The Farm Nearby

WORDS Cheri Morris

The Farm Nearby in La Lucia, Durban is promoting the profitability and sustainability of urban farming on rented or borrowed land.

The urban farm is run by graphic designer Daniel De Sousa, and specialises in the growing of a select group of high value, fast yielding crops such as rocket, baby spinach and various lettuces on rented or borrowed land. His aim is to make people aware that urban areas can also be utilised to produce valuable crops.

Daniel aims to inspire communities to rethink how our food system works and to change how we view the places we live in. Each urban farm is strategically placed in the heart of an urban community and makes use of SPIN – Small Plot Intensive – farming techniques that are production-based, sub-acre in scale, low capital intensive, entrepreneurial driven, environmentally friendly and close to produce markets.

Through the use of intercropping, Daniel is able to achieve multiple harvests from each crop while simultaneously increasing the number of plantings in each bed. Through this he hopes to provide an example of how productive and profitable urban agriculture can be. The Farm Nearby also strives to uphold sustainable environmental practices and engages in activities such as collecting used coffee grounds from local brewers, which are mixed with soil to increase fertility.

To see more of what is going on at The Farm Nearby, visit their Facebook page.