Appendix 2 – 7: Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information

Appendix 2 – 7:

Tsitsa Approach:

Supporting Information

1 DISCLAIMER

The capacity building, implementation and research has been funded by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), Chief Directorate: Natural Resource Management

Programmes (NRM), Directorate: Operational Support and Planning.

The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the view and policies of the DFFE, Chief Directorate: NRM, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute

endorsement or recommendation for use.

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

i

Table of Contents

Appendix 2: Internal governance ... 1

Appendix 3: Sediment and restoration ... 4

1. SedRest CoP vision and aims ... 4

2. Landscape rehabilitation: business as usual ... 4

3. Enhanced landscape rehabilitation: the Tsitsa approach ... 5

4. Summary ... 6

Appendix 4: Strengthening participatory governance ... 8

The governance CoP approach and learnings ... 8

Practical tools ... 11

Practical considerations ... 12

Breaking the ice ... 12

Co-knowing through learning words ... 13

Co-Listening and speaking training ... 16

References and other useful resources ... 20

Appendix 5: Green economy, rural livelihoods, and climate change innovations ... 21

The Green-preneurship and Climate Change Adaptation Cases in the Tsitsa Project ... 23

CASE A: Plug-preneurs and multipurpose gardens ... 24

CASE B: Grazing management and Meat Naturally in Upper Sinxaku ... 29

CASE C: Integrating the climate change adaptation focus into local livelihoods and restoration initiatives ... 33

Conclusion ... 38

References ... 39

Appendix 6: The Tsitsa Approach to Monitoring, Evaluation, Reflection and Learning ... 40

Tsitsa PMERL - A Departure from Business as Usual ... 40

The Development and Practical Features of PMERL in the Tsitsa Project ... 41

References ... 44

Appendix 7: Capacity development principles ... 46

CapDev principles... 46

Practical CapDev guidelines: ... 46

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

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Table of Figures

Figure 1: Bounding and Identity diagram locating Tsitsa Project and the potential sphere of influence

and impact beyond just the Tsitsa River catchment ... 3

Figure 2: A summary of the words related to catchment from across the LW Workshops ... 15

Figure 3: A group map example ... 19

Figure 4: Reversing the poverty-land degradation processes in the Tsitsa Project ... 23

Figure 5: Examples of household’s vetiver nurseries with RWH methods ... 25

Figure 6: Vetiver micro-nurseries and food gardens ... 26

Figure 7: Areas that are suitable for grass hedges within the Elangeni Node (Source: DEFF, 2020) ... 28

Figure 8: Grazing camps identified for the Upper Sinxaku by the grazing association (Source: redrawn from DEFF, 2020) ... 31

Figure 9: Example of branding certificate ... 32

Figure 10: The Imizamo Yethu Farmers Association from Upper Sinxaku Livestock Association ... 33

Figure 11: Learning objectives for the climate change adaptation workshops ... 34

Figure 12: Climate change adaptation workshop activities. ... 35

Figure 13: Activities at the municipal workshop. Top - A group discussion. Bottom- Feedback ... 36

Figure 14: Climate change indicator groups ... 37

Figure 15: Collection of local weather data by village residents is an important part of climate change adaption ... 38

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

APPENDIX 2: INTERNAL GOVERNANCE

Although difficult to separate internal from the greater external world with which we engaged, TP set up, starting from the inside, a governance system designed to work outwards and achieve our goals.

It included:

• A Program Manager and an administration officer

• Postgraduate students, postdocs and various independent researchers were initially engaged mainly through Communities of Practice (CoP), or at science-management events held once or twice a year, later entering more formal arrangements. These provide the capacity for generating and reflecting academically on the formal body of TP knowledge. In recent years a type of meeting termed “science-management-society” has also been used in various forms and with success. This widens the three-way engagement effectively beyond only science- management as above, and beyond the many and various science-community engagements.

Since 2019 LIMA has become part of all of these meetings and engagements.

• A “CoP” structure as explained, based mainly round Rhodes-based or -employed staff, but with the intention of engaging others e.g. University of Fort Hare, University of the Free State and others. These so-called CoPs had some attributes of CoPs as per the literature, but also acted as task-forces for those domains.

• The CoPs are as far as possible integrated in a transdisciplinary way essential to TP principles through a (at this stage largely Rhodes-University based) structure known as the C-team which also had a large influence on how events were run, ideas hatched and shared, and internal rules formed

• A Project Advisor, a senior person with experience in such projects, initially CF later HB. With increasing maturity of the project and growth of participants, this help is needed less often.

• Above the workaday “CoP” and C-team structure were also:-

o A “B-team” originally meant as a month-on-month or slightly longer praxis channel between applied scientists and managers empathetic to scientists, to work out how to go forward and actually gain enough credibility and support to not always have to work up- and-down multiple agencies or government departments. For obvious reasons the praxis part spawned various technical speciality group meetings (such as the respective scientists with particular planners or with groups of implementers) and the main B-team per se morphed more into a once a year meeting of mid-level bureaucratic/agency set of enthusiasts or interested parties, especially large during times when dam construction appeared imminent. This provided the credibility and helped as a short-cut to the “buy-in needed to make reasonable progress without long procedural hurdles.

o An “A-team” (formally called the Strategic Oversight Committee) which met annually, intended originally to act as very high level (as in National or Provincial departmental heads) bureaucratic champions. This worked to some extent (certainly assisted buy-in) but the individual members tended to later be slightly lower-ranked and often another person than the previous one attended. Overall, the team still provides some measure of higher-level continuity and buy-in, and can sometimes provide the Project with key linkages or ideas in the government realm.

o A Wisdom Trust (properly called the Strategic Advisory Committee) which meets annually, consisting of interested and experienced academics and practitioners in the kinds of fields that influence or should influence TP, for a (usually) field-based meeting where progress is reported and issues of interest discussed, with time for discussion and also chatting together at meals and in the field at sites of activity. The proceedings are facilitated like a

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

think-tank and many useful confirmations or changes in trajectory are suggested. This group is influential in the decision-making.

