Blooming the obstinate: the remediation of an abandoned quarry in Garies through the establishment of a saffron farmstead and visitor attraction as a means of fostering a sense of harmony between people and the natural world

Abstract

Human activities have a negative impact on our natural environment, especially in the case of post-industrial waste and destruction, such as global quarries, as well as the consequences encountered by a small community in Namaqualand. Can the blooming flowers in the old quarry at Stoffelsfontein farm be recovered by developing a saffron farmstead and visitors’ attraction, thereby remediating a wasteful and destroyed site in Garies, Namaqualand, and globally, investigating the potential for remediation and revitalisation and rehabilitation as a way of ecological empathy? Initiatives to address this problem have been made. Still, they have mainly concentrated on large-scale quarries or abandoned industrial sites, ignoring the effects on our smaller rural towns and farms harmed by trash dumping and quarry activities. To tackle this problem, I aim to remediate, revitalise, and rehabilitate a quarry that was once adorned, with an array of flowers by encouraging ecological awareness and empathy. By considering both human and natural influences, I propose the establishment of a saffron farm and visitors’ attraction that actively involves the local community and attracts the rest of South Africa and tourists, offering new work and leisure experiences. This research draws upon a comparative analysis between man-made destruction and natural forces, incorporating relevant precedent studies. Remediating a destroyed site and its waste not only presents an opportunity for environmental rehabilitation but also offers a chance to reconcile human influences. It can stimulate the local economy by creating job opportunities and skills development.