In an effort to provide poverty-stricken communities with food, the North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has launched a food programme.

Through it, the province plans to assist unemployed people by giving them seedlings and feed so they can grow their own food as a way to alleviate the rising levels of poverty. 

Only for those in need 

The Vhasane Farming Project is based on the Potchefstroom Tlokwe Youth Centre, which has been leading the way in ensuring people have access to healthy food. It is run by local farmers and employs 15 workers. 

According to Laurence Mufhadi, Vhasane’s manager, the farm only supplies their vegetable to locals and donates to the needy. Their motivation, he says, is not profit but the wellbeing of people around the area.

“We don’t sell to supermarkets because the aim is to keep our products affordable to locals. We also donate to the disadvantaged as part of social responsibility in ensuring there’s food security in our communities. Sometimes we donate to people who are in need, during funerals,” he explains.

The Vhasane farm grows carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, peas, lettuce, spinach and butternut. The department visits the farm to provide information and expert advice, Mufhadi adds. 

Eating more vegetables 

Ikageng resident Joseph Dlamini says the farm makes it easy for him to always have vegetables because buying in bulk straight from the farm is cheaper. 

The farm, Dlamini says, is also situated next to Ikageng which it makes it easy for disadvantaged people to access it. 

“In the past, there would be days my family and I didn’t have any anything to eat with our pap, but now there’s always something else to eat because we get vegetables like cabbage or spinach at an affordable price.” – Health-e News

An edited version of this story was published by Health24.