Report urges benefit sharing with rooibos growers in RSA
A report commissioned by South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs urges the rooibos industry to negotiate benefit-sharing agreements with local peoples. The findings encourage businesses that buy rooibos and honeybush crops to sell in international markets to acknowledge, recognize and protect the interests of indigenous Khoi and San communities. Historically, Khoi and San peoples played a critical role in nurturing knowledge about the two plant species, as well as in cultivating and distributing them. The report also details the history of the natural plantations, including how the land was occupied and how the traditional knowledge has been developed and passed on from one generation to the next.