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Scientific and Technical Cooperation Program

International Travel Report

Northern Province of South Africa

Written by

Kim Berry, Team Leader

Dr. Jeffrey Kenyon

Dr. Daniel Lyons

Dr. Daniel Wims

Scientific and Technical Cooperation Program

International Travel Report

Northern Province of South Africa

The team consisted of Kim Berry and Dr. Jeffrey Kenyon, sociologists,
Natural Resources Conservation Service's (NRCS) Social Sciences
Institute; Dr. Daniel Lyons, Assistant Administrator, Regional and
County Programs at North Carolina A&T State University; and Dr. Daniel
Wims, Director, Small Farm Family Resource Development Center at
Southern University and A&M College. Team members visited the Northern
Province of South Africa to exchange ideas and concepts on outreach
strategies to underserved populations with the faculty at the University
of The North and the Northern Province's Department of Agriculture
staff.

**Background**

South African soils are fragile and highly susceptible to erosion,
especially if incorrect farming and irrigation techniques are applied.
Environmental damage in rural areas is increasing because of incorrect
irrigation methods, excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers and
pollution of surface and groundwater industries, power stations and
mines. Rural biodiversity is also threatened by the spread of exotic and
invasive plant species, the increasing use of land for forestry and the
destruction of indigenous forests by agriculture.

According to the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. A.I. van Niekerk, "South
Africa is a country lacking sufficient water supplies. It is also
characterized by a scarcity of high potential agricultural land. The
nonagricultural demand for both these resources is increasing. It is
imperative for agriculture to utilize these two resources to ensure the
sustainable production of agricultural products."

Farmers, both large and small-scale are the principal users and
custodians of the land. It is their responsibility to produce food for
their Nation. The government encourages integrated land-use planning and
community participation to ensure optimum management and utilization of
natural resources.

The team was based out of Pietersburg, South Africa. We visited numerous
villages such as Nebo, Mogabane, Moloto, Ramongoana, Kola, townships,
and the cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg. In the Northern Province,
out of 700,00 farm families, 90 percent farm at the subsistence or small
scale level. This province has the highest percentage of dependence on
agriculture and has the largest percentage of South African population
who live in poverty.

According to the White Paper On Agriculture, "Resource poor farmers have
often been viewed as inefficient and backward, but in fact they can be
highly efficient users of agricultural resources. Their contribution to
rural incomes should be supported by appropriate training, extension and
research. Rather than seeing resource-poor farmers as a dispensable
production entity, efforts should be made to improve their
productivity."

Resource poor farmers are primarily women whose husbands must seek
employment in neighboring cities. The average farm size in a village is
less than 1 hectare and the produce grown is used for household
consumption. These small plots are often not fenced and are destroyed by
livestock who freely roam the villages. Malnutrition is a problem among
children in these villages as well as food storage because many homes
have no electricity nor do they have indoor plumbing. Their major food
source is maize.

The team was interested in finding out how the University of the North
and the Provincial Department of Agriculture worked with the resource
poor farmers in the neighboring villages to improve their quality of
life.

We met with the faculty at the University of The North in the
Agriculture, Botany, Education, Unify, Management Sciences, Optometry,
Social Work, Research Administration, Horticulture, Aquaculture,
Geography, Animal Unit, and Nutrition departments. This university is
one of five historically black universities in the country. It was
founded in 1959. Of the 14,500 students, 90 percent live on campus and
come from rural backgrounds. The following are research projects being
conducted by those departments who had an outreach component to the
surrounding villages.

**Agriculture**

This department has four units: animal production, plant production,
soil science, and agricultural economics. The research conducted on the
23 hectare horticulture block and 2,000 hectare experimental farm
focuses on the agricultural needs of the province.

