Speech by Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli on the Occasion of the Urban Agriculture Summit, Zimbali.
Topic: Urban Agriculture as a Pathway to Youth Empowerment, Food Security, and Inclusive Growth in South Africa
Program Director
Mayor of Ilembe District Municipality, Cllr Thobani Shandu
Mayor of Ndwedwe Local Municipality, Cllr Sam Mfeka
Deputy Mayor of Ndwedwe Local Municipality, Cllr Zandile Siwetu
Chairperson of the Economic Development Portfolio Committee at Ilembe District Cllr Hlengiwe Makatha
Chairperson of the Ilembe Enterprise Board, Mr Mngadi
Board Members of the Ilembe Enterprise Board,
Distinguished delegates, partners, researchers, entrepreneurs, and members of the agricultural community,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning and thank you for the opportunity to share South Africa’s perspective on how urban agriculture can serve as a powerful pathway to youth empowerment, food security, and inclusive growth. It is an honour to stand among innovators and thought leaders who are shaping the future of sustainable agriculture across continents.
As we meet during the month of October, we are reminded that this is the month of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. This commemoration calls upon all of us to act with urgency and responsibility in responding to climate change, water scarcity, and environmental degradation. These are not distant threats. They are realities that farmers, households, and communities confront daily. Our collective task is to ensure that the solutions we promote are both people-centered and climate-smart.
It is a profound honour to address you today on a subject that holds immense promise for the future of our nation: Urban Agriculture as a Pathway to Youth Empowerment, Food Security, and Inclusive Growth in South Africa.
Urban agriculture defined as the production, processing, marketing, and distribution of crops and animals within an urban environment, largely for the benefit of resident is far more than a supplementary activity. It is a strategic intervention capable of resolving some of our most complex national challenges.
In South Africa, the challenge of food insecurity is not confined to rural areas. It is equally urgent in urban and peri-urban spaces where millions of people live, work, and struggle to access affordable, nutritious food. Urban agriculture presents a practical and empowering response to this challenge.
Across our cities, communities are transforming rooftops, backyards, and vacant plots into productive farms. These initiatives are feeding families, supplying informal markets, and nurturing micro-entrepreneurs. They show us that agriculture does not belong only to rural landscapes but can thrive in the heart of our towns and cities.
Aligning Urban Agriculture with the Presidency’s Priorities
Programme director, Urban agriculture is not a side project; it is central to South Africa’s development vision. It directly supports the core priorities of the National Development Plan (Vision 2030) and the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP). Both call on us to eliminate poverty and hunger, and to sharply reduce unemployment and inequality by the year 2030.
Urban agriculture offers a practical and powerful way to move us closer to that goal.
It strengthens food security by ensuring that families have access to fresh, nutritious food, often right at their doorstep. For many low-income households, urban farming is not just a hobby, it is a survival strategy. It allows families to save money, supplement their diets, and build dignity through self-sufficiency.
Local examples such as the eThekwini Municipality’s Agribusiness Master Plan show how policy can empower the poorest communities to produce their own food, while also linking them to markets. The Department of Agriculture has rightly placed support for urban agriculture at the heart of its national food and nutrition strategy.
At the same time, urban agriculture is a driver of job creation and inclusive growth. It creates opportunities at the lowest cost, and it brings real income to households that need it most. In townships like Hammarsdale, income from small-scale urban farming contributes up to 40 percent of some families’ earnings. This is not just food security, it is economic empowerment. It speaks directly to the MTDP’s first strategic priority: driving inclusive growth and job creation.
The Pivotal Role of Youth and Women in Transformation and Resilience
Compatriots, If there is one truth we have learned, it is that our youth and women are not just participants in agriculture; they are the heartbeat of transformation.
Young people bring energy, creativity, and innovation to the sector. They are using technology to redefine what farming looks like in the 21st century. From hydroponics and vertical gardens to automated climate-controlled systems, they are proving that agriculture can be smart, modern, and profitable. Yet we know that many young people still face barriers. Access to land, capital, and skills remain serious challenges.
That is why we must continue to invest in youth-led initiatives that build skills, entrepreneurship, and resilience. When young people grow food, they are not just feeding communities, they are planting the seeds of independence and innovation.
Women are the backbone of food production and security in our country. Across South Africa, women-run agricultural projects sustain families and communities. Our government’s strategic objectives make it clear that women and youth must be at the centre of inclusive growth. Empowering women is not only a matter of equity, it is a matter of national survival.
