Today, the Overberg region in the South African province of Western Cape is well-known for its regenerative farming practices. In the mid-80s, when Heinrich Georg Schönfeldt bought 400 hectares of land near the small town of Caledon, about 100 kilometres east of Cape Town, and founded his farm, things were very different.
Then, as now, the soil was shallow and stony. Furthermore, there was very little rainfall. After harvest, the stubble was traditionally burned off and then ploughed in. After five years of agricultural use, the land was left fallow for the same period or used for grazing.
