FOOD SECURITY AND THE GARDEN PROJECT

The Prince Albert Communal, Allotment and Household Garden Programme (instigated by the Western Cape Provincial Development Council) placed several short, medium and long-term responsibilities on local municipalities and NGOs.

The Prince Albert Cultural Foundation responded by identifying suitable ground for the project and submitted a report with its recommendations to the Council in June 2008. Subsequently, the Spatial Development Framework was reviewed and three suitable sites in North End were earmarked for the Food Garden Project. BADISA has been tasked with taking the project forward.

On 18 May 2009 the Department of Agriculture (Mr J Johannes, Agricultural Advisor, 0235411323/0825411323) submitted a letter to BADISA indicating that R750 000 had been allocated to the project of which R250 000 was for the current financial year. To date a borehole for the project has been sunk by the Department, on behalf of BADISA, and costings for infrastructure such as fencingbeen obtained.

The Council has accepted the conditions of the Department of Agriculture funding, namely that due process has to be followed for the selection process for beneficiaries and for rules of procurement. However, in spite of the favourable offer of funding from the Department of Agriculture, to date a business plan has not been prepared which would set out the way forward and regularise the processes needed.

The PACF has been informed that the project has ground to a halt for reasons known only to those responsible to implement the project. This delay is a disappointment for the community which the allotment project is intended to serve, and amounts to poor service delivery.
A letter has been addressed to the municipal manager requesting that the Prince Albert Communal, Allotment and Household Garden Programme receive the Council's urgent intervention for the process to recommence.

An update of the situation will be made known in a later issue of the Friend. In the meantime it is hoped that the Council and BADISA together will demonstrate their competence in bringing this project to reality.