In August 2025, the Transformations Community / Earth System Governance (TC/ESG) Conference brought together more than 400 scientists, academics, artists, activists, and practitioners from across the world. Held from 18–21 August under the theme Navigating Sustainability Transformations Towards Justice and Equity,” the conference created a rich space for dialogue on how to shape fairer, more sustainable futures.
Among the diverse contributors was Rirhandzu Marivate, Programmes Manager at the South African Urban Food & Farming Trust (SAUFFT), and an active participant in the LocalWILD Community of Practice (CoP). The LocalWILD CoP brings together researchers, practitioners, and growers who are reimagining how indigenous food plants can be reintegrated into local diets and ecosystems.
The LocalWILD CoP team – comprising Loubie Rusch, Rirhandzu Marivate, Megan Lindow, Nyasha Magdzire, Mimi Nyaba, and Sthembile Ndwandwe – led an interactive session titled “Sharing in How a Wild Foods Community of Practice Strives for Just Transformation. This participatory dialogue invited attendees to bring a food plant that held personal meaning, encouraging reflection on the cultural and ecological relationships between people and plants.
By coming together in a circle to share these connections, participants experienced first-hand the CoP’s approach to transformation: one rooted in inclusivity, storytelling, and collective learning.
In her presentation, Rirhandzu shared a moving personal reflection that bridged her family’s history, ancestral land, and her ongoing work with urban farmers. Born and raised in Ga-Rankuwa, north-west of Pretoria, she recently visited Ukuvuna, an agroecological permaculture farm in Walmannsthal – a place of deep ancestral importance. Walmannsthal is where her mother was born before her family was forcibly removed during apartheid. On her visit, Rirhandzu collected calabash and indigenous legume seeds such as pigeon pea from the land of her mother’s birth, which she later gave her mother to plant at home. This symbolic act of planting represented remembrance, healing, and reconnection between past and present generations.
Reflecting on her experience, she shared a powerful sentiment that guided her contribution:
“The world needs the voices of farmers, not just their labour.”
Her message highlighted the need to centre the voices and knowledge of farmers – especially small-scale and urban growers – as vital contributors to sustainable and just food systems. She spoke about the barriers many farmers face in reclaiming traditional knowledge of Cape Floristic Region (CFR) edible plants, knowledge that has often been lost through colonial and market-driven systems. Yet, she noted that many continue to cultivate, forage, and use indigenous plants in personal and community contexts, maintaining fragments of this wisdom.
Through her work with SAUFFT and the LocalWILD CoP, Rirhandzu advocates for building the agency of urban farmer collectives – helping them champion indigenous edible plants, raise awareness among stakeholders, and strengthen markets for local biodiversity.
SA Urban Food & Farming Trust 