Enhancing Farmer Capacity in order to facilitate market orientation and Organic Farming. Project Co-coordinator Mr Yasier Gabriels

Transcription

1 Enhancing Farmer Capacity in order to facilitate market orientation and Organic Farming Project Co-coordinator Mr Yasier Gabriels

2 Pilot Project Report Name of Project: Enhancing Farmer Capacity in order to facilitate market orientation and Organic Farming Project Location: Phillipi area, Cape Town, South Africa Implementation Period: May 2008 to December 2008 (although this is part of a larger poverty alleviation urban agriculture project that is on-going) Total Budget: R8 million (approx euro) RUAF Contribution: R (approx euro) Name of the coordinator and name, postal address, tel/fax of the coordinating organization: Applicant: Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) Address: P.O Box 42870, Schaapkraal, Philippi Horticultural Area Ottery Republic of South Africa Telephone: Fax Project Co-coordinator: Mr Yasier Gabriels Address: yasierg@mjc.org.za Mobile:

3 Project Summary The pilot project is part of a bigger multi-year project called the poverty alleviation project (PAP). This is an anchor project of the Muslim Judicial Council Poverty Eradication Project. PAP was established to explore and exploit the opportunity in the agriculture sector for food, security job creation and wealth creation for the poor and marginalized. PAP, through a public engagement process mobilized the non-farmer landowners of the Philippi Horticultural Area, where the project is located. Our express commitment is to utilize their fallow land in an organized and multidisciplinary manner and to bring it under production. A key product of the process was the establishment of Agricultural Resource Information Centre (AgRIC) that will facilitate an enabling environment for the sustainable human development. Since its inception in 2006 the AgRIC has evolved into a significant instrument for social and economic transformation in the agricultural sector. The AgRIC is directly linked to a government built and owned fresh produce market which requires the evolution of 2500 new farmers to produce from 5000 hectares of land. The AgRIC is currently training a batch of 14 emerging farmers on 4 hectare of land. The emerging farmers produce is directly sold to the market. The Pilot project is not a stand-alone project but an auxiliary to the AgRIC. The pilot project complements the capacity of the AgRIC to help fulfill its mandate to the beneficiaries and deepen the quality of benefit. 2.1 Key problems The emerging farmer produce is destined for the market directly from the ground. As it will take some time before the quality of their produce and economies of scale can compete with that of the established commercial farmers, their return from their sales will remain minimal. One of the negative consequences of this situation is that agriculture will not be an attractive economic activity for the marginalized communities nor will it be a viable career option for the youth. Furthermore the trainee farmers face a major challenge in establishing new markets and making sustained profits with produce that has not been graded, packed or preserved before marketing.

4 2.2 Proposal The pilot project proposed the following attachment/expansion to the AgRIC: Construction of a cold room Construction of a facility for sorting, grading and packing Branding of the produce coming from the AgRIC Programme Establishing the first batch of 14 emerging farmers into a legal entity such as a co-operative Contracting the services of an experienced farmer as a mentor Introducing a strong nutrition and organic component to the training Introducing an outreach programme in order to quickly reach out more than the initially trained 14 farmers Implementing Organizations Organization Contribution Department of Agriculture 9 year crop production research on PAP Farm Training, farming skills/methods Mechanization center (tractor +accessories Department of Social R4.1 million over three years Development City of Cape Town Farming tools and accessories Department of Labour Funded skills training Philippi Fresh Produce Market Purchaser of produce from emerging farmers Labour Job Creation Trust Funding of infrastructure establishment of AgRIC Landorf Nurseries Provision of seedlings to AgRIC Provision of land on lease for crop production Landowners RUAF Skills training in safe use of urban organic wastes

5 Funding of nutrition training for farmers Funding of an outreach programme by farmers to community gardens Outputs and Results Achieved The project sought to achieve the following objectives: Introduce a strong nutrition and organic training component to the 10 emerging farmers Enhance the 10 farmers capacity to sort, pack, and brand produce for the market Train the farmers practically through a farmer mentorship programme Reach out to 50 other low income producers through a farmer to farmer outreach programme Results The 14 farmers received intensive training on organic farming. They were able to practice what they were taught as they implemented the concepts on the land. The following extract from the Impact Monitoring report also further demonstrate the outcome of the training: When asked about how the training has helped them, the farmers agreed that the training was beneficial. Some of their responses include: The training on farming gave us knowledge. I learnt how to plant and I like to plant. When we started, it was good to get training, as other farmers use fertilizers and we don t, because we use organic methods. In order to introduce farmers to packing, sorting, and grading, a pack shed was constructed at the pilot project site. The farmers received training and are packing, sorting, and grading produce for the market. The 14 farmers

6 are also sharing in the benefits from the produce coming out of the farm as they are undergoing training. In an interview with the project coordinator, it was indicated that the farmers each received R2000 from their share of the produce in November Some members of the Cape Town team pose in front of the pack shed constructed with funds from the RUAF CFF Project at the pilot project site The farmer mentorship programme has been on-going since July The farmers were exposed to a practical mentorship training whereby they received hands-on tuition from an experienced farmer. The outreach programme started rather late in the project duration. Due to the late implementation of the pilot, the capacity to reach out by the 14 farmers was only achieved after three months of training. The project implementors then decided that it was going to benefit more farmers if the reached out to community gardens rather than individual farmers. The following farmers benefited and continue to benefit from the farmer outreach training and support:

