Container Growing - Pilot

Aim: Provide a grounding to students to enable them to deal with pests and diseases, understand compost and soil biology, seedling growing and the environment.
Growing Environment: Container growing for use on roof-tops, parking areas, unfarmable land and abandoned buildings.
Training type: Practical & Theoretical
Modules: 10, Agriseta & AgriWise
Students: 50
Duration: 3 Months & ongoing mentorship.
Outcome: Project completed on time, pending expansion to 5 other sites across the country and increased to 200 people.

Agripreneur Development

Aim: Full entrepreneur development.
Help unemployed, untrained young people, showcase numerous opportunities, train and guide them onto starting their own business with the Agricultural sector.
Growing Environment: Varied; Market Garden, Hydroponics, Aquaculture, Mushrooms, Micro greens and Support service businesses.
Training type: Practical & Theoretical
Modules: Agriseta & AgriWise, but no certificates issued. Success measured by the number of businesses started and still in business 12 months later.
Students: 220
Duration: 24 months
Outcome: Ongoing, numerous business still operating and now supplying a national chain.

United Nations Development Program

Aim: Inspire and introduce High density growing, No-till, Water conscious methods and alternative crop models.
Each site to receive tools, equipment and consumables to continue growing.
Growing Environment: Varied; Market Garden, Aquaculture,
Training type: Practical.
Modules: No formal classes, practical onsite training, with tasks to be completed by next visits. Telephone support 24/7.
Students: 200. Older, some people with disabilities and some experience, from 600 initially engaged across 12 locations, in 6 provinces.
Duration: 6 months
Outcome: All sites established food growing. Some of the niche models became too difficult to manage without onsite assistance. In hind-site, without ongoing access & assistance, the models need to be kept simple.

Community Training Pilot

Aim: Trained Trainers to run their own programs
Growing Environment: Market Garden
Training type: Practical, Short courses
Modules: In class lectures, note taking.
Students: Varied ages & genders. Invited guests and community leaders attending, to take back to own community. Each class no bigger than 30.
Duration: 1 day courses
Outcome: Community members from other regions, visiting new areas.
The cross-cultural, multi-national interaction broke down barriers and contributed towards social-cohesion and tolerance.

Youth Service Program

Aim: Introduce & train young people to work in Agriculture
Growing Environment: Market Garden
Training type: Practical & Theory
Modules: 50% in class lectures, 50% practicals
Students: 230. 18 - 34 years old, 80% young women. Five locations across Gauteng.
Duration: 6 Months
Outcome: 80% retention, with some going on to becoming trainers and remained on site

Aim: Transform unused Church land into productive gardens.
Growing Environment: Market Garden
Training type: Practical
Modules: None, on site practical work.
Students: 25. Residents and volunteers from the area.
Duration: 6 weeks, clearing, then growing.
Outcome: Highly productive area developed, became the blueprint for all other sites. Ongoing.

Market Garden Development

Aim: Scale the small pilot into full blown Commercial operation
Growing Environment: Afriponics
Location: Chivhu, Zimbabwe
Training type: None. Commercial operation.
Modules: Non, in-job training.
Students: Approx 20 workers completed the project, with 4 remaining to work onsite.
Duration: 6 months to build, 6 months operation.
Outcome: Once built we collated a full 6 months of growing and data & off-take with Pick n Pay and Food Lovers Market.

Commercial Afriponics - Zimbabwe