which can also reverse the damage
to the environment which has been
ongoing for the past thirty years.
Some of these entities include leading aid organisations such as The
Olive Leaf Foundation and Solidaridad, Indibano, The Department of
Agriculture, The National Wool
Trust, Traditional Leadership authorities and so forth. Other integral stakeholders are the various
communities which constitute the
greater Zulukama region and various sub-entities such as youth cooperatives which are involved in the
roll-out of HLLM initiatives in targeted areas.
Many of the landscapes within the
region are scarred by barren patches of earth which grow in size each
year and which become increasingly
unable to sustain any form of plant
life. The inevitable result will be systematic and widespread desertification where the value of seasonal
rains and life-sustaining water is
lost to communities due to run-off
on surfaces which have become so
parched and hardened that no water penetration into the allimportant water table is possible.
With increases in the occurrence of
unpredictable weather patterns
throughout large areas of South
Africa, these problems are also increasingly afflicting commercial
farmers and when returning to the
idea of national food security, this
problem becomes one of national
concern. With these new threats
Village caused
overgrazing
which will progressively face commercial farmers going forward it is
urged that role players in this sector
strongly consider the implementation of HLLM principles into their
respective farming operations.
While some farmers are set in their
ways and believe that introducing
HLLM into their operations will upset the apple cart so to say, it is in
fact a relatively simple way of farming which does not necessarily depend on the existence of elaborate
fencing infrastructure and so forth.
This environmentally-friendly mode
of operation includes the use of
numerous “virtual camps” which
are demarcated via merely using
topographical features and other
features such as buildings or tree
groves which are present on farms.
In a nutshell, available grazing is
rated according to quality and a
simple equation is used to establish
carrying capacity and grazing
timespans for each virtual camp
where grazing rest periods of 60-90
days are imperative. The virtual
camps are plotted onto a map
which portrays the layout of the
entire farm/area and specially
trained herders which keep mixed
livestock species in large herds are
equipped with grazing charts which
guide them as to how a specific
grazing plan should be effectively
implemented. Over carefully calculated periods livestock will be
moved from one area to the next
until the initial area is eventually
reached again.
Ayanda Mrwebi discussing the rating of
grass and broader grazing areas with
the management team
The practice of keeping livestock in
giant herds which are slowly moved
across the demarcated areas by
herders is in effect a mimicking of
nature. Wildebeest herds are a
good example - throughout history
these animals were forced to form
large grazing groups as a protection mechanism against predators.
The benefits of utilising large
groups of animals include a fertilisation of the soil due to mass urination and defecation during grazing
periods. Overgrazing seldom occurs
due to the members of the herd not
wanting to graze on grass which
has been “spoiled” by urination,
trampling, and so forth as caused
by the preceding animals.
Further benefits of herding include
a chipping or ploughing effect on
the soil caused by the numerous
animal hooves operating in unison
and the trampling of redundant
grasses which result in mulch soil
canopies which assist in reducing
water loss caused by evaporation.
Essentially, grasses which are not
utilised in a season should never be
burned as this not only causes atmospheric pollution but the process
also destroys beneficial organisms
inhabiting the soil. Nature is therefore at play where the trampling of
redundant grasses negates the
chance of plant deaths due to oxidation and the “ploughing” of soil
allows rain to penetrate the loosened soil rather than being lost to
run-off.
HLLM training courses open farmers
Bare patches which are being “healed”
due to trampling and fertilisation
(Mceula Village)