By Akani Nkuna
Deputy Minister in the Presidency Nonceba Mhlauli has called for major and intentional investment in youth-led urban agriculture.
Speaking at the 6th Urban Agric World Summit in Zimbali, KwaZulu-Natal, on Thursday, Mhlauli said that despite myriad challenges young people are confronted with in the agriculture sector, their input feeds families.
“That is why we must continue to invest in youth-led initiatives that build skills, entrepreneurship, and resilience. When young people grow food, they are not just feeding communities, they are planting the seeds of independence and innovation,” she said.
The summit, hosted by Enterprise iLembe in partnership with Magenta Global, gathered together researchers, innovators, policymakers and entrepreneurs to solicit solutions that are technology driven and sustainable for inclusive growth, and to combat food insecurity.
Mhlauli said that the deployment of technology within the sector needs to complement human capital instead of replacing it. Technology could assist in planting, monitoring and marketing the produce, she said, but human care was still an essential component.
“Even as artificial intelligence and automation reshape the future of work, agriculture remains one of the few industries that still requires significant human participation.”
The deputy minister has called for a collaboration approach across all spheres, from government to private sector, to enable a “coherent and supportive policy environment”, with the Department of Basic Education ultimately integrating farming in all facets at the earliest academic stage.
She also warned against undermining urban agriculture, highlighting that it forms an integral part in South Africa’s National Development Plan 2030, nurturing micro-entrepreneurs and also ensuring that families in cities transform rooftops and backyards into productive farms.
Emphasising that food security challenges are not exclusive to rural areas, and are equally prevalent in urban and peri-urban areas, Mhlauli said: “Urban agriculture presents a practical and empowering response to this challenge”.
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