Dr Naudé Malan believes that, by using the resources they have available, township farmers can make a significant contribution to the country’s food system. He joins the Farmer’s Inside Track podcast this week to discuss how we can make the most of this impact.
“To create or to make a contribution to the local food system, it’s very important for local farmers to first of all increase their ability. That is really about their ecological intelligence, the way they understand permaculture, biological cycles, and transforming waste into fertility.”
Malan says that township farming, or low input farming systems, are the same as organic or permaculture systems, but that their emphasis is on using what is available in the local area. This is because township farmers do not have access to the same amount of resources as elsewhere.
He also emphasises that for township farmers to effectively contribute to the food system, they need to build relationships within the township. “The linkages with other actors, households, spaza shops, buyers, etc, is important because these linkages create the presence of the township farmer in the township,” he says.
“It’s important to develop these linkages in complex ways – deep relationships, human and cultural ways – which everyone can understand. That then creates what we call the social capital, the trust amongst people to establish an enterprise and for this enterprise to thrive due to sufficient customers.”
These linkages also need to be put into operation so that it benefits both the farmer and the community. “These linkages need to be operationalised as productive linkages. So, basically these are all two-way streets because the same people who will bring you your wastes will be your customers.”
Operationalising the linkages and the support systems as a township farmer can be as simple as using Whatsapp effectively. “Whatsapp can be configured to create a sales channel, an educational channel, a marketing channel, and a waste harvesting channel, and that’s really important.”
Educating the community on healthy food is another important factor that can make township farming a success. “A community cannot be healthy with wastes lying around, so the waste system is really a way of regenerating the community to give them economically productive activities, picking up litter and exchanging that for food which makes it economically productive.”
ALSO READ: The township food revolution has started
Other farmers podcast highlights:
The best agriculture news podcast on the planet also features other highlights for the agricultural sector this week:
- The 101 of cotton farming: Cotton farming is an exciting industry within the South African agricultural sector. Journalist Nicole Ludolph chats to Northern Cape cotton farmer Susan Van Der Merwe, who is one of the few woman commercial farmers in the industry.
- Farmer’s tip of the week: Our farmer tip of the week comes from Mpumalanga farmer Sizo Tshabalala, a mixed farmer who has never given up on his dreams.
- Disease Managment: Agriculture, land reform and rural development minister Thoko Didiza, has declared three KwaZulu-Natal hotspots as disease management areas after an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. The minister believes this intervention is in the greater interest of the country.
- Book of the week: Our book of the week is Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek. The author started an inspiration movement, telling leaders how to create inspiration in the workplace, for employees and customers.
- Soil Sistas: This week’s #SoilSista powered by Food For Mzansi and Corteva Agriscience is North West poultry farmer Motlatsi Tolo. The scientist-turned farmer helps manage the family owned business and is fascinated by the science of farming.
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