MICRO-FARMERS A GROWING CONCERN
AS THE demand for organically grown food among Capetonians grows, so has the number of microfarmers in townships and informal settlements who not only grow food for themselves but also sell their produce as part of the Abalimi Bezekhaya project.
Micro-farming describes growing vegetables and other food items in home gardens, community gardens and small farms.
Abalimi Bazekhaya (Farmers of Home) has 3 545 micro-farmers operating in areas like Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Manenberg and Nyanga.
Sibongile Sityebi, 39, is one of two farmers growing vegetables on a small patch of land at the Gugulethu Secondary School next to the Nyanga train station.
Sityebi said yesterday that he joined the project in 2008 when he first moved to Cape Town from the Eastern Cape without a job.
He grows different vegetables organically, some of which he keeps for himself and his family.
“The bulk of what we grow here is sold to Abalimi (Bazekhaya) who collect vegetables from us every Tuesday and that is how we make our money,” he said.
Sityebi said that because they depend on the vegetables for their business and livelihood there is “no such thing as a bad season”.
“Each season is the best for us because we work very hard to make sure we send Abalimi stuff every Tuesday.”
He said although he would have liked to see more unemployed young people working on the project, they were not interested.
“They don’t take agriculture seriously. They think it’s a low form of employment, which is a pity. They can make money from it,” he said.
Christina Kaba, 64, is the operational manager for the project and said she also started as a micro-farmer before working her way up.
She agreed with Sityebi with regard to attracting young people to the sector.
“They only come if you promise to pay them. We work mostly with pensioners because they know that the more they work, the more money they
‘YOUNG PEOPLE DON’T TAKE AGRICULTURE SERIOUSLY. THEY THINK IT’S A LOW FORM OF EMPLOYMENT, WHICH IS A PITY’
new markets and adding more farmers.
Kaba said they also organised tours where people could visit their packing shed to see where the food they ordered came from.
The food was sold in boxes which were delivered to different collection points around the city, including at UCT, Newlands, Wynberg, the City Bowl and Woodstock.
To find out more about the project visit the website on http:// harvestofhope.co.za