It needs to be stated explicitly that there is open and regular communication between DEFF (at various levels, especially with the contract manager) and the project, which is immensely helpful. This relationship is a two-way one treated like a work partnership with shared stakes

The above serves as a quick overview of the multiple structures and modalities of what was initially called “internal governance” but which due to its intentions, fanned out into wider governance and wider sets of activities. Although not every structure or arrangement played out as planned, we learnt along the way. Without this wide coverage and set of attempts, it is difficult to imagine how we as a project would have covered sufficient bases to account for what we all needed in a diverse project with these principles and goals. The principle of requisite variety of the governance framework vis-à- vis the bigger goal to which it aspires in society applies.

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

Figure 1: Bounding and Identity diagram locating Tsitsa Project and the potential sphere of influence and impact beyond just the Tsitsa River catchment

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

APPENDIX 3: SEDIMENT AND RESTORATION

1. SedRest CoP vision and aims

The Sediment and Restoration (SedRest) Community of Practice (CoP) works closely with all CoPs and implementers, but particularly relies on the work of the Governance and Livelihoods CoPs for facilitated local knowledge input, and on the Grass and Fire CoP for long-term, sustainable land use planning. The SedRest CoP is supported by Lima in terms of the financial administration of the citizen technician-based suspended sediment monitoring network.

The vision of the SedRest CoP is “To service the Tsitsa Project proto-vision, in a socially and economically effective way that supports the Tsitsa River catchment as a social-ecological system (SES), by avoiding further degradation, and reducing erosion to more natural levels through rehabilitation and sustainable land use management across the landscape”. It aims to achieve this through:

• Local scale planning and communication,

• Enhancing/rehabilitating ecological Infrastructure, o Soil formation,

o Water/flow regulation,

o Climate and disaster risk reduction,

• Monitoring at a local level.

Researchers, community members and leaders, government officials, and implementing agents work together within the Sediment and Restoration (SedRest) Community of Practice (CoP) to:

• To map and describe the soil types and distribution; soil vulnerability to erosion; alien plant type and extent; wetland extent, type and condition; level of agricultural land use and signs of degradation;

• Gather local knowledge and undertake research that informs understanding of Tsitsa River catchment biophysical processes, particularly with regard to land use and land cover, soil loss, sediment transport and depositional processes;

• Identify and promote best practices and systems to support government, implementing and community actors to engage effectively in sustainable land management and to avoid degradation in vulnerable areas;

• Undertake biophysical monitoring to provide benchmark and trajectory of change data as input to sustainable land management and avoided degradation decision-making

These activities have been critical to integrated planning for avoided degradation.

2. Landscape rehabilitation: business as usual

Following the “standard” approach, landscape rehabilitation plans would be typically be drawn up by the implementing agent, perhaps with guidance from a government project manager, using generic criteria and methods based on common practice (often for areas with very different biophysical attributes). These plans would be presented to the local leaders to check their agreement with the proposed activities and employment opportunities.

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

Areas for intervention within work blocks would be identified by the implementing agents, and work would be logged, invoiced and paid for according to a pre-agreed schedule, with progress measured in person-days of work and hectares rehabilitated.

Some EPWP jobs would be available to community members but in essence, interventions would be applied to the landscape with the community as passive observers. Challenges such as fire and grazing conflicts, neglect and/or vandalism, and an unimproved understanding of the need for, method of, and benefits from the rehabilitation work would be likely. Long term community or landscape benefit from the rehabilitation interventions would be unlikely, with new or further degradation almost certainly occurring as a result.

3. Enhanced landscape rehabilitation: the Tsitsa approach

SedRest CoP’s Tsitsa-learned approach to enhanced restoration is illustrated by a series of workshops that were held from early 2018 to mid-2019.

Two initial workshops in early 2018 were attended by researchers, government officials and implementers with the aim of exploring new methods for landscape rehabilitation. The focus was on non-productive ploughed lands, and particularly on alien invader tree species clearing. Moving from clear-felling towards new approaches such as patch and strip thinning, killing-while-standing, and bio- control would assist rehabilitation by allowing grasses to establish, limiting splash and rill erosion, and suppressing seedling establishment. “Old lands” and “aliens” had been identified as drivers of degradation and potential erosion hotspots through research, mapping, and earlier discussions.

However, they were also known to be landscape components that had importance for community livelihoods and required a collaborative, rather than imposed approach to management.

The message from these workshops was that whilst implementers already undertook community engagement regarding specific areas for clearing within demarcated work blocks, current government administrative systems presented obstacles to implementers adopting new rehabilitation practices:

Revised administrative procedures were needed for identifying work areas, issuing tenders and adjudicating bids, as well as for operating, safety, and quality control norms and standards.

During 2018 and early 2019, researchers from the Governance, Livelihoods and SedRest CoPs facilitated community mapping walks. These took place as part of village level workshops that were designed to gather local knowledge on local ecological infrastructure (EI) that delivered vital ecological goods and services (EGS) to residents. The workshops took place in the Elangeni, Hlankomo and Lower Tsitsana areas or “nodes” that research and biophysical mapping efforts had identified as vulnerable to erosion, but where degradation of currently un-eroded land could be avoided through sustainable land management practices.

The community workshops and mapping walks were steps in an incremental process of dialogue and trust-building that had taken place between communities and researchers from the Governance and Livelihoods CoPs during the foundational years of the Tsitsa Project from 2015. As well as fostering community inclusivity and raising awareness of landscape degradation, EIs, and EGSs, the products of the mapping exercise were Google Earth images annotated with the location of springs, grazing areas, cultivated lands, wetlands, areas of degradation concern, and other EI that the community agreed were important to their livelihoods and future.

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

The SedRest CoP, based on this progress with community capacity building and knowledge gathering, aware through research of the potential for degradation, the status of soils and land cover, and with the needs of communities, implementers, and government officials in mind, facilitated a two-day multi-stakeholder “Integrated Planning Meeting” in Maclear in July 2019.

The meeting brought together role-players from communities, implementers from agencies such as GIB and Take Note, officials and specialists from DEFF, and DoA, officials from Elundini Local and Joe Gqabi District Municipalities, researchers from the academic partners, and facilitators and community coordinators from Lima. Take Note and Lima were recent partners at that stage, and the meeting was a valuable opportunity for them to meet other role-players, learn about the catchment and the Tsitsa Project and, in the case of Take Note, establish a mentoring-style relationship with GIB staff who had more experience of working within the project and in the Tsitsa River catchment.

The meeting began with a community-hosted visit to the Lower Sinxaku area, where the mapped degradation and erosion concerns were pointed out to the researchers, implementers and officials.

