Limpopo Business 2016-17 edition

SPECIAL FEATURE
The Independent Development Trust delivers social
infrastructure and manages social development programmes
for the state.
The Bakone Gardening Project (of the Makotse
Women’s Club) provides vegetables such as onions,
spinach and beetroot to local schools, a Drop-In
Centre and a Day-Care Centre. Hydroponics have
been a feature of the garden since the Department
of Agriculture, the US Embassy and the Peace Corps
combined to help install a system designed to
improve efficiency.
The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA)
has an agreement with the Limpopo Department of
Agriculture to promote and create co-operatives in
the province. A number of these co-operatives have
been launched since the partnership was founded.
In Thohoyandou the Marula Co-operative uses
the extract from the Marula plant to make beauty
products such as lotions and soaps and cooking
oil. This co-operative is a collaboration between
members of six smaller groups.
A similar alliance led to the establishment of
the Nwanedi Co-operative in the far north of the
province, east of Musina. The group received close
to R500 000 from the NYDA to help them rent a
tractor, to meet the costs of running the farm, but
mostly to assist with transport of the butternuts
they were producing to market. For small farmers,
access to market is a huge challenge and the support
of the NYDA will not be the end of the process:
the Department of Agriculture will help them pool
their resources at market. The department will also
assist with further training.
27 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2016/17