- The Langa Agrihub launched a marketplace for young farmers to showcase and sell their fresh produce, aiming to build resilient communities and a thriving economy through sustainable farming.
- The hub, funded by the South African Urban Food and Farming Trust (SAUFFT), educates and empowers farmers on gardening, administration, and entrepreneurship, promoting food security and independence.
- Over 100 local farmers gathered for the launch, with one farmer, Ntombozuko Mkiva, praising the hub for providing exposure and motivation to produce more, addressing the lack of marketplaces in the area.
Building resilient communities and a thriving economy through sustainable farming is at the core of Langa Agrihub.
The marketplace for young farmers to showcase and sell their fresh produce was launched on Thursday 29 August in Langa. Over 100 local farmers gathered for this prestigious event.
Thembeka Nonkonyana, Agrihub chair, described the hub as a platform for young farmers to showcase their produce and market themselves. It also strives to educate and empower them on how to work in the garden.
“Land is everything. We are nothing without land. We teach them how to plant and take care of the seeds in order to produce the food. We also teach them about the administration side of things because most of them don’t know about it,” said Nonkonyana, adding that they want to convert farmers into entrepreneurs.
She praised the South African Urban Food and Farming Trust (SAUFFT) for funding the initiative.
The Trust supports collaborative food gardens, social farms, agri-food hubs and markets to build socially, ecologically and economically resilient communities in the cities.
Nonkonyana said besides selling, the Agrihub aims to promote food security. “We want each household to have a garden to be able to sustain themselves. We want them to be independent. We also encourage them to eat healthy, especially organic food,” she said.
According to Nonkonyana, the farmers also plant various herbs and fruit trees.
SAUFFT chief executive officer Kurt Ackermann said the event marked a big transition for the farmers. He said the construction of the facility took six years.
“It’s been six years working with them. We started working with them in 2018 but the pandemic (Covid-19) kicked in 2020. We took a break, which gave us a chance to raise funds for it,” said Ackermann.
He said they work with about 280 young farmers from Langa.
Ntombozuko Mkiva, one of the farmers and owner of Sinethemba Lesivuno, described the hub as helpful. She said it gave them exposure. She said they struggled to sell their produce as there were no marketplaces in the area.
“We used to sell our veggies to the community and eat the rest. The hub also motivates us to work hard to produce more in order to sell,” she said.
