Authored by: Britta Rutert and Cath Traynor
Abstract: In this Working Paper, we present our findings in respect of the innovative and entrepreneurial behaviour of two local Indigenous organisations in a South African rural area with high poverty rates and little access to financial and technological infrastructure. Two local organisations situated in the Kruger to Canyon (K2C) Biosphere Region, South Africa, have built strong networking skills, made professional use of their traditional knowledge (TK), and have a stated aim to continue their community-based projects in dialogic collaboration with local, national, and international stakeholders. We argue that many of the actions taken by these two organisations constitute forms of social innovation and social entrepreneurship. We also argue that the actions of these two group provide evidence of the ways in which small enterprises can attempt to scale their enterprises through diversifying activities and increasing sustainability of activities, rather than through a narrow pursuit of economic profits.
