She set up the Tafelsig Community Action Network (CAN) soon after lockdown in March, to bolster the efforts of her Change Champions who were running food kitchens to help feed an already financially stressed community.

But now she’s branched off into helping residents grow their own food, through a partnership with social enterprise outfit Organic Earth Solutions.

Jeremy Rezant, CEO of Organic Earth Solutions, said he saw Joanie’s Facebook plea to the government to help its starving citizens, and the accompanying song What about the People by Craig Lucas and Marc Lottering.

“This really touched me, and in my heart I knew that we needed to do something,” he said.

The pilot project was deployed threefold, involving a micro-farm of 60 kits at Child Welfare SA in Tarka and multi-kit installations at a church and also at a crèche. Also, 30 household kits were spread across KwaNonqaba, D’Almeida, Joe Slovo and Luthuli.

The pilot project was deployed threefold, involving a micro-farm of 60 kits at Child Welfare SA in Tarka, multi-kit installations at a church and crèche, as well as 30 household kits spread across KwaNonqaba, D’Almeida, Joe Slovo and Luthuli.

In partnering with social enterprise, Agri Urb, which specialises in the upliftment of communities through innovative, sustainable agricultural development and production, 60 micro-farming kits were installed in Mossel Bay over the weekend.

As part of a vertical urban farming pilot, households in Joe Slovo and Luthuli Villages, D’Almeida, KwaNonqaba were given a fresh start.

In Mossel Bay, Child Welfare realised the extent of the crisis early – in March – as the national state of disaster saw South Africa going into a hard lockdown, forcing communities further into poverty, affecting their nutrition.

In partnering with social enterprise, Seed 2 Harvest which specialises in the upliftment of

Since we can’t shake hands, let’s rub elbows! From left to right: Cameron Dugmore (ANC MPL in the Western Cape) with Councillor Jovan Bruinders (Mossel Bay Town Council), Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Alvin Botes, Michael Karelse (Child Welfare SA) and Shaun Cairns (Agri Urb CEO) during a visit to the pilot project.

In partnering with social enterprise, Agri Urb, which specialises in the upliftment of communities through innovative, sustainable agricultural development and production, 60 micro-farming kits were installed in Mossel Bay over the weekend.

These will serve a church, a crèche and 30 households. This pilot project was been designed to meet both individual and community food security needs. Read more in this week’s edition of the Mossel Bay Advertiser and online.

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In reaction on poverty and hunger intensified by the Covid-19 pandemic, Child Welfare partnered with social enterprise, Agri Urb to launch a vertical urban farming pilot. Video: Cornelle Carstens. Note: We apologize for wind disturbance.