One of the highlights of the trip to South Africa was our visit to the
Nebo village. This tribe filed a claim for land that was taken during
apartheid. The village won their claim and was given back their land.
Each of the 25 families received 5 hectares of land. The entire village
warmly greeted the team and provided us with a tour of their farms. The
village is working with the University's Department of Agriculture and
extension agents on crop production and irrigation methods. Some of
these farmers had worked for more than 30 years maintaining someone
else's farm and are excited about the opportunity to work on their own
farm.

**Management Sciences**

This department provides workshops to nongovernment organizations on
topics such as leadership development and how to manage conflict and
they in turn train the people in the villages. This department focuses
on the management of public and private organizations.

**Social Work**

Students work with village families on research topics such as slow
learning, juvenile delinquency, poor eyesight and track the families'
progress through case files.

**Aquaculture**

This department has worked to introduce catfish as a part of the diet to
people in the village with little success. Research is currently being
conducted in fish production in intensive water recirculating systems
and they are evaluating energy and water resource use in intensive fish
farming. Other research topics include: biofiltration, integrated food
production systems, soil quality and environmental pollution,
small-scale tropical fish units, processing technology, fish nutrition,
the development of low cost feeds, and selective breeding research.

**Geography**

The scarcity of water is a problem in the villages. This department is
working on a fog water project that is an alternate way of increasing
the water supply. Villagers grow indigenous fruit and this department
will be working with them to expand their markets to include the
beverage industry. It is hoped that by selling the fruit as a source of
juice to the beverage industry additional income will be generated and
there will be an increase in the demand for more indigenous fruit.

**Nutrition**

This department is working with the villagers on different ways to
prepare maize and trying to introduce different legumes such as cowpea,
pumpkins, and dried beans as a source of protein. The department wants
to research a more economical way to fortify maize because once it goes
to a mill the villagers can no longer afford it. They are also
interested in food storage techniques that can be demonstrated to the
villagers. They will also be conducting research on the nutritional
value of indigenous plants, mopagane worms, and other food staples of
the village.

**Provincial Government**

We also met with the Northern Province's Department of Agriculture, Land
and Environment, the Northern Province's Youth Commission, National
Community Water and Sanitation Training Institute and the Agricultural
Research Council of South Africa's Institute for Soil, Climate and
Water.

**Northern Province Department of Agriculture, Land and Environment**

The provincial government provides assistance to villages and townships
to engage in small scale communal farming. We visited the Mogabane
Vegetable Project where 25 families grow vegetables for consumption.
Oranges, sugar cane, broccoli, cabbage were the primary products at the
Kola Vegetable and Orchard Project and the produce is marketed at the
landowner's store. Providing fresh poultry and eggs is the goal of the
Moloto Poultry Project. The operator also sells feed at the local
market. We also visited the Endermark Vegetable Project where women in
the local township maintained a garden plot where they grew cabbage,
radishes, and other vegetables. They will also make homemade peanut
butter and provide home economics training such as food preparation and
sewing to the local community through assistance from the government.

**Youth Commission**

The Youth Commission provided us with statistics on the state of young
people in the Northern Province. Sixty-four percent of black youth live
in homes without running water and electricity compared to 16 percent
colored, 8 percent Asian, and 3 percent white. Three million youth under
age 30 are unemployed and are not participating in any training. They
expressed an interest in establishing an exchange program where a
student is sponsored by a family in the United States and receives
hands-on training on farming practices that he/she can take back and
share in South Africa.

**National Community Water and Sanitation Training Institute**

Its mission is to build capacity in the community water and sanitation
sector in collaboration with other key players. It is a center for
training the trainers. One of its objectives is to network and link with
national and international training organizations and offer information
support services. The institute has expertise in water resource
development and general community development at the grassroots level.

**Institute for Soil, Climate and Water**

Its mission is committed to research, technology development and
transfer to promote optimal and sustainable natural resources
utilization by agriculture and related sectors. Its objectives are aimed
at a healthy natural resource base, food security, sustainable land use,
and advancing science and technology. In the area of small-scale and
developing agriculture emphasis is placed on helping people to help
themselves in the areas of household food security and entrepreneurship.
Hands-on training in low-cost vegetable production and networking is
provided to communities. Research is being conducted on safe efficient
use of household waste in place of inorganic fertilizers and efficient
water utilization.

