Cape Town — A project which began as an effort to empower citizens of Cape Town's poorest neighbourhoods to grow their own food has mushroomed into a scheme for selling vegetables for the city's wealthier residents.

When All Africa first visited the project, operated under the banner Abalimi Bezekhaya ('Planters of the Home'), nearly two years ago, its focus was on urban woman farmers practicing subsistence agriculture.

But when our reporters returned this week to one of the food gardens in the low-income suburbs spread around the edges of the city, tell-tale white markers were testimony to what community organizer Rob Small called "a big step forward."

"Those signs are for planning and control purposes," he explained. "The farmers use them to plan very accurately when they will produce what crops, so they can contract with customers to produce a steady flow of produce."

Moreover, the urban farmers have expanded the range of what they grow to include herbs such as parsley, sage, fennel, mint and chives, which are in demand in middle-class homes.

"We now have a community-supported agricultural marketing scheme," said Small.

Under the marketing banner of Harvest of Hope, Abalimi now takes firm orders from parents at a range of schools in Cape Town's up-market southern suburbs. The farmers then box up vegetables and herbs every week and send them to the schools for collection.

A box of seasonal organic vegetables big enough to feed a family of four costs R95 (U.S. $12) a week. A box for a family of two costs R65 (U.S. $9) per week. Contracting families can sign up to pay monthly or by school term by  bank debit order. And the scheme donates surplus vegetables to orphan children's homes and HIV/Aids care projects in the communities in which the farmers live and work.

At the Fezeka community garden, near Gugulethu, Cape Town, our reporters found rows of cabbage, lettuce, carrots, beetroot, tomatoes, baby marrows and spinach, as well as fennel, mint and chives.

Shaba Etisang, 71, says she has been growing her own "veggies" for 10 years, and she's proud of the fact that she not only puts food on the table for her family but provides food for the sick who cannot provide for themselves.

As she sits sorting beetroot for planting, she is joined by the oldest of the gardeners, Gladys Phuza, who is 87.

"I'm stronger than them!" Phuza exclaims, gesturing to the women alongside. She says she is grateful to her Lord for giving her the strength to provide her family with food.

"This keeps us healthy," she says. "Sometimes it helps to give us money, not that much but we never go hungry."

SOURCE: All Africa