Heiveld is a co-operative of indigenous rooibos farmers in the Suid Bokkeveld region of South Africa that has received both Organic and Fairtrade accreditation, successfully producing rooibos in a sustainable way and yielding positive socioeconomic impacts for the local community. 

Nature-based Intervention:

The cooperative employs many techniques for producing the rooibos sustainably, including planting hedgerows with native species, attracting birds of prey as natural pest control, and using conservation tillage. Most significantly, Heiveld has formulated and puts into practice guidelines for the harvesting of wild rooibos, which ensures the sustainability of the wider ecosystem and draw from traditional knowledge, such as harvesting plants only every second year, using prescribed fires at particular frequencies, percentages for harvest allowance, and removing non-native species which can exacerbate drought and wildfires. The harvesting of wild rooibos reduces the pressure of demand on cultivated rooibos, which requires land clearing, compared to the wild rooibos which thrives in the natural fynbos vegetation endemic to the region, allowing for the conservation of the native ecosystem. These and other measures have reportedly contributed to higher and more stable incomes for member farmers, and the premiums received from the certifications have been reinvested into the community to yield socioeconomic benefits.

Overview of context and outcomes:

Rooibos is a plant that is native to South Africa, grown commercially nowhere else in the world, which is sold as a popular herbal tea worldwide. Contrary to most rooibos production in the country which is owned by white, large-scale farmers, Heiveld’s farmers are indigenous smallholders. With the Organic and Fairtrade certifications, the coop is able to sell its product at a premium and directly on the market, instead of to the larger white farmers acting as middlemen and setting unfair low prices. Heiveld tea is sold throughout Europe and North America, as well as in Japan, New Zealand and locally in South Africa.