Bruce and Kelly from the Regenerative Pear

We both grew up in KZN – Bruce in Richmond and I (Kelly) grew up near Hillcrest. We’ve travelled around South Africa a fair bit and are currently settled near Knynsa, Western Cape.

How did you start doing what you are doing now? 

We were both interested in gardening as children, Bruce kept growing succulents, herbs and vegetables through adolescence but I only picked it up again after attending a Permaculture workshop through Greenpop.

We found each other and decided to roadtrip around South Africa in order to learn more about food growing and homesteading. We learnt loads and were able to become certified in Permaculture along the way. We designed and built many gardens after that, managed a few different projects around SA and attempted to buy land (and failed) twice between it all! We moved to Cape Town to have our child, and were given the opportunity to manage the farm we’re currently on from there. We have been studying Regenerative Agriculture and applying the knowledge to this farm, while managing the existing blueberry crop and homesteading for ourselves.

On our homestead - we have milk sheep, various breeds of chickens and some Indian Runner Ducks. We grow veggies and herbs. I bake bread and make milk kefir and butter, vinegars and various herbal remedies. Bruce makes sauerkraut, pickles and cans things (especially tomatoes). We save seeds, make compost and craft.

On the farm we manage – we care for Nguni cattle, Boschvelder chickens, Indian Runner Ducks and bees. We tend the blueberry bushes and grow organic tomatoes for market.

What are you most proud of in this process? 

I’m most proud of how much we’ve learnt along the way, or maybe how adaptable we’ve had to be – we take change in our stride nowadays and have learnt to be open to surprises from life.

What is the most helpful piece of advice you received when you were just starting out?

Don’t wait until you feel ready – you never will – just start.

What advice would you like to give to others who are younger/earlier on their journey?

Just do you – go at your own pace and don’t compare your journey to others. Homesteading can quickly become overwhelming and lead to burnout – it is far better to go at a slow and sustainable pace than to try and do EVERYTHING from the get-go.

Where do you see growing going in Southern Africa? 

I think (hope) more people are starting to experiment with growing food. I’ve definitely seen more people choose to support small farmers - which is so needed!

Regenerative agriculture is becoming a bit of a buzzword- but I hope that South Africans will do their research and adopt the practices effectively. I think it will help farmers to restore degraded land whilst becoming more profitable.