The PHA Food & Farming Campaign took gold in the 2022 Eco-Champions Ecologic Awards.
The 11th annual “glamorously green” event was hosted by the Enviropaedia at the Two Oceans Aquarium last Thursday, September 22.
It identifies individuals, organisations and communities that positively contribute towards a sustainable world.
The Philippi Horticultural Area (PHA), a 3 000 hectare, 630km2 jumble of land, plays a vital role in the local food economy of greater Cape Town, supplying about half the city’s fresh produce.
Receiving the award on behalf of his farm team, PHA Food & Farming Campaign organiser, Nazeer Sonday thanked the campaign committee, their partners and the people of Cape Town for believing in them.
Mr Sonday said day zero water crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and the continued pressure on food supplies due to climate change and conflicts continue to demonstrate the value of locally grown food.
“Our vision for the PHA expands to another challenge the city faces, that of urban organic waste. The PHA can potentially absorb 1.8m tons of waste a year if turned into good quality compost. But who will pay for it,” asked Mr Sonday.
Composting is leading the charge in the provincial government’s plans to divert half of all organic waste from landfills by next year and all of it by 2027.
The Integrated Waste Management Plan for the Western Cape was created by the provincial Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEADP) in 2007 to get around the problem of limited landfill space. The department is working with the City of Cape Town and 29 other municipalities in the province to meet the plan’s targets.
Mr Sonday asks who will monitor the quality and if farmers will have access to it.
“Meanwhile, our food and water is still under threat from being paved over by developers and mining for sand. I hope this award helps us protect the PHA as the centre of the city’s climate change resilience,” said Mr Sonday.
The PHA Food and Farming Campaign provides permaculture training, mainly to women, and advocates for small-scale farmers and protection of the Cape Flats Aquifer, which lies beneath the PHA.
