Craig and Jade's Homesteading Journey

Tell us a little about yourself

I grew up in a tiny little town in the South Western Cape called Riversdal. It's a small, predominantly farming community, with incredible people and beautiful scenery.

This phase of my life lay the foundation for who I am today. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have had the sunset as my curfew, never wearing shoes (even at school) and where your bicycle is your most prized possession.

From there my journey turned into city life with 3 years abroad living with very little.

I then returned, studied and entered the corporate world, as is the default course for pretty much everyone. I followed the stereotypical life path of getting into the property market and working long hours just to keep a roof over my head.

I have always had a passion for the natural world and as a young adult I started becoming really interested in food, where it comes from, and what is done to it from field to table.

Fast forward a few years and I was in an outlying suburb in Cape Town with larger property sizes where I could grow as much of my own food as possible, while educating my children about where food actually comes from and sharing my passion for the natural world.

Fast forward again and we sold our house in Cape Town to buy land in the Klein Karoo to start our forever home living off the land. Tamakoa Homestead (the combined name of our children) is a very exciting vision of taking bare land and turning it into an abundant and productive ecosystem. We are documenting every single step of the way so that you can see what it takes, how much it costs and whether a life like this is for you.

Currently we are in a transition period and living in the Garden Route (George) as we build up the land to be livable and productive. We have a small container garden with lots of fruit trees and continue to share knowledge and experiences as we transition.

How did you start doing what you are doing now? 

It started at a very young age with a deep fascination with the natural world and how everything in the natural world interacts, is there for a very specific reason, and plays a crucial role in maintaining a balance.

Large agri did not sit well with me due to all the chemicals required to make it work, BUT I never found myself being an activist against big agri. I am fully aware that large agri is needed to feed the huge number of people on this planet. I wanted to change things as much as possible for myself and share that journey with as many people as possible without being yet another person calling for end of large agri without understanding the wider implications of that for the majority of the world’s population.

That was the birth of "My Sustainability Journey" - a YouTube channel where I tested everything myself, in my local climate, and shared all my experiences with growing crops and making food. It was incredibly fulfilling to be able to inform and educate others without becoming, or being viewed as, an extremist or activist. This has always been my goal and so far I am very grateful to have inspired so many people with hope of what they can achieve and not anger or hate towards something else.

What are you most proud of in this process? 

The number of people I have been able to reach, inspire and collaborate with has been absolutely incredible. It has been a humbling experience realising how a decision, like me wanting to share some ways to live a healthier life, could turn into something so much bigger than I could have ever imaged and reach so many people.

I am most of proud of my ability to remain true to myself and my Faith throughout the years and not be influenced in any way.

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

“Just try it." To this day it is something I practice myself and tell others.

The world we live in is so filled with opinions and false information that the only way to really know if something works, or how it works, is to try it for yourself.

In this digital world everything revolves around the "CLICK" and getting the most clicks is what makes you 'successful'. That is, if you are chasing fame and fortune. For all us normal people we get left in the wake of self obsession and self promotion where information and truths are bent in the search for more and more clicks. This means trying things for yourself is one of the most important things you can do and please DO NOT take everything you see and hear as truth.

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

I would tell them exactly what I was told. "Just try it.". You never know if your climate, soil or growing conditions favour something, or not, so use certain guides, role models and topic contributors as references for trying things yourself.

Then, the second piece of advice I would give is that failure is inevitable but mindset is a choice. A failure can be an opportunity to get you down and cause frustration OR it can be an opportunity to learn, make adjustments, and find what works for you. Positivity is a choice, it is not forced upon you. Every single situation in life has a positive and negative view to it. You need to CHOOSE which option you want to take. Positivity is the hardest choice but the most rewarding.

My other piece of advice would be to not align yourself to a single practice or be led to believe that you need to apply a single practice. E.g. permaculture, back to eden, no-dig, regenerative agriculture, etc.

Take what works for you from each practice, make it your own and ignore the purists.

For me personally I am taking a bit of each of the practices I mentioned above and applying that to our land.

Where do you see growing going in South Africa? 

If your fresh produce lasts longer, or remains unchanged for more than 2 to 3 days once being picked, it is not fresh and probably not as healthy as you think it is.

We have been marketed to that bright, firm, shiny fruit and vegetables that can last is healthy, when in fact the opposite is true. The chemicals of all sorts needed to make unstable, fresh produce stable is quite scary. We are quite lucky in South Africa that we have relatively easy access to fresh fruit and vegetables, with many cultures and people still relying on the land to feed themselves and their families.

I see the homesteading movement picking up huge momentum in South Africa. I am already seeing more and more people calling themselves homesteaders and urban homesteaders and this makes me happy. As food and electricity prices continue to increase, the homesteading movement may become the only viable option for millions of people. Making your own bread, eating fresh produce from your growing space, preserving vegetables, growing fruit and nut trees like our grandparents did may become the only way to eat a nutrient dense and varied diet.

I would also like to see an increase in direct lines of purchase from farmers from all spheres. However, farmers need to be fair and not charge retail prices. There are currently many farmers that make fresh produce available but they are more often than not priced the same as retail, sometimes more (for the novelty) and this is not going to help the people or the farmers..