Food security awareness reaches Carlswald residents
With food insecurity climbing up from 60% to 65%, the City of Johannesburg has taken the initiative by hosting an awareness drive across regions to help communities combat this problem.
A rarely discussed topic ‘food security’ was brought to the forefront by the City of Johannesburg at the Carlswald Deco Centre.
City officials from departments including Social Development, Citizen Relationship, and Urban Management (Crum, Joburg Market, Joburg Opportunities Centre, the Agricultural Research Council, and others engaged residents on this critical issue.
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The event aimed to educate Midrand residents about the importance of food security by introducing two key concepts:
• Urban agriculture: producing raw materials independently, whether for business purposes or at home.
• Agro-processing: transforming those raw agricultural products into consumable food.
Residents from Carlswald and Noordwyk showed strong interest in the initiative, walking through stalls, tasting food, and asking questions about these concepts.
One resident, Mapuleng Mofokeng-Moatshe from Noordwyk, shared how valuable the experience was:
“What I learned today in terms of health is that processed food is not beneficial for us, even though it is easily available. Organically produced food is definitely the way to keep ourselves healthy. Today was really informative because we learnt about other ways to stay healthy in terms of the food we eat.”
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Local agri-businesses were also invited to showcase their products.
Ndyebo yeMvelo, a business from President Park, presented sorghum, honey, and green peas, promoting healthy food for the community.
Bongiwe Mbebe from Ndyebo yeMvelo expressed gratitude:
“We would like to thank the City of Johannesburg for inviting us here. We are here to exhibit our products, which help with staying healthy.
Our products are just a way of taking it back to how our grandparents used to prepare food for us.”
Ward 112 councillor Lerato Mphefo attended the event and highlighted the importance of such initiatives for both residents and local businesses.
The initiative ultimately opened the community’s eyes to how urban agriculture and agro-processing can create jobs while strengthening food security.
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