By Norman Dlamini, Forestry South Africa's Business Development Director

The South African forestry sector uplifts some of the country's most impoverished communities in remote areas across Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, and Western Cape. Beyond providing employment and stimulating the rural economy, it actively invests in social initiatives that address socio-economic and environmental challenges, including food security.

The annual United Nations (UN) International Day of Forests on 21 March 2025 highlights the vital role that indigenous and planted forests play in sowing the seeds of change. This year's theme focuses on forests and food. Forestry South Africa (FSA) views this day as an opportunity to recognise the interconnection between our sector and the rural communities it supports.

The sector fosters self-sufficiency and long-term sustainability by supporting small-scale farmers, promoting agroforestry, facilitating market access, and contributing to food security and economic growth.

Groundnuts between the trees 

Over the last few decades, Merensky Timber allocated extensive areas for more than 1,682 community beneficiaries to grow groundnuts among their planted trees. After four months of hard work in a year, each beneficiary harvested between 50 and 80kg of nuts for personal consumption and to sell in informal markets. 

Merensky is not alone; Sappi, Safcol, MTO, and Mondi have similar programmes that include business skills training for beneficiaries, helping them access formal markets like the peanut butter industry.

Merensky's Rooikoppies community beneficiary, Roy Finley, says that growing your own food is like printing your own money. Ms Ntombiyenkosi Mbuyazi from the Shikishela community echoes this: "With the money from planting groundnuts, we pay our children's school fees."

Growing together

Community vegetable gardens and agroforestry are flourishing beyond the planted compartments. Nomvuyo Mehlo, Cluster Liaison Manager at PG Bison from the Eastern Cape, explains, "The 11 hectares of land provided by PG Bison for community vegetable farming has previously placed food on the table for various families who were disadvantaged." 

PG Bison is currently in discussions with the youth in the community to establish new farming initiatives that will be a source of relief for more families.

Across the country, corporate and medium-scale forestry enterprises have donated land, equipment, expertise, irrigation, and seeds to create vegetable gardens. The produce supplies nutritious food to families, vulnerable individuals and schools. Isak Meshaka, headmaster at Storms River Senior Primary School, says, "We use the gardens to teach learners responsibility, and the veggies support our school feeding scheme, especially as many parents in our area are unemployed."

Nurturing entrepreneurs

While addressing immediate food security challenges is essential, the long-term solution lies in growing the rural economy, stimulating jobs and reducing unemployment and poverty. 

The forestry sector empowers small, medium, and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) through targeted training, mentorship, and financial support. Entrepreneurs like Lenius Malapane from the Mambiteni Bee Keeping Cooperative thank Safcol for developing the business and granting them access to Safcol's plantations. This support has enabled the group to provide for their families.

It's clear that the South African forestry sector transforms lives and communities through social impact initiatives. 

Whether tackling food insecurity or bridging social divides, the forestry sector embraces the philosophy: ‘Give a man bread, and you feed him for a day. Teach him to farm, and you feed him for a lifetime’. We take pride in our members' dedication to driving meaningful, lasting change.

More examples: http://www.forestryexplained.co.za