Reciprocally, a government landscape rehabilitation specialist demonstrated to all stake-holders the criteria for and correct use of “green” rehabilitation interventions for use in low- to moderately- eroded areas. These interventions have a high probability of slowing water flow, promoting infiltration of runoff and increasing sediment deposition in low-energy environments, and include gully head-cut and side-wall sloping, ponding, silt-fencing, reseeding, and stone and brush-packing, avoiding the use of expensive built infrastructure (so-called “grey” interventions). Low degradation-risk areas where interventions would be superfluous were identified as well as, importantly, areas unsuitable for rehabilitation interventions due to steep slopes and/or dispersive soils. Simple field tests to determine these criteria were demonstrated. The knowledge and insights gained from these discussions then contributed to a workshop, where specific rehabilitation and degradation-avoidance interventions (as mentioned), and the implementers’ work-block boundaries as per their contract with DEFF were added to the communities’ maps.

The product from the two-day meeting was an agreed, workable, best-practice rehabilitation plan for the node, based on input, research, and experience from all the role-players involved with and affected by the sustainable land management of that part of the catchment. Intrinsic to the plan was the recognised need for community planned and managed grazing and fire management interventions that would protect the green rehabilitation infrastructure from fire and stock until such time as landscape stabilisation as a result of the interventions had occurred, and avoid further degradation of vulnerable but as yet un-eroded areas. The success of the Tsitsa Approach is measured not only in terms of person-days and areas rehabilitated but also in terms of community-monitored water retention and sediment deposition on the landscape resulting in improved dry-season low flows, and lower suspended sediment loads in river channels. Ongoing monitoring of the condition of these green solutions is an essential management and learning component, as they often need some maintenance or improvement after, for instance, damage by storm events.

4. Summary

Adopting the Tsitsa Approach to enhanced landscape rehabilitation meant that community members worked with researchers to identify vulnerable areas, and with implementers and government officials to select and prioritise what and where interventions would take place, thereby actively contributing to planning as well as benefitting from labour opportunities and the outcomes of the work.

Community committees and monitors were established to plan and manage fire and grazing regimes, and to monitor the progress of the rehabilitation interventions, thus circumventing neglect and/or

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

vandalism of the work, and providing feedback to implementers on what works under local conditions, and where maintenance is needed. Their involvement with mapping EI and areas of concern, and with planning the associated rehabilitation interventions gave community members and leaders an improved understanding of the need for, method of, and benefits from the rehabilitation work.

Involving recently contracted implementing agents and catchment facilitators with the identification, prioritisation and planning workshop enhanced the long-term stability of the Tsitsa Project by building role-player capacity and capability, and strengthening networks with in the project. Involving Local and District Municipal officials improved their knowledge of community challenges and National Government responses within their administrative area. The involvement of DEFF officials enhanced their understanding of the Tsitsa Approach and reciprocally allowed them to contribute to it by agreeing some flexibility in terms of administrative systems, and acknowledging the need for revised systems for issuing tenders and adjudicating bids, as well as for operating, safety, and quality control norms and standards.

As a result of the Tsitsa Approach to enhanced landscape rehabilitation, long term persistence of the benefits of the rehabilitation interventions would be likely, enhancing rural livelihoods and climate change resilience and reducing the likelihood of the recurrence or replication of degradation in adjoining areas. Based on this work the following lessons were learnt:

• An inventory of mapped physical aspects (soil types, areas susceptible to gully formation, wetlands, disused agricultural lands (likely to be used when conditions and resources align), invasive alien species, grassland condition, sediment yield, etc.) formed a valuable physical data base to plan from;

• Information from research about landscape processes supported the understanding of where interventions are more likely to succeed;

• Community natural resource mapping, sharing the observed landscape history and identifying currently valued EGSs was essential to understanding some of the key community/landscape interactions (the Green Village project played a significant role in pioneering this process);

• The soils are highly erodible, so without dense vegetation cover soil erosion is likely. Grazing management is the main aspect in the communal land that can allow the vegetation cover to improve;

• Monitoring, learning based on local experience, and maintenance of interventions are all critical to the ongoing success of rehabilitation efforts; and

• Community development and a shift of land ownership linked to business opportunities support sustainable land management.

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

APPENDIX 4: STRENGTHENING PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE

Participatory governance research within the Tsitsa Project was initiated with the aim of leaving a catchment where residents are able to meaningfully participate in formal and informal land and water governance processes that affect their lives.

This appendix includes a background to the approach taken by the Governance CoP and then some offers some practical examples of processes used for strengthening governance capabilities.

The governance CoP approach and learnings

The Governance CoP’s approach has been a gradual process of planning, acting, learning, adapting towards a more engaged praxis. In this section the approach is divided in two phases – the learning phase (Table 1) and the praxis phase (Table 2).

Table 1. The learning phase.

Event Key Tsitsa Approach context and insight 1.1.

Five workshops towards DHSWS Catchment

Management

Forum (CMF) establishment

Using existing participatory governance institutions with explicit land and water focus and formal government support.

This advantage inadequate for DEFF confidence – move to building local Tsitsa participatory governance network.

• Adapt when things do not work.

• Take pragmatic account of formal government limitations.

• Bank lost advantage for future use.

1.2.

One in-village CMF workshop with Traditional leader

Traditional leaders and residents engage about possibilities of CMFs. Chief responded positively to recognition and inclusion and expressed concern about lack of DHSWS engagement. We did not take advantage of brokering communication.

• Importance of informing and including traditional leadership.

• Importance of immediate follow-up of relational and communication opportunities.

1.3.

Tsitsa River Catchment

Strategic plan development

workshop with representatives

from ALL stakeholder groups

After lengthy engagement and trust-building, a large workshop with all tiers of formal government, traditional leaders, village residents, and commercial land users. Run with attention to “inclusive and respectful” but, lacking sufficient common understanding and vocabulary for epistemic justice.

Produced co-developed, inclusive vision for Tsitsa River catchment.

Inadequate uptake and integration of vision as CoPs developed.

• Value and challenge of broadly inclusive events.

• Bank lost advantage for future use.

1.4. Margaret Wolff work uncovered the gap between intention and delivery in EPWP – most vulnerable workers with unreliable remuneration.

