African Wildlife and Environment Issue 68

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

produce fewer nutrients that flow into our rivers and streams, and use less space. Research has shown that many insects have protein that is higher than, or equivalent to, beef, pork or chicken as well as a variety of vitamins and micronutrients that are very healthy for humans (Dzerefos and Witkowski 2014). Better still, insects don’t have harmful concentrations of cholesterol. At Bush Pigs one can learn about how to find and cook insects. Insects are free and a little local knowledge is all you need to find and cook them. Lizzy’s traditional recipes using insects can be tried out by the adventurous eaters at Bush Pigs! The Water and Food Nexus Water is the lifeblood of Africa. Without water there can be little or no food. We also need energy to transport water through windmills, ram pumps, and even tankers. So the water, food and energy nexus (a nexus is ‘a connection’ or ‘where things come together’) is important to understand and manage wisely if we are to live more sustainable lifestyles. Sadly, our water resources are getting overused, polluted, and access to water is a problem for many people. At Bush Pigs children learn about water and this is done in a ‘hands-on’ way at the Sand River which flows through the property. One amazing fact about the Sand River is that it used to dry up in winter until a neighbouring farmer harvested his timber crop. Exotic (foreign) trees like gums and pines certainly use up more water than local trees. At the Sand River young learners explore and learn about the stream using the Stream Assessment Scoring System (miniSASS). Using this method, which is also known as ‘biomonitoring’ or ‘life-monitoring,’ one finds a number of indicator organisms (macro invertebrates). These creatures are visible to the naked eye and depending which are found in the stream, it is possible to calculate a ‘River Health Index’ (RHI). Once the learners have identified the macro invertebrates and established their ‘sensitivity score’ from a simple reference sheet, one can calculate the RHI. After the field study learners go onto the Google Earth web-site at www.minisass.org and place their ‘living data’ or RHI in the cloud! On Google the data magically turns into a colour coded ‘crab’ icon where red is poor quality and blue is good quality. We call this the ‘cloud of knowing’ and, once logged on Google, the data is freely available to all. One aim of this study is to do many tests in the same place over a long period of time, so as to understand the stream and work out ways to improve the quality of the water. This happened to the Sand River when the alien trees were harvested! Bush Pigs – a key to our future We have shared a few stories about why we find Bush Pigs so special and such an amazing place to

learn and make new friends. These stories range from understanding the map of Africa, choosing and eating food more wisely and seeking to save energy by experimenting with the various low carbon technologies at the Bush Pigs Sustainability Commons. We also enjoy exploring indigenous knowledge at Bush Pigs and, who knows, maybe some brave people even try out sustainable insect eating while they are there? For those visitors who already eat insects, they can come to Lizzy and her team to learn about better ways to harvest and cook the insects of their choice. Perhaps the highlight of any visit to Bush Pigs, however, is Chief Choc’s amazing fire-making demonstration. We can learn so much from our forefathers, and Bush Pigs is one great place to do this! Acknowledgements: Bush Pigs has been a centre of WESSA since 2009. Many people have made this possible and the authors would very much like to acknowledge the people and organizations who have made Bush Pigs so special. In particular, Kim Wilson, the former owner of Bush Pigs, who donated the facilities to WESSA, and Steve Raney, a Founding Director of Bush Pigs, have played a huge role in making Bush Pigs a reality. Steve and Kim are two of the many people who have worked tirelessly, and in a dedicated and selfless manner, to make the Centre the special place it has become! Further reading: Dzerefos, C.M. and Witkowski, E.T.F. 2014. The potential of entomophagy and the use of the stinkbug, Encosternum delegorguei Spinola (Hem., Tessaratomidae) in sub-Saharan Africa. African Entomology . 22(3): 461-472. http://www.bioone.org/ doi/abs/10.4001/003.022.0304 Egan, B.A. 2013. Culturally and economically significant insects in the Blouberg region, Limpopo Province, South Africa. PhD thesis. University of Limpopo, South Africa. Makhado, R.A., Von maltitz, G.P., Potgieter, M.J. & Wessels, D.C.J. 2009. Contribution of woodland products to rural livelihoods in the northeast of Limpopo Province South Africa. South African Geographical Journal 91(1):46–53. Taylor, J. and Venter, V. (2017) Towards a Sustainable Future: Action Learning and Change Practices. In African Wildlife & Environment , Vol: 64; pp 37-40. WESSA, Bryanston. Dr Jim Taylor Director: Environmental Education WESSA jt@wessa.co.za Sifundo Sibiya

Action Learning (Taylor and Venter, 2017). What a wonderful way to engage with our health, food and packaging, and learn in an active, fun-filled way! Bush Pigs is a Sustainability Commons Bush Pigs has also been developed as a ‘Sustainability Commons.’ This is a place where anyone can try out sustainable living. At Bush Pigs one can visit and experiment with low-carbon technologies which are being used for the benefit of the community and the environment. A Sustainability Commons is more than just a physical place. It is the culmination of years of history where people’s actions have not been very good for the environment that supports them. The Sustainability Commons is an experiment in social learning and an argument for and against science and technology. It is a meaning-making exercise in facing environmental risks, and a movement towards social ecological justice through sustainability practices. It supports those special moments of learning where ‘Aha’ insights capture our imagination and motivate There are four camps at Bush Pigs. One of these is Camp Hedgehog, and here one can learn about the great traditions of Africa. Hedgehog is also special in that all the lighting is from photo-voltaic (PV) panels, sponsored by USAID in the interests of sustainable living. Daniel Nyarenda, or ‘Chief Choc’, as he is fondly referred to by the learners, teaches about the great traditions of the San people and the way they lived with and from animals in years gone by. Bows and arrows are made by the children and these are used to practice their shooting skills. The highlight of us to choose more sustainable lifestyles. Indigenous knowledge and fire-making

the learning is the fire-making demonstration. Using the right sticks, soft, cork like wood, a dry bird’s nest, and much rubbing and blowing leads to fire and also excited cheering from the amazed learners! Human resilience and quality food Human resilience is one of Africa’s great strengths. This is because nature provides medicine, fuel and seasonal, healthy food in the form of wild fruits and healthy vegetables. At Bush Pigs one is privileged to experience the culinary skills of Lizzie Nyarenda and her team. Lizzy has even published a book of recipes called ‘Queen Lizzy’s Royal Recipes’. The most common feedback from anyone who has visited Bush Pigs is how fantastic, tasty and healthy the food is. This is not surprising because Lizzy and her team are so good at cooking the normal food we all enjoy. The breaking news for many of us, however, is about the global interest in edible insects or entomophagy (Dzerefos and Witkowski 2014). In Limpopo, the province of South Africa where Bush Pigs is located, many people have always known that insects are healthy to eat. To this day entomophagy is common in rural areas of Limpopo (Makhado et al. 2009; Egan 2013) where between 71 and 93% of households confirm that they regularly eat insects. Entomophagy is most often a preferred choice, and people don’t select insects just because they are poor and hungry. Today insect eating is seriously being considered in Europe and the USA, as a solution to poor nutrition and to strengthen food security. Insects are even made into health bars and protein shakes to boost fitness regimes! Our modern society needs to produce more protein and use less water, less concentrated feed,

Chief Choc and fire-making

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