Ms Thifheli Kutama (Experimental farm manager), and her team, partnered with the UNIVEN Advancement Unit to donate fresh produce from the Experimental farm to the Thoho ya Nzie welfare programme in Limpopo, South Africa. Thoho ya Nzie is a welfare programme established by the University to support unfunded indigent students with food and other necessities.
Currently, over 55 certified indigent students receive food parcels every month, however, the number of students seeking assistance exceeds 100. The programme relies on donations to maintain a food bank and sometimes needs more resources to replenish. This prompted the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture to donate farm produce from the experimental farm in response to the call for support. The donation consisted of 80 trays of eggs, vegetables, and freshly harvested tomatoes from the hydroponic tunnel at the Experimental farm.
Fresh tomatoes growing in the hydroponic tunnel at the experimental farm: univen.ac.za
This faculty is committed to contributing to food security in response to the global mandate of Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG) from the United Nations for 2030 to end hunger. The aim is to achieve zero hunger, eliminate malnutrition, and address food insecurity.
The experimental farm provides academic and research support to undergraduate and postgraduate students and various staff members of the University of Venda (UNIVEN), the communities in the Limpopo province as well as researchers and academics from other institutions.
Source: univen.ac.za