Urban agriculture also builds social capital. It connects people. It strengthens communities. Young farmers use social media to sell their produce, form cooperatives to share knowledge, and partner with institutions such as the National Youth Development Agency and non-profit organisations to scale their impact. These are powerful networks of resilience and renewal.
For our youth, agriculture represents not just a livelihood but a leadership opportunity. It is a sector that demands innovation, energy, and a sense of purpose. Even as artificial intelligence and automation reshape the future of work, agriculture remains one of the few industries that still requires significant human participation.
Technology can assist us in planting, monitoring, and marketing our produce, but it cannot replace the human care that nurtures growth from soil to table. This makes agriculture a uniquely inclusive employer in a country where youth unemployment remains one of our greatest challenges.
Through programmes such as the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative and various provincial agricultural incubators, we are working to ensure that young people gain access to land, finance, and mentorship. The goal is not only to create jobs but to inspire ownership and pride in food production, distribution, and agri-entrepreneurship.
The Importance of Inter-Ministerial Collaboration
Ladies and gentlemen, No single department or sector can transform our urban food systems alone. We need strong inter-ministerial collaboration from national to local government to create a coherent and supportive policy environment.
Municipal policies such as eThekwini’s highlight the importance of linking programmes on poverty alleviation, housing, and skills development with agricultural support. A good example is the Rainbow Chicken Farm initiative, which transformed 150 retrenched workers into business owners. Today, they produce nearly 100,000 birds and generate about R5 million per quarter in revenue. That is the power of integrated, people-centred policy.
At national level, the Department of Agriculture’s Strategic Plan (2025–2030) includes a commitment to strengthen coordination through a National Food and Nutrition Security Council, ensuring that every part of government pulls in the same direction.
Collaboration must also extend to the education system. Working with the Department of Basic Education to reintroduce agriculture into the school curriculum is vital. Our children must grow up seeing agriculture as a science, a business, and a career of the future, not as a last resort.
Partnering for Scale: Government, Private Sector, NGOs, and Communities
Colleagues, we cannot do it alone, to move from survivalist gardens to commercially viable enterprises, we must build strong partnerships between government, business, civil society, and communities.
Government’s role is to create an enabling environment. That includes providing land, inputs, skills training, and market access. It also means ensuring that vulnerable groups, especially women, youth, and school-based gardens, receive priority access to subsidised water and technical support.
The private sector and development partners in this very room also have a crucial role to play. We need to reimagine Public–Private Partnerships as Public–Private–People Partnerships, bringing communities and academia into the equation. Together, we can redirect procurement towards small farmers and community producers, ensuring that the food served in our schools, hospitals, and public institutions is sourced locally and sustainably.
This is how we grow a movement that is inclusive, collaborative, and scalable.
Regional and Continental Collaboration: South Africa as a Model
Finally, as we advance our work at home, South Africa must also play its part on the regional and global stage.
Through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), we are strengthening intra-African trade in agricultural goods and services, building a single market that supports farmers and entrepreneurs across the continent.
Urban agriculture also contributes directly to the Sustainable Development Goals and to South Africa’s G20 Presidency theme, “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability.” These principles guide our participation in international platforms such as the Food Security Task Force and the Agricultural Working Group, where we continue to advocate for resilient food systems and farmer-led innovation.
We also value the partnerships we have built through BRICS and other multilateral platforms. By sharing lessons on food sovereignty, digital innovation, and sustainable practices, we can help shape policies that build a more resilient and self-reliant Africa.
In this way, South Africa’s urban agriculture experience can become a continental model, a blueprint for how local solutions can drive global change.
Connecting to the Broader Dialogue
Programme Director, This Summit but particularly this session brings together an inspiring group of experts whose insights will deepen our understanding of sustainable agriculture.
Each of these contributions complements the message that sustainability, equity, and technology must advance together if we are to feed the world and empower our people.
In conclusion, urban agriculture is a powerful, local expression of our national commitment to transformational change. By empowering our youth and women, implementing coordinated, inter-ministerial policies, and forging robust partnerships with the private sector and communities, we can scale these solutions. Let us utilize the soil beneath our cities not just for growth, but as a seedbed for youth empowerment, food security, and genuinely inclusive growth across South Africa and beyond.
I Thank you.
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