The vegetable project at the Noga’s Post settlement outside Thaba’Nchu in the Free State, which was undertaken by the community, Kgosi (queen) Gaboilelwe Moroka, AfriForum and Saai, recently produced 800 kg of onions. This harvest was sold in nearby villages and to schools, while some of the onions were also donated to persons with disabilities and the elderly in the community. The money collected through the sale of this crop is used to buy inputs for the next planting cycle, while it also produced an income for those involved. The community members were also proud that they were able to donate some of the onions to Kgosi Gaboilelwe and Mohumagadi (queen mother) Gaongalelwe Moroka.
Kgosi Gaboilelwe (the then head woman of Noga’s Post), the community members, AfriForum and Saai kicked off this agricultural development project at Noga’s Post in 2020. The vegetable garden of approximately 0,75 hectares was moved closer to the community, fenced, and equipped with a borehole and a solar-powered drip irrigation system, as it was originally without irrigation and was located far from the community, across a stream that made access impossible after heavy rains.
Although the garden is designed and equipped as a communal garden, the relevant community members are the owners of and responsible for specific beds within the garden. This model, in which individual ownership is taken but there is still collaboration and support from experts, is part of the success of the project.
“Agricultural development is a key part of our plan to improve the living conditions of the Barolong Boo Seleka cultural community. I am very proud of this community, which takes ownership and works with such perseverance to create a future for themselves. It is gratifying to see our communities within our kingdom have heeded the call to utilize constructive support, reject victimhood, and taking their future into their own hands,” says Kgosi Gaboilelwe Moroka, Kgosi of the Barolong Boo Seleka cultural community.
“Acquiring income through the sale of products from the project is an important step in the community members’ journey to self-reliance. It is a privilege to work with community members who take ownership and work with commitment to improve their living conditions,” says Nantes Kelder, National Project Coordinator of Intercultural Relations and Cooperation at AfriForum.
“Saai’s involvement in agricultural development projects like this focuses on the mechanisation, modernisation, and commercialisation of small scale farming. It is truly fulfilling to see how the community grows and progresses on the journey to commercialisation,” says Leon Lourens, Development Coordinator at Saai.
“There is a lot of unused, agricultural land with great potential available in the communal and rural areas in the country, but at the same time there is a significant lack of financing and expert support for agricultural development projects. This is where AfriForum and Saai step in to collaborate with traditional leaders and their communities to make a positive impact at grassroots level, where it is most needed,” says Barend Uys, Head of Intercultural Relations and Cooperation at AfriForum.
“Joint projects like this, which are undertaken on the basis of mutual recognition and respect, also establish mutual understanding, good relations and cooperation which are essential to ensure a free, safe and prosperous future for all cultural communities here at the southern tip of Africa,” concludes Uys.
