Exploring the Transformation: Farm to Forest in Hluhluwe

 Pineapples are one of the world's most beloved fruits, with global consumption exceeding 28 million metric tons annually. South Africa, a key player in the pineapple industry, produces over 200 000 metric tons of pineapple each year, with a significant portion exported to international markets, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Most of these are grown in two areas, the Eastern Cape and northern Kwa-Zulu Natal. Pineapple cultivation is a detailed and labour-intensive process that requires specific growing conditions and careful management, and yes, lots of chemicals! The application of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and frequent tillage often lead to nutrient imbalances, compaction, soil acidification and a loss of microbial diversity. 

This year, our team was contracted to reverse the damage. The project: restoring a neglected, 57 hectare plot of land previously under pineapple production back to its natural state, a southern African sand forest. 

Nature slowly showing its rebounding abilities

During the site assessment we observed a few things. Firstly, the land is slowly bouncing back. This area has not been farmed for 12 years and has had time to recover. The initial contamination results showed that all of the Bromacil herbicide and other agrochemicals that had been used for generations on the farm had been remediated by plants and microbes. Soil microorganisms can reduce, and ultimately remove these harmful compounds through a process called bioremediation. This process involves microbial metabolism, whereby bacteria and fungi use these toxins as a source of carbon and nitrogen. They produce enzymes that break the herbicide down into smaller, less toxic molecules. This was great news for the client as bioremediation measures can be costly and time consuming. Secondly, plants (or should I say - one plant species) were abundant. Helichrysum krausii (Straw everlasting/Curry Bush), a shrubby, aromatic plant that thrives in poor soils, covers the area and indicates that the land is moving from early to mid succession. What is needed now, is management of this plant species to reduce its dominance and to facilitate the process towards the habitat goal. 

As for the soil, some work still needs to be done. Soil samples were collected and sent to a lab to analyse for the full biological profile, which will determine the remediation activities. With the habitat goal in mind, we expect the process to include measures that will shift the biological profile of the soil from a bacteria-dominated (producing nitrates) to a fungal-dominated (producing ammonium) system. Sand forests have unique characteristics and ecological functions that thrive in a fungal-dominated environment. This is critical for nutrient cycling and maintenance of optimal soil structure. 

A large part of our efforts involve the production of high quality, biologically complete compost and compost extracts. Given that our client is a nature reserve, we are looking to put together a system of transforming their green waste into an amendment to restore their land. This process is cost-effective and ensures that we will be cultivating endemic microorganisms, instead of using foreign products that may be harmful to the local microbial communities. With the habitat goal in mind, we will be tailoring our compost inputs to produce a compost that is fungi-biased, as this will promote and support the transition to a soil that is able to sustain larger trees. Updates to follow!