Page 24 - Demo

22 PHILANTHROPY MAGAZINERural Farmers Benefit fromSUSTAINABLE AGRICULTUREDONORSUKZN%u2019s Farmer Support Group (FSG), a community development, outreach and research unit based in the School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences (SAEES) in Pietermaritzburg, has been instrumental in advancing sustainable agriculture among South Africa%u2019s smallholder farmers.The FSG is active in Msinga and Okhahlamba local municipalities, where it works with farmer groups. Director of the FSG Professor Maxwell Mudhara emphasised the importance of facing the unavoidable climate change challenge of too much or too little rainfall and longer droughts, saying that careful and innovative planning is necessary to combat changes in temperature and rainfall availability.Mudhara thanked key partners who support the FSG%u2019s work, including the UKZN Foundation, the HCI Foundation, DKA Austria and the European Union.FSG%u2019s comprehensive approach encompasses training, advisory services and project support in areas such as agroecology, nature conservation, institutional strengthening and enterprise development, including market participation. FSG ensures that interventions are both relevant and effective by engaging development practitioners, researchers, community members and government extension staff in participatory research and extension.South Africa%u2019s communal areas grapple with challenges like land degradation, unemployment, low income and a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, all of which adversely impact livelihoods. These issues, partly rooted in the apartheid era%u2019s legacy, have systematically undermined agricultural production and food self-sufficiency in favour of formal employment. FSG recognises the complexity of these challenges, which intertwine human, financial, social, natural and physical facets. Their interventions are designed to address Okhahlamba Farmers: Market engagement %u2013 weighing green pepper harvest for market. Okhahlamba Farmers visit for practical learning in the field.