CoCT celebrates 33 urban farming graduates

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The programme has been designed to foster an entrepreneurial mindset among growers in rural and urban communities so that entrepreneurs become self-sustainable and develop problem solving capacity skills.

The start date of the project was 16 March 2020 but due to the national lockdown Alert Level 5, it could only restart in June during Alert Level 4 when agriculture and fishing businesses were allowed to trade.

The training comprised:

• The knowledge and skills required to run garden or farm operations innovatively, profitably and sustainably

• An understanding of garden or farming skills and practise

• The farming skills that could essentially improve household income

• The skills to network and strengthen entrepreneurial opportunities

The trainees had the following expectations of the course:

• To be able to farm for income

• To acquire knowledge and skills about agriculture

• To form a cooperative; sharing knowledge and skills with the respective Philippi community

• To build a strong background as a farmer

The Portfolio Chairperson for Urban Management, Councillor Willie Japhta said: "It was my absolute privilege to be present to hand over the certificates to 33 trained emerging farmers which will change their lives for the future."

"The City of Cape Town’s Urban Management Directorate promotes urban farming for sustainable livelihoods. This project not only sets the benchmark for developing urban farming in all our 24 subcouncils, but gives us the knowledge and understanding of what our communities desire, which is a sustainable income, improving the livelihoods of communities and contributing to alleviating unemployment," said Alderman Grant Twigg, mayoral committee member for urban management.