Sustainable Community Development
Industrial agriculture is one of the most unsustainable practices of modern civilization. It is responsible for: one third of global greenhouse emissions; using 70% of the worlds fresh water resources; exhausting soil fertility and exacerbating erosion causing the loss of 24 billion tonnes of of top-soil per annum; destroying bio-diversity; increasing antibiotic resistance; damaging health through the use of toxic pesticides and consequent water pollution.
On the other hand regenerative agriculture cools the planet by removing carbon from the atmosphere and stores it in the soil. This methodology slows, stops and stores rainfall; builds soil health; increases bio-diversity and crop resilience. This results in the production of nutritionally dense food, which improves health and well-being.
SCD started a model for regenerative agriculture at Waaipoort five years ago and is now poised to scale-up this successful enterprise to impact the greater community with the possibility of lifting them out of poverty.
For example, currently consumers in the neighbouring town of Ficksburg spends over R70 million per annum on buying fresh produce trucked in from all over the country. The aim of our Regenerative Agroecological Agriculture (RAA) model is to encourage a good proportion of the 13,000 people living in the settlement of Mautse/Rosendal to produce the fresh food needed by the border town of Ficksburg.
VISION
TO BE AN UMBRELLA ORGANISATION SUPPORTING BEST PRACTICE MODELS IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC REALMS OF HUMAN LIFE IN THIS BIOSPHERE AND TO PASS ON THIS ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE TO OTHERS AND TO FUTURE GENERATIONS.
MISSION
THE PURPOSE OF SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IS TO ENABLE WORKING MODELS OF SUSTAINABILITY TO BE CREATED IN COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT SOUTH AFRICA AND ABROAD. THIS IS ACHIEVED THROUGH REGENERATIVE FARMING, RELEVANT BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES AND ENERGY SUPPLY; EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING; SUPPORTING ARTISTS AND ARTISANS AND TEACHING ALL ASPECTS OF PERMACULTURE DESIGN AND THROUGH THESE DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE BIOREGIONAL ECONOMIES. ITS INTENTION IS TO RAISE FUNDING FOR THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THESE MODELS; FOR EDUCATING AND EQUIPPING COMMUNITIES TO HELP BRING THESE INTENTIONS TO LIFE; FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN SUSTAINABILITY AND REGENERATION AND TO PUBLISH FINDINGS AND MANUALS.
OBJECTIVE
BY THE END OF 2025, FOR MAUTSE/ROSENDAL AND SURROUNDING FARMS TO BE A MODEL AGRARIAN SOCIETY THROUGH LIVING IN COMMUNITY, PRACTICING PERMACULTURE AND APPLYING THE APPROPRIATE INTERVENTIONS FOR REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE AND TO ACHIEVE FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND SUSTAINABLE LIVING
OUR DIRECTORS
Leon Mdiya |
Michèle Schiess
|
Meisha Mulla |
