A humanitarian aspect to the AAVF in Africa:

 

We feel that any initiative in Africa will necessarily involve a humanitarian aspect. Prior to the conference, we set up a site visit to a project in Bushbuckridge, near Kruger National Park. After a 5-hour drive to the east of Johannesburg, we arrived at Ebenezer Welfare Supporting & Caring Organization, which provides support services and live-in care for disabled seniors and orphans in an impoverished community. They have a substantial tract of land that is being cultivated using traditional methods. But they have identified this land as an underutilized source of wealth generation for their project.

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On this land, we see an opportunity to combine many of the tenets of urban agriculture, including resource conservation, sustainable agricultural practices, youth and female empowerment, and poverty uplift. By bringing in a technology partner and expert from our newly-formed network in Johannesburg, we aim to install innovative growing methods that will help Ebenezer became financially sustainable. If we can prove a successful case here, other members of our network will be able to use this success as proof of the viability of these new forms of agriculture, thereby helping them to secure funding for themselves.

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Stay tuned for updates from Ebenezer and other AAVF currently running community projects.