My World-Class African Suburb?

Is Orange Grove a ‘world class’ African suburb? It most certainly is buzzing with life. While it is a cosmopolitan suburb, attracting a growing number of people, it is steadily deteriorating. Can this trend be reversed?   What is a world-class city? Essentially all the world class cities are in the northern hemisphere. They include […]

Livelihoods and Climate Change/COVID19

Heritage Tree Stump Oaklands

What do sustainable livelihoods look like?  In the drama created by COVID-19 there is a tussle between saving lives and saving livelihoods. Many people across the world have got to the point where saving their livelihoods is how they save their lives. In panic mode they want to save all jobs and all businesses. Regardless […]

The Freedom Charter: Banks, Bayer and Life

Heirloom seed broccoli

I am alert to specific speeches our president makes. The short clip I listened to today, celebrating the 65th anniversary of the Freedom Charter gives me an opportunity to raise three issues that are vital for a vibrant agricultural sector. These are, firstly, the role of the banks in providing access to people ordinarily excluded […]

Black Livelihoods Matter Too

Wetlands at Blue Crane Restaurant, Nieuw Muckleneuk

George Floyd’s murder In broad daylight Captured on video Has changed my perspective I have revisited my own racism Reconnected with the racism of my ancestors As I watched Rhodes falling In the popular British imagination Along with other British imperialists As some statues were taken down; A world aware of the evil of apartheid […]

Sustainability: Five Firewood Trees

Hardwood logs

A blustery cold front made using the lovely wood burning fireplace in my lounge desirable.The batch of hardwood I bought in 2017 has proved enough for three years. Yet given that trees for firewood are being overharvested by individuals as well as businesses, what five trees would make the firewood industry sustainable? For a little […]

Lockdown Stress Relief

This was published before I had completed the editing. I have been assured that the glitches in the system have been ironed out. My sense is that lockdown stress relief is going to be increasingly important as the uncertainty about the future takes its toll on your emotional reserves. What I will focus on today […]

Lockdown Compliance and Generosity

Urban Farming: Winter Greens

Lockdown Level 5 compliance in South African has been successful. Even people who must be suffering tremendous privations have done their best to comply by staying indoors in cramped conditions, all too often without access to the most basic resources, including food… At this end of the socio-economic scale people are literally facing the choice […]