🌾 Compost, Food and Waste Management

The Soil-First Uprising
Where compost, food, and dignity begin again.

“Soils are the basis of life, ninety five percent of our food comes from the soil.”
–Maria-Helena Semedo

🌍 What is Groundswell?

Groundswell is the Maslow branch focused on waste transformation, food production, and soil healing.

We build beautiful systems where food scraps become soil, and soil becomes food — creating living loops of nourishment on every site we touch.

This is how we regenerate landscapes, reduce landfill, grow nutrition, and uplift communities. Compost isn’t waste. It’s wealth — patiently waiting to be flipped.

🎮 In-Game Function

In the Maslow Game, Groundswell is the forge.

It’s where raw resources (manure, food scraps, sawdust, water) are transformed into living gold (compost, gardens, food forests). Each Groundswell site increases your regenerative output and unlocks access to the local abundance economy.

“This is ancient knowledge, really. When you increase soil organic matter in the soil, good things happen. But climate change is bringing new attention to it. And regardless of climate change, we should be doing this for many reasons—for productivity, erosion control, drought tolerance. It’s going back to our roots, no pun intended.”
-Pelayo Alvarez, outreach director for the Petaluma-based Carbon Cycle Institute

🧰 What We Build

💡 Why Groundswell Matters

• 50% of topsoil is gone — and still vanishing

• Food prices are rising, but nutrients are falling

• Organic waste is polluting landfills and water

• Most rural areas rely on extractive mono-cropping

• People need income, food, and connection — now

Groundswell turns these problems into a single solution.

Geoff Lawton		Dr. Zach Bush
	“You can solve all the world’s problems in a garden.”		“We cannot separate ourselves from nature … Our existence is rooted in the earth …”

📍 Where We Begin

Mystic River Farm, Paarl
Our first flagship Groundswell site is underway.

It’s a working model of:

• 20-day compost turnaround with 1 bakkie and a rope

• Full market garden integration (started)

• Water-efficient irrigation and grow nursery depot

You can help build it.

🧑‍🌾 Who GroundSwell is For

• 🧑‍🌾 Farmers with animals, waste, or space

• 🏘 Eco-villages and intentional communities

• 🏫 Schools and education centers

• 🏙 Municipalities seeking local food security

• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 NGOs and land stewards in high-need areas

🛠 What We Need

To activate each Groundswell site, we need:

• Tarps, ropes, wheelbarrows, shovels

• Water lines, tanks, tunnels, nursery shade cloth

• A strong bakkie for flipping and logistics

• Worm bins, biochar kilns, seed trays, compost thermometers

• Fencing, labour, and a little bit of magic

🎮 What Groundswell Unlocks

• Healthy soil, forever

• Waste loops that eliminate dumping

• Food production tied to every compost pile

• Community resilience, one bed at a time

• A model to replicate and remix