Food production through efficient urban agriculture including hydroponics and aquaponics

Snapshot Solution

by Matthew Koehorst, Siyakhana Growth and Development NPO

Siyakhana works towards financial self-sufficiency through a social-enterprise model

Evans Muchesa

The Siyakhana Food Garden, our flagship project, is regarded as one of the most successful urban food gardens in the wider Johannesburg metropole, as well as a hallmark of intersectoral collaboration. This is largely because of its mission to make far-reaching impacts at local, provincial, and national levels. It is not simply a garden; it also serves as a platform for other activities that address the following five key objectives:

Improving the availability of a wide variety of good and nutritious food;
Conducting relevant and appropriate action-research that is influencing policy and strategies;
Offering training to develop capacity among emerging leaders in the area of food gardens and sustainable livelihoods;
Engaging in advocacy and networking activities; and
Achieving financial sustainability through a self-funding social entrepreneurship model.

Our aims are to:

Address food and nutrition security;
Promote public and environmental health;
Enhance entrepreneurship; and
Support and enable sustainable smallholder enterprises.

Last update: 01 Feb 2021

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Contexto

Défis à relever

Lack of access to long-term funding

Lack of alternative income opportunities

Changes in socio-cultural context

Lack of food security

Unemployment / poverty

Scale of implementation

Local

Ecosystems

Green spaces (parks, gardens, urban forests)

Tema

Cities and infrastructure

Food security

Health and human wellbeing

Sustainable livelihoods

Local actors

Outreach & communications

Standards/ certification

Ubicación

Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

East and South Africa

Impacts

The SGD and Siyakhana Organic Food Garden (SOFG) are recipients of prestigious awards:

The SGD was awarded the most innovative and promising locally led eco-inclusive enterprises
in developing and emerging economies prize from the SEED AWARD 2019.
The SOFG was awarded the best innovative project and community-based project prize by the Gauteng Department of Agriculture in 2011.

Our work also furthers the following skills and activities:

Knowledge and skills transfer and building capacity especially amongst black women and youth;
Job creation;
Stimulation of local economies;
Building future leadership across the spectrum of the food value chain; and
Relevant research that informs policy and strategic interventions.

We have established many food gardens in several settings promoting dietary diversity. This is a direct and effective way to enhance food availability, accessibility and affordability.

Area of land farmed: 2.4 ha

Number of people included in the program: 7 permanent and 6 casuals

Amount of food grown: c. 6.4 tonnes per annum