Grassroots Trust
www.grassrootstrust.com
“Regenerating Nature for Sustainable Profit”
Oct 2015
Concept note for Shaping Our Future 2016
Following a meeting of stakeholders at our premises, Grassroots Trust was tasked with writing a concept
note for Shaping Our Future 2016.
Background: Shaping Our Future conference was organized by John Birchall of Cambridge University and
others in 2012 and 2013 as a platform to stimulate Zambians to consider policies for sustainable
development.
Grassroots Trust made a presentation on low input farming at the 2012 conference and expanded the
narrative to include a complete toolbox of technologies to restore the soil-based economy including
CBNRM, low input farming, Holistic Management and Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration at the 2013
conference. Rodger Savory and Tony Rinaudo made Skype presentations to explain their respective
regenerative technologies. The British Council sponsored both events.
In 2014 and 2015 funding did not materialize for the SOF conference
2016 Goal: To organize a 3rd conference to stimulate discussion on sustainable development and showcase
innovations that can help Zambia move quickly and efficiently away from copper dependence and towards
a sustainable diversified economy based on renewable resources.
It was suggested that the 2016 conference would be followed up by a campaign to publicise useful
technologies and stimulate issue-based debate during the run up to the 2016 elections in October.
Below are some suggestions on how this conference may be structured
1
Grassroots Trust, Limited by Guarantee, (Not- for-profit)
Executive: Rolf Shenton +260 971 502 836,
Japher Cora +260 964 108 961,
Sebastian Scott + 260 977 313 318.
Other Board members include: Emily Sikazwe WFC, M.Muyembe UNZA Vet, Mulilo Chuula, Namaala Nkumbula,
Email: info@grassrootstrust.com, Website: www.grassrootstrust.com
Holistic Context
Holistic Management is a framework developed by the Savory Institute to ensure that decision- makers
consider social, environmental and economic factors both short and long term thus avoiding un-intended
consequences.
Building consensus over Holistic Context, cooperation and collective action can help lead to regeneration
and growth
Some context issues to Consider:
Economic factors
 the growing population of Zambia and combining with increased consumption levels in pursuit of
improved quality of life, the country needs a steadily increasing resource base. By 2050, 50m
people may require 40x more resources than today.
 Considering the long term global trends, this would have to be achieved with decreasing
dependence on fossil fuel-based inputs as rising prices and dwindling supply would continue
forcing input costs like fertilisers and fuel higher.
 Considering the global financial downturn and the Zambian current devaluation, reducing
dependence on imported inputs needs to be prioritized.
 Available water for growth and energy production is becoming scarce thus threatening growth.
Since the water is effectively managed by land-users all over the country, finding solutions to make
rains more effective will have to involve every citizen.
Environmental factors
 Soil, water and the biodiversity it supports forms the basis of sustainable growth of food, fiber and
energy.
Both are being degraded rapidly primarily due to failure to
recognize the importance of managing organic matter. This
trend will undermine efforts to increase
productivity/profitability and it is therefore critical to address
the root causes of environmental malfunction.
 Most of Zambia’s natural resources are hemorrhaging
due to a failed centralized management structure under
which citizens especially land-managers are not involved in decision-making. Implementation of
CBNRM policy must be prioritized to arrest the tragedy of the commons that is unfolding.
2
Grassroots Trust, Limited by Guarantee, (Not- for-profit)
Executive: Rolf Shenton +260 971 502 836,
Japher Cora +260 964 108 961,
Sebastian Scott + 260 977 313 318.
Other Board members include: Emily Sikazwe WFC, M.Muyembe UNZA Vet, Mulilo Chuula, Namaala Nkumbula,
Email: info@grassrootstrust.com, Website: www.grassrootstrust.com

Efforts to eradicate pests and disease have failed. Global consensus is that increasing biodiversity
was the only sure way of building resilience to diseases- Zambia is currently sprinting in the wrong
direction.
