'Alternative foods' and community-based development : Rooibos tea production in South Africa's West Coast mountains

Nel, Etienne L; Binns, Tony; Bek, David

Title: 'Alternative foods' and community-based development : Rooibos tea production in South Africa's West Coast mountains
Creator: Nel, Etienne L
Creator: Binns, Tony
Creator: Bek, David
Date Issued: 2007
Date: 2007
Type: Article
Identifier: vital:6718
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006791
Description: Rooibos tee (red bush tea) (Aspalathus linearis, Fabaceae), which is indigenous only to the Cedarberg and neighbouring mountains of South Africa, has become popular internationally as a result of its apparent health-giving properties. Situated within the broader contexts of alternative food networks, alternate economic spaces and local/community-based development, this paper examines how two marginalised communities have successfully penetrated international markets by supplying organically produced rooibos tea which is certified by the international Fairtrade system. Focusing on the cases of Wupperthal and Heiveld, the paper explores the dynamics of the production and marketing process and the key variables involved. Success has been achieved through active NGO support, which has engaged with local skills and social capital, and has led to significant social and economic upliftment among the participating communities. The experience illustrates how, given the right conditions, poor communities in the South might participate successfully in global alternative food networks.
Format: 18 pages
Format: pdf
Language: English
Relation: Nel, E.L. and Binns, T. and Bek, D. (2007) ‘Alternative foods’ and community-based development: Rooibos tea production in South Africa's West Coast Mountains. Applied Geography, 27 (2). pp. 112-129. Available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2006.11.001

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Nel, Etienne L (Prof)

RU Department of Geography

SDG 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG 02. Zero Hunger

SDG 01. No Poverty

SDG 17. Partnerships for the Goals

SDG 15. Life On Land

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