Globally enough food is produced daily to eradicate world hunger, yet one in nine people go to bed without having eaten a meal. In South Africa specifically, almost 2,5 million adults and over 600,000 children experience ongoing starvation.
A self-sustained society
Local self-sufficient food production is key to solving regional hunger. The good news is that there are seven key Agri-Hubs across Durban, which contribute to the sustainable Agroecological food production in and around local communities. Agroecology is defined as the application of ecological principles to agricultural systems and practices and is therefore an inherently sustainable approach to food production. The local community are provided with on-site training on multiple Agroecology methods, including tenable beekeeping and honey production, aquaculture, and feasible fruit and vegetable growth. Keeping the region’s ecology in mind while producing food.
On Thursday, 14 October 2021, Konica Minolta South Africa’s Durban branch together with environmental NPO, Food & Trees for Africa, hosted a tree planting event at the Newlands Agroecology Hub, planting 100 fruit trees to commemorate World Food Day recognised on 6 October 2021.
“Our people are the heartbeat of Durban and this is what makes our city so culturally-rich. The purpose of this tree planting wasn’t simply to create a food resource but also to provide a key opportunity to upskill locals and in turn to create a self-sustained community aiding in better nutrition and greater education around food security,” says Ashwin Ramlall, Durban branch manager at Konica Minolta South Africa.
A commitment to communities
Further to this, Konica Minolta South Africa’s Durban branch will distribute another 920 trees to be planted at various locations throughout the greater Durban area, including five other Agro-ecology Hubs and 11 schools, assisting in servicing a larger part of under-resourced communities. A total of 1,020 trees will be donated throughout this specific planting, offsetting 376.38 tCO2e.
“What we’ve done today, is nothing short of historic and will aid many generations both now and to come. Thanks to Konica Minolta South Africa, we’ve taken a step towards creating independently-resourced communities, that understand the importance and need for natural sustainability,” says John Ngubane, Horticulturist at Newlands Agroecology Hub.
While Konica Minolta South Africa prides itself on providing innovative solutions to businesses and their workplace focusing on multifunctional devices, the business is rooted in its cause to uplift and invest locally by curating initiatives that foster a brighter, greener future, while reducing its carbon footprint wherever possible. To date, Konica Minolta South Africa has planted 58,319 trees across South Africa, offsetting a total of 21,519.93 tCO2e.