Social factors
 Widening wealth gap: Continuous efforts must be made to reduce the wealth gap to avoid the
inevitable social unrest that comes with disparate wealth. Instead social dynamics must create
positive incentives for the population to manage resources well. Sustainable production is most
likely to happen at small-scale farming level and Community based natural resource management.
 Building consensus on appropriate sustainable technologies, goal setting and transferring
responsibility and rights from centralised authorities to local communities is a process that must
be inclusive and allow people to clearly define their roles and duties.
 In order for an effective transformation to a sustainable economy to happen, a new concept of
education will be needed that respects traditional knowledge, cultural and heritage values.
Grassroots Trust engages with land owners and policy-makers to stimulate and mentor holistic thinking.
Grassroots promotes four globally proven technologies that regenerate eco-systems whilst improving
profitability.
Tools to stimulate regeneration and growth
Holistic Management is a framework developed by the Savory Institute to ensure that decision- makers
consider social, environmental and economic factors both short and long term thus avoiding unintended consequences. Individual farmers are relatively poor but together they control vast lands and
natural resources. Building consensus over Holistic Context, cooperation and collective action from all
stakeholders in a catchment can create exponential growth.
Holistic Planned Grazing helps livestock owners revive natural/ traditional grazing patterns to improve
pasture and eco-systems and reduce recycling of ticks, worms and parasites.
Low input (regenerative) cropping enhances natural water cycles and nutrient flows to increase
profitability and sustainability. Grassroots works with farmers and researchers around the world to
develop integrated agriculture on the research/demo farm in Kafue. Our mission is to share low input
successes and lessons learned with farmers around Zambia.
Tree pruning is a widely-known technology to regenerate trees from stumps and bushes by removal of
excess shoots and suckers. Most of the felled trees in Zambia are still alive and can be restored quickly
and cheaply.
Helping Communities understand the Holistic Context and Shape a Viable Future
Where are we heading? Communities are in decline and resources are steadily depleting - moving towards
desertification, environmental malfunction and inevitable conflict. Over the past half century, perhaps 90%
of large wildlife has disappeared along with over 75% of livestock and a large part of Zambia’s forest.
Fisheries are depleting fast and agricultural yields in rural communities are a quarter of what they once
were.
Where should we be heading? To cope with growing populations and increasing consumption, resources
need to be regenerating. This must be achieved with low-input technologies to ensure resilience against
diminishing global reserves of finite resources including fossil fuels and phosphorous.
Where do we begin? To move from declining to regenerating resources requires addressing the four
fundamental eco-system processes:
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Grassroots Trust, Limited by Guarantee, (Not- for-profit)
Executive: Rolf Shenton +260 971 502 836,
Japher Cora +260 964 108 961,
Sebastian Scott + 260 977 313 318.
Other Board members include: Emily Sikazwe WFC, M.Muyembe UNZA Vet, Mulilo Chuula, Namaala Nkumbula,
Email: info@grassrootstrust.com, Website: www.grassrootstrust.com
COMMUNITY DYNAMICS, SOLAR FLOW, NUTRIENT FLOW AND WATER CYCLE.
Low input, organic techniques focus on the recycling of dead plant material to the soil, which feeds soil life
which in turn provides the nutrient flow for increased plant growth.
Increased organic cover on the soil also encourages INCREASED INFILTRATION, reducing evaporation and
run-off creating the requirements for increased photosynthesis and vegetation which in turn can begin
feeding growth of higher species.
Is it really possible to turn around the decline? Yes, technically it has proved quite easy – Grassroots Trust
promotes tools that are tried and tested. Some impressive results have been achieved around the world
using Holistic planned grazing, Low input cropping, Community Based Natural Resource Management
(CBNRM) and Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration of trees (FMNR).
Who needs to be part of this process? Everyone - the challenge is to mobilise all 7 million land managers in
rural Zambia. This will require the national leadership to participate and work towards the common goal of
regenerating the ecosystem
How will we get everyone involved and behaving responsibly? Top-down, command and control
management has on the whole failed. The answer lies in well-established economic and management
principles:
1. Devolution of rights and responsibilities to the lowest appropriate level.
2. Tenure over resources in a defined area.
3. Creation of incentives through empowerment, economic opportunities and the reinstatement of
traditional, cultural and heritage values.
