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Farmers, the community, municipality and government have decided to tackle their problems together and to do something about the local community’s lack of prospects. Many projects are in the pipeline to train aspiring farmers and to create work for the community. "The economic upliftment of the community also means a lower incidence of stock theft and other crime afflicting farmers, as well as a more stable labour pool from which to procure workers,” said Dirk Hanekom, Executive Manager of Agri Gauteng, who is facilitating a steering committee that manages the project. “The project is accompanied by thorough planning and our aim is to achieve tangible results,” said Hanekom. A number of Agri Gauteng members led by André Botha (who was president of Agri Gauteng at the time), his wife Louise and specifically the Nigel farmer association, decided some years ago to put shoulder to the wheel and shape the community’s future themselves.

Agri Gauteng combined the initiatives and started to share the content thereof with the local and provincial authorities. This interaction led to the initiatives being integrated with the government’s efforts in the area.

Hanekom summarised the initiative as follows: "We used the government’s plan for rural development (the Rural Social Compact Plan) as blueprint and a contract was entered into with the government. Around this plan, workable plans were devised in conjunction with other role players in the area, such as the municipality, provincial government, the provincial department of agriculture, the police, and the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco).”

“Thorough planning is the watchword. The steering committee, consisting of representatives of all the relevant organisations, make realistic plans without creating unrealistic expectations,” said Hanekom. For example, soil samples are taken before planting commences. The first phase of the project will start early next year with vegetable gardens, involving approximately 1 000 of the households in the area. The successful establishment of such home gardens could make an enormous difference to the lives of around 8 000 people living in Impumelelo (the black residential area of Devon) as well as in the vicinity, says ward councillor Ms Sonto Vilakazi.      A course in basic livestock handling practices, which includes aspects such as stock branding, is also on the menu. When the planting season for maize starts next year, a communal tract of land of approximately 50ha will be planted and the proceeds distributed among members of the community. “We are not talking about hand-outs. We want to uplift the area economically. The community will be trained to take care of the farming operations. Experts will, however, keep an eye on things and ensure that maintenance takes place, while training will be an ongoing aspect of the projects,” said Hanekom.