Ergo’s Urban Agriculture Project Benefits Riverlea Community
Ergo’s Urban Agriculture Project Benefits Riverlea Community. DRDGOLD Limited’s Ergo Mining is creating self-sustaining livelihoods in urban agriculture and entrepreneurship through the development of the Ergo Riverlea Livelihoods Programme. Riverlea is a large community located to the west of Johannesburg, near Ergo’s mining operations.
The project forms part of DRDGOLD and Ergo’s Sustainable Livelihoods Programme, which gives life to the Ergo’s Social and Labour Plan (SLP). The hand-over of this project to the community of Riverlea reinforces DRDGOLD”s purpose of rolling back the environmental legacy of mining, adding to quality of life.
Ergo’s investment in the Riverlea Livelihoods Programme was in response to a request from the Federation for a Sustainable Environment (FSE) and the Riverlea Mining Forum to create economic opportunity for the people of Riverlea and the nearby Zamimpilo informal settlement. This project, which has the support of the City of Johannesburg, was handed over to the Riverlea community on 12 September at a celebration event at the Riverlea Recreation Centre. ERGO is investing R3 million into agricultural livelihoods and farming entrepreneurship development in Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg (including Riverlea and other communities) in 2024 and 2025.
Let’s Grow SA, a Riverlea-based non-profit organisation, is the anchor partner in the project which has seen the transformation of an unused agricultural facility into a bustling agricultural, training and entrepreneurial hub. In addition to project infrastructure such as greenhouse tunnels, rainwater harvesting tanks and drip irrigation systems, the facility’s shared space is used for agriculture and business training and has created the potential for additional income streams. A seedling nursery, for example, can provide for agricultural activity at the centre, but also for sales to community farmers and beyond.
Wayne Swanepoel, Senior Manager: Human and Social Capital at DRDGOLD, paid tribute to the project partners and particularly to the community members who have worked together in creating this community-led agriculture, training and economic hub: “The programme captures the ethos of Ergo’s Sustainable Livelihoods initiative, which is to bring about a shift from prevailing scarcity, dependency and welfare mindsets to productive economic activity, self-reliance and value-creation mindsets. Our Sustainable Livelihoods (agriculture and entrepreneurship) programme will run in communities in the footprint areas of Ergo’s Ekurhuleni to Johannesburg’s Metropolitan Municipalities. This is our flagship and staple programme for providing social and economic livelihood opportunities for thousands and thousands of people living in poverty and facing unemployment who come to ERGO for opportunities.”
The project uses regenerative, climate-smart, organic deep trenching methodologies that enhance soil fertility, promote healthier crops and are cost-effective and environmentally sustainable. In addition to a dedicated area for seed propagation, four open land planting areas have been created for a variety of crops (including maize, tomatoes, green peppers and watermelon) and a variety of fruit trees and creeping fruits (like Kiwi and grapes) are being established, alongside a dedicated herb section for propagation.
As part of the ongoing Ergo Sustainable Livelihoods Programme, training of interested community members will continue in Riverlea, Zamimplio and surrounds in an effort to achieve a broader base of impact. Ergo’s flagship programme is open to anyone interested in participating in or presenting opportunities to create self-sustaining livelihoods through agriculture and entrepreneurship. DRDGOLD designed and established Ergo Sustainable Livelihoods as a unique development initiative in 2018 to reach as many underdeveloped communities as possible with livelihoods skills development and facilitated processes. Its intention is to enable greater participation by previously excluded people in the local economy, especially women and youth.
The programme stretches from Ergo’s ‘home’ communities from the East Rand (Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality) to the West Rand (Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality), and towards Carletonville (Merafong Municipality). Various sub-programmes are offered, including vegetable production, cattle and poultry rearing, economic activation and business fundamentals.
Ergo Sustainable Livelihoods has achieved an extensive and broad-based reach, and has successfully mobilised people in need, providing them with food security and opportunities to earn a living for their families. Much of this has been achieved through the establishment of learning groups, dedicated cohort of beneficiaries located in a central point of a specific community area. The Learning Group is where they receive structured training, mentorship, skills and implementation application. It is closely located to their households, production areas, and business areas. The beneficiaries then implement what they have learnt in their agricultural, business or economic activities.
Since its implementation, more than 11 200 community members have directly benefited. To date, 215 learning groups in 42 communities have been established across the Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Merafong municipalities. This far exceeds DRDGOLD’s commitment to establish 75 learning groups.
