We view the youth as our next generation of farmers. By exposing them directly to basic crop production practices at schools or children’s care centres, we have found it to be among the most enticing ways to get younger people interested in farming and agriculture, and it is an investment in the future of our country and the larger African sub-continent.
Our youth projects involve children at schools and childcare-centres and youth gardening initiatives among communities across large areas of South Africa and some SADC countries. We work closely with respected game-changing individuals and organizations impacting children and gearing them to grow their vegetable gardens. We applaud our many unselfish collaborators who have day jobs during the week and during the weekend, selflessly reach out to children’s groups, teaching them the basics of growing crops and how to sow seed or propagate using cuttings.
The impact of gardening projects to supplement food supplies at children’s care centres or schools is often underestimated and can effectively address communal food shortages. We are geared with special gardening teams who can design and develop new or upgrade existing gardens overnight. If there is a vacant site or piece of land you would like converted into a vegetable garden to supply close-by schools or old-age homes with food, contact us for a quote.
AgricultSURE regards communal household vegetable gardens as the backbone of a resilient food security program. The COVID-19 epidemic grossly exposed the high level of food insecurity faced by many households across the country. Since households were forced to be homebound for long periods, they soon discovered that food security starts at home. The long queues lining up to get a food parcel were eminent.
At AgricultSURE, we regard ourselves and our partners as the ‘No. 1 go-to party’ regarding guidance and assistance on food security solutions for households and communities. Across South Africa and neighbouring SADC countries, there exists a large contact base of community development agents and government departments actively involved in supporting food production initiatives. We take pride working alongside them to address food insecurity at all fronts across the sub-continent.
AgricultSURE presents various solutions ranging from rolling out regional and local assessments to determine the viability of crop production programs or by offering a range of standard or custom packed starter packs containing essential quality crop input (like seed, fertilizer and IPM) and effective application equipment and gardening utensils such as the Hippo-roller. If you are part of a community and want to take your level of food production to a next level, be sure to contact us.
AgricultSURE works closely with various mining groups on the sub-continent to develop and implement agricultural small holder farmer projects on rehabilitated mining land. A holistic approach is followed to ensure that regenerative farming practices are applied, which starts with procuring the natural sustainability of the environment and by applying biodiversity values to monitor the ecological sensitivity of an area. Participating farmers are trained to understand delicate balances in nature and on how to farm by incorporating synergistic symbiotic opportunities like apiculture (bee-keeping) alongside pollinating dependent crops and to apply a very skilful approach on managing insect activity instead of trying to create an insect or pest free environment.
In principle the mining of minerals is a common and shared practice which is applied both in the case of industrial mining and farming, it is only the end product and depth of excavation which varies. We focus on applying an approach of regenerating biologic and organic balances by restoring soil micro-organism activity since soil microbes are essential to break down minerals in formats which can be absorbed by plant roots as food. Soils lacking extensive microbe activity can simply not optimally support vegetation and animal activity in sustainable ways. Small holder farmers are ideally positioned to apply essential mechanisms to their more confined farming habitat, if they are guided and trained with the right focus.
AgricultSURE has a unique approach which includes programs where custom packed essential crop input containing starter packs (such as seed, fertilizer and IPM) are widely offered in combination with training programmes to communities staying next to former mining sites. Also, in cases where land has been rehabilitated after mine excavation, this program is used to introduce communities to viable crop production and related trading techniques. In some cases, we are approached when communities have been challenged without having access to notable resources to earn a living of their land, which may have led to illicit activity such as sourcing state or mining infrastructure for recycling. By offering simple low cost/high output vegetable seed starter pack solutions, backed by training and support, aspiring growers can be turned into farmers in one season and make an impact by addressing food insecurity and bringing about local socio-economic stability.
AgricultSURE, a South African small-scale farmer developer, joined forces with Laeveld Agrochem for the popular televised Niche Farmers series. Airing since August 2022, the series showcases local up-and-coming farmers using innovative methods for food production. It features diverse farming enterprises, from hydroponic rooftops to greenhouses, highlighting the entrepreneurial spirit of South African farmers.
AgricultSURE and Laeveld Agrochem hope that Niche Farmers will inspire others to start their agri-businesses, promoting a wide range of food production opportunities for universal food security in the country and region. The series also emphasizes the significance of commercial farming and creating jobs in the agricultural industry. AgricultSURE collaborates with small-scale farmers and community gardening projects to implement sustainable projects across the region.
