Rasool proposes food gardens

2008-05-14 11:12

Cape Town - Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool has proposed community food gardens on state land as one solution to rocketing food prices.

"Government and society cannot close our eyes to the increasing hardship and the struggle of many families to put food on the table," he told the provincial legislature on Tuesday.

He said that in one year the price of food fats and oils had increased by 47%, milk, cheese and eggs by 30%, grain products by a quarter and vegetables by 22%.

"This is a time for all of us to pull together, and for those who are better off to assist those who are vulnerable," he said.

"We need a mighty partnership against hunger."

He called for a summit of government and civil society groups, including churches, labour and business, to launch a food security campaign.

So that it was not just a talk shop, his government would bring a set of "concrete initiatives" to the table for urgent implementation.

They included making state land at hospitals and schools available for community food garden schemes, setting up food co-operatives , distributing seed packs to vulnerable households, and increasing the school nutrition budget by R5m.

Rasool also said consideration should be given to a moratorium on evictions from houses, and on water cuts, for those who had a proven inability to pay for services, let alone food.

- SAPA