Hydroponic Garden
The Hydroponic Agricultural Project was piloted in the areas of Qedisimo in Nkandla and Benoni Hydroponics in Gauteng, which was launched on 27 November 2014.
Hydroponic Garden Initiative is one of the most important initiatives in addressing some of the key challenges that face our people, namely that of eradicating poverty and ensuring long term and sustainable food security. During the State of the Nation Address in 2014, the President indicated that: “We have identified agriculture as a key job driver” … and that “our target is for the agricultural sector to create a million jobs by 2030.” That is what the National Development Plan advocates. Part of this initiative falls within that ambit of ensuring that agriculture becomes an important tool in the hands of the people in changing their lives for the better.
In His State of the Nation Address the President made commitment that: “Support will be provided to communities as well to engage in food production and subsistence farming to promote food security, in line with the FetsaTlala food production programme”.
This initiative is meant to ensure that people become productive and get involved in agriculture, and use agriculture as a means of fighting against poverty, and also become productive within the economy.
The beneficiary communities are Izinqoleni Local Municipality, Vukuzithathe Tribal Authority under Inkosi Cele and kwaMthimude Tribal Authority under Inkosi Mavundla
The Project aims to alleviate poverty, encourage entrepreneurship and develop rural food security amongst less fortunate communities especially this particular community that was affected by factions amounting to atrocious Shobashobane Massacre 25 years ago.
His Excellency, the President of the Republic of SA, in his capacity as the Patron of the J.G.Zuma Foundation, launched the Hydroponic Agricultural Initiatives at Ezinqoleni on 21 December 2015. This launch is in accordance with the Jacob G Zuma Foundation efforts to “break the cycle of intergenerational poverty”.