Our venturing into the sustainable agriculture domain was initiated by a young man who gave up the (safe) corporate life to become a “green entrepreneur” - Louis-Gillis Janse van Rensburg.  He started off in the field of aquaponics; then ventured on into the world of (conventional) hydroponics and eventually developed an Africanised hybrid hydroponics system called the “African Grower”.  This technology has formed the backbone of our recent socio-economic development projects in townships and rural villages in South Africa. We wish here to provide a quick overview of our initiatives in this realm over the last 3 years.

The African Grower technology was first deployed in the so-called “townships” on the Cape Flats area and the first initiative was started in Philipi at the community centre of the Sakhulwazi Women’s Co-op (Western Cape Province).  Below pictures show Louis-Gillis with Mama Rose and some of the African Grower installations on these premises. (A similar installation was done in Khayelitsha - the biggest township on the Flats.)

 

 

 

 

 

We have done installations for the South African National Defence Force to train their Reserve Force Members in the art of home-gardening at a useful skill in times of peace!  Installations and training was done in Bloemfontein (Free State Province) and Barberton (Mpumalanga Province).  Some images reflect the soldiers’ enthusiasm.

 

 

 

 

 

Gold Youth deployed our technology to provide enterprise opportunities to the “graduates” from their peer-education program after leaving school.  The first installation was in the Masoyi community near Hazyview in the Mpumalanga Province.

 

 

 

 

During the latter half of a COVID-challenged 2020, we implemented a research facility in Polokwane (Limpopo Province) with professor Roumiana Nikolovo of the University of Limpopo.  She has been achieving amazing success with a wide range of crops in her mini-tunnel as can be seen below left.  We also implemented a facility with 3L in Kimberley to enable Community Works Programme members to set up successful home-grower networks - right below. We lost a dear friend when the CEO of 3L fell victim to the COVID-19 virus.

 

 

 

 

 

We have been partnering with the Mr Price Foundation in Durban (Kwa-Zulu Natal Province) where both the technology (conservation agriculture and Information and Communication Technology - ICTs) as well as the deployment model are refined and tested extensively to ensure sustainability and scalability.

 

 

 

The success and ease of use of the vertical growing technology even inspired a team from Mr Price (Clothing) - under leadership of their MD - to venture high into the mountains of Lesotho to enable the highest home-growers in Africa currently using the African Grower technology platform.

 

 

 

 

 

An initial facility was set up for PWC in Midrand (Gauteng Province) during February 2021 and the initial results are reason for great joy and optimism - as can be seen below.

 

 

 

 

The successes of the African Grower technology and approach has also inspired the custodians of the famous Ndlovu Youth Choir - the Ndlovu Care Group - to install the biggest collection of African Grower tunnels near Groblersdal (Mpumalanga Province) to date and the community is marveling at the results - as is the progressive team in Sharpeville at the - then notorious - 1960’s police station who are busy beating swords into plowshares!