Ocean View Organic Farmers

“We need to ensure ongoing access to nutritious food in our community. Our aim is to help organisations and families access fast growing nutrition on their doorstep” – Ocean View Organic Farmers

In December 2019 Neighbourhood Farm, with help of the community, established an agricultural training hub in Ocean View, South Peninsula, South Africa. By February 2020, ten members from the community completed their training as agri-entrepreneurs. The group, rebranded as Ocean View Organic Farmers under the new ownership of the local community members and has taken full responsibility for the farm and its productions. The farm is situated on the Ocean View high school grounds and is a neighbour to the Communities Wellness Solutions. The vision of the two initiatives working together is to create a space for a healthy lifestyle and self sustainable garden, food, skills, jobs, education and recreation for their own community. In this productive environment anyone sharing the same vision is welcome to collaborate.

Initially the Ocean View Organic Farmers started as a garden. Over the years they have developed a hub for education, skills and business. On daily basis children come after school to learn how to plant vegetables, to collaborate in groups, have fun getting outdoor exercise and feel carefree. Volunteers, like Gavin age 54, come to enjoy their days socialising and contributing to the garden. And people like Jasmine Thomas age 52 , who is formerly trained as a chef, comes in every day to bake 50 loafs of bread. With the support of the community, Ocean View Organic Farmers have established a business relationship with companies like Pesto Princess supplying basil and coriander as well as local restaurants like Camel Rock with vegetables. Besides the vegetables and the greens, the garden is thriving with young fruit trees and is in process of building a nursery for seedlings to plant in the garden, as well as deliver ready built vegetable boxes to private homes for growing their own food.

The vegetables and the bread have become a vital source of food for their own community and in challenging times of COVID-19, Ocean View Organic Farmers are daily contributing packages to Home From Home, Open Door Valley Development Trust, Senior Club and Rasta Camp.

It was an honour to meet the team on our photoshoot: Sophia Grodes age 46, Merna Jacobs age 48, Nicky Jacobs age 37, Lance Meyer age 28, Carin Robers age 29, Lodicea Peterson age 20 and Jasmine Thomas age 52. These pioneers are making a change for themselves, for the community and their children. This is an initiative by the people for the people with a vision to build a better future of their community and teach the next generation a self sustainable lifestyle where work, food and health are the pillars of daily life.

To follow the progress and for donations:

Ocean View Organic Farmers