Water Wheel Nov/Dec 2022: Sustainable Agriculture

Abstract

Could SA’s food secure future lie in the fruit of its indigenous trees? Fruit is fab. Eating the fleshy seed-bearing structures of angiosperms can do wonders for one’s health, a slew of studies tell us. Fruit contains important trace elements including iron, zinc and copper. Many are chock-a-block with carbohydrates and vitamin C. It is said to defy diabetes, head off heart disease and even keep cancer in check. The World Health Organisation is so sold on it, it reckons we should be eating at least 600 g of fruit and vega day. The reality though, is that South Africa’s poor cannot afford to. The country is rightly famous for its Outspan oranges, gorgeous table grapes and other orchard exotics. But much of these are grown for export or the well-heeled and for many of our countrymen remain like those delicious peaches at the top of the tree – beyond reach. But what if more people, particularly the two-fifths of South Africans living on communal lands in rural areas, were encouraged to grow indigenous fruit?

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