Over 12 million South Africans are unsure where their next meal will come from, but thanks to OneFarm Share, so many people across the country have received a meal since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown.
In fact, this amazing initiative funded by Standard Bank and partnered with HelloChoice (a digital agri-trade platform) and FoodForward (a beneficiary network), provided 28 million meals to more than 1 million South Africans to help aid in hunger relief and food security around the country, Business Insider reports.
The OneFarm Platform was first launched in Uganda in August 2019 but then made its debut in South Africa through OneFarm Share “as a result of the food crisis caused by COVID-19 lockdowns and to help with sustainability of farming operations in the country,” Standard Bank expresses.
As a platform that extends beyond distributing food, OneFarm Share is all about stimulating the economy and helping to recreate markets for farmers who may have lost their traditional markets due to the impact of lockdown measures or beyond.
OneFarm Share therefore brings all role players together under a single digital platform where needs can be identified and addressed, Lungisa Fuzile, Standard Bank South Africa Chief Executive explains.
“The OneFarm Share platform aims to collate food requests from registered charity organisations and list them on an online marketplace. The requests are then matched to available produce listed by farmers and food producers. The food is made accessible to beneficiary organisations at a reduced cost or as a donation and the platform facilitates the smooth delivery of the right produce, to the right place, at the lowest possible cost,” Standard Bank mentions.
“The OneFarm Share initiative is not simply about providing hunger relief and reducing food wastage. It is also about stimulating the economy and helping to recreate markets for farmers who may have lost their traditional markets due to the impact of lockdown measures or beyond. Many have been unable to recover. The platform gives them an opportunity to sell produce in a way that they may not have had access to previously: to a structure that supports the vulnerable in our society. We are excited about the enormous potential that OneFarm Share has to ensure the sustainability of agriculture and reduce the problem of hunger on the continent,” Fuzile concludes.
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