Some of the world’s biggest problems can be solved by tapping into local knowledge. This is the belief of Rhoda Malgas who recently bagged her PhD for her study on Mzansi’s indigenous teas.
Rural communities that make a living from wild harvesting indigenous rooibos and honeybush in the fynbos region were the focus of her PhD study in conservation ecology, which she received from Stellenbosch University (SU).
Her study has its roots in her experiences working with a tea co-op in Nieuwoudtville in the Northern Cape. And according to her, the topic of her PhD thesis by and large reflects her belief that “the search for sustainability is in fact all about the search for community”.
“I hope my work will inform regulatory frameworks that reflect the ethos of local users. A policy framework more closely aligned with the aspirations of farmers is likely to be more palatable to them,” she said.
For instance, one should include local knowledge and the monitoring of local species in management plans and harvesting protocols, she pointed out. Adding that this was crucial to ensuring sustainable rooibos and honeybush production.
Years of research fueled by passion
Malgas who has been a lecturer in conservation ecology in the SU faculty of agriSciences since 2009, said the research idea has its roots in the community education work in the field of public archaeology, which she did in the early 2000s in Clanwilliam.
Clanwilliam is a town that is at the heart of South Africa’s rooibos industry.
Her later work in the mid-2000s as programme manager for sustainable natural resource use at Indigo Development and Change, also played a significant role.
In this role, she became acquainted with small-scale farmers of the Suid-Bokkeveld who are harvesters and custodians of wild rooibos tea.
Her subsequent MSc degree from the University of Cape Town (UCT), obtained in 2006, had the sustainable harvesting of wild rooibos and the value of local ecological knowledge at its heart. As trustee, she is today still closely involved with three community-based agri-conservation initiatives.
“Rooibos and honeybush wild harvesting support many rural livelihoods. For that reason, it is important that we sustain production in fynbos landscapes.
“Through my research, I explored the plants, and people’s knowledge about them, to investigate how environmental and social sustainability can be achieved,” explained Dr Malgas, who studied archaeology and geography as an undergraduate at UCT.
What hinders the indigenous tea industry?
Her reflections and writings on the topic have Nobel Prize winner and political economic Eleonor Ostrom’s framework of social-ecological systems at heart.
She used it to better understand the pathways and pitfalls that stand in the way of the long-term sustainability of cooperative ventures in the rooibos and honeybush sectors.
This includes sustainable harvesting, sustainable livelihoods and the importance of ensuring that the ecological integrity of wild rooibos and honeybush populations is maintained.
“Findings from the study are relevant for policy formulation. The fact that permits are issued for honeybush wild-harvesting in the Eastern Cape, but not in the Western Cape, is an example of a disjuncture in the institutional arrangement within a sector that relies on species that straddle both provinces.”
According to Malgas, the result is a potential loophole: there is no mechanism to trace or monitor wild honeybush biomass entering Eastern Cape processing plants.
“It also nullifies cross-border law enforcement, limiting the effectiveness of the permitting system in the Eastern Cape. This points to institutional weaknesses in the sector,” she said.
Malgas strongly believes that there is value in tapping into local knowledge when trying to solve big questions such as environmental sustainability and the provision of better livelihoods in rural communities and the conservation of indigenous fynbos crop species.
ALSO READ: 9 great rooibos pairing ideas
Softie for first-generation varsity students
Apart from her love for rural communities, this first-generation scholar from Rocklands in Mitchells Plain is also known for her big heart when it comes to students.
As the founder of The Small Things Fund, she has been on a mission to support students who need small amounts of money to keep going with their studies.
“We offer first-line support to first-generation university students in aid of their academic success.
“To some, our contribution might mean being able to buy a lab coat, while to others it might be in the form of data or airtime, or a ticket to a concert that they need to attend as part of their course. The support we provide is capped at R3 500, hence the name of the fund.”
Small things, huge heart
The Small Things Fund is a crowdfunding initiative. It is supported by a network of supporters to whom Malgas turns.
She never says yes to a request without first sharing a meal and a heart-to-heart chat with the student who has knocked on her door for help. “Because sometimes that might actually be all that a young person needs to keep going.”
Her decision to start the fund is not only a reflection of her community spirit. It is her way of paying back the many kind people whose support in big and small ways helped her successfully pursue a career in academia – to the point that she today can write the coveted title of “Dr” in front of her name.
ALSO READ: Women farmers: Apply now to join #SoilSistas
Sign up for Mzansi Today: Your daily take on the news and happenings from the agriculture value chain