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

MEd on the activity

system of restoration

• Transformation starts small and is slow to reach formal government, especially at National level

• Transformation would never reach formal government without open listening influential high-level government officials.

1.5.

SANBI’s Management,

Research, and planning Forum (MaReP)

Breakthrough at MaReP with evident recognition of the fundamental importance of local people. “The poem” First substantive step in participatory governance. In an informal moment, operations invited Gov CoP to train them in CSESs implications, and co-development of an objective’s hierarchy.

• Communicate key messages in every forum – uptake is unexpected.

• Take opportunities to build relationship and enact co-development and co-learning.

1.6.

CSES and objectives hierarchy workshop

Senior DEFF officials participate in an active CSESs training where they build an objectives hierarch to involve local people in their processes.

• Engaged research – PRAXIS – WORKS!

• Experience build confidence in new ways of doing and learning.

Table 2. The Praxis phase.

Event Key Tsitsa Approach context and insight 2.1.

CoP meeting - the emergence of the Participatory

Governance Capability Pathway

Discussions about Community Liaison Officers (CLOs), LIMA, emergence of systems CoP, recognition of need to accelerate broad engagement at village level coalesced into the Capability Pathway as a conceptual vehicle for progress.

• Be alert to emergence - visionary concepts emerging out of seemingly unrelated strands context.

• Value can be created out of bringing different knowledges together.

2.2.

Learning Words (LW) workshops in an attempt to promote epistemic justice and need for common understandings

Beginning to roll out LW workshops with the recognition of the scale of engagement needed – an initial idea that 1 in 5 people will know what TP is and how it will benefit them.

• Sustained praxis of respectful engagement and co-knowledge development enables capability emergence

• The real participation actions of participants is a driver of experienced honesty.

• LANGUAGE MATTERS - a shift from ‘English with translation’ to

‘isiXhosa with translation’.

“The learning words workshops have also been great in terms of getting to know the catchment from the residents. I like how it always starts with stating what the TP is, what it can and cannot offer to the participants.”

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

MSc Governance mapping

Local environmental interests geared towards potable water delivery and waste management - no formal governance space dealing with land and water as resource management.

• Use all the institutional arrangements present to explore entry-points

• Sustained on-site presence matters for engaging with local actors 2.4.

Village level planning workshops

conducted as a collaboration

between Gov, SedRest, and Livelihoods CoPs

Planning workshops including a range of local stakeholders (headmen, residents, monitors, Community Works Program (employees), DEA Working for Water implementing agents, and gardeners)

• Local people actively participated in selecting areas that need restoration with implementers in the room.

• Local people comfortable when workshops are facilitated in their language – more feedback with confidence.

• Learn from previous reflections paying off 2.5.

Appointing

community liaison officers and working with LIMA as an implementing agent

Appointment of CLOs was a crucial praxis acceleration point and brought in the extra complexity of paying people, working with an intermediary.

• Employing local people increases complexity of work –more engaged with contextual challenges.

• Working with a completely fresh organisation is challenging and navigating work culture differences is important

2.7.

4 module monitor Capacity

Development Short Course:

(1) Introductory module,

(2) Research methods,

(3) Listening and speaking, and

(4) Facilitating stakeholder

engagement.

Working together as a strong team of facilitators and contributors to design, plan and run training with support from on-the-ground logistical and organisational support.

• Invest is learning good facilitation (making participants feel welcome, valuing traditions (opening with a prayer and song).

• Value and respect different ways of knowing and opinions.

• Set up the engagement space to encourage participation.

• Balance who speaks among and between facilitators and participants.

• Use a diversity of methods to encourage participation (arts-based, experiential methods, buzz groups, theatre, network mapping, landscape modelling using props, presentations, ice breakers).

• INCLUDE REFLECTION FEEDBACK take time to review and adapt in response to feedback.

• Acknowledging that capacity development processes are slow, be content with not trying to fit in too much.

“The highlight for me was learning each other’s names by throwing the ball;

it took really long, but I liked how everyone was patient and by the end of that game, we knew everyone by their name. It was amazing.”

“Another highlight of the event was the systems aspect of the course, where I got to realise the importance of the experience that some of the team

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

Practical tools

Strengthening local governance capabilities is crucial for enabling a landscape where residents can meaningfully participate in the formal and informal land and water governance processes that affect their lives. Anybody can use these tools to begin the journey of strengthening participatory governance capabilities in their own context.

Governance capability pathway as a planning tool

The governance capability pathway consists of five capabilities which are necessary for local people and local institutions to ensure meaningful participatory land and water governance (Palmer et al., in prep).

1. The ‘co-knowing’ phase focuses on creating a common understanding of context specific terminology and concepts related to natural resource management.

2. The ‘co-listening and co-speaking’ phase then aims to establish speaking and listening skills as well as developing relationships between community members and formal and informal governance institutions.

3. The ‘co-planning’ phase aims to equip local stakeholders with the skills to meaningfully participate in planning processes and begin to use these skills in practice.

4. The ‘co-influencing and co-deciding’ phase would then see active participants being present in decision making spaces and influencing decisions made.

5. The final phase is ‘co-acting and co-adapting’ in which people have the skills and the real opportunities to contribute to natural resource governance that affects them. In this phase people are able to act and adapt with governance institutions in ensuring meaningful participatory governance.

These capabilities do not necessarily build on each other in straight forward ways, rather, they interact continuously and shift and change as you move through the process. For example, while you are co- learning vocabulary together, you are also learning to listen and speak in respectful ways, you are also building the relationships required for co-planning.

Values underpinning the capability pathway

Rather than giving strict guidelines, it is useful to have values which guide the way that work is done.

On setting out on this journey, our work was guided by the principles described by Palmer et al., (2007), these include:

• Tolerate discomfort and unresolved tensions as they are often a gateway to a new level of knowledge, understanding, and trust.

• Be sensitive to “aha” moments (insights), they emerge out of irritation as often as from consonance. Engage with balanced generosity: enquiring, listening and sharing. Managing contribution and constraint is closely linked to listening.

• Practice tolerance and trust – exploring the nature of conflict before making judgements.

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

• Be sensitive to “arrivals” physical and meta-physical - ideas, opportunities and people “arrive”

Create and use reflective opportunities.

• Manage discontinuities (e.g. time intervals, purpose, discipline focus, team composition).

• Sustain enquiry – engage in the concrete question, sustain reading, discourse and attention.

