EXPRESSION OF INTEREST: GROWING FOOD FOR LIFE

In 2018 the Foundation for Human Rights (FHR) recognised that addressing the scourge of Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) required community members to work together in a coordinated manner.  FHR collaborated with civil society organisations to address GBVF in selected sites through a programme called ‘Masibambisane: Creating the Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) Free Zones’.

The programme aims to facilitate the participation and empowerment of community stakeholders to have agency in dealing with GBVF through creating GBVF Free Zones. Through the Masibambisane project, it was further identified that it would benefit women more if the issue of economic dependency were addressed, as reflections indicated that women stay in abusive relationships due to economic reliance and an inability to put food on the table.

This gave birth to the Permaculture/Agroecology pilot project funded by the Open Society Foundation. The aim was to develop pilot sites in Eastern Cape Province to gradually become eco-villages in which food is produced through Agroecological means of production. The pilot project was a success and offered many lessons for FHR. Therefore, in 2023 FHR will be taking those lessons forward by implementing ‘the Growing Food for Life Programme” funded by the Ford Foundation.

 The Foundation for Human Rights would like to invite organisations in the Masibambisane Programme to apply to be part of the ‘Growing Food for Life’ project. The main focus of this project is small-scale farmers, those who grow food in their backyard gardens/roofs, pavements, containers, land etc. Qualifying organisations will be given an overall service grant to the maximum of R90 000, which would allow for minimal support for external inputs such as implements and seeds (should the mapping exercise indicate a need for such).

To qualify, organisations would need to adhere to the following criteria:

• Organisations must have women in leadership roles.
• Be compliant with their current or past Masibambisane grant.
• Have an interest in participating in implementing permaculture and agroecology in their communities.
• Have an interest in food sovereignty and indigenous knowledge of food systems.
• Understanding agroecology as a modality for transitioning from chemicalised and heavy input agriculture to low impact and environmentally friendly practices of growing and consumption.
• Have access to space that will be used for growing food,

All selected organisations would receive permaculture and agroecological training, so prior experience or knowledge will not be used to exclude organisations from participation. To apply, please email the following documents to agroecology@fhr.org.za by the 14^th of April 2023 at 4 pm.

• A latest monthly financial report (please note that bank statements or annual audited statements are not required)
• A brief background of your organisation and the work you do
• Outline your interest and level of knowledge or experience in agroecology/permaculture (training will be provided)
• How many women will be directly involved in growing food, and how will they be involved?
• What local sustainable (regenerative) resources do you have, such as water, garden, land, roof, plants, and local seeds?

If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact Ntokozo Zondi (Grants and Programmes Coordinator) at grantsunit@fhr.org.za