“The Challenge is an opportunity to meet like minded people and to broaden your skills and knowledge of sustainability.”
Tamara Botha, joining us from South Africa, is one of the Wild Card participants in our 2020 Challenge! She describes herself as an outdoorsy person, who enjoys spending time in the mountains and coast of her country.
Motivated by her studies
Recently graduated with a Masters in Science and Geography from the University of Witwatersrand, Tamara’s studies introduced her to the connection between natural resource management and sustainability. This sparked her interest in finding solutions to mitigate climate change! She also attributes her passion for sustainability to her upbringing. Growing up in South Africa, Tamara says that she saw how dependent rural populations are on their natural environment. However, she observed that many communities did not have knowledge of resource conservation and sustainable use.
Growboxx: Helping communities to produce their own food
Tamara’s impact plan focuses on rural communities in Klein Karoo, a very dry part of South Africa. Klein Karoo is mostly known for cattle farming as well as some crop farming, but has been suffering from an almost 10 year long drought. Tamara’s project is to introduce an invention called a Growboxx, a ‘plant cocoon’, which allows trees and vegetables to grow in water-starved areas. Through the implementation of Growboxx, these communities will be able to produce their own food.
What has she gained from the Challenge?
Tamara joined the Challenge because she saw it as a great opportunity to broaden her skills and knowledge of sustainability, as well as get insight into expanding and implementing her project. Even more, she has gained a community of sustainability-minded friends from all over the world!
