The North West Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will in partnership with the Bakgatla ba Kgafela Traditional Administration mark the end of Heritage month and the beginning of Food Security month by hosting a two-day Agricultural Indigenous Knowledge Indaba at Bakgatla Gate Lodge near Rustenburg.
The Indaba which will be attended by older persons involved in the agricultural sector, will start on Monday, 30th September and end on the 1st of October, when the world will be celebrating International Older Persons Day.
Older persons who have in-depth knowledge of traditional agricultural production, are expected to attend this Provincial Indaba which will amongst others discuss indigenous food and nutrition, medicinal plants as well as indigenous farming practices. Central to the Indaba discussions will be the gathering of adequate information which will lead to the production of a publication guide on the preservation of traditional agricultural knowledge.
To encourage the contribution older persons are continuing to make in the agricultural sector, the MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development Ms Desbo Mohono will hand-over a tractor and related equipment to the Baitikile Mango Cooperative which is led by older persons, as well as garden equipment to one of the elderly, as part of the one family - one garden campaign.
The Indaba which will be attended by Kgosi Nyalala Pilane of Bakgatla ba Kgafela and Indigenous Knowledge Systems experts from the North West University, will also see the launching of the first ever Older Persons in Agriculture and Rural Development Forum.
As MEC Mohono puts it, indigenous knowledge has become an increasingly valued subject in the agricultural sector, and that the Department is optimistic that this Indaba will help in accumulating substantial knowledge from the elderly. “This process will certainly help us to create and implement sustainable traditional agriculture interventions that will also help communities to grow themselves out of extreme poverty”, remarked MEC Mohono.
Members of the media are invited to the Indaba that will start at 10h00 on Monday, 30th September.
