Pictured: Red Rocket’s Tsholofelo Moote (left) , WESSA staff and youth recipients at one of the Eco-Hub sites at Laingsburg High School.
The Community Roots Project is moving into its next phase, bringing young people in Laingsburg, Sutherland and Matjiesfontein closer to practical opportunities in sustainable agriculture, environmental stewardship, enterprise development and sustainable livelihoods.
For WESSA, environmental action is also about creating opportunities for people and communities to thrive.
That principle is at the heart of the Brandvalley and Rietkloof Wind Farm Community Roots Project, delivered by the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) in partnership with Red Rocket.
The initiative is now moving from programme design into training and Eco-Hub activation, with 15 unemployed young people set to receive accredited training in climate-smart agriculture, agribusiness, environmental stewardship and entrepreneurship.
Pictured above: Youth recipients receiving their PPE – Personal Protection Equipment.
Building more than a food garden
At the centre of the project are community Eco-Hubs: spaces where young people can learn, work together and develop practical skills that can support longer-term opportunities.
“An Eco-Hub is a group of young people working together towards a common goal. It is not a school or simply a training unit; it is young people coming together to address challenges such as unemployment and substance abuse, while building skills and opportunities through sustainable food gardens,” explains Sinoxolo Sabelo, WESSA’s Community Roots Project Coordinator.
The model extends beyond agricultural training. Participants will also develop financial literacy, leadership, teamwork, time management, technical skills and entrepreneurship, creating a broader foundation for youth-led socio-economic activity.
For Red Rocket, which supports the Community Roots Project through the Brandvalley and Rietkloof Wind Farms, this creates an opportunity to connect renewable energy investment with longer-term community development.
“It is about addressing unemployment and passing skills and knowledge to young people in the communities we serve. We want young people to gain the confidence and tools to create positive change wherever they go,” says Tsholofelo Moote, Economic Development and Community Manager at Red Rocket.
Pictured: Sinoxolo Sabelo, demonstrating what the youth will be planting and the process.
Starting with the community
The project’s current phase follows a deliberate process of listening and understanding.
WESSA conducted a community scoping and baseline process in November 2025 using the Sustainable Livelihoods and Vulnerability Framework. The findings were then taken back to communities in March 2026 for validation.
“We engaged young people, schools, stakeholders and community members to understand what exists in each community, what the challenges are, and equally, what the opportunities and aspirations are. The community was the starting point,” says Kelly Alcock, Head of Education and Sustainability at WESSA.
This approach reflects WESSA’s commitment to community-led environmental action – an approach that is particularly significant as the organisation marks 100 years of action for nature in 2026.
Pictured: Mayor of Laingsburg Aletta Theron
As Mayor of Laingsburg, Aletta Theron noted in her address:
“This day is about more than launching a project. It is about recognising the value of partnerships, community participation and opportunities that can make a meaningful and lasting difference in the lives of our people.”
She also emphasised the importance of local ownership: “To the beneficiaries and members of our community, this project belongs to you. I encourage you to participate fully, take ownership of the opportunities presented and help ensure that the benefits of this initiative are sustained for years to come.”
Growing solutions suited to the Central Karoo
The project is also shaped by the environmental realities of the region.
Limited rainfall and soil nutrients mean that agricultural practices need to be both sustainable and suited to local conditions. Participants will explore practical approaches, including rainwater harvesting, mulching, composting, drought-tolerant crop selection and appropriate irrigation scheduling.
Pictured: WESSA CEO Cindy-Lee Cloete planting with the youth at the Laingsburg Eco-Hub site located at Laingsburg High School.
For WESSA CEO Cindy-Lee Cloete, however, the value of an Eco-Hub ultimately lies beyond the physical infrastructure.
“An Eco-Hub is not the land or the infrastructure we put in place. It is the people who make it work. It must be a hub of knowledge, shared learning and action. It needs to be a space where young people can grow into individuals who are proud of what they have achieved.”
From ideas to action
As Community Roots enters this next phase, WESSA’s approach will continue to focus on co-creation, learning and adaptation. Laingsburg High School and Northrop Grumman Primary are providing spaces where learning can take place, with future technical support from the Department of Agriculture anticipated.
“We do not believe in dropping into a community, imposing a project and then leaving. We co-create. That is why we started by engaging communities, listening to what matters locally and building the project together with the people it is meant to serve,” says Cloete.
The longer-term outcomes – including enterprises created, income generated, employment sustained and potential improvements in food security – will be assessed as the project progresses. For now, the focus is on creating the foundations: skills, knowledge, relationships, confidence and practical experience.
That is where the real work of Community Roots begins: turning community insight into action and creating pathways for young people to shape more sustainable futures in the Central Karoo.
Pictured: WESSA CEO Cindy-Lee Cloete cutting a WESSA 100-themed cake with one of the youth recipients. Fun fact: It was also his birthday that day.
