Durban — The KwaZulu-Natal government empowers township farmers to grow local economies through an agricultural programme.
The comprehensive agricultural programme is designed to stimulate the township economy, so crops will now replace flowers in some township gardens.
The Township Agriculture Programme aims to eliminate hunger while growing the township economy.
On Tuesday, in KwaMashu, KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube led the launch of Township Agriculture, an initiative designed to ensure food accessibility and security through innovative techniques.
Dube-Ncube was accompanied by KZN Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Super Zuma.
The programme will be rolled out in major townships where households will be provided with broilers, farming containers and tunnels, seeds, seedlings and expertise.
Dube-Ncube and Zuma visited several households to assess progress on projects that have started, and to provide implements.
Dube-Ncube said the Township Agriculture programme would eliminate hunger while growing the economy.
“This programme aims to teach township residents that they can use innovative ways to grow healthy and nutritious crops to avert high food prices.
“Apart from alleviating hunger, the Township Agriculture programme also aims to create jobs which will grow the provincial economy,” Dube-Ncube said.
Zuma encouraged the youth to be part of township farming communities as the soil was guaranteed to create sustainable wealth.
In addition, the KZN government embarked on a massive rabies awareness campaign to prevent unnecessary deaths.
The KZN Department of Agriculture and Rural Development revealed that since January 2023, the province has recorded 233 rabies cases and seven human deaths. In total 17 people have died of rabies with the majority of the deaths occurring in eThekwini.
Pet owners brought their animals to be vaccinated and to be taught precautionary measures that could save many lives.
Zuma encouraged pet owners to vaccinate their pets and take responsibility for learning how to treat bite wounds.
He also urged residents to work with the department to ensure officials were safe in townships as they often became crime victims.
“It is difficult to penetrate most areas because of crime. Continuous hijackings have resulted in loss of personnel and where animals are unvaccinated, human lives are at risk.
“There is a myth that the rabies vaccine kills, but I can assure you that all the vaccine does is to prevent human deaths,” Zuma said.
Dube-Ncube encouraged the community to bring dogs and cats to be vaccinated and inspected.
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