Farmer to Pharma

Natural Justice is collaborating with the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and its the implementation of the ‘Farmer to Pharma Grand Challenge’ (FTP). According to the DST the aim of the Program is to “…catapult South Africa to a leading position in Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals by harnessing the country’s biodiversity, indigenous knowledge and scientific expertise.” Natural Justice was invited to the First National Bio-prospecting Stakeholders Meeting in July 2009 to present on mechanisms to integrate communities into the design and implementation of bio-prospecting permit applications.

Since this workshop Natural Justice has continued working closely with DST and its Farmer to Pharma program. In October 2009 Natural Justice facilitated a DST delegation visit to Mpumalanga and Limpopo to explore possible pilot regions for the implementation of possible initiatives in this field.

Department of Science and Technology Visit to K2C

Johanna von Braun accompanied six DST members on a trip to the K2C Biosphere Reserve in October 2009. The main focus of the visit was to introduce communities to the Pharma to Farmer concept, while allowing DST to observe some of the initiatives which communities have developed in the region. Meetings included one with Wayne Twine of Wits Rural, a visit to Vukuzenzele, a Silk Cosmetic Production meeting, and some other field visits to local communities to observe the production of local products.
It was a productive visit for DST, in which the FTP program was exposed to different communities involved in various kinds if industry and agriculture, and their operational skills and facilities. The communities also expressed great interest in the FTP program. Natural Justice continues to work alongside DST in this area.