Abalimi is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) working to empower the disadvantaged through Urban Agriculture and Environmental projects and programmes. We support our target groups’ ability to replicate their success and transform their lives in their urban and rural environments. Abalimi assists by providing the following support services: Project implementation; Resource support; Training; Organisation building; Facilitation of partnerships; Research, monitoring and evaluation.

Abalimi has been operating since 1982, when it was started by Catholic Welfare and Development with the sole aim of helping the poor in Cape Town to grow organic food. Abalimi has grown tremendously over the years and now operates as an independent organisation. Abalimi now supports a wide range of community managed and owned vegetable gardening and greening initiatives in various Cape Flats townships.

 

During the past year, Abalimi has continued to benefit thousands of people through it's Urban Agriculture and Greening Programmes. Abalimi is actively engaged in approximately 100 Urban Agriculture projects per annum, with new applications coming in at a monthly rate of between 5 and 10. Abalimi currently supports more than 2000 individual survival gardeners each year. The support provided by Abalimi now enables community gardens to become permanently sustainable on a survival subsistence basis, as a first step, and then, as the next step, to graduate to market garden/sustainable livelihood status.

 

In March 2004, Abalimi was delighted to receive a Silver Impumelelo Award for the job creation model that the organisation has developed, based on its SCAGA community garden. Abalimi has since made plans to expand and replicate this model, through the development of a market garden training programme that will enable urban micro farmers to become successful market gardeners.

 

During the past year, Abalimi has been fortunate to be able to help groups to install well-points on their garden sites, so as to help them with irrigation. Abalimi has also provided hundreds of unemployed persons with Urban Agriculture training during 2004.

 

In 2004, Abalimi developed and improved its highly innovative Sustainability Index. This is a unique monitoring and evaluation tool, which is able to measure sustainability at every level of the project development continuum. This tool will help Abalimi to facilitate the development of all the groups that it supports, as the tool is used to guide groups from survival status through to livelihood.

 

Abalimi’s Greening Programme has been equally successful during the past year, with the organisation being actively involved in at least 50 community greening projects. Projects supported by Abalimi include schools, crèches, community gardens and green street projects. Abalimi has assisted the Community Networking Forum and the Kgotla Youth Initiative to plant 100 trees in Harare, Khayelithsa. Abalimi has also assisted members of the Mannenberg Community to develop street gardens.

 

Abalimi has also provided assistance to schools wishing to install well-points, so that they will be able to establish and maintain flourishing indigenous gardens. Abalimi has also facilitated Integrated Land Use Design workshops for a number of schools wishing to establish greening projects. During Arbour Week last year, Abalimi distributed numerous trees, in partnerships with the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry.

 

Last year, Abalimi’s Greening Fieldworker and one of SEED’s facilitators were fortunate to spend three highly beneficial months in Aachen, Germany, where they participated in the LA21 Bauwagen project. The experience provided these two staff members with new skills, knowledge and inspiration. Two students from Aachen recently visited Cape Town to work on the Bauwagen project with Abalimi and SEED.

 

Abalimi has continued to provide Organisation Building support to a number of emerging UA and greening groups. Abalimi continues to provide the Vukuzenzela Urban Farmers Association (VUFA) with on-going support and training, and in October 2003, Abalimi assisted VUFA to organise and host a World Food Day celebration at the Manyanani Peace Park. Abalimi has also helped VUFA to draw up its own constitution. During the past year, Abalimi has facilitated a number of OB workshops and networking opportunities for emerging groups. Abalimi is also delighted to report that its 2 Green Streets groups in Nyanga continue to grow.

 

Abalimi continues to conduct research into a variety of relevant issues. Recently, Abalimi participated in a field trial of the Orange Flesh Sweet Potato. The findings of this research project were that this highly nutritious vegetable is indeed suited to the growing conditions of the greater Cape Town area.

 

Abalimi’s sub-projects, SEED and Jungle Jive have also achieved many successes during the past year. SEED has continued to reach thousands of learners and numerous teachers through its highly innovative Environmental Education and teacher capacity development programmes.

 

SEED’s Foundation Phase textbook was recently published, and is currently being distributed. This relevant teaching resource, The Organic Classroom, was developed as a result of a number of workshops held with teachers from various schools. Jungle Jive has performed its Environmental Awareness production to thousands of children in Cape Flats schools over the past year.

