Herbs spice up their lives
initiative helps individuals learn how to grow vegetables and produce them for the market.
WE call ourselves the Herb Guys,” said pensioner Mervyn Ogle as he proudly showed us his fields on the edge of the city, near the Merebank municipal hall south of Durban.
Ogle, who worked for the Enviroment Language Education Trust, believes that produce gardening is the future for those looking for a way of earning a living.
He said the initiative aimed to help individuals learn how to grow vegetables on their own and produce them for the market.
Ogle said there were people taking part in gardening, among them MR Boyzie,
Ntombi Malelu, and Pastor John Mkhize from Cato Manor, who runs an Aids clinic. Prudence Hlongwa is also a keen participant.
Ogle said with this initiative as such, they did not get a big profit when it came to sales because they were still growing, but it was to help empower the individuals who farm the land, harvest it and sell the produce.
He said they had been unable to get funding, except that which he took from his own pocket to pay for the ploughing and to buy seeds. Each member takes a portion of the profit from the sales. “The place has a facility for the old people who come there to spend time and interact with each other. It is open to everybody who is interested in farming.” He feels the need to do this because it is a source of income for people as well as a social activity. “This is a source of entrepreneurship, where the farmer can grow, harvest and sell his produce and make money.” At the moment they use a tank to water the crops, but are hoping to afford a sprinkler system to save water and make their work easier.
Ogle also helps the farmers to transport and sell their produce. Since their new venture they have been able to supply Dawn Fresh with herbs.
They are looking to go into business with a supermarket franchise in Westville, that is keen on their tomatoes, red and white cabbages, parsley, basil, thyme and rocket.
“We are very positive about our initiative and hope to get funding to develop it further. “
Ogle shared three tips to growing successfully:
A good marketing strategy, being flexible when the situation changes, and taking ownership of your hard work. Rasta Seseko waters the garden. Tank water is used for the crops, but THC are hoping to afford a sprinkler system to save water.