About South Africa Cultural diversity: Black 79%; White 9.6%; Coloured 8.9%; Indian/Asian 2.5%...
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Transcript of About South Africa Cultural diversity: Black 79%; White 9.6%; Coloured 8.9%; Indian/Asian 2.5%...
About South Africa
Cultural diversity: Black 79%; White 9.6%; Coloured 8.9%; Indian/Asian 2.5% (Census 2001)
Population: >49 million
Area: 1,219,912 sq km
Rainfall: +/- 500mm p.a
Environmental hazards: Prolonged droughts (north & west) & floods (east; north-east)
Disenfranchised: to deprive of a franchise, of a legal right, or of some
privilege or immunity ; especially : to deprive of the right
to vote - http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disenfranchised
How Will Disenfranchised Peoples Adapt to Climate Change?
From past to peasant
A litany of laws led to the disenfranchisement of entire communities before and during the Apartheid era (1948 – 1994):
– 1913: Black people not allowed to own or rent land outside allocated reserves
– 1950: Population divided by race, then area– 1951: Coloured people removed from voter’s roll; “sqatting” laws
passed– 1959: University education restricted: no blacks…
1994: Change to democratic governance
15 Years later, things have improved. But…
• Access to land remains difficult for the poor and marginalised
• Land-tenure is highly variable
• Self governance is still being learnt
• Large parts of our (rural) society are still segregated
• Government programmes to “level the playing fields” are often seen to be biased and unfair
• Economic disparities between rich and poor continue to grow
Project 90x2030 vision: South Africans from all sectors of society doing their bit to save the planet, committed to changing the way they live by 90% by the year 2030.
Aimed mostly at urban middle-class households in Cape Town and other major cities
Now also engaging with vulnerable farming communities in the Swartland area
About the Swartland…Population: 2 115, (72% urban)
Elevation: 150 – 200m
Rainfall: Winter (Jun – August) 450 – 390 mm p.a.
Economic activities: Quarrying, tourism, agriculture (wheat, canola, vineyards, orchards, poultry)
Map of Southwestern Cape distinguishing the Swartland Area (Meadows, 2003)
Elements of the project…
• Desktop study: Climate change trends in the Swartland region
• Interviews / focussed group discussions: Socio-economic context of small-scale farmers in the Swartland region
• Conferences, workshops and publications
• Land-user newsletter
• Climate Change Workshops
Farmer to Farmer Climate Change Workshops
Workshop preparation
• Form a planning team amongst ourselves
• Plan the workshop with input from the farmers (suitable dates, venues, etc.)
• Construct appropriate invitations – in the local language (Afrikaans), welcoming and respectful tone, readable font, short and informative
• Invite farmers (and any other interested parties as appropriate)
Workshop preparation
• Get word out through telecommunication and social networks – as appropriate
• Follow up!
• Arrange transport, funds, refreshments, logistics
• Have a planning meeting in advance, communicate
• Prepare inputs that are suitable for the audience
Workshop preparation
Visualisation a form of empowerment
What have you experienced?
Stay creative
A farmers has her story. Let her tell it.
Make time to talk
Draw on other experts in our networks
Learning together by doing together
Technology!
Support capacity development
Farmers gather own data
Mentor farmers…
Mentor farmers…
To our colleagues…
• Africa is not a country
• Who is “the” community, and where is our place in “it”?
• Diversity brings with it complexity and opportunity
• We are still new in our democracy
• For many poor South Africans, Climate change is just another layer underneath HIV Aids, unemployment, community politics, economic pressures… but they are engaging
To fellow academics
• We must strive to practice what we teach of participatory methodologies and interdisciplinary research
• Local knowledge is also scientific data
• Let’s equip our natural science students with social skills and education
• Serve with our sciences
• Exchange knowledge across institutional divides
To fellow South Africans
• Let’s honour the voices that were silenced in one Struggle by raising our own in this one against Climate Change