 

In March 2004, Jungle Jive launched its Environmental Street Theatre Skills Transfer Programme, through which children learn a number of acting, poetry and music skills whilst gaining an appreciation of their natural environment.

Abalimi is an Urban Agriculture (UA) and Environmental Action (EA) association operating in the socio-economically neglected townships of Khayelitsha, Nyanga and surrounding areas on the Cape Flats near Cape Town, South Africa.

 

Abalimi means: "the Planters" in Xhosa, the predominant language among our target community. Abalimi helps individuals, groups and community based organisations to initiate and maintain permanent organic food growing and nature conservation projects as the basis for sustainable lifestyles, self-help job creation, poverty alleviation and environmental renewal.

Abalimi runs two core programmes, namely the Urban Agriculture Programme and the Cape Flats Greening Programme.

The Urban Agriculture Programme (UAP) aims to provide opportunities for the poor (with a focus on women) to support themselves and others through the growing of organic food. Abalimi offers resources, training and support to community groups and individuals who wish to start vegetable gardens. These gardens remain community-owned, with Abalimi helping organic urban micro farmers firstly to make their gardens sustainable, and thereafter profitable.

The Cape Flats Greening Programme (CFGP) works to transform arid areas within the townships into flourishing indigenous gardens, improving the quality of life for residents and contributing positively to the environment. Here, too, Abalimi offers resources, training and support to groups and individuals wishing to implement greening projects by establishing indigenous gardens. The majority of these greening projects are implemented at township schools, where they can contribute greatly to the education of the learners. In partnership with community structures, the organisation also distributes thousands of trees during Arbour Week and assists with training and follow-up to ensure the proper planting and care of these trees.

In support of both the Urban Agriculture and Greening programmes, Abalimi runs 2 non-profit Garden Centres (nurseries). These garden centres, situated in Khayelitsha and Nyanga, enable groups and individuals running vegetable gardens and greening projects to obtain subsidised resources below cost or free, in their start-up phase. This assists urban micro-farmers and environmental groups to establish sustainable and profitable vegetable gardens and greening projects, through a project development cycle of between 3-7 years/project.

Abalimi also oversees the operations of two highly successful projects, namely SEED (Schools Environmental Education and Development) and Jungle Jive. Through these projects, Environmental Education and Awareness become a reality for disadvantaged school communities. In addition to these projects, Abalimi supports a number of leading models, which add value to Abalimi’s core work. These include the SCAGA Community Market Garden, the Flora Research Project and the Manyanani Peace Park. In order to ensure sustainable community involvement, Abalimi works to link a culture of environmental awareness to direct benefits, such as income generation and informal job creation opportunities. These key elements are built into every project run by the organisation.

Abalimi works in the township complexes of the Cape Flats, which includes areas such as Khayelitsha, Nyanga, Phillippi, Langa and Guguletu.

The organisation reaches individuals and groups living in these poverty-stricken Cape Flats township, with the majority of beneficiaries being unemployed women. People living in the Cape Flats experience high unemployment, hunger, environmental degradation, lack of education and skills, a high rate of HIV/AIDS infection and limited resources. There is therefore a great need for the work conducted by Abalimi in these communities.

Despite the fact that Abalimi and its sub-projects are based in the Western Cape, many of the programmes and models developed by the organisation have national role-out potential.

Abalimi remains affiliated to Catholic Welfare and Development and therefore has regular contact with CWD and its various projects. In addition, Abalimi networks extensively with a wide range of NGOs, government departments and community groups. These bodies include the Departments of Social Services, Health and Water Affairs and Forestry. Abalimi also works closely with local government and community civic structures. Abalimi is a member of the Local Agenda 21 Committee and the Good Hope Development Fund.

 

The organisation also plays a key role in the Vukuzenzele Farmers’ Association. In addition, Abalimi works closely with a variety of like-minded NGOs, Botanical Societies, Service Clubs, schools, clinics and community groups.

Within its Urban Agriculture and Community Greening Programmes, Abalimi aims to:

Abalimi offers a range of services to the communities that it serves. These services include:

Project implementation support
Resource support
Training
Organisation Building support
Facilitation of partnerships
Monitoring and evaluation

 

The vegetable gardens that Abalimi supports produce healthy, organic vegetables. Projects that are moving beyond the subsistence phase are able to sell their produce. This produce is therefore made available to members of the community and to the broader public