Inspire Action · Brad Carter

Observations, Ideas & Reflections on Leadership from eSwatini

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Sustainability Lessons from Tree of Life

August 8, 2012

Thanks to African Christian College’s Tree of Life Project (our 14,000 macadamia trees), my dad is presenting at the Africans Claiming Africa for Christ Conference in Lusaka, Zambia today. The topic assigned: sustainability.

Sustainability is a word plagued with ambiguity. Depending on the context, the idea of “enduring” takes on its own life. Usually when I talk about ‘sustainability’ I am thinking about organizational sustainability in regards to finances. To be more specific, I’ll provide a definition:

sustainability – the ability to secure stable and sufficient long-term financial resources, and to allocate them in a timely manner and appropriate form, to cover the full costs of the organization.

To be clear, ‘stable and sufficient long-term financial resources’ include revenue generating activities (like selling macadamia nuts), fees (like tuition), reducing expenses (like growing our own food for the cafeteria), and fund raising (like churches and individuals committed to current and future support). Sustainability and self-sufficiency are not the same.

Yet, African Christian College seeks to be a truly African college – not totally or primarily dependent on outside funding. To accomplish this aspect of our vision we must focus on sustainability with a variety of strategies (and we are making good progress).

The Tree of Life Project provides ample content for exploring the move toward sustainability. So, as part of dad’s presentation today, I helped by putting together a handout on sustainability lessons using ACC’s experience with Tree of Life as a case study.

The two-page handout includes an abbreviated history and description of some of our challenges I think you’ll find interesting. But here are the 8 lessons we highlighted in encouraging congregations and ministries seeking sustainability:

  1. Secure local resources before it’s too late — We should seek stable and sufficient long-term resources from local sources before the threat of losing funding from the outside.
  2. Use your assets — Identify resources (expertise, land, labor, time) you already have and find ways for producing revenue.
  3. Do what works — Find things that earn money and are needed in your community.
  4. Plan carefully — Major, long-term investments in a project should be researched and may need expert help (if not expert leadership) to be successful.
  5. Prepare for threats — The unexpected will happen, but many costly mistakes can be avoided with preparation.
  6. Invest in success — Equipped staff, adequate tools, and commitment from the leadership are essential for any strategy to work.
  7. Evaluate and improve — Don’t keep doing the same thing; look for ways to improve efficiency, increase income, and reduce costs.
  8. Remember the mission — The strategies exist to accomplish the mission. Find ways to integrate the strategies with the mission or remember the goal is funding the mission.

I’m sure there is more to be learned even out of the Tree of Life case study. What are we missing? What did we get wrong? What stands true in your experience?

| Download TOL Sustainability Lessons handout (pdf) |

Filed Under: Challenges, Macadamias, Org Leadership, Successes, Sustainability Tagged With: Africa, African Christian College, macadamia nuts, macadamias, sustainability

Life of a Macadamia Nut – part 1

August 8, 2012

I’ve never really been a big fan of nuts. I don’t understand why someone would ruin a brownie, ice cream, or cookies by mixing in nuts. I remember enjoying some salted Planters peanuts at my grandparents house. Otherwise, that’s it. Over the years, my health-nut wife has introduced me to other kinds (usually helping me eat them by mixing them with chocolate chips in a trail mix). But in recent months, I’ve come to truly enjoy macadamias.

Enjoying their taste wasn’t a requirement of coming to African Christian College and our 14,000 tree macadamia nut orchard. They are just good … and good for you (that plug does come with the job).

Learning how to care for this orchard, however, is part of my new life. Fortunately, there is a staff of well-trained orchard workers who really know what’s going on. But I’m learning.

Recently, I spent a day traveling to Low’s Creek, South Africa to visit Ivory Macadamias, the processor of our nuts once they are harvested; and to the guy who presses our nuts into high-quality oil. A week later, we had a visit from five macadamia experts who came to help us improve our crop for next year.

It turns out, July is considered the beginning of the macadamia nut year. There’s no real ‘beginning’ of course, as our nuts grow on trees that have been in the ground for 10-15 years, not seeds planted this year and harvested in a later season. It’s a year-round cycle.

Yet, our final harvest is complete and now attention has turned to the next season. Blossoms are already on the trees and there is much work to do.

My goal is to learn and share some photos, video, and information on the life of a macadamia nut from the beginning of the season to sending its flavorful taste to your tastebuds. More coming soon!

Filed Under: Macadamias Tagged With: Africa, African Christian College, macadamia nuts, macadamias, nuts

My African Education

I’m blogging about leadership, learning, and life from the Kingdom of eSwatini. Reflecting from my cross-cultural work in Christian higher education at African Christian College and entrepreneurial efforts like UKWAZI Makadamia and the Locavore Farmers Market.

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