Farming in the city
MIDRAND - A Midrand organic farmer spoke to Midrand Reporter about his passion for growing all types of crops.
Director of Ukuvuna Urban farming projects, John Nzira said, “I enjoy producing food and taking care of the environment. I practise what is called permanent agriculture, a form of farming that is purely organic.”
Nzira harvests rain water that flows onto his property to a pond where he keeps fish. “The same water is filtered into the swimming pool and re-used in the garden.”
Nzira has found a way to use what many people throw away. “We collect grass cut by municipal workers, separate it from the rubbish that may be in it and we use the grass as compost for the crops. My land is a cycle of conservation; we do all we can to protect the environment.”
Nzira said he does not buy seeds from shops but uses seeds from his own crops and fruit trees to grow more produce. Some of the interesting plants that Nzira grows include the garden rue, a plant used to repel pests and keep them away from crops, instead of using pesticides. Nzira also grows the ‘fever plant’, a natural remedy for ‘flu and headaches.
Asked what attracted him to farming, Nzira said, “I grew up in the rural areas, growing crops. My aim is to demonstrate that people in urban areas can produce their own organic food on a small piece of land.”
“The big message behind what we do is that we need to produce organic food and do all we can to preserve the environment.”
Nzira also trains communities in landscape design, organic farming, plant production and food production systems.
