Ƞⱦɂƀɀɇⱥȿȸ Ʉɀȴⱥɀ ȶȴɀȿɀⱦⱥȴ ȴɀȿȵⱥʌⱥɀȿʉ ɀȷ Ʌȹȶ
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ȠȾɁɃɀɇȺȿȸɄɀȴȺɀȶȴɀȿɀȾȺȴȴɀȿȵȺɅȺɀȿɄɀȷɅȹȶȫɄȺɅɄȲɃȺɇȶɃȴȲɅȴȹȾȶȿɅȲȿȵȦȼȹɀȾȳȶ ȴɀȾȾɆȿȺɅȺȶɄɅȹɃɀɆȸȹȽȲȿȵɄȴȲɁȶȸɃȶȶȿȺȿȸȲȿȵȺȿɅȶȸɃȲɅȶȵȸɃȶȶȿȺȿȿɀɇȲɅȺɀȿɄ WƌĞƉĂƌĞĚďLJ͗<ĂƚĞZŽǁŶƚƌĞĞ͕>ĂƵƌĂŽŶĚĞͲůůĞƌ͕,ĞůĞŶ&Ždž͕ DŽŶĚĞƵŵĂ͕DŽŶĚĞEƚƐŚƵĚƵ 77 THE GREEN VILLAGE PROJECT Improving socio-economic conditions of the Tsitsa River catchment and Okhombe communities through landscape greening and integrated green innovations VOLUME 1: Improving socio-economic conditions through landscape greening, a case study from the Tsitsa River catchment, uMzimvubu basin Report to the WATER RESEARCH COMMISSION Prepared by: Kate Rowntree, Laura Conde-Aller, Helen Fox, Monde Duma, Monde Ntshudu Project leaders: Prof. K.M. Rowntree (Rhodes University), Dr T.M. Everson (Aquamet) WRC Report No. TT 777/1/18 ISBN 978-0-6392-0070-5 January 2019 Obtainable from Water Research Commission Private Bag X03 GEZINA 0031 [email protected] or download from www.wrc.org.za This report forms part of a series of three volumes. The other volumes are Improving socio-economic conditions of the Okhombe communities through integrated green innovations (WRC Report No. TT 777/2/18); Green Village Catchment Management: Guidelines and Training (in preparation). Author affiliation (Volume 1): Kate Rowntree, Catchment Research Group, Department of Geography, Rhodes University Laura Conde-Aller, Environmental Research and Learning centre, Rhodes University Helen Fox, Earth School, Hogsback Monde Duma, Department of Environmental Science, Rhodes University Monde Ntshudu, Department of Environmental Science, Rhodes University DISCLAIMER This report has been reviewed by the Water Research Commission (WRC) and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the WRC nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. © Water Research Commission EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. Introduction With the increasing impacts of global climate change, depletion of natural resources and increased degradation of the world’s environment, there has been a global shift in development paradigms from one that encourages resource intensive development to a more sustainable alternative (Trier & Maiboroda, 2009). The development of eco-villages, sustainable villages and Green Villages are examples of such shifts to a sustainable livelihood. The Green Village concept is based on the premise that providing access to green technologies can improve the wellbeing of both impoverished communities and the local environment. In the context of this project, green technologies fall into two main groups: the provision of green, off the grid energy for household use and to promote small businesses and greening of the landscape through rehabilitation measures. The Green Village concept, whereby people have sustainable and affordable access to quality food, water and energy within a well-managed and functioning ecosystem, poses a significant opportunity for researchers and government to investigate rural development alternatives for the provision of basic services in remote and impoverished areas of South Africa. The “green concept” is becoming even more relevant as the impacts of climate change are beginning to be felt in the entire value chain, but in particular in marginalized rural areas. A growing response to this challenge points to the increasing interest in developing a Green Economy in the country as an approach to generate jobs, improve livelihoods and reduce vulnerability to the risks posed by climate change. The project reported on in this document falls under the Water Research Commission’s (WRC) Green Village Lighthouse. This is a long term programme that is committed to demonstrate how the green economy can be achieved in marginalised areas of rural South Africa, improving human well-being while at the same time reducing environmental risks. A green economy is thus one which acknowledges the economic value of intact ecological infrastructure. The WRC envisages that the programme will look for practical models that can be applied at a wide range of scales from the household and village to the catchment and nation. These models must address the basic needs of marginalized communities, creating economic opportunities that are integrated with the mainstream economy without negatively impacting on the ecological infrastructure that provides the support base for household economies and catchment scale resources such as water. 2. Aim and Objectives The aim of this project is to improve socio-economic conditions of the Ntabelanga and Okhombe communities through integrated green innovations. The objectives of the project are: 1. Identify drivers of poverty, opportunities offered by natural ecosystem, and develop community-based vision of a Green Village using a bottom up approach. 