The proposed project area is in northern Venda, a remote rural area of Limpopo Province - more
specifically the northern sections of Thulamela and Mutale municipal districts. The population of
Mutale District Municipality is just over 100,000 people, of which 59% are women. Of these,
86% are unemployed. Education levels are low, with 33% of women and 14% of men having
never been to school. The proposed project area is semi-arid, characterised by a high density of
people and livestock, thus attempts at subsistence agriculture result in very inconsistent and at
best, low yields. Furthermore, livestock overstocking has led to widespread over-grazing and
general degradation of the environment. There are few industries in the area, thus livelihood
diversification opportunities are extremely limited.

Initiated by a locally based company, the commercial harvesting of baobab fruit in the proposed
project area began in 2006 and by 2010 over 1,500 harvesters where involved (mostly
unemployed rural women). Fruit is collected from trees in the communal lands, fields and
villages by people (mainly unemployed women). The fruit is processed in situ and sold to the
locally based company that makes oil from the seeds and packages the fruit pulp. The resulting
products are sold to the cosmetic and food ingredients markets. In addition, the largest baobab
tree in the world is located in this area, making it an area of interest for tourists visiting the province

The proposed project will develop an innovative approach to biodiversity conservation and
poverty alleviation with agri-tourism as the underlying mechanism for improving the livelihoods
of 50 members of a network of 1,500 rural women in Limpopo province.
Agri-tourism is defined as tourism that is based on any type of agricultural experience and can
include farm-stays, tourist participation in harvesting and agro-processing activities and the
purchase of agricultural/natural products. Demand for agri-tourism is increasing globally along
with demand for authentic experiential travel and community-based tourism.

Project objectives
1. Build capacity of 50 members of a network of 1,500 small-scale black female rural producers
to offer services to tourists, leading to income diversification and stronger rationale for
conserving baobab resources;
2. Expand the scope of the growing Fair Trade Tourism initiative to historically disadvantaged
communities who are primarily engaged in agricultural production; and
3. Diversify the tourism product offering of South Africa, in particular Limpopo Province, to
include market-ready forms of rural tourism that are environmentally and socially
responsible.