This implies that communities have to get organised. How do we do this?
Since no-one or no authority has the answers to our problems, we begin with a meeting of everybody in
the community
Using Holistic Management to guide decisions
Grassroots Trust promotes a process called Holistic Management designed by Allan Savory used around the
world to turn around the fortunes of farms, businesses, communities and governments. HM thinking was
employed successfully in the Namibian Conservancies Program where over 85 communities where
regeneration is taking place across social, economic and environmental fronts
The process:
1.
People define the context of where they are in terms of social, economic and environment.
4
Grassroots Trust, Limited by Guarantee, (Not- for-profit)
Executive: Rolf Shenton +260 971 502 836,
Japher Cora +260 964 108 961,
Sebastian Scott + 260 977 313 318.
Other Board members include: Emily Sikazwe WFC, M.Muyembe UNZA Vet, Mulilo Chuula, Namaala Nkumbula,
Email: info@grassrootstrust.com, Website: www.grassrootstrust.com
2.
Everyone agree on how they want their lives to be in future – planning together towards
Holistic
Context
3.
They define what needs to be done, and how everyone will have to behave in order to achieve their
goals - collective action.
4.
Grassroots Trust introduces a decision-making framework to help ensure that all decisions work
towards the common goals whilst remaining in balance with social, economic and environmental factors.
5.
Stakeholders agree on a monitoring and control mechanism so that wrong decisions are noticed and
corrected in good time. It is easier to assume all decisions are wrong in the first place!
Developing a representative decision- making structure
Communities are encouraged to incorporate their common assets into a formal structure. These
conservancy structures allow the community to partner with government, private sector and NGO’s in
managing their common pool resources.
Ongoing mentorships:
Lusaka Province: Mwembezyi Natural Conservation Society, Chiyaba, Eastern Province: Ndake, Mololo
and Mbangombe Chiefdoms Southern Province Siachitema, Mwenda, Livingstone Central Province:
Mkushi
Other start-ups pending:
Kafue gorge community, Lunga - Luswishi GMA, Kanyenshya, Mpumba, Siavonga, Luembe, Kaoma ,
Hanjalika, Jumbe, Msoro, and Mwanya, Lake Tanganyika Conservation, Rufunsa GMA, Chitina, Mboroma,
Lakes-Link Project Mweru, West Lunga Trust, Mukuni
Organisations:
GRZ, CBNRM Forum, NRCF, Women for Change, ZNCC, ZNFU, CFU, CSEF, CRS, Caritas, Tombwe Tobacco,
Comaco, Kasisi Farms, ZLA, Small Scale Farmers Union, UNZA, GART, NRDC, Biofuels Zambia, Peacecorps,
DAPP, CDT, ACF, Pelum, Biodivsity Alliance, WFP, DFID, Embassy of Sweden, PROFIT, LDS, HIVOS
Technology Advisors include:
Over 100 Traditional leaders and network of Zambian Land Managers, ZAWA, FD, Fisheries Dept, Allan
Savory/African Centre for Holistic Management, Garth Owen-Smith IRDNC Namibia, Patricia Skyer WWF,
Tony Rinaudo - World Vision, Adimir Calligari – IAPAR Brazil, Joseph Weltin- Majouru Meats, Seb Scott Old
Orchard Farm, Sky Services, Hygrotech, Bob Shenton- Protea Farms, Lilai Farms, Johann ZeitsmannProfitable Ranching, Rodger Savory- Savory Grasslands Management, Roland Bunch, Small-Scale Farmers
for Business FB,
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Grassroots Trust, Limited by Guarantee, (Not- for-profit)
Executive: Rolf Shenton +260 971 502 836,
Japher Cora +260 964 108 961,
Sebastian Scott + 260 977 313 318.
Other Board members include: Emily Sikazwe WFC, M.Muyembe UNZA Vet, Mulilo Chuula, Namaala Nkumbula,
Email: info@grassrootstrust.com, Website: www.grassrootstrust.com