By Rirhandzu Marivate, Programmes Manager at SA Urban Food and Farming Trust (SAUFFT), BSc (Hons) Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable Development and Planning (Food Systems), MPhil Candidate in Sustainable Development (Food Systems) As South African cities continue to grow, I find myself returning to an increasingly urgent question: What does a just,Continue reading “People as Infrastructure: Why Urban Land Use Must Be Reimagined Through the Lens of Food”
Tag Archives: sustainability
SAUFFT’s Rirhandzu Marivate joins global sustainability exchange in Germany
As cities around the world grapple with climate change, waste management, mobility, and food insecurity, international collaborations are becoming increasingly important in shaping more sustainable urban futures.Earlier this month, SAUFFT’s Programmes Manager, Rirhandzu Marivate, travelled to Bavaria, Germany, as part of a knowledge-exchange and capacity-building mission focused on sustainable urban mobility, circular systems, and foodContinue reading “SAUFFT’s Rirhandzu Marivate joins global sustainability exchange in Germany”
New Voices, Shared Vision: Meet the Trustees Guiding SAUFFT Forward
One of the key highlights of this year was welcoming three new trustees to the SA Urban Food & Farming Trust: Miles Kubheka, Hadijah Nankanja and Nonhlanhla Taylor. Each brings not only expertise but also a deep personal commitment to community resilience, food justice, and the power of grassroots action. Their arrival has infused theContinue reading “New Voices, Shared Vision: Meet the Trustees Guiding SAUFFT Forward”
Paving and Levelling of the Smiley Market: Strengthening Safety and Dignity
For decades, the Rhodes Street Smiley Market in Langa has been a cornerstone of local food culture. Known for the preparation and sale of “smileys”, sheep heads cooked over open flames, the market is both an economic lifeline for women traders and a gathering place for residents and visitors. Despite its vibrancy, the site hadContinue reading “Paving and Levelling of the Smiley Market: Strengthening Safety and Dignity”
Langa Waste Forum Outing: A Community Learning Journey Towards a Circular, Zero-Waste Future
In November, a diverse group of City officials, community members, circular economy innovators, and local partners gathered in Langa for a full-day learning journey marking the beginning of the Langa Waste Forum. More than an educational trip, the outing became a moment of relationship-building, shared reflection, and collective visioning for what a cleaner, more circular,Continue reading “Langa Waste Forum Outing: A Community Learning Journey Towards a Circular, Zero-Waste Future”
Decentralising Resilience: What the Langa Agrihub Reveals About the Future of Climate Adaptation
The publication of Sustaining Urban Food Gardens for Community Resilience: A Case Study of the Langa Agrihub arrives at a critical moment, one in which compounding risks, cascading systemic failures, and escalating climate uncertainty are reshaping how societies must think about resilience. As global policy debates continue to centre technocratic, expert-driven models of risk governance,Continue reading “Decentralising Resilience: What the Langa Agrihub Reveals About the Future of Climate Adaptation”
Langa’s Journey Toward a Community-Led Food Council Begins
Today, in collaboration with Food Agency Cape Town (FACT), we hosted the first Langa Food Council Workshop at Guga S’thebe in Langa. The gathering brought together a vibrant mix of voices, from urban farmers and informal traders to community kitchens, youth leaders, artists, educators, and local organisations, united by a shared commitment to building aContinue reading “Langa’s Journey Toward a Community-Led Food Council Begins”
Deepening Agrihub Roots: Strengthening Farmers Through Learning and Collaboration
This year has been about growth, not just in the gardens, but in knowledge, confidence, and collaboration. Across the Langa, Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain and Gugulethu Agrihubs, farmers have taken important steps to strengthen their skills and deepen their understanding of what it means to farm sustainably through training and workshops. What made this year’s learningContinue reading “Deepening Agrihub Roots: Strengthening Farmers Through Learning and Collaboration”
SAUFFT Programmes Manager, Rirhandzu Marivate, at the Transformations Community / Earth System Governance 2025 Conference
In August 2025, the Transformations Community / Earth System Governance (TC/ESG) Conference brought together more than 400 scientists, academics, artists, activists, and practitioners from across the world. Held from 18–21 August under the theme Navigating Sustainability Transformations Towards Justice and Equity,” the conference created a rich space for dialogue on how to shape fairer, moreContinue reading “SAUFFT Programmes Manager, Rirhandzu Marivate, at the Transformations Community / Earth System Governance 2025 Conference”
Empowering Urban Farmers Through Wellness and Indigenous Knowledge: The EESI Programme’s Impact in Khayelitsha
A year-long programme aimed at improving the health, well-being, and economic resilience of urban farmers in Khayelitsha showed promising results. The Environmental Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation (EESI) initiative, which ran from April 2024 to March 2025, brought together over two dozen participants, primarily women and backyard farmers, to reimagine nutrition, biodiversity, and entrepreneurship through targetedContinue reading “Empowering Urban Farmers Through Wellness and Indigenous Knowledge: The EESI Programme’s Impact in Khayelitsha”
SA Urban Food & Farming Trust 