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Certification and direct market access have enabled the

members of the Heiveld Cooperative to improve their live-

lihoods on the basis of their unique agricultural products.

However, on reflection they realized that much of the more

fertile soil of the area had been washed and blown away in

previous decades, and that the practice of clearing large lands

was leaving them vulnerable to rapid erosion. Their vision of

a sustainable future without poverty was under threat.

Inspired by their shared vision of a sustainable community

using its resources wisely, farmers in the Suid Bokkeveld set

their minds to using their knowledge effectively to prevent

excessive soil erosion, and learning from others where

appropriate. An inspiring visit to the degraded sands of the

Kalahari Desert in 2004 contributed to the evolution of new

techniques to combat erosion.

The farmers learned from one another, with the support

of mentor farmers appointed by the cooperative. The most

effective practices became incorporated in the Organic

Management Plan of the cooperative, and have become

standard practice among the farmers. These include retain-

ing or establishing buffer strips of natural vegetation in

the rooibos lands, contour ploughing, retaining all organic

matter in the lands, not burning plant material, and making

contour bunds to prevent soil erosion and promote infiltra-

tion of run-off water.

On the basis of the findings of participatory research, the

members of the cooperative also follow strict guidelines

for the sustainable harvesting of wild populations. This

ensures not only the sustainable production, but also the

conservation of the rich biodiversity of the Fynbos vege-

tation with which the wild rooibos cohabits. Soil carbon

remains undisturbed.

The shale-derived soils of the Bokkeveld Plateau are highly

vulnerable to water erosion, and because they are also the

more fertile soils, large areas have been cleared of vegetation

to sow wheat and other winter cereals and legumes. Since

European settlement of the area in the mid-1700s, soils have

been ploughed over, gradually reducing their organic matter,

breaking down their structure and decimating populations

of soil-dwelling organisms such as earthworms. In extensive

areas denuded topsoil has been washed away, leaving only

inhospitable, crusted subsoils exposed.

The wealth of all communities dwelling on the Bokkeveld

Plateau has always depended on the soil. The nomadic Khoi

communities who herded extensive flocks of sheep and

herds of cattle did no harm to the soils, but after settle-

ment European-style cultivation was introduced. As soils

were exhausted, communities became impoverished. In

the twentieth century the introduction of artificial fertiliz-

ers enabled farmers to produce crops on soils that were

otherwise depleted, but the trend towards degradation

continued. Soils once loose and friable became increasingly

unyielding when dry, and treacherously unstable when wet.

The Avontuur farm in the wetter northern part of the

Bokkeveld Plateau is a typical example of a piece of land

that was overexploited for the production of dryland crops.

Image: N Oettlé

Heiveld rooibos is available in markets on four continents

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