Innovative Farming Methods Changing Agricultural Landscape
Farming has evolved over the years from traditional ways of growing fruit and vegetables to more innovative sustainable methods, and even in South Africa, we are beginning to see a marked shift towards looking for innovative solutions to various problems like ensuring fresh produce makes its way to communities that need it. Given the drastic […]
Food Insecurity in South Africa
As middle class working South Africans, we are privileged to be able to decide what we want to eat, have easy access to the most nutritious options, and to decide where we want to shop (Woolworths? Pick n Pay? Spar? Checkers?). The same is not the case for those who do not have the necessary […]
Sustainable Development Goals and their status in society today
In 2015 it was reported that the United Nations Members are expanding on their Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). MDGs are universal sets of goals, targets and indicators that the UN Members have used to frame their policies over the past 15 years. These SDG goals were designed to provide a focal point for governments and […]
Change makers in South Africa
The many, and somewhat all too familiar challenges that South Africa faces – chief among them, crime, racial tensions, slowed GDP growth and investment, high unemployment, and wide spread poverty are major draw backs that weigh so much on the populace, social capital and in-turn, social progress. As much of Africa seems to be experiencing […]
Tarkastad – the little town with big assets
Simanye’s Value Web approach is all about grass roots driven development and interventions that are tailored to unique community needs as decided by the communities themselves. The very people undergoing ‘’development’’ are responsible for ensuring it takes place and assets are emphasized over needs. Assets also take many forms, including not just financial but also […]
The Triple Bottom Line, Inclusive Business and Shared Value
Today’s highly competitive, globalized, world requires organizations and businesses to think differently about how they are going to stay in business. They can no longer afford to focus on profits alone as other factors, such as social and environmental sustainability, are becoming more present – both in real terms as well as from a regulatory […]
Education in South Africa: One Learner at a Time
The system of education in South Africa is a particularly sensitive subject for me. Having lived in South Africa for 4 years it is clear to me that while everyone seems to be in agreement about the devastating inequality in standards of education across the country, I have come across a million and one opinions […]
a Trillion Fracking Rands: what’s in it for me
Joshua Davis, writing about the founder of Bitcoin, notes that technology with a compelling story is hard to stop. Taking this thinking a step further, when that technology solves a critical problem or need that society faces and pays enormous dividends to its patrons, its adoption becomes hard to prevent. Viewing hydraulic fracking (the process […]
CLASH OF THE SPAZA SHOPS – the business of xenophobia
Given the recent spate of “xenophobic” attacks, we found ourselves asking whether the South African perpetrators really “dislike” or are “afraid of” foreign nationals, or if the problem runs deeper than what we see at face value. This level of violence towards foreign nationals was last seen in 2008 where the most common reason given […]