NOTES ON OBSTACLES FACING OUR SA PROJECTS – FROM SFL’S REPORT JUNE -09
Pat Featherstone’s annual report is full of exciting achievements. But it is also clear on the obstacles they have had to face. Some of these they could foresee, and/or have been able to deal with, but the others are beyond them. The list makes one marvel at the achievements they have made!
In Thatu we aim to aid stainability. So it is worth documenting these problems which may just possibly help us in our future planning.
NB it is important to note that everyone of the list below is from a different project, during only one year of SFL’s work.
OBSTACLES ENCOUNTERERED WITH GARDENS ON SCHOOL GROUNDS
Many community gardens have been based in school grounds because these sometimes have the largest open spaces. (was this ground made available originally with the idea that they might have playing fields?)
But these locations may not be ideal, but the question then arises as to what the alternative might be.
SCHOOL STAFF PROBLEMS
School recalled garden staff for other duties
Gardener dies
Teacher strike
Key teacher resigned
Exams interfered
Staff and pupils live a long way away so dependent on school bus service which leaves before any after hours work can be done
The learners were nor incorporated on a regular basis
***LAND TENURE PROBLEMS
School converted into School for Skills resulting in construction work and the garden having to be moved and replanted
School decided to use land for other purposes
School staff and government body conflict so project lease not renewed
***The lease of land tenure is one that Pat identified as the major problem, saying that one needs a lease of minimum of five years for a project. Land tenure is a problem also Eco=access, and was brought up also by the young SA woman Susan I met some years ago.
MARKETING OF PRODUCE
The need to establish reliable partnerships for small scale producers
Limited available transport to reach markets
OTHER
Neglect of gardens over December (and hottest) holiday period, either because schools are shut or because people return to their homelands during the holiday season
Nursery vandalized
Loss of project leader
Rival factions in the community
Dishonest handling of finances
Initial state of land, rubble above and below ground
Taking over a project where only five vegetable types are grown so organic gardening difficult
And of course, the weather – heat/cold, rain/drought
SFL MISTAKES
Deciding to pay project workers a small stipend for five months as an incentive to get them started until producing sufficient produce. This was interpreted as a wage which would continue.
MP’s THOUGHS ON THE ABOVE
Some of the above can be foreseen as potential problems but can still be difficult to plan for, and therefore avoid.
But the key elements do seem to be
Land tenure (as above_
The ability to build a broad network of potentially involved people who feel some sort of commitment to the project MMAEP in their school gardens are working with and involving the community partly in order to give the school gardens more chance of sustainability. And Eco-access (in what seems to be a more leisurely and less intensive or involved way) seem also aware of this need.
We have learned the dangers of relying on only one or two staff in schools to mentor a scheme. The chances ar that people so involved will be sought elsewhere and move off because they probably deserve promotion. But building up a larger group of supporters takes time. Support can come from unexpected sources.
Giving community members sufficient incentive to get involved initially, but not to raise their expectations of continuous handouts and support. Building their own capacity to organise and to take responsibility is key.
SFL’s home gardening initiative (and MMAEP’s ) with support and a built in mechanise for community gardeners to learn the advantages of networking, seems an excellent way forward. But whether home gardening alone without the back up of a community garden where training networking and group activities can take places seems to me doubtful. I have asked Pat whether she has any views/experience to get over this problem. Several f their home gardening clusters have no central community facility because of land tenure problems.
A thought – any possibility of Ikamva (who were setting up community centres including gharens) and SFL getting together? Ikamva used SFL initially but found them too expensive and so set up with their own gardener who was overseeing their home gardeners (but not necessarily using organic methods??). Could be worth exploring – although political, funding, philosophical and ego issues might make such a partnership impossible.
MP July 09
