Malungeni is 284Km from East London via Umtata by tarred road with the last 4km on gravel. It is a village in the Ngqeleni district and is home to around 5000 residents made up of 677 families.The community of Malungeni has communal land of 200 hectares set aside for agriculture and each family is apportioned a section. In addition there is around the same area for grazing of cattle, sheep and the goats roam everywhere. The area is not fenced. Of the agricultural land 50 hectares are under small scale production of corn and vegetables and had also been identified as suitable for Essential Oil crops such as lavender and rosemary. Soil analyses (for a proposed project to grow such essential oil plants) have been done and found suitable for such a project. However the traditional and cultural crop is corn (maize).

   

Deforestation, a permanent destruction of indigenous forests and woodlands continues to pose a problem for communities in South Africa, including Malungeni. Felling of trees for firewood is the major factor in bringing about deforestation here. The community has embarked on a project of planting trees in partnership with foresters from the department of forestry and the friends of Malungeni. The community has planted poles, erected fences and uses the services of a tractor to fetch water from the river and water the trees. This project is labour intensive and requires lots of voluntary workers. We appeal to any one or any group that would want to donate time and sweat equity to connect with us.

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