2. Through integration of indigenous knowledge, green innovations, research, and technology, develop a tool box of green solutions that can address the impact of climate change and help communities or sectors to adapt to climate change. 3. Identify and develop a business (economic) framework that poor and local communities can use to improve their livelihoods without furthering land use degradation. 4. Develop and test practical and appropriate mechanisms, manuals and guidelines for landscape development and management that will protect the infrastructure and improve ecosystem services. pg i 5. Train communities (mainly the youth) on appropriate skills/capacity necessary to sustain the businesses and ecosystem services that transform the poor community to be more self- sufficient. 6. Integrate the green solutions tool box and business framework with core line function government departments in order to ensure sustainability of the intervention and to forge partnerships with all key stakeholders. 7. Develop models on how to expand the green tool box of solutions and business framework utility, from household/village to the national or country-wide scale. The project specified that these objectives should be applied in two catchment areas: the Tsitsa catchment above the proposed Ntabelanga dam in the Umzimvubu catchment, Eastern Cape and the upper Thukela catchment in KwaZulu-Natal. These were considered to be most suitable for implementation because the communities living in these mountainous areas experience a high level of poverty, often with little access to basic amenities. They rely heavily on the natural resources for energy, crop and livestock production. However, large parts of these areas are degraded, resulting in poor water infiltration, severe soil erosion and loss of grass and trees. Energy poverty (i.e. poor or no energy security) is a further debilitating factor to the living standard of rural people, often impacting their health and economic livelihoods. Therefore, the implementation of integrated green innovations and technologies to create entrepreneurship/jobs that improve the economic conditions of the communities living in these marginalised rural areas is likely to have a positive impact on their livelihoods. The two Green Village demonstration sites that were selected in this study were Mahlabathini and Sinxaku in the uThukela and Jo Gqabi district municipalities respectively. The approach used by the Green Village project was a participatory action research methodology to encourage the community to actively participate in the project process. In both Mahlabathini and Sinxaku the primary research tool was to run workshops with the community groups. The detailed approach necessarily differed in the two areas. The research focus in Mahlabathini was on green energy piloted in a number of households in the village. In contrast, the Sinxaku research engaged with landscape scale rehabilitation so it was necessary to work at this broader scale. The detailed approaches and outcomes of the two projects are therefore reported in two separate volumes. This volume (Volume 1) presents the finding of the study based in the Tsitsa catchment. Volume 2 presents the findings from Okhombe. A third volume relating to a Green Village will present the findings of the WRC project K5/2508: Green Village Catchment Management: Guidelines and Training. 3. Summary of Volume 1. Improving socio- economic conditions of the Tsitsa river catchment through landscape greening The aim of the landscape greening programme was to address land degradation and increase land productivity in the Sinxaku villages. The primary focus of the Green Village research in Sinxaku was to identify opportunities for improved livelihoods and to develop feasible business plans to support entrepreneurship based on landscape greening activities. This required that the team work closely with community members to learn from them what their needs were and what opportunities and constraints existed to support entrepreneurship. This required a research approach based on social learning through participatory research in which learning coevolved between the researchers and the community. pg ii Chapter 1 Chapter 1 reviews the project’s aims and objectives and positions it within the WRC’s Green Village Lighthouse. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 describes the research approach used to engage with the Sinxaku communities and itemises the various activities. In total 14 workshops and meetings were held to build the capacity of the youth and women on sustainable interventions for landscape greening. The first step was a meeting with the village headman and community members to introduce the Green Village project and