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Joburg inner-city is going green

GREENERY: An agriculture project has seen the spread of city rooftop gardens.
GREENERY: An agriculture project has seen the spread of city rooftop gardens.

DOWNTOWN Johannesburg is not only getting a facelift in terms of revamped living spaces.

A new project funded by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) in partnership with the Affordable Housing Company and the Greenhouse Project has seen the sprouting of several rooftop gardens, where residents are cultivating vegetables.

The pilot project was launched two months ago on the rooftop of the African Diamond Building at 101 Goud Street.

The project is also part of the JDA corporate social responsibility programme, which seeks to support communities in the areas within which the agency's development projects are located.

According to JDA acting chief executive Thanduxolo Mendrew, scientific innovations are employed to ensure sustainable growth of the plants.

The project is also driven by the commitment to recycling waste material. Planters are made out of used car tyres - with smaller tyres used to create earthworm beds to ensure a constant supply of fertiliser and compost.

Rooftop gardens are part of a worldwide development of urban agriculture. Urban agriculture is generally practised for income-earning or food-producing activities, though in some communities the main impetus is recreation and relaxation.

Urban agriculture contributes to food security and food safety in two ways: first it increases the amount of food available in the cities, and second, it allows fresh vegetables and fruits to be made available to urban consumers.

Because urban agriculture promotes energy-saving food production, urban agriculture is generally seen as sustainable agriculture.

According to Wikipedia, the idea of supplemental food production beyond rural farming operations and long distant imports is not new. It actually came in handy during the war times and the Great Depression when the issue of food shortage arose.

As early as 1893, citizens of depression struck Detroit were asked to use any vacant lots to grow vegetables.

According to the JDA, the rooftop garden project in Johannesburg is largely aimed at promoting sustainable urban living through food production, improved nutrition and food security for local residents, and livelihoods for some community members.

Wikipedia says 50% of the world's population lives in cities; 200-million hungry people in the world live in cities.

There is, however, light at the end of the tunnel as more people living in cities get involved in growing their own food.

It is estimated that 800-million people are involved in urban agriculture worldwide and contribute to feeding urban residents.

The challenge for South African cities is to join these initiatives.

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