16 May 2024

Following a devastating fire outbreak, Chanoga horticulture project will take shape once again, thanks to Eco-Exist organisation for coming forth to partner with beneficiaries to venture into irrigation farming.

Eco-Exist is a non-making profit organisation focusing on ways to reduce human-wildlife conflict and foster coexistence and it also supports lives and livelihoods of people who share space with elephants while considering the needs of elephants and their habitats.

It has partnered with project beneficiaries courtesy of Kgosi Oateng Setlhodi of Chanoga who asked the organisation to rescue the horticulture project, which had totally collapsed following a fire outbreak last October where the entire irrigation system was engulfed by fire.

The horticulture project, which was initiated by Chanoga community in collaboration with Department of Agriculture, was piloted under Poverty Eradication Programme in which 12 beneficiaries were identified to run it. Currently, only seven are still active.

The government had helped the 12 hectare farm to be equipped with a solar power-driven irrigation system to source water from the Thamalakane River.

“We are thrilled to announce that our horticulture project is back and ready to make a positive impact with renewed vigour and thanks to our village’s chief, Kgosi Setlhodi for demonstrating visionary leadership by bringing a new partner on board,” said Ms Anastacia Kavezeri, one of the project’s beneficiaries.  

She confirmed that Eco-Exist had helped them to revive the project and also promised to aid with the marketing aspect.

The project is currently run by seven beneficiaries whom, she said had all lost hope after the entire farm caught fire and destroyed the area used for ploughing. She reported that one of the beneficiaries had engaged someone to clear the farm after they had completed harvesting and unfortunately burnt the remains and the wind spread fire across the entire farm.

Ms Kavezeri appreciated the support offered by Eco-Exist saying currently they had been advised to use a portion of the farm to plant chili pepper while they await to be taught how to make chilli bricks, which is one of the new methods of community based human wildlife conflict management.

Since the river was dry, they planted chilli seeds into containers while the officials from Poverty Eradication Office work around the clock to finalise the equipping and connection of a borehole in the farm.

Ideally, their plan was to plant different vegetables such as butternuts, tomatoes, spinach and rape among others along with the chilli pepper.

Since the inception of the project, beneficiaries had been enjoying support from the domestic market as they supplied individuals and some schools with fresh vegetables and Ms Kavezeri believed that soon, they would bounce back and start selling more fresh produce to the communities including chilli bricks.

Kgosi Setlhodi noted that the project had potential to produce food to feed the community as well as improve socio-economic status of the community hence he found it fit to lure partners to lend a helping hand.

He is hopeful that Eco-Exist will help to make the project more vibrant through their expertise and give encouragement to beneficiaries to up their game an ensure that the project produced intended results.

He recalled that he requested the farm from government with the aim to start sustainable projects that could better the lives of women as they were hard hit by poverty and believed that they could use the land to start income generating projects.

“This is a viable project which can increase production and create jobs for locals and I encourage anyone passionate about horticulture to come on board and help because we believe that collaboration and knowledge sharing can foster remarkable growth,” said Kgosi Setlhodi. ENDS