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Standing in front are the manager at the Albasini Macadamia Nursery, Keagan Truter (left) and Molly Ameker, the director of Elim Hlanganani Society for the Care of the Aged (right). With them are some of the other members of the organisation and children who participated in the tutorial on how to plant macadamia trees. Photo: Thembi Siaga.

Youths get educated on how to plant macadamia trees

Date: 23 June 2022 By: Thembi Siaga

In celebration of this year’s Youth Day, scores of pupils from Elim and the surrounding areas ventured on an educational trip to learn how to plant macadamia trees.

The trip was organised by the Elim Hlanganani Society for the Care of the Aged from its operational offices in Waterval to the Albasini Macadamia Nursery near Elim.

Focused on taking care of the needs of orphans and vulnerable individuals, this non-profit organisation was commemorating the day under the theme of climate change. As the future of agriculture will also depend on the next generation, these pupils were excited to get educated on how to plant macadamia trees.

The children were taught how to graft the young trees by first making incisions on the stems before planting their own trees. The nursery, originally founded with the aim of providing high-quality trees for the development of WelMac in South Africa and abroad, also specialises in producing macadamia trees.

Twelve-year-old Ntlakuso Shitlangu from Waterval’s sentiment about this tree-planting session was unique as he shared how he was going to put the knowledge he had acquired to good use. “As I am now able to plant and graft my own macadamia tree, I am going to teach my peers too. I also learnt the importance of saving water as it is one of our scarce resources,” he said.

Keagan Truter, manager of the Albasini Macadamia Nursery, explained that since children were eager to learn and understand, agriculture could be applied at a very early age. “For these children, having the opportunity to see what farming macadamia trees is about is great to start opening their minds to this type of agriculture. Perhaps this will allow them to realise that there are career paths in this field,” he said.

Molly Ameker, the director of the Elim Hlanganani Society for the Care of the Aged, unpacked the importance of imparting agricultural knowledge to the young. “Planting trees is one of the priorities towards climate change. We want these children to know how to plant macadamia trees on their own, as we believe it is our duty to invest our knowledge in the children,” she said.

 

 
 
 

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Thembi Siaga

Thembi Siaga started as an intern during 2021. He assisted with video photography and editing. He also produced numerous small documentaries, focusing on the Vhembe region and its people. Currently he works as a freelance journalist, covering stories in the Elim area.

Thembi studied at the Tshwane University of Technology, where he completed his diploma in Journalism in 2021.

 
 

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