Empowering South Africans to improve their livelihoods

Latest GEMS CSI initiative empowers farmers

The Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) recently partnered with the Department of Agriculture to provide one emerging farmer in Folweni, KwaZulu Natal, with the opportunity to learn new skills that will ultimately help reduce poverty, empower community members and contribute to job creation.

This corporate social investment (CSI) initiative forms part of the Department of Agriculture's Food Security Project, which aims to develop policies and support programmes to ensure that South African citizens are given agricultural opportunities that will enable them to meet their basic food needs.

GEMS offered its time and assistance to the community of Folweni by building two chicken coops and donating other much-needed equipment to a family in the community wanting to start their own chicken farm.  Other items donated by GEMS to assist the family included:

• A chicken plucking machine
• Chicken feeders
• 5 8l water fountains
• 4 small chick feeders
• 4 metal feeders with 8 holes
• 12 parameter fences
• 15 50kg express broiler starters
• 18 50kg express broiler growers
• 13 50kg express broiler finishers

Commenting on this social upliftment initiative, GEMS Executive: Communications and Member Affairs, Liziwe Nkonyana, said, "There is a definite need to help empower emerging farmers in order to reduce poverty and provide disadvantaged communities with the skills they need to become self-sustaining."

"By giving disadvantaged communities the skills and equipment they need to become successful farmers, we hope to also create a sense of entrepreneurship by encouraging the communities to sell their produce to local markets. We believe that more initiatives like this are needed to build an agricultural community that is sustainable, empowered and not dependent on social grants," concluded Nkonyana.