South Africa: City of Cape Town gives millions to support urban gardens

Seven-hundred and twenty micro farmers are set to benefit from the City’s R3 million Urban Agriculture Programme

By Nomalanga Tshuma
IOL
May 10

Excerpt:

Cape Town – Seven-hundred and twenty micro farmers are set to benefit from the City’s R3 million Urban Agriculture Programme, which will fund the implementation of community-based food gardens projects in local communities across the City’s 24 sub councils.

The funding which was approved late last month by the council will go towards supporting more than 30 urban farms, and upskilling and uplifting local aspiring urban farmers.

The announcement regarding the funding comes after the City made a call for applications from non-profit organisations for grant funding to be implemented in partnership with the South African Institute of Entrepreneurship as the service provider.

Mayco member for urban management Grant Twigg said the goal of the initiative was to assist households to develop home gardens to supply most of the non-staple foods that a family needs every day of the year, including vegetables and fruits, beans, herbs and spices, and even animals and fish.

“The intention is also to assist the urban farming participants to establish co-operatives and facilitate the hosting of market days and informal trading activities, where a portion of harvested commodities are made available for supply, sale, and distribution to the public.

‘The City of Cape Town will also assist with starter kits and business development support and facilitation of commodities to retailers,” said Twigg.

The project will also work to provide support to new urban farmers using accessible spaces in local communities such as backyards, schools, open space around City buildings, churches, NGOs, clinics, and libraries that require no capital costs.

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