The Outreach Greening Programme was developed in response to various needs in communities with greening initiatives. It is a tool in making the Institute's facilities and expertise available to the people of South Africa.
Many communities live in difficult economic and environmental conditions.
Vast areas have been cleared of native vegetation and replaced with informal settlements and a constant increase in human activity. To aid in the regeneration of these degraded ecosystems the NBI serves communities as an information resource on how they can contribute to putting back into the environment. This information is transferred through practical workshops and individual consultation sessions with school and community groups. Programme participants are coached on how to plan their garden, prepare the soil, propagate plants and basic maintenance techniques. Each group experiences their individual problems and limitations, which therefore forces them to develop their project using the resources available to them using the most efficient methods.