Ntswana le Metsing – We need all hands on deck to ensure that everyone in the North West Province has access to safe, healthy and nutritious food. This was said by MEC Desbo Mohono of Agriculture and Rural Development in the North West Province during the Provincial World Food Day celebration in Ntswana le Metsing, a small village near Mogwase last Friday, 11 October 2019.
Held yearly across the world during the month of October, World Food Day, is a day of action dedicated to tackling global hunger. This day reaffirms that, food should become a human right for all, and that everyone has the right to access safe and nutritious food that is consistent with the right to adequate food and the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger.
The focus this year was on sustainable projects delivered by the department as well as encouraging residents to start planting on fields that are lying fallow in order to increase food production to fight the scourge of poverty, hunger and malnutrition amongst communities.
On the day, MEC Mohono together with a team of extension Officers planted a number of vegetable gardens and she handed over production inputs to identified families as part of departmental programme of eradicating hunger.
MEC Mohono is adamant that building a food secure province is possible.
“If we can all work as a team, both government and the society at large, people of North West will have access at all times to enough and nutritious food,” Mohono highlighted.
Her sentiments are shared by community members like Pako Jason Monegi, resident of of Ntswana le Metsing village.
Monegi has been owning a vegetable garden for some time. In his garden he plants vegetables like spinach, cabbage and onions.
To expand his garden, the department gave him vegetable seedlings and garden tools to work his garden and produce more vegetables.
The delighted Monegi thanked the department and resonated MEC Mohono’s thoughts that a food secure province is possible if everyone were to work hard.
“I am truly honoured to be amongst people who received help from government today. This has given me hope that one day I will be having a bigger project where I will be producing more vegetables and being able to sell to larger markets to earn a living,” Monegi said.
Moses Ncube an elderly resident who has been living in Ntswana le Metsing also received vegetable seedlings and tools to work and expand his garden.
Community members and leaders agree that North West Province’s enormous agricultural potential, if tapped, can feed the country, the entire continent and spur socio-economic growth.
Earlier this year, MEC Mohono made a commitment to North West residents that her department will stop at nothing until the province reclaims its rightful position of being the food basket of the country and the continent.
Whilst South Africa is food secure at national level, the country is still food insecure at household level as not all households have access to adequate food. Almost 20% of South African households had inadequate or severe inadequate access to food in 2017. The North West province is one of those that have the lowest proportions of households that has adequate food access and therefore can be seen as one of those that are the least food secure. With this statistics, MEC Mohono said clearly something needs to be done and must be done now!
“It cannot be right that we are very low when we are compared with other provinces in terms of food security. We must change how we do things and have more people with access to nutritious and enough food to keep them satisfied, healthy and active.
“Our vision as the department is that all residents must have access to and control over the physical, social and economic means to ensure sufficient, safe and nutritious food at all times, which meets their preferences, in order to meet the dietary requirements for a healthy life.
“If we work together, we can build a future where we’re able to nourish to flourish as a province. Our plans are clear. We will continue with provincial interventions to assist impoverished and vulnerable people, promote the planting of household, school and community gardens,” MEC Mohono concluded.
In addition to helping smallholder farmers, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development have programmes which are aimed at empowering youth with knowledge, skills and other resources to venture into productive agriculture.
Issued by Communication Services Directorate
Enquiries: Ms Emelda Setlhako
Tel: 018 389 5684/ Cell: 060 745 4020
Email: ESetlhako@nwpg.gov.za
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