30 October 2020 | Fatima Sookharia
The Covid pandemic has had a destructive effect on our economy. People in many parts of SA are restless as bellies go hungry. People have lost their jobs as the lockdown hit hard and have desperately sought assistance to keep their families from starving.
It is here that the Salaam Foundation team looked at moving towards a sustainability projects in helping the most vulnerable. Agriculture and growing food as a means of survival seemed like the most viable option in assisting people out of poverty.
The idea of a Farm in the City was born and very soon thereafter a farming project followed where a piece of barren land was rented out with the idea of turning it into a flourishing farm in the heart of Robertsham, Johannesburg with the intent of providing wholesome, healthy produce for those most in need.
Through the peak of the pandemic, our small team worked hard at turning this vision into a working reality.
Within a four-month period, the Salaam Foundation team have managed to turn it into a functional, productive farm. The Farm in the City is home to 6 greenhouse tunnels which are 12 meters long, a farm stall and a garden around the premises. A borehole that has been dug sees to the water requirements needed to bring life to the plants. To maximize on space of just 850 m2 we are farming organically on the ground and vertically in hydroponic systems.
Inside our tunnels, we have an organic and hydroponic range of a variety of crops which include beetroot, kale, carrots, cabbage, a variety of spinach, coriander and fenugreek to name a few.
The portion of our produce that is sold goes back into the foundation to sustainably cover the running costs of the foundation and assist in our various other projects.
This farm has already fed families in need with harvests of fresh, healthy produce. 75 kg of Chinese cabbage was distributed as part of our first distribution. Other distributions of Spinach and cauliflower followed as produce of a substantial amount became available.
The 850m plot of our Farm in the City, is limiting in that, despite our best efforts, only small amounts can be grown. The amount of produce that is grown here is simply not enough.
As our appetite for this farming project is grows, we begin to see the benefit of what the fruits of these harvests can do. We would like to take this farming project to the next level.
A farm in the Free State province measuring 37 hectares of land has been identified. We would like to turn this land into productive vegetation that will feed the hungry and alleviate some of the poverty that exists in our country.
Help us to secure and establish this land.
Salaam Foundation
FNB
6266 914 7665
Branch 250 737
Ref: Farm + Name ( lillah /Sadaqah)
18 A certificates available on request
