An innovative six-month initiative, aimed at empowering small-scale farmers in the Western Cape, was launched at the CoCreate Hub in Stellenbosch last Wednesday (19 June).
Presented by the Herbal View Agricultural Training Centre (HVATC), the training programme is a collaborative effort between Herbal View Hydroponics, Stellenbosch-based NPC Ranyaka Community Transformation and the CoCreate Hub Stellenbosch. The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) funds the initiative.
The first cohort of the programme will equip 20 small farmers with the knowledge and tools for sustainable operations using intensive hydroponic techniques in small greenhouse models. Beyond hydroponics, the programme emphasises business skills training.
“We are including topics such as general business management, costing, pricing, marketing, and community selling,” said Basil Williams. “It’s about sustainability – ensuring that the projects flourish as small businesses, have access to market, and that the farmers are able to pay themselves and their workers.”
Financial education sessions, supported by Nedbank, will further enhance the programme’s impact. “This project allows me to give back within my expertise,” Williams added. “It’s about investing in others and building sustainable futures.”
The programme includes a three-month theoretical training component comprising six days of in-person training sessions a month at the bub, followed by practical on-site components at HVATC and each garden. Participants from four communities under Ranyaka’s Land and Property programme – Kylemore (Kleine Diamantjies Early Childhood Development Centre), Klapmuts (EPJ Kleinboerdery), Paarl (Joey Erasmus’ food garden at Orleansvale Primary School) and Khayelitsha (Abalimi Bezekhaya) – will benefit from the training.
Each garden will also receive an IDC-sponsored greenhouse tunnel with planting bags, trellising, hydroponics systems, and seedlings. Herbal View Hydroponics will guide installation, provide on-site planting guidance, and offer ongoing mentoring, fostering viable, sustainable businesses.
Williams brings more than 28 years of experience in horticulture and agriculture to this initiative. A graduate with a diploma in Horticulture, he started his career at the Elsenburg Agricultural Research Centre and established Herbal View in 1998, specialising in the commercial growth of herbs, vegetables, and salads, emphasising organic and sustainable practices.
In 2021, Williams participated in the Nedbank-funded Ranyaka Building Business Programme, which connected him with the organisation and introduced him to the food gardens now benefiting from his training programme.
This year brought an exciting development in his journey, when he established the HVATC as the non-profit arm of Herbal View Hydroponics and secured funding from the IDC to facilitate the comprehensive training initiative.
Johan Olivier, executive director of Ranyaka Community Transformation, highlighted the project’s significance: “This exciting collaboration with the HVATC forms part of our national Food Network programme aimed at promoting local food security and economic development. The collaboration exemplifies leveraging networks and skills to meet community needs.”
Ranyaka’s Land and Property programme, of which the Food Network is part, is one of 10 programmes that the NPC is implementing in eight provinces under the banner of the Nedbank Proud of my Town programme.
- For more information, contact Williams on basil@herbalview.co.za. For more information about Ranyaka’s work, email admin@ranyaka.co.za.