**Conclusion**

At the conclusion of our visit the team conducted a workshop entitled
"Outreach Strategies to Culturally Diverse Groups in Agriculture." The
workshop was attended by more than 45 people that included faculty and
students from the University of The North and extension agents and
community planners from the Northern Province's Department of
Agriculture. The following topics were presented Alliance Building that
leads to Successful Outreach; Integrating Anthropology, Marketing and
Commonsense in Serving Culturally Diverse Groups; Overview of Outreach
and Extension Programs at NC A&T; and 1890s and Small Farm Outreach.

**Recommendations**

Joint Research Project with the University's Department of Agriculture -
Professor(s) from the University of The North's Department of
Agriculture spends an agreed upon time to conduct research that leads to
technology development and transfer for small-scale farmers and ranchers
that would be mutually beneficial to both countries. Areas for
consideration could include but not be limited to: soil health,
irrigation systems, agroforestry, wind erosion, and water quantity.

Joint Research Project with The University of The North - Personnel from
NRCS, the University of The North and one or more private foundations
work to develop a system of targeting agricultural, conservation,
nutrition, and environmental information to resource poor farmers. This
project would require the cooperation of the Social Work, Geography,
Nutrition, and Agriculture Departments at the University. Working with
those departments would be sociologists and anthropologists from NRCS
and some advisory food foundation personnel from the Carter Center or
another similar food foundation. The end product would be similar in
concept to the NRCS Farm-A-Syst project but would be designed to
function within the structure of African rural village cultures and
within the confines of a population with a high illiteracy rate. The
cooperative institutions or foundations could supply critical
information on using whole enzyme corn or other similar foods.

Research Apprentice Program - Enrollment in the University of The
North's Department of Agriculture is low because students are more
interested in hi-tec disciplines. Information could be shared on how the
agency works with 1890 institutions to start research apprentice
programs which introduces high school students to natural resource
sciences in a college setting. This type of program has been shown to
spark interest in natural resource sciences in the United States. There
could also be an exchange component to the program to expose students to
natural resources in other countries.

K-12 Agricultural Awareness - Selected NRCS personnel and faculty at
1890s such as North Carolina A&T State University or Southern University
and A&M College could collaborate and assist faculty and administrators
at the University of The North in developing instructional and
informational modules on career and educational opportunities in the
agricultural industry domestically and internationally. Focus of the
informational program areas and opportunity, commercial traditional and
alternative commodity production, community development, etc. The
instructional and informational modules will be delivered by
agricultural instructors, extension agents and agricultural specialists,
and graduate and honor students at primary and secondary schools and
community based youth organizations throughout the province.

Agricultural and Community Development Agent/Specialist Training
Program - NRCS and 1890 land grant university scientists, program
leaders and specialists could visit to study and observe to enhance
their general knowledge regarding social, educational, and economic
circumstance in the province. They would also gain access to information
that will enable them to develop an intensive training program for
agents, specialists, faculty from the province. The South Africans would
then will also travel to selected 1890 institutions and/or field offices
to take part in and complete an intensive training program and shadow
specialists and scientists that work with small scale farmers and
community development.

Leadership and Cooperative Community Development - A team consisting of
selected NRCS and 1890 personnel will develop a model outreach program
that works with local communities in helping residents to assess
problems, reach community level solutions and engage in sustainable
community development employing community level developed solutions and
strategies. The team will also assist in the creation or strengthening
of community leadership organizing efforts and cooperative training
models where residents participate in all processes from problem
recognition to program evaluation.

MANRRS Chapter - NRCS is a major sponsor of the Minorities in
Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences organization. NRCS
could work with this organization to establish a chapter on the
University of The North's campus. It would enable students to network
globally. It would also provide USDA with a larger pool of students from
which to recruit.