On Thursday, 16 October 2025, over 90 farmers from the Langa, Khayelitsha, Mitchell’s Plain and Gugulethu Agrihubs gathered in Gugulethu for a day of farmer-led workshops, discussions and showcases. The Agrihub Gathering is an annual chance for growers to exchange practical knowledge, celebrate wins, and deepen the relationships that sustain Cape Town’s growing network of urban food gardens.
As South Africa faces climate shocks, rising living costs and fragile supply chains, a quieter, grassroots transformation is taking place in township spaces. Through farmer-run Agrihubs that link production, storage, training and local markets, small-scale growers are turning neglected plots, backyards and allotments into productive, people-led places that anchor daily life. These gardens help families pay school fees, top up electricity, and meet everyday needs — while also cooling streets, absorbing stormwater, boosting biodiversity and strengthening neighbourhood ties.
“This gathering is more than an event; it is a platform where farmers set the agenda,” said Rirhandzu Marivate, Programmes Manager at the SA Urban Food & Farming Trust. “There is power in growers sharing what works, what doesn’t, and how to overcome challenges together.” The Agrihub model – now supporting over 1 400 small-scale urban farmers across more than 250 gardens – demonstrates how local knowledge and collective action can build resilience from the ground up in places shaped by spatial exclusion.
The programme blended plenary sessions with practical, hands-on working groups. A stakeholder session brought useful, market-facing skills into the room: Linda Gcwabe from Nedbank led an interactive workshop on financial administration, giving farmers straightforward tools and confidence to manage funds and plan for growth. Lucas Tsatsi from Oribi followed with a talk on entrepreneurship, encouraging farmers to think of themselves as producers for both table and market – and to see business skills as part of their toolkit.
In smaller groups, farmers dug into topics that matter to everyday production and collective scaling: composting, agroprocessing, seed saving, market access, governance and strengthening farmer agency. Conversations were practical and immediate – the kind that produce new ideas for next season and spark collaborations across Agrihubs. The discussion notes and recommendations from these sessions will be consolidated and fed back into each Agrihub to support follow-up actions.
For many participants the most important outcome was simply being together. Farmers of different ages and backgrounds shared tips, struggles and stories – and the energy of that exchange was unmistakable. “I really enjoyed seeing farmers from different Agrihubs in one space – young and old – sharing and learning from each other,” reflected Andile Ngqinambi, a youth farmer from Gugulethu.
The Agrihub Gathering reaffirmed a clear message: urban farming is about more than growing food – it’s about growing people, community leadership and economic opportunity. As the Agrihub Initiative continues to scale, it offers a tested, place-based proof of concept for how cities can respond to overlapping social, climate and infrastructure pressures – not with top-down plans alone, but with farmer-led, community-rooted solutions.
If you’d like to learn more about the Agrihub Initiative or get involved, follow SA Urban Food & Farming Trust’s updates and upcoming activities.
SA Urban Food & Farming Trust 