Global students get hands-on at Sisonke City Farm
As part of a sustainability study tour, MBA students from the University of North Carolina explored how Durban’s Sisonke City Farm is tackling food security and creating jobs.
THE impact of the Sisonke City Farm in North Beach recently garnered international attention when they welcomed American visitors who came to witness the workings of the greenspace project.
The University of North Carolina’s Global Immersion Elective students were accompanied by members of The Domino Foundation. They are touring the country as part of the institution’s Sustainability and Social Enterprise initiative, exploring how South African businesses and entrepreneurs tackle these issues.
Sisonke founder Sarah Alsen said the project gave the visitors hands-on experience of the urban agricultural enterprise.
“We wanted to not only tell our American visitors about providing food security and jobs for the community, our sustainable agricultural practices through composting local food waste, but also to let them literally get their hands dirty by taking part in some of the everyday tasks the regular Sisonke workers undertake,” said Alsen.
Also Read: North Beach’s Sisonke City Farm goes green, creates jobs
Sicelo Maphanga, a faithful member of the local taskforce, showed the MBA students how to plant chilli seedlings and demonstrated the art of compost-turning. This was welcomed by Dr Olga Hawn, leader of the University of North Carolina cohort.
She said: “The Global Immersion Elective is the most interactive and enriching personal and professional growth experience in University’s Graduate School of Business programme. Traveling together outside the classroom pushes everyone, including me, outside their comfort zone and builds reflection, collaboration, adaptability and empathy. Sisonke certainly did that.”
Apart from getting their hands dirty, the visitors got to interact with their UKZN peers involved in social enterprise development.
They also learnt about micro recycling plastic waste for use in developing economies, and experienced how Domino works towards changing communities by changing one life at a time.
Alsen invited anyone interested in the community-changing operations at Sisonke to contact her at sarah.alsen@bioregional.com.
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