• Remember everyone involved in the research is a “real person”, with the potential to engage with the whole self and many ways of knowing.

These principles complemented the insights and learning described in the first section.

Practical considerations

This engaged process cannot be applied the same way in all contexts, needs to be adapted according to your context and resources available. However, we do have some practical considerations which may be useful.

Hiring local representatives

This work requires local support. In the case of the Tsitsa Project, most of the project researchers do not live in the context, thus it was important to hire local people and get connected to a local NGO to improve our connection to the local environment.

In the Tsitsa Project, community liaison officers were hired to support on the ground logistics and workshop facilitation. The development and support of these liaison officers then became central to the participatory capabilities development as they began to represent their communities in governance decision making spaces.

Consider ‘depth’ and ‘breadth’ for each phase

Deciding on the breadth (how many people) and the depth (how in detail) for each phase of the pathway is crucial. Participatory governance often emphasises the inclusion of a wide range of voices, particularly the voices of the most marginalised. However, involving everybody all the time is impossible, and not everybody wants to be involved.

For example, during the co-knowing phase, a rough estimate was made that one in five residents in the catchment should know about the Tsitsa Project and the challenges related to land degradation.

This is a lot of people! More than we can bring together in one room. For the subsequent phases we need to adjust our expectations. The Tsitsa Project’s works across the catchment by working with specific nodes within the catchment as strong bases to scale up the work. For the listening and speaking phase, we chose to follow the project by focusing on the 21 monitors as the foundation for up-scaling listening and speaking capabilities.

Include time for being present and listening

The pressures of timelines and funding can often force us to conduct processes which are rushed and only allows time for one way communication – ‘Us’ talking the ‘Them’. When working in rural contexts you can expect there to be delays and unforeseen interruptions. Make sure that you plan extra time into your process for listening and speaking to people informally.

Breaking the ice

People have different skills and knowledge, they also have different ways of participating. Some people are loud and confident while others are soft and shy. We used a variety of method to facilitate sessions to help encourage everybody to participate. Meetings and trainings should not all be focused

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

One example is the use of ice-breaker exercises which get people moving. These can be intimidating and difficult to facilitate as these games break the normal habits of participation. One great example that we used in many contexts is the Name and Action game.

In this game everybody stands in a circle, if the meeting space is too cramped then you can go outside.

It is important for everybody to be able to see each other. Then you go around the circle, one person says their name and does an action, for example two claps. Then everybody copies them. You go around the circle until everybody has had a chance to lead. This game is effective in giving everyone a chance to speak, practicing for future participation.

Co-knowing through learning words

The co-knowing phase was implemented through a series of ‘learning words’ workshops with over 200 community members from across the Tsitsa River Catchment. The purpose of the workshop is to learn words together in an interactive space - building a common vocabulary and understanding of concepts related to natural resource management between researchers, DEFF restoration implementers, and community members.

Learning words: the process

The introduction to the process normally begins with a welcome from an elder present followed by a song and prayer. A brief introduction to TP; the actors involved; and the Purpose of the workshop is then explained. Before starting participants are given the opportunity to object to voice recordings or photographs. The LW process has been used adaptively across the different workshops and occasionally parts are shortened or left out to save time. A general summary of the process is as follows:

1. The participants are split into groups, ideally between 5 and 10 participants per group.

2. Each group is facilitated by 1 isiXhosa speaking member of the organising team.

3. The word to be explored is then given in English and isiXhosa.

4. Each member of the group is given a piece of card and 10 minutes to write words and ideas associated with home.

5. The cards are put into a hat or box in the middle of the table.

6. Each member of the group then takes out a random card from the box

7. The facilitator then goes around the table allowing each group member to contribute a word from the card they drew.

8. The facilitator moves around the table eliciting words and allowing discussion to flow until all of the words on the cards are used.

9. This is followed by a free discussion in which extra words are suggested.

10. Once the words have been generated then the group has time to discuss and organise the cloud.

11. They are then able to present their cloud in front to the wider group.

The words used is an important consideration for the workshop design - easily relatable words such as ‘Home’ and ‘river’ can be thought of as a boundary object to help participants from different backgrounds find common ground; these words are useful for people attending a LW workshop for

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

Umlambo/river; Umhlaba/land; Amanzi/Water.

As with all of the processes, the learning words workshop is concluded with a reflection which is crucial for monitoring and evaluation. We focused on two questions:

• What did you learn?; and

• How did you feel?

Applications of the learning words process

The learning words process is an adaptable process that can be used in a variety of contexts. Here are some of the ways in which it was applied by the Tsitsa Project.

The first Learning Words workshop

The initial Learning Words workshop was hosted in February 2019 in Maclear and was the first time the process was conducted with people living in the catchment. This workshop leveraged the existing relationships built. The workshop was centred on the learning words and other processes aimed at deepening people’s understanding of the Tsitsa Project and other land management activities happening on the landscape. Participants included residents, monitors, cattle owners, municipal officials, traditional leaders, DEA Working for Water implementing agents.

Learning Words and village level planning

Two Learning Words workshops were hosted as part of a village level planning process. The Learning Words exercise was used to introduce participants to words and concepts that were used during the planning on the second day. Participants included headmen, residents, monitors, Community Works Program (CWP) employees, DEFF implementing agents, and gardeners.

Learning Words expansion

Thus far three Learning Words expansion workshops have been hosted in three different areas. The intention is to slowly spread the reach of the workshops across the catchment. A focus of these workshops has been the training and support of CLOs as they settle into their roles. Community Liaison Officers have been required to organize the venue, tables, chairs, a caterer to cook the food. During these sessions CLOs each get a table and are responsible for facilitating the discussion. These workshops generally include Tsitsa Project hired members and local residents.

Learning Words as part of first module of the Capacity Development Short Course

The Capacity Development Short Course was run in collaboration between the Governance, Knowledge and Learning, and the systems praxis CoPs from within the Tsitsa Project. The first phase of the short course was run over two days in November 2019 (Weaver et al 2019) and was aimed at creating a learning network among the Tsitsa Project hired monitors. The core skills being developed during this short course included: teamwork, communication, reflect on learning strategies, and participation. The Learning Words process was used during the short course as a way of starting a discussion about the context in which the participants live.

