‘We want to go back to all-types farming’
Communtiy farmer seeks to expand his crop farming.
Riverside, a farm in the community of Kagiso, faces challenges due to water pumps being nonfunctional, causing them to resort to dry-crop farming.
What was once a dumping area in the community of Kagiso has now been turned into a farming project that would help bring job opportunities to many in the area. Nutritious food such as spinach, tomatoes, beetroot, pumpkin and onions, to name a few, were being produced there, but sadly it’s been over three years since they had grown them because they had no proper water pumping system.
Enock Mpe, who has been with the project for 10 years and is also a chairperson, said it’s a challenge for them and they wish to go back to their old ways.
“All crop types need to have a source of water. We used to get water from a borehole that was dug by the government. Later we used a water pump powered by a black box generator, but now our black box is nonfunctional. It’s difficult to get it fixed since we are pensioners,” Mpe told the News.
Ten elders from the community – four women and six men – work on the farm and keep everything in tip-top shape. Amos Mollo, who has been working on the farm for 10 years, spends most of his time there, cleaning up, locking the gates and keeping it in shape.
“We now produce dry crops only, which limits our ability to sustain everyone who works here. Our aim is to grow, sell and also make a living from this since we live in a not so rich community,” said Mollo.
The dry crops they manage to grow are lazy beans, maize and pumpkin by using grass cuttings as fertiliser for the soil.
Throughout the years they have been supported by the local government. Young people come and volunteer, and they even get their own children to help with the work at hand.
“We involve anyone in our area who is interested in crop farming. We produce great organic food for the community as well, but what we really would like is to go back to our original all-type farming,” explained Mpe.
The Mogale City Local Municipality’s communications department has been approached for comment with regards to Mpe’s situation, but feedback has not been sent through yet.
