In a victory for more than 200 smallholder growers, Westfalia Fruit is celebrating a bountiful 2020 litchi season in Mozambique. The returns from the 2020 bumper crop are uplifting a community of small-scale farmers in Manica Province, who, with the help of Westfalia over the past five years, have secured market access to Europe, GlobalGAP status, and a World Bank grant to … [Read more...]
Let’s turn the corner on food wastage
If you take a moment to digest the statistics around the amount of food we waste today, it can be pretty overwhelming. It is thought that around one third of the food produced around the globe is lost or wasted. Richer countries waste something like 222 million tonnes per year, in Europe and North America that equates to 95-115kg of food per person, per year. The numbers are … [Read more...]
Drought adaptation DIY style: steps to save water
January was not for chickens in the Cape – extreme drought and fires saw the gardens shrivel up and die. So sad to witness and feel the distress all round. Once our veggie plants got stressed the diseases followed. Watching your water consumption with Stage 3 water restrictions and growing food without the farmer’s concessions calls for innovation. How to capture each … [Read more...]
Why your life depends on healthy soil
In the first of a series of articles on growing your own food, Valerie Payn starts at the root of the matter – how human health depends on fertile soil. “Healthy societies depend on healthy soil, healthy soil depends on healthy biology, and healthy biology depends on what goes into the soil,” said Sir Albert Howard, one of the 18C founders of the organic movement who became … [Read more...]
Say ‘no’ to food waste this festive season
The festive season, with all its glorious food is with us! The Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) calls on all residents to be mindful of their food spend this time of year and gives some tips on composting organic waste. 9.04 million tonnes of food waste per year South Africa generates a staggering amount of approximately 9.04 million tonnes of food … [Read more...]
Save food – follow consumption best practice this season
More than 9 million tonnes of food is wasted in our country every year, whilst 12 million South Africans are food insecure, says the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Food wastage happens all the way along the value chain – from production and transport to storage and retail. Food is one of the 3 core building blocks of sustainability, hence this wastage … [Read more...]
Over 450 fruit trees planted in Khayelitsha
Greenpop and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) partnered to plant fruit trees and indigenous vegetation at the Abalimi Bezekhaya community gardens in Khayelitsha. During the day over 400 fruit trees, windbreaks and indigenous medicinal shrubs and ground coverswere planted to reestablish the farm's windbreaks, create mini food forests, and encourage … [Read more...]
Food forest planned for the Overberg
Greyton Transition Town (GTT), part of the global Transition Town Network, is bringing the communities of Greyton, Genadendal and neighbouring villages together to find local solutions to the global challenges of climate change and peak oil. Food security is a critical issue with many residents of these Overberg villages going to bed hungry because they can't afford the … [Read more...]
Traceability a major need for SA’s meat
A dairy cow’s fall in the back of a truck in the Overberg last week, puts focus yet again on the dire need in South Africa for traceability from farm to fork. Marina, an export fruit farmer from Grabouw said that her journey along the N2 on Wednesday last week developed into a distressing effort to help a cow that had fallen in the truck travelling in front of her. “I was … [Read more...]
Foxglove organic stories Part 4: Time for the chicken run
It's raining today. I didn't want it to rain right now but I am grateful for my plants to get this rain. The reason for not wanting rain is that we are up to our elbows finishing the chicken tractor. We offer you another installment by Sue Vingerhoets of Foxglove organic farm. This mobile hen house can be moved into place for the hens to work over a piece of ground and when … [Read more...]
Green guerrillas inspire Fish Hoek’s earth buddies
Akim Riemer wears doc martins, a ragged vest, a green bandana and dark glasses. There is a raw energy here that wants to spread like wildfire. I don’t need to see his eyes to know that they flash with insight and delight with his every new idea. Riemer believes that the core element to sustain a new earthy project at Fish Hoek Primary school is RAW ENERGY. It will come from … [Read more...]
Working towards a better food system
Last week, the African Food Security Network (AFSUN) hosted a workshop in Cape Town about food security, urbanization and migration in a comparative context. The workshop was presented in a unique “U process”. This consisted of a step by step method which started on the left side of a U shape, and ended on the far right. The first step was “sensing”. This was basically a … [Read more...]
Foxglove organic stories Part 2: Up to my elbows
This month I am up to my elbows in other people's business! Not by my choosing because firstly, it has nothing to do with me and secondly, I already have 3 full-time jobs! Farm living is not strictly about farm life. I ended up catering for a friend's birthday picnic as the only other options were ridiculously expensive or grocery store platters of sausage rolls and oily … [Read more...]
