Sustainable agricultural training programme launches in Stellenbosch
Last week saw the launch of an innovative six-month initiative aimed at empowering small-scale farmers in the Western Cape. Presented by the Herbal View Agricultural Training Centre (HVATC), the training programme is a collaborative effort between Herbal View Hydroponics, Stellenbosch-based non-profit company Ranyaka Community Transformation and the CoCreate Hub Stellenbosch. The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) is funding this exciting initiative.
The first cohort of the programme will equip 20 small farmers with the knowledge and tools for sustainable agricultural operations using intensive hydroponic techniques in small greenhouse models. Beyond hydroponics, the programme emphasises business skills training.
“We are including topics like general business management, costing, pricing, marketing, and community selling. It’s about sustainability—ensuring that the projects also flourish as small businesses, have access to market, and that the farmers are able to pay themselves and their workers,” says Basil Williams, founder of the HVATC. Financial education sessions, supported by Nedbank, further enhance the programme’s impact.
“This project allows me to give back within my expertise,” says Basil. “It’s about investing in others and building sustainable futures.”
Herbal View Agriculture Training Centre directors are Basil Williams, founder of Herbal View Hydroponics-Commercial, Raymond Brinkhuis-Leirolac (consulting small businesses through business and financial development skills, predominantly in the small, micro, and medium groups) and Lindsay Vermeulen of Bookkeepers Cape Town, financial management and bookkeeping systems.
The programme kicked off officially at the CoCreate Hub in Stellenbosch on Wednesday 19 June 2024. It includes a three-month theoretical training component comprising six days of in-person training sessions a month at the Hub, followed by practical on-site components at Herbal View and each garden. Participants from four communities under Ranyaka’s Land and Property programme – Kylemore (Kleine Diamantjies Early Childhood Development Centre), Klapmuts (EPJ Kleinboerdery), Paarl (Joey Erasmus’ food garden at Orleansvale Primary School), and Khayelitsha (Abalimi Bezekhaya) – will benefit from the training.
Each garden will also receive an IDC-sponsored greenhouse tunnel with planting bags, trellising, hydroponics systems, and seedlings. Herbal View Hydroponics will guide installation, provide on-site planting guidance, and offer ongoing mentoring, fostering viable, sustainable businesses.
Basil Williams, founder of Herbal View Hydroponics, brings over 28 years of experience in horticulture and agriculture to this initiative. A graduate with a Diploma in Horticulture, Basil started his career at the Elsenburg Agricultural Research Centre and established Herbal View in 1998, specialising in the commercial growth of herbs, vegetables, and salads, emphasising organic and sustainable practices.
In 2021 Basil participated in the Nedbank-funded Ranyaka Building Business Programme, which connected him with Ranyaka and introduced him to the food gardens now benefiting from his training programme. This year brought an exciting development in Basil’s journey, when he established the Herbal View Agricultural Training Centre as the non-profit arm of Herbal View Hydroponics and secured funding from the IDC to facilitate this comprehensive training initiative.
Johan Olivier, Executive Director of Ranyaka Community Transformation, highlights the project’s significance: “This exciting collaboration with the Herbal View Agricultural Training Centre forms part of our national Food Network programme aimed at promoting local food security and economic development. The collaboration exemplifies leveraging networks and skills to meet community needs.” Ranyaka’s Land and Property programme, of which the food network forms a part, is one of ten programmes that the NPC is implementing in 8 provinces nationally under the banner of the Nedbank Proud of my Town programme.
For more information, please contact Basil Williams via email at basil@herbalview.co.za. For more information about Ranyaka’s work, email admin@ranyaka.co.za
