Food forest planned for the Overberg

Greyton Transition Town (GTT), part of the global Transition Town Network, is bringing the communities of Greyton, Genadendal and neighbouring villages together to find local solutions to the global challenges of climate change and peak oil.

Food security is a critical issue with many residents of these Overberg villages going to bed hungry because they can’t afford the escalating prices of food.

To address this, the community has pulled together to create community vegetable gardens and a weekly home grown, organic vegetable exchange market. Most of the six local schools now have active eco-crews which meet weekly with GTT staff, student interns and volunteers from other organisations such as Greyton Conservation Society and the Red Cross to participate in afternoon workshops on environmental issues including water, waste management, permaculture, renewable energy and community integration.

From around five pupils per school, this has now grown to at least 15-20 regular attendees from each school. Star pupils have been rewarded with a trip to the Leopard Trust Camp in the Cedarberg, visits to the Cape Town aquarium and Hermanus beaches to find shark eggs, and a three day Leaders of the Future course at Oranjezicht City Farm in Cape Town.

Inspired by these activities, the youngsters have asked for the whole of Greyton to be turned into a fruit forest and that process will begin on Sunday 27th October when 40 volunteers from GREENPOP visit the town to plant 100 Trees. 50 indigenous trees will be planted at a young people’s hostel in the village and the remaining 50, all fruit and olive trees, will be planted at the Greyton dumpsite.

The dumpsite has been transformed by volunteers, supported by GTT and funded by the Industrial Development Corporation. 450 metres of fencing now encloses a rehabilitated area of the dumpsite where one entrepreneurial activity is already underway – making chippings and compost from Greyton’s garden waste. The park is also the site of the annual Trash to Treasure Festival, a musical extravaganza with eco-workshops and demonstrations, attended by nearly 500 people every spring. Future entrepreneurs will make charcoal, grow mushrooms and run a fruit tree nursery.

On Sunday morning internationally renowned musicians Steve Newman and Errol Dyers will entertain alongside local Afrikaans reggae group, The Country Conquerors. Greyton Women’s Network will provide free potjies and drinks, and around 40 local school children will join the Greenpop volunteers to plant the trees at both sites.

For the community of Greyton, this is only the start of the transformation and one of many projects aimed at creating a sustainable, integrated community.

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