Looking back: 27 stories of 2024

Jo and Eugene from Heart & Soil You hear from me every Monday, Thursday, and sometimes Friday. If you know people in Cape Town who don’t know about us, share this newsletter with them! I hope 2025 is all about making space.

Janine and Gav from Kokiville homestead Have been creating healing spaces for 8 years. Aspiring to be as self sufficient as possible, creating experiences that leave people feeling better than when they arrived and showing that creativity is so much more than just art.  We love what we do and enjoy that we are building a life we don’t need a holiday from.

Stephanie and John from Get Dirty ZA I had the honour of meeting Steph and John this past weekend and they’re as special as they seem. I’m cheering them on in their quest for locally made growing tools with the end-user in mind. If you’re not having fun you’ve got the design wrong Geoff Lawton

Elisabeth and Jan from Swellendam I appreciated Omweg’s rapid startup and their sharing on Bitcoin as a wealth building strategy. And those pictures!!!! Curiosity drives us forward.

Fiona from Rosetta, KZN The most beautiful handmade buildings to inspire us all to build. “a friend's introduction to iterative thinking has been the most helpful advice. Every attempt, or iteration, even if flawed, is a step forward. Never a failure. My strength as a person is if I want to do something I just do it, obviously the weakness in that is I don't always plan very well. I struggle to visualise what I want and rather pursue a "feeling" or concept.”

Julian May from McGregor & Cape Town Our first academic-farmer perspective but not our last! This smallholder life is an important learning experience. I have learned the importance of a good relationship with my neighbours and other farmers in the area.

Audry and Masana from Mpumalanga shared ”We are most proud about starting. That is possibly the biggest hurdle. We had a misconception that we needed a lot of space, knowledge and resources to get started. However, after COVID when we planted on our balcony we realized that it was not as complicated as we thought. Growing is a journey, it’s about; first and foremost, starting, experimenting and learning from your mistakes.”

Iming and Jaco from Meuse Farm in Hout Bay. Iming is my favourite inspiration when I get a bit farming-is-so-hard. Iming and Jaco have managed to focus deeply on their farm’s vision and goals, and pursue those with single-mindedness and joy: I'm very grateful for is finding the vocation that suits so many of my personality quirks and interests.  I always felt my public health work was meaningful but never loved it.  With farming, so many of my childhood interests, intellectual interests, and general ways of being all come together and just make sense.  

Craig and Jade's of Tamakoa and My Sustainability Journey An inspiration for many people because of his brilliant documenting of the journey, take what works, make it your own, and ignore the purists.

Anne and Brad of Robertson a unique story of regeneration in partnership with Lynn and Ant Robinson. Good enough is perfect

Deb and Alan from Robertson My goat mentor, who has been so generous with her years of experience. You are taming the land. It will take time.

Kath and Ross of Numbi Valley Permaculture: The source of knowledge and inspiration to hundreds of permaculturalists over the years. Life creates life and it’s just such a beautiful journey to bear witness to all of that. To witness the incredible biodiversity that has come with the creation of a food garden.

Maria and Tim of Gentle Earth Their kindness and generosity shines through. “Our life feels fulfilling, to ourselves but also of service to the community we live in. It feels so raw and real, so connected to precious Mother Earth and tool-rich to prepare the boys for facing the possible challenges in life and responsibilities awaiting in adulthood.” “Thinking is good, feeling is better” 

Linda and Chris, the Mudhutters! “A journey of courage and inner knowing that we are walking a path in alignment with who we are is most certainly how we wish to show up in these challenging times on Mother Earth.” Amen

Karen and Neil of Spinlea Farm: Yes, give this story to your spouse as evidence that you can try essential oils and Angora goats. Yes, I can board your Angora goat at our farm. “We're proud that we put more in than we get out. It’s not always easy, but knowing that we are one little part in creating a better world helps us sleep better at night.”

Marosane and Paul from de Oude Weg, Cape Town Brave souls willing to step out to start a journey out of debt. They believe “in finding simple, practical solutions that allow for more time spent on the things that truly matter, such as family, nature, and adventures.”

Lesley's Story epitomises experience and perseverance. She wrote of her inspirations: Marie Roux of the Organic society of SA pioneered the “trench method” with the slogan, ”Don’t feed your dustbin feed your soil.” This was my guiding light, as was  “The Self Sufficient Gardener” by John Seymour, even though he wrote about the northern hemisphere conditions.

Shannon and Lara's Story (Wildwood Homestead): Their love of the embodiment of beauty in their animals, plants and people shines through: “it suffices to say that they cultivated in me a deep appreciation and love for the wild, for the natural order of things, and gave me a specific way of observing and understanding the world around me.”

Fin from Observatory Showed how much can be done in a short space of time in a completely urban space. “…the pace at which I've managed to (with a lot of help!) enable my own garden to transform from a barren dustbowl into something of an oasis in only 18 months, and on a relatively small budget, has been a source of pride.”

Glynnis of Lotus Permaculture Homestead Glynnis is inspired by this quote, and it shows when you see her beautiful homestead and the way she builds. “I’m just the curator of the land doing the best that I can”

Benson of Muizenburg: “I choose to farm inclusively and collectively on common land to facilitate change on two levels: helping people grow and helping them heal. While I am not particularly adept at healing, I know that a garden can create a conducive space for it. My ideal situation is a healthy bounty and a significant yield, coupled with a diverse team of people—racially and culturally mixed—working together.” We are cheering you on.

Theresa and Pierre shared their story of moving from photography and journalism into working to manage Rocklands farm in Simonstown. Theresa is so down-to-earth and has achieved so much by working in collaboration on an established farm.

Marlon and Alexia from Simple Earth Karoo who spoke of a gradual move over many years, from a 1-acre plot to a larger farm: There is no 'end goal,' and you should not gun for the finish line, as there is no such thing. Nothing will happen overnight, and that is the good news.

Tash and Warren from Durbanville Tash inspired and supports so many people in their growing across Cape Town, from their own experience on a suburban lot: “With every season we learned a bit more and before we knew it, all our grass was removed, and we started growing more and more of our own food.”

Simone and Matthew from KZN is inspiring growers and homesteaders on the urban edge of Hillcrest. “That we have created a life we love, that we are relearning skills lost to many of our generation and then teaching our children and that we are providing a simple and down to earth life for our children in this fast paced, pressure filled, instant gratification world we live in”

Tristan’s story shows that growing is never just about growing, and sometimes moving to the bigger picture of community facilitates growth. “The process of forming a community helped me realise that while I love land design, it’s life design and community design that really makes me come alive.”

Cilla from Fishhoek farm, who has transformed a suburban lot into a beautiful urban space. I loved her emphasis on time - “make time, give it time and everything has its own time.”