On 12 September, the City of Cape Town officials—the mayor, and the Provincial Department of Agriculture ward councillors for sub 12, 13 and 17—participated in the launch of the new Philippi Agri-Hub together with representatives from the City’s Economic Growth Portfolio Committee.
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The Ward Development Forum in Philippi has made a contribution to the establishment and opening of the Agri-Hub, which will benefit all operations within the Philippi economy.
“There are very few things in government that have the power to both offer possibilities for economic growth on one hand and help safeguard liveability, sustainability and resilience on the other. Urban green space is one of these rare things. The Philippi Agri-Hub is a shining example of how urban green space can be put to use in helping to alleviate poverty through jobs, and contributing to food security and resilience in the face of climate change,” said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
- Picture: Geordin Hill-Lewis
The Philippi Agri-Hub’s main goal is to establish a satellite people’s market, close to sources of agriculture, and for the best socio-economic gain while serving the province’s food security needs.
The new establishment is a result of the need to support small-scale and emerging farmers from across the City and provincial areas.
CEO of the Philippi Economic Development Initiative (PEDI), Thomas Swana, said the market, which was developed some 17 years ago, would now operate as originally intended.
U Can Grow Africa has established a database of over 1 000 small-scale farmers within a 150-kilometre radius of Philippi, where previously the community had no hub to trade on a larger scale until now.
Retail giant Shoprite has approved the application for PEDI to supply the produce traded at the Philippi Agri-Hub by the small-scale farmers in the U Can Grow Africa database.
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