Agri Kultuur July / Julie 2016 | Page 51

working on baobabs in southern Africa .
Through my research I discovered that due to climate and land-use change some baobab tree populations will crash in a few hundred years ’ time . Although we may not be around then , our great great great grandchildren will be . I am now even more determined to dedicate my work in EcoProducts to conserve this magnificent tree and grow awareness of its importance in our social and natural environment .
The sustainable fruit harvest of baobab is a priority for EcoProducts . Fallen fruit are collected from under trees and thus there is no damage to parent trees . EcoProducts has implemented a research and monitoring program that gathers information about the state of baobab populations in the harvesting area . A nursery is being established to grow and actively plant baobab trees to boost the natural population and sustainability . EcoProducts regards environmental education and training as fundamental to a sustainable future and in this way plays an important role in the conservation of baobab trees
EcoProducts Foundation : Creating a Culture of Caring For thousands of years , baobabs have made an important contribution to people ’ s livelihoods for food , fibre and medicine in Africa . More recently , the global trade in baobab powder and oil has become an important source of income for many rural families . EcoProducts works with rural people , producing baobab powder and oil which is then sold to the manufacturing and retail sectors . This provides the local Venda communities with employment and much needed income .
However , I feel there is still so much more that can be done to promote not only environmental awareness , but also social upliftment . I decided to create a nonprofit organisation , the EcoProducts Foundation so that we could make a stronger connection between global markets and the source of baobab fruit . This allows for benefits to flow directly to the care for these ancient trees and to the lives of the women and children who live around them .
I ’ ve called it Creating a Culture of Caring because I believe caring for ourselves , others and our environment is so urgently needed in our world right now . Caring needs to become not just something we do every now and then , but what we do on a continual basis so that to care becomes naturally embedded in our culture .
We ’ ve identified two key areas which would benefit significantly from our care . The one specifically supports the education of preschool children ( Baobab Pre-School Programme ) and the other is the growing of baobab trees ( Baobab Guardians Project ).
Baobab Pre-School Programme How it works
Our aim is to help four pre-schools per year with these core actions :
Pre-school centres are visited and a needs-assessment is done .
Teachers are enrolled into a oneyear ECD mentorship program with Sumbandila Trust .
Jungle gyms and swings are built and educational toys are sourced .
Providing on-going support for maintenance and infrastructural improvements during the course of the year .
Timeline 2014 : the Bonga Foundation
helped the Zigodini Pre-school with educational toys , swings , a jungle gym , food and infrastructural improvements .
2015 : a further 3 schools were identified to receive this support . Together with the Zigodini Pre-school they have enrolled in the ECD mentorship program .
How can you get involved ? The EcoProducts Foundation would
be grateful for any donations , big or small to this programme to help provide equipment and pay for maintenance and building improvements . We need approximately R100 000 per year to cover the basic requirements of 4 preschools . I will send them feedback on how the money was used .
Baobab
Guardians Project ( Creating a Culture of Caring )
Why are we getting involved ? The baobab tree takes 200 years to
produce its first fruits , can live for over 1000 years , survives and even flourishes in almost desert-like conditions ; but even this mighty giant is succumbing to the environmental impact created by our civilization . While fruit collection remains