​The second intake of this planned two-month training commenced on 8 October 2020 at Agrimark, Philippi.

​​The trainees are from the Philippi and Samora Machel areas and are between the ages of 20 to 35.  The 25 selected participants who were chosen for training are those who showed an interest in urban agriculture from Wards 33 and 43.

‘The youth selected to participate in this training have demonstrated a commitment and passion for agriculture.They work extremely hard to ensure that the soil is prepared and ready for growing crops. Although they do not have access to tractors and heavy farming machinery, they utilise the tools at their disposal to deliver the same output. It is their determination and desire to succeed that allows them to overturn the soil, break the soil clods into a smaller mass, and level the field without heavy machinery.

‘The role of the community, especially our youth, is crucial in the implementation of urban farming activities within urbanised areas as the demand for green development increases.  The City will continue to address the necessary infrastructure and other forms of assistance for these urban farming communities and nodes. Urban farming is beneficial to society as it can be applied as a practice in our daily lives for the consumption of food,’ said Alderman Twigg.

Trainees are introduced to important agribusiness skills such as land measurements and planning, crop or vegetable planning and analysis, farm activity planning, contract and community markets. The training methods used took the form of simulations, group discussions, and presentations, as well as plenary sessions. Besides using simulations to address agribusiness issues, participants will have the opportunity to relate their training experiences to familiar situations.

At the end of the training, an evaluation will be conducted with the participants to achieve the following:

• A better understanding of the agricultural environment.
• The importance of planning, especially regarding farming operations.
• Understanding land as an economic unit and its role to sustainable farming.
• The knowledge and skills required to conduct sustainable gardening or farming.

These participants are ideal candidates for the City’s planned urban farming initiative being rolled out soon by the Area Economic Development Unit, which will allow homeowners to start their own food production units in their backyards,’ said Alderman Twigg.

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