An initiative to boost local micro farmers

AUCKLAND PARK – The Youth Agriculture Initiative, a community-driven research project called the Youth AgriInitiative, aims to empower local micro-farmers to acquire new skills in the agricultural industry.

The organisation collaborated with the University of Johannesburg, the City of Johannesburg and Harambee in order to connect, expand an urban food ecosystem to unlock opportunities and advance local township economies.

A university student and volunteer, Mwenya Chitambala said all stakeholders have come together to create a pilot project in the Ivory Park community in order to train 30 volunteers who are assigned to carry out research on how to improve the skills of urban farmers and offer them mentorship.

“The pilot project is done with the hope of expanding to create a better society for everyone, through inspiring people and providing them with skills in the field of agriculture. The volunteers informed us that the pilot was a success and that the urban farmers showed an interest and allowed them to collect information about their experience in urban farming,” said Chitambala.

She added they are still working on the second phase of their project which is aimed at creating a shift in how urban farmers operate in their communities and they are still in the beginning stages of finalising the next step.

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