Objective 2: Collaboration for Agricultural Plans

Collaborate with Communities to Develop Plans for Commercial Agriculture

 

Step Description
Step One: Discuss agricultural production in MGV and OMEV Through a planned interview process ask questions pertaining to types and amount of produce grown in personal gardens.  We are looking to gain information on the overall scale of garden production.

 
Step Two: Discuss the different methods of commercial agriculture Based on interview responses, discuss method(s) of selling produce that is/are the most likely to be successful. Potential methods include farmers’ markets, CSA, bartering, and direct selling to established businesses.

 
Step Three: Discover current business skills Discuss the level of prior business experience and training with community. We want to be able to understand the basis for which business can be built upon whether that be a high skill level or low skill level.

 
Step Four: Collaboratively develop a plan for implementation Based on agricultural production and skill level, outline a plan for agricultural business to give to the City of Cape Town. The plan would be in written form and include business education workshops and recommendations for stakeholders.

Our second objective is to create a vision for the pathway as a means for economic development. We have identified an important list of steps that will hopefully allow us to successfully develop practical and sustainable plans for commercial agriculture. Initially we will learn about the scale of agricultural production within the communities, particularly in MGV, through an interview process. Based on these interviews and further discussions with communities on varying methods of commercial agriculture, such as CSA and farmers market, we will have to make some considerations on what methods will be the most effective and feasible. Next we will work with the community members to better understand the skill levels and business experience on which the business will be built. Taking all these logistical aspects into consideration can help us and the community develop plans for attainable, concrete, and sustainable commercial agriculture business.

The low income levels and high rates of unemployment make job creation and economic development a pressing issue for community members in MGV. The history of gardening and the skills present in MGV in conjunction with the need for jobs made this a very sensible objective.

With community engagement and the positive attitude of community members, the pathway can become a place for economic activity, where community members and others can make a living or supplement their income through agriculture. Beyond supporting agricultural businesses, the development of MGV as a destination could be an effective way to draw people to the pathway.