By Poovandran Pillay, Executive Head of the Nedbank Foundation
There’s a commonly held view that human flourishing and the environment are mutually incompatible – that we would need to discard many of the benefits of modernity to protect the planet.
This is obviously not an option that will ever gain true traction beyond the fringe. Luckily, there is a better way – we can change how we do business. This means building an inclusive economy that benefits the masses, and focusing on creating businesses that solve environmental problems as well as creating a new generation of environment-friendly products.
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These are big ideas and you’re probably wondering if they are doable. The short answer is ‘yes, they are’. But there needs to be a separation of ‘business as usual’ from ‘doing good’, the typical set-up in which corporate social investment (CSI) initiatives balance out existing and possibly destructive business practices. The 2 must be integrated because making money is the mainspring of business.
Given that we celebrate World Bee Day on 20 May, it’s worth noting that bees, the value they bring and the threats they face, offer a great example of how this way of thinking can help solve an ecological challenge and benefit humanity.
Many still do not recognise the pivotal role that bees play in the natural world and in the agricultural systems that feed humanity. One fact captures this: without bee pollination, 50 South African crops would fail, there would be a R10,3 billion loss to the economy, and we would suffer a blow to our food security. Bees also play a major role in supporting biodiversity through their role as pollinators.
Bee and other pollinator species populations are under threat from various factors, including changing climatic conditions, habitat loss linked to human activities, pesticide use, and invasive species. Ironically, in some more intensely managed areas indigenous bee populations are threatened by domesticated (managed) honey bees, which compete for seasonal food sources. Also, some interactions may result in the introduction of pests and pathogens into the indigenous populations.
The expansion of the agricultural footprint of pollination-dependant crops alongside the reduction of adequate seasonal forage has created an industry in which beekeepers contract with farmers to take bees to their fields at pollination time. Ensuring there is enough food for the bees outside of the pollination season is critical to ensuring the health and sustainability of these managed beehives that provide a vital service for crops dependant on bee pollination. Other initiatives include developing farming practices that use alternative pest management strategies that do not impact bees and protect wild areas on farms where indigenous bees can thrive.
Similar approaches are helping to protect endangered crane species.
For several years, Nedbank and the WWF Nedbank Green Trust have been working alongside the agriculture sector to advocate for bees, to protect our crops. But we at Nedbank also realised that we needed to come up with new ways that are positive for these vital insects to provide opportunities for marginalised people. This is particularly relevant in South Africa where unemployment and economic exclusion are major issues. Rural communities, of which around 35% of South African households form part, present particular challenges as most of them are impoverished (60% of the poorest households are rural).
A solution that the Nedbank Foundation has been supporting is the Vus’mzi Project – the brainchild of Local Village Africa, a social enterprise in the natural food sector. The core of its mission is to harness uniquely African raw ingredients, cultivated by rural communities, to create a range of healthful food products. By integrating these communities into its supply chain, Local Village Africa drives socioeconomic upliftment. It’s a business strategy underpinned by a philosophical approach to build community ties, strengthen cultural heritage, and encourage rural entrepreneurs to have a symbiotic relationship with nature.
The first component of the project was establishing 8 rural beekeeping enterprises, each consisting of 15 locals. These budding entrepreneurs received starter beehives, beekeeping equipment, and extensive training in apiculture, business acumen and financial literacy. As these fledgling beekeeping businesses grow, the aim is to integrate the honey they produce into Local Village Africa’s national supply chain, thereby affording the entrepreneurs sustained access to markets and a reliable income source.
A big opportunity is that South Africa currently imports honey, so there is clearly a market for local produce.
The second component aims to empower people living with disabilities. An initial group of 21 participants, the majority being women and young people, has been equipped with the skills and tools to construct beehives. These hives are then purchased by Local Village Africa for the beekeeping enterprises.
So far, 135 jobs have been created. Although a small number in the greater scheme of things, it’s an indication of what this kind of approach can achieve. The impact is substantial, considering that employed black South Africans each support an average of 3,2 dependents.[1]
In addition, people earning income will spend it in their communities, which helps to sustain or create new businesses.
Nedbank plans to expand this programme to the rest of the country in due course.
Bees are amazing in their own right, and also in what they do for us. On this World Bee Day, take a look at the wonderful photo book, The honey bee takes flight, which is endorsed by Nedbank partner WWF-SA. The honey bee takes flight, which is launching on 22 May, is a celebration of this essential ecological cog that reminds us why we need to find ways of conserving it.
A project like Vus’mzi is important, not only because it makes an impact on the health of a vital player in the ecosystem, but also because it aligns human enterprise with the bees, rather than against them, to achieve sustainable change that benefits both. Now just imagine taking a similar approach across the whole ecosystem, driving job creation and economic activity while protecting the environment on which we all depend.
