to the adjudicators at the awards event
will be assessed.”
EduPlant: key elements
ENTRY PROCESS, STRATEGIC PLANNING & DOCUMENTATION Encourages schools to promote projects to community & sponsors
THE COMPETITION – KEY COMPONENTS
• Entry forms/invitations – with case studies, permaculture info
• Nationwide program of 1 day motivational workshops for teachers
• Provision of extensive Curricula Support resources
• Qualified permaculturists visit 20 shortlisted schools per province - to help
develop their projects, distribute resources, seeds etc
• Special 4 day intensive workshops held for select schools
• FINALS Awards & Presentation Ceremony – major 3 day motivational
JOYFUL event, 63 schools, teachers & students, from 9 provinces
• All finalists receive recognition and prizes, & funding to attend Awards
• Winners from each category (15-20 teachers) offered further skills
development – eg. 2 week permaculture facilitators training course
EduPlant – embraces permaculture principles:
PERMAnent agriCULTURE
• FTFA useful definitions include:… “a system of farming & gardening
that combines plants, animals, buildings, water, the landscape & people
in a way that produces more energy than it uses, recycles all waste &
nutrients, & imitates nature as much as possible”.
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Environmentally friendly - resource efficient
Accessible to all - in diverse physical, social & economic environments
Low cost inputs
Is ENJOYABLE - FUN - ENABLING
Addresses real needs – food security, nutrition, better environs
Sustainable & incremental achievements possible over time
Permaculture… “Simply look around you and find out how natural
elements (water, soil, plants, animals, sun, air and people) can work
together and how you can make the best use of them. Each design will be
different in each place depending on what resources you have available
and what you want your landscape to look like and do for you in the future”.
Elements schools encouraged to consider & include in their projects:
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WATER: harvesting, retention, reuse
LAND/SOILS: compost, mulching, plant based soil conditioners
FOOD: plant choices to build soils, control pests, enrich gardens
ENERGY: appropriate plants and gardens in right locations
WIND/SHADE: trees & windbreaks for shelter, enable gardens in tough
conditions
AMENITY: productive, clean, healthy local environs
RECYCLING: of wastes to compost, mulch etc, minimise other resource use
RELATIONSHIPS: systems of care: social, environmental, inter-personal
EduPlant …in action
EduPlant - achievements
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Empowers & supports grass roots champions to
take action: teachers, learners & communities to
tackle poor nutrition, food insecurity
Multiple environmental & social capital benefits
8000 schools – since 1994
Program growing & getting stronger: 350
schools 2007; 450 in 2008
In a competitive policy & ‘needs’ environment,
continues to retain & grow sponsors
Leverages FTFA’s other program supporters to
help fund disadvantaged schools
Mentorship, resources, progressive program
support to schools/teachers in tough conditions
Supports Outcomes Based Education
Support HIV/AIDS affected communities
EduPlant - benefits
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• BETTER nutrition & poverty alleviation
• SUPPLEMENTED school feeding schemes
• ENHANCED learner concentration
• Support to CHILD-HEADED households
• Nutrition to bolster HIV/AIDS treatments
• SCHOOLS/Community – stronger
relationships, parent/community support,
parent & child involvement
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Schools become ‘magnet’ leaders in
community & lead outreach to other
local schools, hospices etc, to develop
gardens, undertake greening
Experiential learning – poor literacy,
behavioural, & Eng as 2nd lang contexts
Permaculture resources integrated into
curricula – sustainable life skills
Expansion of private food gardens
Cumulative livelihood benefits: vege
gardens + orchards, chicken runs, pigs,
medicinal gardens, & additional
permaculture projects
SKILLS FOR LIFE
SUSTAINABLE sustaining pleasures
CORPORATE/ NGO/ COMMUNITY
partnerships - expanding over time
EduPlant – The Australian Context?
Indigenous Health & Nutrition
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Poor nutrition a key contributor to the 17 year gap in life expectancy
Poor quality diet an imp. risk factor in 3 of the 4 major causes of death
An inadequate intake of fruit & vegetables continues to be reported for Indigenous
Australians – alarmingly so, for those living in remote areas.
Recent studies suggest many Indigenous people in remote areas understand the
relationship b/t food & health; & report a preference for fresh fruit & vegetables
Fresh food is up to 50% more expensive in remote communities than in major centres
such as Darwin
POVERTY, EXPENSE, SPATIAL ISOLATION = FOOD INSECURITY – recognition
these factors must be given greater attention (not just nutrition education)
Currently, much fresh food available in remote communities travels over vast distances:
high “food miles” = adds expense, reduces food quality
Food gardening in Indigenous communities?
• National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Nutrition Strategy & Action
Plan 2000-2010 – scope for action
• Hunting & gathering, bush tucker - benefits known & increasingly valued
• AND oft well established/recalled food gardening experience in many
remote communities (Mission Gardens, Outstation gardens …)
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Aboriginal community gardens – yet to be studied in depth
• Indications food gardens becoming a pop choice b/c of nutrition & food
security
• …increasing number of initiatives underway that could be built upon
Overview: food garden initiatives
• Community Development Employment Projects
• Community/Reconciliation initiatives, eg:
– EON Foundation, WA, ‘edible garden’ project
– Cultural Healing Garden, Christies Beach High School,
Reconciliation Action Plan
– Dare to Lead schools program, a winning school with a bush
tucker/forestry project
• Departmental initiatives under consideration, eg:
- NT Dept. of Regional D’Ment, Primary Industry, Fisheries &
Resources, prof garden manager/subscriptions model
- NT Dept of Agriculture, ‘Veg in a Box’ food production program trial
• Permaculture Workbook for Australian communities
– developed by Dr Martin Anda & Josh Byrne, Murdoch University
CONCLUSIONS
• Compelling case – for new strategies to increase role of food
gardens in remote indigenous communities
• EduPlant – a valuable model & resources to draw from & adapt (in
culturally appropriate ways)
• Reconciliation, CSI, Sustainability, Community building – all drivers &
resources for new inter-sectoral partnerships
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Multiple benefits possible
• Community ownership & champions critical
• Programs such as Dare to Lead exciting possible starting points for
new journeys.