‹Living Farms›: Limbua
The Limbua Macadamia Group, which started off as a pioneer in establishing small-scale farming cooperatives, is presented in the video series ‘Living Farms’.
In the Limbua farming cooperative, Macadamia nuts stand for ecological and social change. The small-scale farmers are paid enough to raise their living standard and to enable them to afford school fees. As a condition for joining the cooperative they are required to practise organic farming; since 2018, some of the farms have been working biodynamically.
For the Limbua farms, organic farming does not only mean that they are encouraged to plant more trees and protect the environment, but also that they give work to unemployed family members, for instance. By processing their produce directly in the villages they guarantee freshness and make sure the added value benefits the local community. While before, students from Germany used to sell the nuts privately, the nuts and oil are now supplied to companies such as Wala and Dr Hauschka. This scale of production is now possible because of approximately 5,000 small-scale farms (average size one hectare) working together, with a further 2,000 on the waiting list.
The aim is that the farmers themselves will sooner or later master all elements of biodynamic farming. The process includes ongoing training, the testing of competences on the farm and certification by international organizations. According to Limbua co-founder Peter Mucau Wangara, the biodynamic method “takes us back to where we come from”: the land is regenerated and the farmers can build a spiritual relationship with their farms.
Web Living Farms