18 October 2022

Down South Africa way, Participatory Guarantee System South Africa (PGS SA) celebrated World Organic Day 2022 by hosting local farmers markets in various parts of the country. The day was an opportunity for the PGS groups to showcase fresh produce they grow in their gardens, engage local communities about PGS work, connect with other stakeholders in the organic food value chain and also sell their produce.

In the Eastern Cape province Busisiwe Mgangxela leading two PGS groups; Ilitha and Ikamva, hosted the local farmers’ market at Kidlinks Small Farm Incubator (KSFI) in East London. In addition to fresh produce, the farmers shared teas made from indigenous plants like Moringa and Cancer Bush. As is the tradition in PGS, a lot of information and knowledge was shared amongst the farmers and those in attendance.

Further down along the Cape coast, the PGS group Ikamva Lamafama led by Babalwa Mpayipeli also hosted a farmers’ market. The farmers chose to highlight the various ways of consuming fresh produce by adding smoothies to their offering. This was a pleasant surprise to the market visitors and a great way of packaging seasonal produce and addressing the issue of waste in food gardens. The market was held at the Nyanga Garden Centre in Cape Town.