PRESS RELEASE 16 May 2002
URBAN AGRICULTURE SUMMIT POINTS WAY AHEAD FOR CITY
A summit held recently at the Medical Research Council Conference Centre in Parow has resulted in consensus on recommendations for the formulation of a policy and development framework for urban agricultural activities within the boundaries of the City of Cape Town.
Those attending included agricultural experts, officials from provincial and national government, urban farmers and representatives from the city’s Economic Development, Tourism and Property Management Portfolio, as well as urban agricultural representatives from Vredendal, Wupperthal and Tshwane.
One of the most apparent issues highlighted is that agricultural activity in one form or another is entrenched as a source of income and food in the urban environment. Furthermore, the majority of those involved are from previously disadvantaged and impoverished communities, and that special attention and assistance from the city and its partners is urgently required.
This paves the way for the formulation of an urban agriculture policy and development framework for the City of Cape Town that will be implemented to assist such communities towards greater empowerment and self-sufficiency. This would include the means of gaining access to specific resources, such as land, water, finance, farming skills and business training, extension services, infrastructure and public facilities, such as security against theft of produce.
It was agreed that a number of prime opportunities existed to get the process of urban agricultural renewal and development rolling in the unicity. This included the recommendation of a permanent post for a knowledgeable official to specifically focus on the interests and needs of both the city and its urban farmers.
The opportunities included making available certain parcels of land around public facilities, the use of treated effluent water from public plants, access to a global urban farming database and urgent support for existing successful service providers and NGO projects to ensure rapid implementation and assimilation into the bigger development strategy.
"I believe that a huge opportunity awaits us in the urban agricultural sector," said Executive Committee Member for Economic Development, Tourism and Property Management for the City of Cape Town, Councillor Kent Morkel.
"As responsible local government, we believe that we have a vital leadership role to play in forming partnerships with other public and private sector role-players to provide the mechanisms necessary to empower the urban farmer.
"This will, in turn, help to create a more dynamic development sector that will in time make a significant socio-economic contribution to the alleviation of poverty, the creation of employment opportunities and community development."
An important recommendation was that this summit should be repeated next year and take on the form of an urban agricultural festival to showcase this economically active sector.
Urban Agriculture Unit Coordinator for the City of Cape Town, Stanley Visser, sees the recent summit meeting as the first step in a long process of renewal for urban farmers.
"We are getting to understand many of the potentials inherent in the urban agriculture sector as it currently exists within the boundaries of our city," said Visser. "Now we need to bring other role-players on board to help us make this a viable and self-sustaining entity, where these urban farmers will in time develop within their communities to become self-sustaining role-models for similar communities across Africa and around the world."
The University of the Western Cape conducted an official evaluation of the summit, the results of which will be released soon.
____________________________________________________________________