Climate proofing small-scale rooibos production

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1 Climate proofing small-scale rooibos production Myeza S., Oettle N., Afrika, A. Presented by Siya Myeza 08 July 2016

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3 The Bokkeveld is the northern-most part of the Cape Floristic Kingdom, home to rooibos (Aspalathus linearis)

4 Aspalathus linearis Rooibos is a leguminous fynbos species that thrives in sandy, low nutrient soils Endemic in the Cape Floristic Region Rooibos must associate with other flora and fauna to thrive: nitrogenfixing bacteria, endemic pollinators, mychorrizal fungi, predatory insects

5 Average rainfall and temperatures These values are for Nieuwoudtville, which has more than twice the rainfall of the more arid, southern parts of the Suid Bokkeveld

6 The Heiveld Cooperative was founded by smallscale rooibos farmers in 2001 A number of the members farm on marginal land with rainfall of less than 150 mm per annum Production is severly affected by droughts Higher temperatures stress rooibos plants Since 2004 farmers have been engaging in climate change preparedness workshops

7 Sonderwaterkraal. The name says it all

8 Farmers have explored ways to address climate impacts in the workshops Preventing soil erosion and conserving buffer strips in tea lands has become standard practice Despite improved infiltration and reduced erosion, production has declined Research over a five year period indicated no reduction in plant nutrients in the soil

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10 Rooibos tea growing in lands between shelter belts of indigenous vegetation

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12 Conventional ploughing destroys soil structure and severely disturbs soil micro organisms

13 Farmers concluded that there must be another reason that production was declining Deep ploughing and clear cultivation have been standard practice for the entire rooibos industry. but what is the impact on the soil? Do these practices destroy the cluster roots, mycorrhizal fungi and soil micro-organisms that rooibos relies on to access soil nutrients?

14 Tea in the cup

15 Declining yields got farmers thinking about ways to improve soil health and plant nutrition In the recent drought there was a high mortality rate of rooibos plants Improved soil organic matter would retain more moisture in the soil and feed soil microorganisms This would improve yields and increase resilience to climate change

16 Developing the project concept The Heiveld Cooperative responded to a call for proposals from SANBI for projects to be funded by the Adaptation Fund (SANBI as the National Implementing Entity or NIE for the Adaptation Fund in South Africa) The Heiveld developed a proposal for experimentation and action to address the impacts of climate change in collaboration with Avontuur Sustainable Agriculture

17 The project aims to increase farmer knowledge and capacities, and to develop and test climate smart rooibos production approaches: The impact of composting and mulching on soil moisture Abundance of beneficial soil micro-organisms growth, productivity and health of rooibos plants

18 Knowledge exchange and learning

19 Material Organic material (manure, old chaff, chipped invasive trees and shrubs, etc.) Compost Methods Participatory planning Shared costs (25% farmer/ 75% project) Farmers day learning events Farmer mentoring Scientific research with ETH (Switzerland) & U of Stellenbosch Farmer trials Support to apply successful technologies more widely

20 Insights Rich local and indigenous knowledge exists within the community Understanding and appreciating people s knowledge builds mutual trust, respect and strong relationships If the safe space is co-created with scientific researchers, farmers gladly engage with the research process and appreciate the findings At the end of the day, farmers use their own judgement in the process of adapting their farming system

21 Next steps Working closely with each farmer to test new techniques that they think may be of value in small portions of their tea lands Hands-on training in new technologies Monitor the response if all goes well, plan to implement the practise at a larger scale Ongoing scientific research and sharing the methods and preliminary results

22 Thank you!