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

The outcomes of the learning words process are what people learned in the process, but there are some more tangible outcomes which can be used to help learning from the process spread wider than just for those in the workshop.

Figure 2 is a word cloud created by workshop participants for the word ‘catchment’.

Figure 2: A summary of the words related to catchment from across the LW Workshops

Another outcome was the creation of a learning words dictionary which we continually updated as we ran the workshops. The dictionary was compiled using the answers to the reflection question “what did you learn today?” Table 3 is shortened version of the learning words dictionary with some of the key terms to give an example of what can be created.

Table 3. An abridged version of the co-created Learning Words dictionary.

Igama Word Example / Explanation in isixhosa Example / Explanation in English alien plants Yimithi engofunekiyo ngoba ifunxa amanzi kakhulu

imithi ekhula kuyo yonke indawo nto leyo ebangela ukhukhuliseko lomhlobo. Imithi enjenge dywabasi umngcunube ne gumtree ingcombu zayo zinabice yi lonto zifunxa amanzi kakhulu

It is an invasive species because it absorbs too much water and grows everywhere, causing erosion. Trees such as wattle, willow and gumtree herbs have big roots and therefore use a lot of water.

avoid

overgrazing Ukunqadanda ukutyiswa kwamadlelo kakhulu

catchment Yindawo eqokelele amanzi engena emlanjeni The place where water is caught and collected and then enters the river

ucoceko clean Umlambo ococekiceyo clean river

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

crop rotation Ukutshintshwa kotyalo

degradation Ukumoshakala kwento yashishitsha ubume bayo Something that has been there and now the structure has lost its shape

deposition Ukupakisheka kwesanti When a sand has been deposited in one place by floods and caused a sand dune Kukhuliseko erosion Xa kunetile kukhuliseke umhlaba kuvele imisele

kutsho kudaleke indonga When it rains the land erodes and the dongas grow

ukulima farming Also used for growing and ploughing

Izibuko ford /

causeway Yindawo yokuwela emlangeni A place to cross a river

Ingca grass Ingca esempilweni Grass with health

iDonga gully Bendingazi umhla mbu ubu uyakukhuliseka When the soil leaches away

iKhaya home Ikhaya kulapho kuhlela khona family Home is a place where there is family

Ukuncenceshela irrigation This means irrigation taking water from the

river to water crops in your garden Ithambeka /

umqenqelezi landscape Yindawo emqengqelezi okanye ethambekayo le ndawo ukuba akukha ingca ingalo nzo ukhukuliseko mhlata

Makes a catchment, collect the water that goes into the river also has humans, livestock, plants and more

pollution Noncolise ukolwamanzi xa kulahlwa udonti

emifuleni Pollution is when you dump dirty stuff in the

river intlupheko poverty Abantu banobuhlwempu

hlambuluka recover Ukusimama/ukubuyela esimeni Recover /get well Imizi reeds Ingcongolo yinto yokwenza imatyi ezitulo zabandle

entombi zakwazulu siphatha ingcongolo xa zisiya kuhlobo

Reeds are used by girls to make mats.

Ukubuyiselwa restoration Ukubuyiselwa kwesimo kokusingqongileyo. Restoration of the environment.

Umlambo river Umfula ndifumanise ukuba yindawo ehlala amagqirha. Ithandwa kokhu zizinyanya namaxhwele

Where the traditional healers stay, loved by the traditional healers

Likhuseleke safe Ndiayabule ngokhuseleko ekhaya I am safe at home. Loved, food and shelter, not harmed, security

T35 T35 Indlela yibizwa kammandla othile The category used to name our area

(quarternary catchment) Yile itya vetiver grass

Amanzi water Siyahlamba ngamanzi siyatya siphekangamanzi We wash with water, we cook with water

dywabasi wattle

Umgxobhozo wetland Ndifunda ukuba imigxobhozo yinto evela

ngamaxhesha othile I’ve learnt that certain wetlands are

permanent and others are seasonal.

imifino wild

vegetables

Uboya wool Uboya obuse mgangatweni Good wool

Co-Listening and speaking training

We all need to be able to speak and listen in order to participate. Building listening and speaking capabilities not only builds on the co-knowing phase, but also on people’s past experiences of participation with formal and informal institutions.

The development of listening and speaking capabilities cannot be achieved through any once-off training but needs to be embedded within other processes that is reinforcing the skills and values.

Our collective experience indicated that there was a need to work on the capabilities necessary to access and understand formal governance spaces and processes. Having the capability to listen and speak requires knowledge of the necessary content, an understanding of the processes and protocols,

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

Our specific listening and speaking training brought the monitors together in Maclear. The specific Listening and speaking training focused on:

• Meeting skills (Setting an agenda, facilitating a meeting, taking minutes)

• Practicing participant observation

• Reflecting on experience

• Mapping relationships between land and water governance actors and institutions

• Improve technical skills related to information and communication technologies (ICT) Meeting skills related events within the listening and speaking training

Participants completed two activities related to meetings in the listening and speaking workshop.

These activities were a chance for monitors to practice what they have learnt and a chance for the facilitators to see what parts of the content stood out to the monitors.

Writing minutes

The purpose of this activity was to see if participants understood the meeting and for them to practice taking meeting minutes. Effective minute taking is a crucial skill for effectively engaging in formal governance processes.

The activity started with a presentation from one of the researchers on ‘how to write minutes,’ which was followed by questions and answers. Participants were then asked to listen to a recording of a meeting and take minutes for the meeting. After they had listened and taken minutes, they were then divided into 3 groups to answer the following questions:

1. Do you think the agenda allowed meeting participants to achieve the objectives of the meeting?

2. Do you think the chairperson ran an effective meeting? Give reasons yes and no.

3. Write and share a final set of minutes.

4. Note the follow-up action. Who should be doing what after this meeting? Do you think they would clearly know what to do? Were the follow up actions clear in the meeting?

In our training, one of the key outcomes was that participants recognised that respecting each other and giving everyone a chance to listen and speak are positive meeting behaviours.

Participant observations

Participant observations is used by sociologists and anthropologists to understand a specific problem or organisation. We decided to focus on participant observations because it is a well-established tool for being observant, listening carefully and noting down observations. In our training, we did an activity of participant observations. After a presentation on participant observations, participants were asked to make observations of a video of a Rwandan Market in order to apply what they had learnt. After watching the recording, observations were done in three parts:

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

• Part 1: On one side of your page, describe the setting and what is going on using your senses (what do you see? What do you hear?)

