THE HEWLETT PACKARD I-COMMUNITY PROJECT
Hewlet Packard’s (HP) i-community approached Afristar in 2004 to develop a garden project at the HP i-community based at the Makopane Multi–Purpose Education Facility.
The project aimed to support a world Summit for sustainability presidential project on Information Communication Technology realising that there was a gap in their offerings that neglected community identified needs for water and food security.
HP I-COMMUNITY PERMACULTURE MEDICINAL GARDENS
The aim of the garden project was to address the effects HIV/AIDS and other diseases are having on the socio-economic fabric of South African society through the development of preventative and primary healthcare solutions based on food and medicinal gardens; that draw extensively on local indigenous knowledge and the role of nutrition.
Through a consultative process with HP and our Afristar Permaculture facilitators, we designed and implemented a programme for integrated Permaculture Medicinal Gardens to showcase the role and function of healing plants in primary and preventative health care.
The program had the following objectives:
- Development of gardens showcasing HIV medicinal plants and plants that can be utilised to treat secondary infections of HIV.
- Capacitation of nursery for medicinal & indigenous plant, tree and shrub production
- Research and dissemination of traditional knowledge of medicinal plants and local foods
- Design and implementation of Permaculture gardens
- Development of a food forest orchard and barrier plants
- On-ground implementation included a medicinal plant wheel, mulched food gardens, rainwater harvesting swale systems, and signage to showcase indigenous knowledge links.
- The Permaculture Medicinal Garden was launched in the second week of September 2004, with the visit of the HP CEO Carly Fiorini, a host of senior HP executives, and the President Thabo Mbeki.
You can download a copy of our Permaculture Medicinal Gardens Booklet that we produced here
HP I-COMMUNITY PERMACULTURE FOOD & MEDICINAL GARDENS, DIPICHI
In 2005, the HP i-community contracted Afristar to design a complementary initiative to the 2004 MEMC medicinal gardens, in a marginalized rural community in the Mokopane area. The project targeted Dipichi, a least developed village 90 km from Mokopane, where Afristar designed and implemented Permaculture Food and Medicinal Gardens, and developed complementary educational resources.
The aims of the project were:
- To address the effects HIV / AIDS and other diseases are having on the socio-economic fabric of South African society through the development of preventative and primary health care solutions based on food and medicinal gardens, that draws extensively on local indigenous knowledge and the role of nutrition.
- To identify and initiate viable businesses, that establishes a sustainable economic base for job creation and community sustenance, with specific reference to applying ecologically compatible and organically grown agricultural practices.
- The Permaculture Food and Medicinal Garden was launched on the 21st October 2005, with the visit of Premier Maloto, a host of senior HP executives and President Thabo Mbeki.
Let's build a resilient society together
At Afristar, we understand the complexities of the African environment and specialise in restoration and resiliency solutions for each unique situation. We have developed cutting-edge and environmentally-focused strategies to help mitigate the effects of poor land use practice.
