January 31, 2003
By Bongani Majola
THE farming communities of Orange Farm lived up to the name of their informal settlement in Johannesburg south when they unveiled six of their self-help household food security projects on Friday.
The local household farmers laid ripe cabbage, spinach, lettuce, potatoes and tomatoes, among other vegetables, in front of Gauteng MEC for Agriculture, Conservation Environment and Land Affairs Mary Metcalfe, who spent most of the day surveying the fields like a true farmer.
Without exception, all the six projects are housed at the backyards of schools that have provided space to community organisations that specialise in farming. Metcalfe's department provided support to the organisations in the form of fencing, irrigation structures, seeds, fertilisers, insecticides and training them in record keeping, crop and poultry production.
"If I look well-nourished," said Charles Letima, principal of Orange Farm Primary School, whose school backyard houses the biggest of the projects, "that is because of the tomatoes and potatoes you see on the premises."
The fruits of the gardens, said Selina Mnisi, co-ordinator of one of the projects, had been remarkable. "We are able to sell our fresh produce at half the normal price because we understand that most of the people in Orange Farm are unemployed. We feed school children, teachers and the larger community," Mnisi said.
Eliciting murmurs of sympathy from the audience, Mnisi told a tale of poverty that was gripping the local community. "Add to that, the scourge of HIV/Aids. Between October last year and now we have lost three members of our projects."
On some occasions, she said, "we not only have to give food to those affected by the virus, but we cook for them and deliver ready-made food."
However, the community was not there to mourn, in the words of another project leader, Daniel Nkala. "We appeal to the MEC to provide us with more boreholes. We are also in desperate need of more spades, ploughing folks, boots and other protective clothing".
"We will help you," Metcalfe responded to the pleas, "but in three years' time we want to see you standing on your own, operating your own budgets."
"I have seen wonderful things here, wonderful work and wonderful people. When we visit people like you, we as a department are greatly inspired by your energy. And we cannot help but recognise that here are people who have already started helping themselves."
Johannesburg does not have farms, Metcalfe said, but it does have household food security projects that take place right where people live, "and that is the strength of these farmers."
