ActionSA sets eyes on reviving urban farming
“We know government for years has been coming up with farming projects that have been very unsuccessful."
Action SA in Gauteng has announced plans to launch a food security project in Soweto to promote farming and food security in urban areas.
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The project called ‘Let’s Work The Soil’ led by Thuli Nkomo and Mpumi Edward, ActionSA Cllrs in the City of Johannesburg is a bid to establish sustainable farming initiatives in the City that will tackle high levels of unemployment and poverty.
The project was unveiled in Jabilani with a panel discussion by industry experts in the farming sector who shared insights on urbanization of farming.
According to the pair, the sole aim is to ensure individuals and communities are self-sufficient through small scale farming, backyard farming, and garden farming.
“A lot of people are based in urban areas. People come here to seek job opportunities but that is not always the case and because we have a high unemployment rate, it makes sense to liberate people through farming in our communities, educate them to grown their own food, sustain themselves and turn it into an income thus becoming less reliance on government,” said Nkomo.
The project aims to train every household on how to grow their own food and will work together with farmers in identifying and securing pockets of unused land owned by the city to drive the project.
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Edward says the project will be open to anyone with a household.
“What we have found is that some of these unused lands are owned by the City, and we will assist them in getting permission to utilise the spaces.
“However we encourage them not to wait for those spaces, but to use their backyards, which is the starting point we are promoting in this project,” Edward states.
The party will garner support towards emerging and seasoned farmers as well establishing a mentoring programme as part of the project’s objectives of ensuring sustainability for farmers.
“We know government for years has been coming up with farming projects that have been very unsuccessful.
“But this time we are saying as ActionSA we would like to support farmers, and we are saying let’s make Johannesburg green,” she emphasises.
Caucus leader, Funzi Ngobeni added that the party was rallying behind the initiative as it was in line with the party’s core value of social justice.
He cited that closing the gap on the country’s inequality needed such solutions that will empower and create sustainability for communities.
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The party will be heading to its policy conference in September, which Ngobeni said they will engage with the agriculture sector and experts in order to come up with policies relevant to advance the sector.
“As Gauteng province we want to tap into the knowledge on how we can make the agricultural sector, especially urban agriculture, sustainable. By coming up with policies that can be able to assist our society,” he said.
“We believe partnerships between the private and public sector, emerging farmers and those who are experienced will take us to a new level.”
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