• Part 2: Now on the other side of the page write down your thoughts, feelings and ideas about what you think is happening.

• Part 3: Share your findings with the group.

The groups’ presentations and the individual answers showed that the monitors had understood the observation task and were able to communicate their observations and what they thought about the observations.

Relationship mapping

Stakeholder mapping is a useful tool for engaging with information about stakeholders. It can also be used as an educational tool to help participants share their knowledge about local institutions. This exercise focused on identifying stakeholders and the connections between them. There were also discussions about the interest and influence of different actors. The activity is outlined in Table 1.

Table 4. Steps in the relationship mapping process, with corresponding prompt questions which were given to the facilitators.

Step in the process Facilitator prompt questions

Write the stakeholders related to land and water management in your areas on sticky notes so that you can move them around.

Who employs you? Who do you work with?

Who helps you with land and water?

Write your name or the name of your community in the middle of a piece of paper

Arrange the names in a way that makes sense to you

Are there particular groups that work together? Who is closest to the community?

Now add the connections between different stakeholders.

You can then draw your map more neatly and add other details. You can make your diagram more readable by using different colours.

Are there different groups that can be colour coded? Are there types of connections that can be colour coded?

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

Figure 3: A group map example in which the three group members decided on the actors involved, but each individually drew their own arrows. This diagram shows how the process can be adapted by participants.

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

Fry, A., Raleketla, M., Libala, N., Copteros, A., Weaver, M., Mti, N., & Palmer, T. (2019). Learning words together towards participatory land and water governance.

Ralekhetla, M. M. (2019). Investigating Epistemic Justice In An Adaptive Planning Process : Towards Developing A Local Catchment Management Strategy. A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE. Rhodes Universtiy.

Weaver, M., Copteros, A., Libala, N., Ralekhetla, M., Bester, R., Mtati, N., Fry, A., Mngadi, T. (2019).

Monitor Capacity Development Short Course Reflection Report: Module 1, 7 – 8 November 2019.

Tsitsa Project.

Palmer, C. G., Gothe, J., Mitchell, C., Riedy, C., Sweetapple, K., Hose, G., Lowe, M., Goodall, H., Green, T., Sharma, D., Fane, S., Brew, K., & Jones, P. (2007). Finding integration pathways : developing a transdisciplinary (TD) approach for the Upper Nepean Catchment. The 5th Australian Stream Management Conference. Australian Rivers: Making a Difference. 306–311.

http://www.csu.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/748415/Palmer_Carolyn_306.pdf

Palmer C.G., Libala N., Bester R., Ralekhetla M., Mti N., Fry A.S., Weaver M.J.T and Clifford-Holmes J.K., (in prep.). A Systemic View of the Governance Capabilities Pathway.

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

APPENDIX 5: GREEN ECONOMY, RURAL LIVELIHOODS, AND CLIMATE CHANGE INNOVATIONS

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly proclaimed 2021–2030 to be the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, with the primary aim being to prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide. The UN Decade is set to contribute towards the goals of the Paris Agreement adopted under the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Land Degradation Neutrality targets supported by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the goals of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the Bonn Challenge’s target of restoring 350 million hectares of degraded land. Over and above the protection and restoration of ecosystems, the UN Decade also acknowledges the critical role that healthy ecosystems play towards achieving the 2030 targets of the Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs). The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development seeks to end poverty, conserve biodiversity, combat climate change and improve livelihoods across borders. Unless efficient and sustainable ecosystems are widespread across the world’s agricultural areas, and its mountains, forests, wetlands, coastlines and oceans, the SDGs will not be met, including societies’ capacity to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

The dual focus on achieving ecological and socio-economic outcomes calls for integrated landscape approaches such as the Sustainable Land Management (SLM) approach endorsed by the Tsitsa Project in meeting the local and national development plans and climate change adaptation priorities. It is predicted that the Tsitsa River Catchment will be exposed to an increase in temperature and rainfall variability, with greater likelihood of severe floods and droughts, as already experienced in recent years in the area (Rowntree 2019a). As the risk of these hydro-meteorological hazards increases, so too will the risk to local agricultural production, water availability and water supply to homesteads and livestock. Heavy rain over land with low vegetation cover (due to drought or mismanagement) increases soil erosion and furthers the loss of productive grazing land (JQDM, 2018). It is also predicted that encroachment of woody vegetation in the grasslands will pose a risk to livestock fodder and water availability. Additionally, with increased evaporation, there will be an augmented water demand for all crops and greater vulnerability to drought. Pests and pathogens are also projected to increase as well as the risk of veld fires (Ziervogel et al. 2014 as cited in DEA, 2018). Furthermore, health risks are various, including direct effects such as heat stress on people, livestock and plants as well as indirect effects related for example to malnutrition (Ibid.). Higher temperatures will affect people’s ability to work outdoors, having a negative impact on food production, especially in communal areas.

Adaptation to climate change in the Tsitsa Project has two foci. The first is grassland restoration through avoided degradation and run-off control methods, alien vegetation eradication, and protection of wetlands, springs and indigenous forests. The second, and perhaps most pertinent climate change adaptation focus, is supporting livelihoods through the promotion of sustainable land use practices. These include Climate-Smart agriculture, rangeland management and the promotion of green enterprise development and job creation. This document presents the two “green-preneur”

networks being established in the Tsitsa Project as cases for learning and reflection and examples of micro-enterprise development opportunities linked to the restoration and improvement of ecosystem services in South Africa. The cases in the Tsitsa Project are being developed by drawing from other initiatives across the country. The integration of climate change adaptation into planning processes at

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

Investments in ecosystem restoration, as promoted by the UN Decade, can have a catalytic effect in reversing the poverty cycle characteristic of heavily degraded and poverty stricken rural contexts such as the Tsitsa area. Poverty leads to land degradation as illustrated in Figure 5. This can be reversed through positive effect that the restoration linked employment and green-preneurship related activities have in lifting local communities from their status quo to a position filled with greater governance of the natural resources and sustainable land use capability, socio-economic returns and improved living conditions. Investment in sustainable livelihoods thus plays a strong supporting role in ecosystem restoration.

Box 1: What is a Green-preneur?