7 Name of Group Male Farmers Female Farmers Nonkululeko, Gugulethu 2 9 Siyazakha, Langa 0 6 Kwakanye, Langa 2 1 Zenihlale, Gugulethu 3 7 TOTAL 7 23 Other Positive Outcomes Interviewed individual farmers reported significant increase in incomes and nutritional status. The following excerpts from the Impact Monitoring Reports demonstrate these positive outcomes: Increased Incomes When asked whether their household financial situation was better, worse or the same in October as it was in September, all 10 interviewed farmers said that their household financial situation was better in October. Many said that it was much better. Some of the farmers responses to this question are as follows: It was much better in October, as I earned R1000 instead of R740 and I could send more money to my mother. It was better in October, because in September there were days when we were without food and we had to ask others for help. But in October, it was better and we had food. It was much better in October, because I was able to pay for more things. My income was slightly more in October, but my usual expenses were the same, so I could spoil myself. Giving Away Vegetables A practice that seems fairly common amongst people who practice Urban Agriculture is the giving away of vegetables to others in the community. Of the 10 farmers interviewed, 5 gave away some vegetables during October that they got from the MJC farm. These vegetables were given to the farmers neighbours, friends and relatives living in other households. Improved Access to productive resources: During the focus group held with all 14 MJC farmers in October, the farmers were asked whether the project provides them with any resources to enable them to

8 farm and, if so, what resources are provided. All 14 farmers agreed that the project does indeed provide them with productive resources. The resources that they have access to through the project are: Land Water Seeds Compost Tools Tractor The farmers agreed that these resources are easily accessible and that the project allows them to make use of whichever items they feel they need when they need them. In this way, the project has indeed provided the farmers with resources that they can use in order to successfully produce outputs and generate income. Farmers work at the training centre at MJC as part of the hands-on training Explications The factors that have influenced the achievement of the results are varied and include the following: Close monitoring by the other stakeholders in the city including the City of Cape Town, partner NGOs, University of Cape Town, and support from the regional RUAF team.

9 Practical benefits received by the farmers through stipends, farm produce, benefit sharing, and satisfaction through increased knowledge and capabilities Moral support from recent developments in the region that have raised the profile of UA such as the recent food riots, and the setting up of complimentary bodies such as the Southern Africa Urban Food Security Project Availability of additional resources through the city council, government departments, and NGOs. The pilot project dovetailed into the City of Cape Town urban agriculture policy that seeks to practically support the emergence of farmers from merely subsistence to a level of market orientation. It also motivated the establishment and regular meeting of the multi-stakeholder forum on UA in the Phillipi area. The pilot project has also motivated the finalization of the UA Strategic Agenda that has been prepared by the stakeholders and discussed by the forum. Monitoring The results were monitored at three levels. At the first level, the implementing organization was supposed to submit monthly progress reports to the regional RUAF team and to the Cape Town team. At the second level the Cape Town team and the RUAF team periodically visited the pilot project site in order to verify progress reports. At the third and more technical and rigorous level, a consultant from University of Cape Town did the Impact Monitoring. Of the three, the third level of Impact Monitoring was the most effective and regular. The consultant was contracted and paid by RUAF and was therefore under obligation. The report also appears the most objective since it was purely scientific in approach and was independent. Gender and the pilot project The project contributed to increasing the equality of opportunities for men and women. In all activities it was made clear that gender had to be considered and therefore deliberate measures would be taken to address male and female issues. The men that were involved in the project whether as beneficiaries or implementors especially benefited as they were exposed to the RUAF gender checklist and learnt to consider equally men and women and their specific issues. The project has also assisted Cape Town men to begin to realize that UA can be productive and beneficial therefore is not just a women s issue. Sustainability and Replicability of Results The pilot project is sustainable. It fed into an existing project that was already well-conceived and well-thought out. It is well supported by organizations that are

10 well established and are mandated to drive and support agriculture. Government is heavily involved through the Department of Agriculture that is leading the technical side of the project. The City of Cape Town is also strongly involved and sees this as a way of practically implementing their UA policy. There is land that will be allocated the trained farmers and support from the resource centre is ongoing. All these factors will therefore make this project sustainable beyond RUAF. Government and other partners in Cape Town are already involved providing additional equipment and resources to the project. This tractor was provided by government The results can also be replicated. Already the MJC is recruiting other farmers to be trained once the current trainees have graduated and move onto their land. The city is already considering setting up another farmer agriculture resource centre with relevant government departments. The organic farming movement is gaining moment spearheaded by some members of the MSF. The outreach to farmers is already being conducted by Abalimi and therefore should also expand. The project results will therefore be certain to be replicated. Finances The whole RUAF budget of Euro was disbursed and has been used up. The financial report is being finalized by the project implementors.