Innovations from FSG staff

Presentation at Follow up PID workshopPolokwane, 28 March 2006

Process

Introduction to PID Reflect on relevance for project work Assignment to identify local innovations and

processes Award: trip to Limpopo Six submissions, range of innovations Winner…..

Substitute for funeral slaughter

Impact of AIDS in communities: Soaring death rates, funerals &expenditure, decrease in cattle nrs

Buying a whole beast as is tradition enhances HH vulnerability

Families in Msinga Top now buy from butchery parts of beast critical to funeral: head and intestines

Origin not clear; nor uptake; needs further investigation

By Maxwell Mudhara

Measure for planting in rows

When working as extension worker he had to advice farmers to plant in neat rows

Mr Mbanjwa from Vulindlela designed a device to measure and indicate rows for planting his maize

His first design was made from wood, and later from iron

Not shared with other farmers; documented in field report and thesis By BJ Njokwe

Prevent moles from eating plants

A farmer in the Table Mountain area (Pmb) successfully prevented moles from eating sweet potatoes

How: by planting amadumbe (taro) in between rows

FSG staff want to try this out in some of their projects

By BJ Njokwe

Pulling together

In Potshini, seven men have revived and adjusted the practice of “ilimo”, working together on the field

Only two members receive pension, others are unemployed and don’ receive remittances. They own a total of over 60 head of cattle

They formed a group in 2000 and formalized this in 2004: “Isixaxa Mbiji”: Pulling Together in cropping and livestock farming (planting five fields of over 1.5 ha), and buying inputs in bulk

Members pay R100 pm, they have a bank account and three storage rooms. No records were available

They are overwhelmed by request from other community members to assist. The group is now living off farming. They intend to buy a Nguni bull and own their own farm.

Uptake: One group in the areas is trying out the idea Issues: Patience, mutual respect, give and take. Some family

members don’t support the idea of sharing and unity.

By Michael Malinga

Food insecurity

A man in Msinga lost his job and didn’t have money to buy food. He had livestock: 32 sheep and lambs, 60 goats and 17 cows. He wanted to keep his status as a man and not slaughter his livestock. He then came up with the idea to cut the sheep’s tail to feed his family

The story was told by a neighbour. The farmer has passed away. It is not known how long the family lived off this, what issues emerged, and uptake

Other staff said that commercial farmers cut of tails of livestock to prevent diseases, and whether this farmer might have observed this

By Ncengimpilo Khanyile

Sorghum – bird protection

Burn mixture of trees [Msuzwane, Tyre, Melethned] every three days; smoke goes in sorghum and sticks to grain, so birds won’t eat them

New? Did not hear it before Remark: environmental risk? Mr. Dlame

by Kees Swaans, Msinga - Mkhupula

Home garden – HIV-infection

Woman build a small home garden in a river bed, protected by thorn trees against goats/cows. Her 11-year old boy helps her in the garden.

New? Community garden too far; so she took initiative herself (only example I saw)

26 year old woman

by Kees Swaans, Msinga - Mkhupula

Funeral donation

In one area, collect 5 R and bread per household to give to affected household (up to 600 R)

New? Before saving scheme (10 R per hh to bank account for hh and two relatives – up to 1000 R for hh, 600 for relatives). But not possible to maintain (why?).

Interesting: various donation/saving schemes

Mkhuphula – Nhlungwane

by Kees Swaans, Msinga - Mkhupula

Stock-theft protection

People buy/sell a goat/cow with ID in presence of witness (neighbours); anyone walking around with goat/cow can be asked where they bought it.

New? Did not exist in area or neighbouring areas before; Induna had to ask Inkosi for permission to introduce system.

Msinga – Mkhuphula

by Kees Swaans, Msinga - Mkhupula

Farmer Life School

Stakeholders in health and agriculture get together to improve food security and well-being among HIV/AIDS affected households via farmer learning groups (incl. focus on innovation)

New? Builds on experiences with FFS in Africa; and experience with FLS in Asia (focus on innovation in combination with HIV/AIDS seems new.

Msinga – partnership between FSG, Sinozwelo d.i.c., Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and three support groups

by Kees Swaans, Msinga - Mkhupula