In broad terms, a Green-preneur is an entrepreneur who is involved in a business enterprise that is based on sustainable use of natural resources. Greenpreneur programmes are aimed at people, often youth, who are willing to develop a green solution from idea to business whilst promoting sustainability and contributing to the

achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (https://www.greenpreneurs.co/greenpreneurs). In South Africa, SANBI’s GreenMatter targets young people through education programmes that develop human capacity for biodiversity conservation (https://www.sanbi.org/community-initiatives/greening-overview/) and Wildland

Conservation Trust has nurtured green preneurship in thousands of ‘tree-preneurs’, ‘waste-preneurs’ and ‘food- preneurs’ (https://www.wildtrust.co.za). In the Tsitsa Project we understand a green-preneur as someone improving their well-being through a small-scale business based on sustainable green productivity. This might be selling garden produce, establishing a vetiver nursery, or increasing profit from livestock through improved grassland condition. Plug-preneurs, food-preneurs and livestock-preneurs would all be included as green-preneurs.

The Tsitsa Project and partners aim to build capacity of community members and supporting structures such as SMMEs to enable participation in green-preneur businesses.

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

Figure 4: Reversing the poverty-land degradation processes in the Tsitsa Project

Furthermore, investment in the integrated restoration of the Tsitsa River Catchment social-ecological system is not only contributing towards more social, economic and ecological resilience but also assisting with the COVID-19 crisis by affording local residents with improved livelihoods options and income generation opportunities to deal with the economic and social burden presented by the pandemic.

The Green-preneurship and Climate Change Adaptation Cases in the Tsitsa Project

Through the land restoration and rangeland management interventions it is envisaged that improved livelihood strategies and extended opportunities will be available to the local catchment residents.

These may be in the form of enhanced grazing and pasture for livestock or more reliable water availability and increased soil fertility for crop production, coupled with sustainable and innovative practices for communities to be able to adapt to uncertain climate risks. Currently, new sources of income generated from these livelihood activities and opportunities arising from the restoration interventions are contributing to alternative and more diverse options to secure income. These

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

It is important to build climate change adaptation into livelihood strategies as a form of resilience and to use climate smart approaches for crop production and livestock by following four key principles:

increase water infiltration; reduce evaporation; increase soil organic carbon and reduce soil temperature. These can be proactively achieved by combining several methods: applying water harvesting methods; multi-cropping to provide a good soil cover as well as a source of organic carbon;

using natural fertilizers such as manure; introducing tree crops to provide shade, etc. While a number of these principles and methods are already being adopted at least in some households in the Tsitsa area it is important to promote their wider adoption as a climate change adaptation response. A productive garden is a good insurance against the future risk of increased food insecurity while fresh produce promotes health. An improved grass cover resulting from judicious livestock management and soil and water retention interventions will not only support stock in better condition but will also reduce the climate related risks of erosion, flooding and reduced water dry-season water supply.

The following sections describe two examples of green-preneurship, followed by the description of activities pertaining the integration of climate change efforts in the Tsitsa Project, as:

• CASE A: Plug-preneurs and multipurpose gardens (plug-preneurs)

• CASE B: Grazing management and Meat Naturally (livestock-preneurs)

• CASE C: Integrating the climate change adaptation focus into local livelihoods and restoration initiatives:

o C.1 Pilot village workshop: Local Food Production and Climate Change Adaptation

o C.2 Working with local government planning processes o C.3 Climate change PMERL indicators

CASE A: Plug-preneurs and multipurpose gardens

To date a network of green-preneurs (forming an established SMME) with focus on home-based nurseries has been established across three nodes in the Tsitsa catchment. The initiative was introduced through the various local leadership structures and stakeholder groups and situated within the integrated catchment planning processes in place locally. The focus of these micro-enterprises is to supply the restoration work with grass plugs (vetiver grass and indigenous grasses) for the implementation of vegetation barriers or grass hedges as erosion control interventions. In some instances, the nurseries are designed in a way that not only provides the households with an opportunity to generate income from plant sales but also contributes to the improvement of food security through the introduction of rain water harvesting techniques, soil conservation and fertility.

The integration of rain water harvesting methods in these multipurpose gardens also helps to control

1 Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) is defined as “the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an overall adaptation strategy to help people to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. Ecosystem-based Adaptation uses the range of opportunities for the sustainable management, conservation, and restoration of ecosystems to provide services that enable people to adapt to the impacts of climate change. It aims to maintain and increase the resilience and reduce the vulnerability of ecosystems and people in the face of the adverse effects of climate change. Ecosystem-based adaptation is most appropriately integrated into broader adaptation and development strategies”. (CBD, 2009)

The Tsitsa Approach: Supporting Information (Appendix 2 to 7)

Selection and design of the home-based micro-nurseries

The first fifteen households for establishing the initial micro-nurseries were selected from the Elangeni node at the end of 2018. This small sample of households became the basis for the learning and prototyping of this green-preneur opportunity in the Tsitsa area as described below.

A set of selection criteria was developed between local representatives and the Rhodes University research group. The criteria for selecting suitable households and potential green-preneurs was based on households having good access to water, either from a spring, river, water tank or other; a well- fenced gardens of at least 30m x 30m; appropriate soil type (deep soils) and good access by vehicle.

Once the households were selected the land allocated for the production of vetiver grass was surveyed and planting areas designed. Water harvesting and conservation (WH&C) methods were also incorporated into the layout of the vetiver nurseries for improved water retention and availability to the plants and the mitigation of soil loss.

Figure 5: Examples of household’s vetiver nurseries with RWH methods

Each household developed their own nursery plants as depicted in Figure 5 above. In some instances vegetables and crops were integrated into the garden design. The design process was followed by planting vetiver slips into the gardens. To get the initiative off the ground, the project provided a ‘start- up’ pack of vetiver slips to each household as an initial input. Households received between 50 to 200 slips depending on the extension of the garden designated to growing vetiver. The slips were sourced

Box 2: Vetiver Grass

Vetiver Grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) is a native of South India. This tough grass usually grows to one meter in height although it can grow higher and forms clumps 600 – 900 mm wide. Unlike most grasses which form spreading mat like root systems, Vetiver’s strong, fibrous, binding roots go down between four and six meters. When correctly grown as a hedge, the roots bind with the earth forming an incredibly strong interlocked underground wall, stopping ground movement and slips. The hedge spreads