The Wickedfood Earth® vision

To create a rural eco-sensitive environment:

• incorporating renewable resource building methods;
• farming in as natural an environment as is feasible;
• researching the growing of indigenous and heirloom produce, together with free range livestock, and using them to produce unique products that are commercially viable on a small scale; and
• educating the public as to the responsible use of sustainable resources.

THE Wickedfood Earth® mission

We will achieve our vision by:

• only introducing plants and vegetation that are indigenous or edible;
• farming free range livestock with dignity in as natural and environmentally friendly as possible;
• creating job opportunities and upliftment programmes for the local communities; and
• building rural facilities that:
  • are ecologically sensitive to the environment;
  • can process vegetables, fruit, dairy and livestock in a preservative free, humane way;
  • incorporate a lecture hall, a test and teaching kitchen, dining area and accommodation facilities for both individuals and groups of consumers, so that we can impart the knowledge gained.

Background

Through the ongoing consumption of ever increasing quantities of fossil fuels, together with the destruction of natural habitats and continual use of synthetic poisons, we are fast destroying the environment that we depend upon for our survival. In her book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, author Barbara Kingsolver claims that “…if every citizen in the USA ate just one meal a week composed of locally and organically raised meat and produce, it would reduce the country’s oil consumption by over 1,1 million barrels of oil every week ….” That’s a saving of close to a billion dollars a week just on the food bill of one country, not to mention the saving on greenhouse emissions.

Since the early sixties, small numbers of concerned consumers within communities have been looking for alternative lifestyles that are self sustaining. For the past 40 years, these movements have mainly been on the fringes, often looked upon as weirdos, or green activists. Over the last few years, this movement has gained momentum and is fast moving into mainstream thinking, especially with public concern regarding the “greenhouse effect”.

Consumers who want to get closer to the earth and grow their own produce, in the majority of cases do not have the know-how, or know where to source reliable heirloom seeds. They have no reference point to go and have a look at how it should be done. Many of them do not have the skills to turn that food into nutritious hearty meals.

From a sustainable living point of view the only information they can get most of the time, with regards to alternative building methods, water preservation and alternative energy sources, is through Internet research. At present there is no centre or showcase that consumers can visit to get information on the practicalities of a self-sustainable lifestyle.

Wickedfood Earth® is a self-sustainable lifestyle project being developed on a 38 hectare site in the Hartbeesfontein Conservancy, located within the Magalies Meander Tourism area. We are developing a self-sustaining lifestyle showcase, and are inviting serious players within the different segments of sustainability and eco-friendly lifestyle supply chain to participate in this exciting project. The entire project will be documented both photographically and on video, the material used to develop ongoing video series, articles, books, training manuals and interactive websites, and used in training semenars.

Sustainability of project

To ensure that a project of this nature is successful, it needs adequate funding, both for setup as well as operational income.

Setup

the land has been purchased and registered. From a development and infrastructure point of view we would like to align ourselves with as many of the leaders in the different segments of the sustainable living movement as possible. We appeal to them to donate their know how, time and/or products to the project to ensure the project’s success. In return, they will reap a variety of rewards, including:

• Substantial exposure in the television documentary series that will be made about the project;
• Press exposure as well as a funky billboard advertising space in designated areas;
• Exposure to the general public who visit the facility both on a casual basis as well as the formal workshops that will be conducted at the facilities, and they will be invited, as sponsors, to participate in relevant workshops.

Operational

to ensure the ongoing success of the project, it needs a consistent revenue stream. Wickedfood Earth® will generate ongoing income through a mix of the following activities:

• Education – the most important element within the mix. We aim to educate the public, through workshops and teambuilding events, giving them pointers on how to contribute in their own way, to make a collective difference as to the sustainability of the earth.
• Farming – the project needs to be both self sustaining and a showcase with regards to permaculture and organic farming methods so as to educate visitors to the farm.
• Food Processing - Apart from growing produce, raw products will also be processed, products including dairy, meat, bottled and bakery.
• Retail - products grown and processed at Wickedfood Earth® will be sold, to contribute towards the sustainability of the project.

How you can get involved

We are posing a mammoth operation. For the project to succeed, we are going to need to go through a steep learning curve. We are also going to need a wide pool of advisers, mentors, sponsors and volunteers to help us to realize the Wickedfood Earth® dream. We invite you to become involved in this project in one of the following ways:

1. Become a Wickedfood Earth® mentor/adviser

Wickedfood Earth® is going to need to rely on a wide network of mentors and advisers whom we can call on on a regular basis to:

• Donate time and expertise to assist, at the planning and set-up stages, with regards to feasibility studies, layouts, design, etc (information gathered at meetings and on site will be captured on video for inclusion in the television series);
• Become involved commercially on an ongoing basis with regards to conducting seminars and workshops from time to time at Wickedfood Earth®;
• Use the Wickedfood Earth® project as a working model to showcase your expertise to our target market.

2. Use Wickedfood Earth® as a showcase for cutting edge technology & equipment

Wickedfood Earth® is going to be built as a showcase to the public of self-sustainable living. We are inviting serious players within the different segments of sustainability and an eco-friendly lifestyle supply chain to participate in this exciting project, by:

• Installing your equipment into the project to demonstrate its operating capabilities as well as to ensure the smooth operating of Wickedfood Earth®.
• Conducting seminars and workshops from time to time at Wickedfood Earth® with regards to the feasibility and operating procedures/efficiency of your equipment;
• Use the Wickedfood Earth® project as a working model to showcase your equipment/technology to our target market.

3. Become a Wickedfood Earth® friend

As the project unfolds we’re going to need volunteers to donate their time and energy. This will be an excellent opportunity for you, as a volunteer, to learn new skills, and put them into practice. Opportunities to assist include:

• The initial construction of Wickedfood Earth® - in the process you will learn alternative building methods and then assist with building of the various facilities;
• Helping to establish various farming activities including the establishment of a vegetable garden and orchard, and introduction of livestock.
• Assisting with the smooth running of seminars, workshops and teambuilding events, where you will be able to put the experiences you gained in the initial construction, into practice, and earn a fee in the process.
• Wickedfood Earth® Friends will also earn “timeshare points” for the time they donate, which they will be able to exchange for accommodation for short stays at Wickedfood Earth® once the facilities have been constructed.

For more information contact:

Project manager – Mike Crewe-Brown
PO Box 846, Sunninghill, 2055
Tel: (011) 705-2616
E-mail: