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Agricultural training courses

COMBATING POVERTY + PROMOTING ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The long-term economic crisis significantly worsened with the covid-19 pandemic,  led to millions of people in South Africa losing not only their jobs, but also, in many cases, the basic commodities for their lives. F.E.E.D. offers these people new prospects for the future, with certified agricultural and business courses. In specifically-designed training programmes for up to 25 individuals and running over 5 days, participants learn the theory of and practical skills for the ecologically sustainable cultivation of plants and medicinal herbs. A major focus in the course is the teaching of sustainable techniques which protect the environment, eg. making compost, the use of bio-pesticides and resource-saving irrigation systems. The basic course takes place in rural areas. In collaboration with church communities participants are trained to become self-supportive. It concludes with each participant being awarded a state-accredited certificate. Those who successfully pass the advanced course can set up as self-employed entrepreneurs in the bio food production sector and will be supported by F.E.E.D. in building their businesses. All training courses are led by qualified trainers. Numerous new jobs and small farms have already been created, and the impetus towards self-help and independent entrepreneurship will be encouraged for the long-term.

2023 - Strong women learn to grow and process healthy food for their families

Planting the seeds for a brighter future

In 2020 thousands of South Africans who had lost their jobs during the pandemic and young adults who had virtually had no access to education could be trained in ecologically sustainable agriculture and in basic commercial skills with the help of the KfW/DEG funds from the COVID-19 response programme. This initiative marked the starting point of the F.E.E.D. development projects in South Africa.

With your donation you can now contribute effectively and sustainably to expand our activities so that more local people learn to become self-sufficient by growing their own vegetables and medicinal herbs or even start up their own little farm business.

Please get involved and help people in need now!

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Map south africa

Project region

South Africa: Potchefstroom, Johannesburg, Eastern Cape, Kwazulu Natal; planned expansion to further areas in the country

Project goals

  • Combating malnutrition and hunger, through the sustainable transfer of knowledge by means of training courses for individuals 16 years and older, who are from a rural area or a township, or who are unemployed or looking for training. The courses focus on the ecologically sustainable preparation of the land, to the production, harvesting and marketing of bio food, and the combination of theory and practical skills.
  • Sharing theoretical and practical skills and knowledge through local, state-approved trainers with the aim of qualifying students for the employment market or for running their own independent businesses.

Measures

  • Preparation of course materials, providing equipment for the training centres in Potchefstroom and in rural areas 5-day theory and practical training courses, full day, incl. transport, meals, exam and presentation of the state-accredited certificate Presentation to course graduates where they receive: starter kits with potting compost, a rake and bucket, seeds, an old cut tyre to use as a planting bed, and training materials so that they can make an immediate start on crop production for self-sufficiency.
  • 5-day theory and practical training courses, full days, incl. transport, meals, exam and presentation of the state-accredited certificate
  • Presentation to course graduates of starter kits with potting compost, a rake and bucket, seeds, an old cut tyre to use as a planting bed, and training materials so that they can make an immediate start on crop production for self-sufficiency
  • Long-term support for participants in finding and leasing land, and marketing in the local area

With your support, young people and adults can have new and better long-term prospects in their lives and work!

Your donation directly reaches people in need:

  • 25 young people and adults from rural areas and townships, who have up to now had no access to training, or who have lost their jobs because of the crisis, can, thanks to your help, take part in a one-week agricultural and business training course and receive a recognised qualification. After completing the course, they are able not only to provide themselves and their families with healthy vegetables and medicinal herbs, but also have a better chance of gaining employment with their state-accredited qualification.

It’s so easy to give

As a private donor

Simply call or email to connect with your personal contact partner at F.E.E.D. and arrange a donation which accords with your exact wishes and aims. Your donation to the German F.E.E.D. e.V. is tax deductible in Germany. You will receive a certificate of donation. We will send you regular updates on the project with photos.

Please contact us!

As a foundation or business donor

To support you in organising your sustainable social engagement and communicating it effectively to create positive publicity, a designated contact partner from F.E.E.D. will be pleased to help you starting from your first contact with us. You will be able to discuss with them activities custom-designed for you in line with your statutory purposes or corporate social responsibility and sustainability aims. On-site visits and exclusive lighthouse projects are also possible. Regular, informative documentation and maximum transparency in the use of funds are of course guaranteed.

Please contact us!

TRAINING COURSES AND CONTENT

The agricultural and business training programmes are specifically designed to meet the needs of participants and to fit the local regional conditions. The knowledge gained by participants helps them to cultivate vegetables and medicinal herbs. They utilise sustainable methods that protect the environment, either on their own plot of land, or in planting beds, which can be made from old cut tyres, for example. In the advanced training courses, which also cover business management, participants learn how to start their own small agricultural business and operate it successfully. All training courses are run in collaboration with regional, state-accredited training partners and qualified trainers. On successfully passing the final exam, each training course participant is awarded a recognised qualification with a certificate from SAQA, the South African Qualifications Authority.

The basis courses take place in local church communities, where the church gardens are made available for training purposes. With the help of local church organisations, young people and adults can be identified, who are motivated and suitable for the training courses, persons who through unemployment, poverty or simply their remote location have had no or very little schooling. In the training, which mainly takes place in small groups of 25 people, the course content is often presented in visual form, with pictorial displays, because many of the participants cannot read or write. The theory teaching is consolidated with practical exercises carried out under the guidance of the trainer. The courses run over 5 days. On each of the days, F.E.E.D., in collaboration with its local partners, ensures that the shuttle to transport the participants, the relevant hygiene and safety measures, and balanced meals are provided for the whole group, including the teaching staff.

The advanced courses currently take place in the training centre in Potchefstroom. Further training centres are planned, to cover the whole country, and will be arranged together with regional and state-approved partners. Entry on to the course is open to participants who prove themselves on the foundation course to have the ability and motivation to succeed, or they have already passed the foundation course and live close to a training centre. The advanced course run for 15 days, with all costs, including for the shuttle, catering, equipment, hygiene and safety measures, being paid for from donations to F.E.E.D. After having successfully completed the course, participants have all the basic knowledge and skills to run and manage an independent agricultural business and earn an income. F.E.E.D. also supports them in locating and leasing land, and in setting up their business, in order to guarantee the sustainability of the training project.

Grundausstattung für den Start in die Selbstversorgung

Learning how to provide for themselves with vegetables and herbs to become self-supportive

Content of the agricultural basic course

Theory teaching and practical training on:

  • Introduction to plants and herbs suitable for growing locally
  • soil condition and preparation, field and bed systems, and seasonality
  • teaching about crop rotation and prevention of soil erosion
  • seed use and handling
  • natural fertilisers and their environmentally-friendly use
  • resource-protecting use of water
  • working the plot, sowing seeds, watering
  • growing and handling seedlings
  • pest and weed control without damaging the environment
  • training in composting
  • training in harvesting, storage and processing
Pflanzenkunde für Schulungsteilnehmer

Becoming an independent small farmer and operating a farm profitably

The content of the advanced agricultural and business training course

In addition to the content of the foundation agricultural course, there is more focus here on agricultural and business management knowledge and skills:

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    winter- and summer plantings
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    different cultivation methods, eg. hydroponic
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    water quality and -management
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    macro- and micronutrients
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    basic principles of selling and general framework
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    commercial calculations, business plan
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    funding
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    marketing and selling to local supermarkets
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    product quality management

Impressions of our agricultural and entrepreneurial trainings

The initial projects were funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the KfW/DEG within the COVID-19 response programme.

For more information about our training programmes and how you could support them as a donor please contact us.