The Foundation for Human Rights proudly launches the Growing Food for Life initiative with 19 organisations across seven provinces, as a further angle of contribution towards fostering a society grounded in justice and equality. This initiative is part of our Community Engagement Programme and our commitment to supporting marginalised South African communities, with an emphasis on women and youth, to realise the right to sustainable access to food. We support partner organisations in a three-year journey of theory-based learning with practical components that include access to markets, networking and exchanging skills with others.
The Growing Food for Life initiative adopts a partner-driven, and community-centric approach, tailored to address difficulties such as climate inequality, water insecurity, Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) and economic dependency. Zaid Kimmie, the Executive Director of FHR reflects that “In this 16 Days of Activism Against GBVF, FHR is pleased to launch this initiative because it seeks to address women’s economic dependency and communities finding their power and resilience through the sustainable agroecology projects that can have a long-term impact.”Mamashoabathe Noko, the Community Engagement Programme Manager, highlights the initiative’s commitment to inclusivity and capacity strengthening, stating, “Through GF4L, we offer a platform for broad community participation, accountability, non-discrimination, and resilient community power. Communities engage in dialogue to address challenges that hinder the realization of constitutionally guaranteed rights, while also growing food.”
The Growing Food for Life Programme operates on a model rooted in knowledge and skills exchange, particularly in the fields of agroecology and food production. This model not only supports economic resilience with partners but also facilitates their ability to sustain themselves through eco-projects, with a focus on long-term sustainability. Noko emphasises, “This model offers an opportunity to enhance the capacity of our partners, encouraging self-reliance and resilience through their pursuit of food production and sustainability.”
A pivotal aspect of the programme is the promotion of cross-pollination, networking, and collaboration among partners spanning provinces. By encouraging the sharing of experiences and knowledge exchange, the initiative aims to build a robust network of partners dedicated to advancing agroecology and food sovereignty, collaboratively. Presently, our agroecology partnerships span seven provinces—Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Western Cape, North West, and Free State—through grants that aim to enhance agency and resilience towards achieving food sovereignty.