The recently launched City’s Food Gardens Project aims to establish sustainable food gardens to help with food insecurity in vulnerable areas. The project will begin in January 2021.
“Approximately R3 million has been budgeted for this project. It will go towards targeted beneficiaries for the use of farming kits that will include seeds, fertilizer, equipment, training and skills development amongst others,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee for Urban Management Alderman Twigg at the launch.
The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened food insecurity in the city and the initiative hopes to boost urban farming to assist with relief for struggling households.
“The aim is to involve a few hundred backyard and urban farms in this urban farming project from across the city which comprises all twenty-four sub-councils. This is a huge undertaking and a project that I am extremely excited and proud to be a part of,” said Twigg.
These sub-councils will identify 30 participants to start food gardens. These could be new or existing farmers and is not limited to backyards, schools, open spaces around City-owned buildings, churches, NGOs, clinics and libraries, that require no capital costs.
“This project is aimed at encouraging households to start their own food production units. Owning your garden offers great potential for improving a household’s food security. This includes direct access to nutritionally rich foods, savings on food bills and fall-back food provision during lean periods,” concluded Twigg.
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