Urban Farmers

Students’ up-lift Local farmers

Public Relation's to bring change in urban farming and food security

Earlier this year the second year of Public Relations were assigned to develop a Public Relations Plan for the local farms which leave at Soweto. The of aim of this project was to apply competence skills which we developed since from first year. We were given a role to assist the farmers by trying to attract more customers for them, media publicity, and awareness around the community where the farm is located at. However our farm was not a commercial farm but a community farm/garden to which is used to boost community members which are unemployed. 

Some of the Challenges which our farmer faced.

• Lack of Human resources
• Inadequate working tools and materiel
• Lack of Publicity around the community
• Lack of communication between leadership/committee members of the farm. 

What did we do?

• We attracted young people and had a workshop with them, telling them about the importance of food security and how farming can used to alleviate poverty within our communities. Furthermore we asked young people within that community to volunteer their time in helping in the farm/garden whenever they had time because the person who was working there was an old person.
• We also made a few calls to some of the local committee members to address the issue of working tools and materiel that must be used for particular garden.
• Lack of Publicity, this where most of our Public Relations techniques had to come into place for the farm and community.  
• This was a huge crisis for the farm because some of the farmers were not present during our time we visited the farm not even a single time.

What Did I learn?

To organize my group: Some of the group members would come and say they don't have money to go to Soweto, and sometimes I had to sacrifice my last money and give transportation fee for that group member who couldn't afford

To conduct small events: To plan and organize an event of 15-30 people, during the day of the work shop. 

To be a team player: Not every group member would their work so i had to teach myself to be ready at all times, and give myself extra work for just in case the other group member didn't do their part there was plan B.