The high rate of unemployment forced the Thabo Mofutsanyana district municipality to share important skills with residents to help them produce more vegetables.
(The Post News)– At least 92 residents from Qwaqwa in the Free State, particularly those who hail from Makwane and Turfontein received vegetable production training to curb the high rate of unemployment in the region.
The Thabo Mofutsanyana district municipality’s agriculture and rural development unit is working to address the high unemployment rate by encouraging residents to use their land to grow vegetables.
The idea is that by cultivating their land for vegetable production, people can create job opportunities and improve their economic situation.
According to Lebohang Moshoaliba, the departmental coordinator, the list for the selection criteria was made by the community leaders and the royal houses across the rural areas where the beneficiaries come from.
Moshoaliba says with the skills given to those 92 residents, hopefully, they will be able to use them wisely for the benefit of their families.
“We understand poverty is a serious enemy that most of our communities are facing day in and out. Hence, we came up with this programme to remind our people that they still can rely on their abilities to fight against hunger rather than doing nothing for the whole day,” says Moshoaliba.
He is optimistic that although the scarcity of land is a significant challenge, with the little pieces of land that they have, more food can be produced to fight hunger.
“Indeed, we do have small yards but a little piece of land is better than planting nothing. It doesn’t take a big piece of land to produce more vegetables,” he says.
The department has also handed out seed packages to the beneficiaries to start planting as soon as possible during this planting season.
This will help them feed on their vegetables or sell them to make a profit as this is an ongoing programme that doesn’t stop here but proceeds to help other residents in future.
Ntsekiseng Mokoena, one of the beneficiaries says she learned much-needed skills that will be useful for her vegetable plot.
Thabo Mofitsanyana district municipality wants to see people doing things that will help them put bread on a table and change their lives altogether at the end of the day.
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