Food Forward Cederberg - Project | 110% Green

The Food Forward project delivered its second food waste tour in the Cederberg Municipality on the 16th and 17th of October 2014. The participating individuals included delegates from Cape Town organisations such as the Cape Town Market, Cape Town Partnership, Woolworths, Y-waste, Pro-bio and Greencape, as well as delegates from the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership and the Western Cape Government Department of Economic Development and Tourism (Green Economy and Agri-Processing). 

Starting at the X – Sterile Insect Technique facility (XSIT), the group learnt all about the use of sterilisation to control the breeding ability of the False Coddling Moth. This specific pest has in the past wreaked havoc in the Cederberg citrus industry and was the main cause of production losses and wastage a number of decades back.  The XSIT process works through a controlled breeding programme, where millions of moths are breed in captivity and sterilised using contained radiation. The moths are fed a dyed diet which allows them to be identified in the wild, and once they have hatched, moths are released at a rate of about 100 million per month into the surrounding citrus plantations. Using strategically placed moth traps to test total sterile moth numbers vs wild moth numbers, XSIT scientists are able to keep the proportions of sterile moths at a high enough ratio in order to out compete the wild moths.  This has a significant impact on the ability of the wild moths to effectively reproduce in the wild, meaning that very few eggs are laid in the fruit and resulting in less fruit loss. Compared to 30-40 years ago, citrus losses relating to this specific pest have decreased from about 50% to less than 1%, with a reduction in the use of pest control chemicals of up to 60%.

After looking at the pest control part of the citrus chain, the group went to see citrus growing in action. This included a visit to the farm, pack-house and marketing facility run under the ALG company banner. Here the complexities of the citrus industry was explained as delegates were guided around the ALG packing, sorting and washing sheds, as well as their fruit juice and fruit oil separation facility. ALG has begun to work with Woolworths’ farming for the future programme, and with the gradual introduction of more natural fertilisation and pest control techniques means that the chemical requirement has further been reduced. As a result of a steady reduction in chemical usage over the past 40-50 years, the Citrusdal area is said to have a much greater level of biodiversity of indigenous fauna compared to when spraying was rampant. Industry waste is very minimal, where undersize, misshapen or damaged fruit goes for oil/juice separation, and the residue is sent for cattle feed.

The last visit of day one was to the Stephan & Seun potato farm and packaging facility. Here the group got to see the entire potato growing, harvesting, sorting and packaging chain first hand. The Sandy Sandveld region can get up to 40 degrees C in summer, with soil surface temperatures sometime reaching over 60 degree C , but still, the humble, hardy potato pushes on, growing throughout the year. After digging up the potatoes using a large mechanical scooping vehicle, the potatoes are sent back to the main plant for washing, size sorting and bagging. After a harvest, the land is left for 4 years to recover under a cover/complementary crop (specifically crops that do not share the same diseases as potatoes). Stephan & Seun collects and packages some 100 tonnes of potatoes per day, where packaged potatoes are ready to hit the shelves the day after harvest. With less than 0.5% of total harvest lost/damaged (sent away for animal feed), these large scale potato facilities are certainly a shining example of top notch food chain efficiency.

Day two involved only one activity, however, the day was focused on quality over quantity. The group was lucky enough to get taken on a full Rooibos Safari on Groenkol Rooibos farm with Elandsberg Eco-Tourism, followed by a delicious rooibos tea tasting. Although it was not the peak rooibos season, what an experience it was! With a witty tour guide and an open-side safari van, the group was taken to a plantation where they learnt all about rooibos seed production and growing. This was followed by an explanation of the oxidation, drying, cutting and sorting process, ending in tour of the large, pleasantly scented packaging warehouse. Also rather interesting, is that the industry has very little waste at all, and any stalks and braches that aren’t usable are added to the compost to fertilise next year’s plantation. Rooibos also works on a rotation basis, where harvesting takes place between year 3 and 6 of growing, after which the plant dies back and a cover crop is left to its own devices for almost 5 years before rooibos is planted again. This allows the soli to regenerate sufficiently.

In general, a great second trip with focus on a very different range of commodities and practices. With very little waste being produced in the visited industries this time around, the learnings on the trip were more focused on the benefits and trade-offs around mechanisation and labour. On one hand, mechanisation can significantly increase productivity, while on the other too much mechanisation decreases employment opportunities. It seems a healthy balance is needed between mechanisation and manual operations in South Africa, where we need to be productive to remain internationally competitive, and provide jobs to grow the economy and address issues such as food security.

Keep following the Food Forward project for news on the next tour. Next stop George!