Food Security & Income for People in Poverty

We are pleased to announce that we have hired a Sales Manager to market the bountiful harvests produced by the INMED Aquaponics Social Enterprise. He has an extensive track record and experience in sales of perishables as well as reliable knowledge in food certification in the agricultural sector.

Pontsho joins us at the end of a very successful inaugural year. Here are some of the highlights:

• 204 people were trained at INMED Aquaponics® facilities (this total does not include other individuals receiving ongoing training through other INMED Aquaponics® projects being prepared for designation as satellite sites).

• The INMED ASE staff provided aquaponics education to 5,166 people in schools, agricultural cooperatives and communities. With COVID-19 regulations now easing, we plan to continue to exceed our target in the next reporting cycle, especially following the formal launch of aquaponics as a subject in the South Africa public school curriculum this year.

• 35 small-scale farmers, including hearing-impaired youth, received extensive training on aquaponics production and management, launching our first training intake through the INMED ASE hub.

• Our online aquaponics training portal (with AgriSETA certification) is completed and ready for the first intake of trainees.

• We began selling high-quality produce from three aquaponics units, traditional agriculture area and urban cultivator for microgreens to wholesalers in Gauteng.

• We are partnering with the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development for 2 aquaponics systems plus training to expand the INMED ASE hub-and-spokes model in low-resourced communities of Eastern Cape.

• 1 satellite training site was established at an existing INMED Aquaponics® project location (the Pella Food Garden Cooperative, an all-women’s farming cooperative in Northern Cape province). CLICK HERE to learn more about this project. 82 small-scale farmers received aquaponics training from this site during this reporting period. In addition to the Pella Food Garden Cooperative, which has leveraged its INMED Aquaponics® system to generate consistent income for all 5 members, the Ndofaya Agricultural Cooperative in Soweto also started generating consistent income for its 7 members from its aquaponics enterprise.

• Plans are underway to establish additional satellite sites in North West and Eastern Cape provinces.

• A total of 15,936 individuals were directly impacted by the INMED ASE, as follows:

–       7,888 people gained increased access to fresh food through donations of produce from INMED Aquaponics® systems.

–       205 people earned increased income as a result of jobs created through INMED Aquaponics® and the IASE.

–       777 household members benefited from increased household income as a result of jobs related to INMED Aquaponics®.

–       7,066 students received educational enrichment through hands-on experience with INMED Aquaponics® systems.

As always, thank you for supporting our impactful work to transition historically marginalized populations from subsistence to self-reliance. Please follow, like and share our posts on Facebook and Instagram.

Links:

• Article: Concerning levels of household and child hunger levels
• Article: Tackling Sustinability & Food Security