Helping Youth, Preserving Culture
By Dr Tracey Phillips
Marentia Meisenheimer is a young single mother of 4 living in Leliefontein – a remote rural farming community in Namaqualand, South Africa.
In December last year she started working as a local coordinator for the SGF climate change adaptation project in her community. This was an enormous help in putting food on the table for her children but there were other benefits too.
Her father is a farmer and her mother would like to start farming – so farming is very much a part of her life and that of her children, as it is for many families in Leliefontein.
“The project has taught me so much about sustainable and climate smart farming – knowledge that will help me a lot when I take over from my father one day”.
It has also given Marentia the opportunity to grow her administrative skills and to do something she is passionate about – help other young people to grow and develop as she has done.
“I am using the tools and guidance provided by the project to help youth plan and take steps to develop their livelihoods”.
The project has re-kindled the interest of youth in farming related livelihoods and Marentia now has the skills and tools to unlock this interest over time. The knowledge, tools and skills obtained through the project are helping 25 year-old Marentia to do her part in helping to preserve the traditions and culture of Leliefontein.
The SGF project is financed by the Adaptation Fund and aims not only to interest youth in farming-related livelihoods, but also to build the capacity of farmers to shift their land and livestock practices to adapt to a climate which is becoming increasingly harsh.
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By Dr Tracey Phillips
Marentia Meisenheimer is a young single mother of 4 living in Leliefontein – a remote rural farming
community in Namaqualand, South Africa. In December last year she started working as a local
coordinator for the SGF climate change adaptation project in her community. This was an enormous
help in putting food on the table for her children but there were other benefits too.
Her father is a farmer and her mother would like to start farming – so farming is very much a part of her life and
that of her children, as it is for many families in Leliefontein. “The project has taught me so much
about sustainable and climate smart farming – knowledge that will help me a lot when I take over
from my father one day”. It has also given Marentia the opportunity to grow her administrative skills
and to do something she is passionate about – help other young people to grow and develop as she
has done. “I am using the tools and guidance provided by the project to help youth plan and take
steps to develop their livelihoods”. The project has re-kindled the interest of youth in farmingrelated
livelihoods and Marentia now has the skills and tools to unlock this interest over time. The
knowledge, tools and skills obtained through the project are helping 25 year-old Marentia to do her
part in helping to preserve the traditions and culture of Leliefontein. The SGF project is financed by
the Adaptation Fund and aims not only to interest youth in farming-related livelihoods, but also to
build the capacity of farmers to shift their land and livestock practices to adapt to a climate which is
becoming increasingly harsh.