It’s early December, but the landscape of the Onverwacht farms near Polokwane in Limpopo, northeastern South Africa, is a dull, dry brown. Red dust billows into the sky as a warm wind blows in the late morning. Normally the land looks green at this time of year, but the rains haven’t been good.
Rosa Ramaipadi, a frustrated 58-year-old farmer, is nonetheless hopeful. “We haven’t had much rain, so we haven’t planted yet. But we still have a chance (if it rains) at the end of December,” says the agroecological farmer of her 12-hectare farm.
Ramaipadi is the chairperson of Mzansi Climate Smart Agriculture, a network of rural and smallholder farmers engaging in organic farming and permaculture to reduce their negative environmental impact.
“So far, we have more than 100 farmers, and I encourage them to practice organic farming and plant their indigenous foods and fruits,” says Ramaipadi.
The network is also working to create a seed bank of indigenous crops. Seeds of millet, beans, vegetables and aromatic herbs are distributed to farmers to increase their use.
“Indigenous crops are very drought-resistant,” Ramaipadi says. “That’s why the ancients planted them every year. Even if there wasn’t enough rain, they could still harvest.”
Ramaipadi says indigenous farming systems that sustained generations have been replaced by non-organic systems that have increased the impact of climate change.
“Our agricultural systems don’t work like they used to. Too many chemicals and synthetic fertilizers have destroyed our land and soil. So we need to go back to our roots and grow our indigenous foods,” she says.
Agroecology promotes organic farming methods such as green manures, rainwater harvesting, composting, and soil and water conservation.
“What we’re doing today is food security and sovereignty, but we’re also interested in climate justice,” Ramaipadi says. “When we farm organically, we’re at least trying to clean the air, because our environment is full of chemicals.”
According to a 2020 report by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment, significant impacts of climate change include a reduction in the amount of suitable arable and pastoral land, a shortening of the growing season and reduced crop yields. Rural communities, where economic opportunities are limited and poverty levels are high, are more likely to feel the impact of climate change.
Inclusive and sustainable approach
But Ramaipadi and his colleagues are working to encourage communities to use climate-smart farming methods to produce their own food and sell surplus crops.
“Our communities have understood what we are doing. As an organization, we go to villages, from house to house, telling everyone to have a garden in their backyard to grow their food.”
Ramaipadi’s love for farming was nurtured during her childhood in Sekhukhune, where her parents owned a dairy farm. “I grew up milking cattle. My mother ran this dairy farm. After school, I would go to the farm and be there with my mother to milk the cows,” she says.
One of the important lessons she learned during this time was how to process sour milk, a skill she uses today as an agricultural trainer and processor.
After completing her bachelor’s degree, Ramaipadi enrolled for a teaching qualification and later completed a degree in education at the University of Limpopo. Although she taught mathematics and physical sciences for years at different schools, she eventually stopped teaching in 2007 and started her life as a farmer.
However, she continues to teach with a different curriculum and works with different non-profit organizations to organize farmers and conduct workshops. “I teach them crop production, livestock production and other farming skills,” Ramaipadi says.
She is encouraged that many of the emerging farmers participating in these workshops and programs are young.
“Many of them work in agro-industry. One boy processes moringa and makes moringa soaps, drinks and juices. They produce moringa detergents and other natural products like turmeric and bay leaves. They produce a lot of things.”
In June, the Polokwane Local Municipality offered farmers a space in the provincial capital to set up their first farmers’ market. The event drew an enthusiastic response from the public, fascinated by crops like millet that have all but disappeared from their communities.
The United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations have highlighted the importance of millet as an important food source by declaring 2023 the International Year of Millets.
“We are trying to get people to start eating healthy foods again. We are trying to make them understand that we are eating a lot of genetically modified crops. It is not working for us because there are too many diseases and conditions. We cannot even explain what is happening,” says Ramaipadi.
The effects of climate change continue to weigh heavily on farmers, but Ramaipadi does not believe all is lost. “The climate will not return to normal. We need to return to normal to help the climate return to normal,” she says.
She also wants more support from the government: “They are slow to get closer to us.”
This story was originally published in Daily Maverick (South Africa) and is reissued in the Human Journalism Network program, supported by the ICFJ, International Center for Journalists.
