SA Harvest and OneFarm Share’s hunger relief journey drives impact

The journey of SA Harvest and the OneFarm Share Programme is a testament to the power of such partnerships.

At its core, SA Harvest aims to end hunger in South Africa. Since its inception in October 2019, the organisation has delivered 47.1 million meals and rescued 14.2 million kilograms of food from going to waste.

Its commitment to this mission has been unwavering, and it has achieved remarkable milestones along the way through its unique business model built on the pillars of food rescue and systemic intervention, underpinned by a bespoke technology platform.

OneFarm Share is an integrated impact platform facilitated through a partnership between Standard Bank and HelloChoice, designed to address some of the most pressing challenges in the agriculture value chain.

These are:

• food waste
• emerging farmer development, and
• food insecurity.

At its core, OneFarm Share acts as a digital matchmaker for food requests from registered charitable organisations and available fresh produce. Since its official launch in February 2021, OneFarm Share has distributed over 19 267 tonnes of fresh produce, resulting in more than 76 million meals being created.

There are currently 547 contributors on the platform; this cohort comprises 444 emerging farmers:

• 129 females
• 78 commercial farmers
• 14 food producers and packhouses, and
• 11 market agents.

The birth of a partnership

In June and July 2021, SA Harvest embarked on a partnership journey with the OneFarm Share Programme in SA Harvest's three main areas of operation:

• Gauteng
• Western Cape, and
• KwaZulu-Natal.

This collaboration began with a simple yet profound goal: to rescue surplus food, support emerging farmers and redirect it to those in need. In the first year, SA Harvest received donations totalling 1 759 111 kilograms of fruit and vegetables from the OneFarm Share programme.

Expanding relief efforts

As the partnership grew, so did its impact. In 2022, SA Harvest's partnership with the Solidarity Fund to deliver relief to areas affected by floods in July and August of that year expanded the relationship with the OneFarm Share programme to include:

• the Eastern Cape
• Mpumalanga, and
• Limpopo.

This resulted in a total volume of 3 582 534 kilograms that year. This collaboration was a testament to the ability of organisations with shared values to make a significant difference in times of crisis.

Through partnerships with organisations in each region, SA Harvest reached areas that have never received assistance, with many of the recipients being child-headed households.

A second Solidarity Fund initiative was undertaken from November 2021 to February 2022, delivering nutritious food parcels to close to 10 000 families in 39 areas across six provinces.

Supporting emerging farmers

OneFarm Share's emphasis on procuring produce from emerging local farmers strengthened the partnership even further, highlighting the importance of community engagement and support in sustainable food rescue efforts.

OneFarm Share and the retailer and input supplier Agrimark have partnered to explore ways to add value to the new-generation farmers OneFarm Share procures from, such as offering input discounts at Agrimark stores for a wide range of farming products and equipment.

This approach demonstrates a commitment to building sustainable relationships with farmers and empowering them to thrive.

Food rescue at the market level

In 2022, the OneFarm Share programme began rescuing from the Pretoria Market, resulting in 272 252 kilograms of fruit and vegetables being diverted from landfills to SA Harvest's Gauteng warehouse. In 2023, to date, 128 815 kilograms have been rescued from the Pretoria Market.

Total donations to date

In 2023, the partnership resulted in the donation of 1 522 422 kilograms of food in seven regions. These donations have included a wide variety of produce, ranging from potatoes and carrots to oranges and pumpkins.

The impact of these contributions on individuals and families across South Africa is indescribable.

Logistical support and game-changing bins

Before June 2023, the potential to rescue loose fruit from packhouses and farmers was largely untapped due to the significant logistics and lack of a solution to the need for large agri-bins.

Efficient food rescue requires more than good intentions. It demands logistical support, and OneFarm Share stepped into broker partnerships with organisations like CHEP and Agrimark.

These collaborations provided the necessary infrastructure, including agri bins, to move substantial volumes of produce from various regions. This included, most significantly, one million tonnes of citrus fruit donated by Clemengold in Mpumalanga to SA Harvest’s warehouses in Durban and Johannesburg over three months.

The introduction of bins will be a game-changer in SA Harvest's food rescue operation, as it now enables SA Harvest to collect loose fruit. This increases the volume of donations significantly and provides packhouses with an efficient solution to their surplus and excess fruit.

Since the introduction of CHEP and Agrimark bulk bins into SA Harvest's food rescue operation, loose fruit and vegetables have been received from several producers, including:

• 15 bins of tomatoes, lemons and soft citrus from Lucerne Pack
• 50 000 kilograms of butternuts from Oude Muur Packing
• 4 000 kilograms of citrus from JAT Fruit, and
• 187 200 kilograms of citrus from Stellenpak.

Efficiency in food rescue

Efficiency is key to effective food rescue efforts. SA Harvest's ability to deliver surplus fruit directly to beneficiaries in agri bins, while beneficiary organisations provide smaller packaging, streamlines the process and ensures that food reaches those in need as quickly as possible.

Access to packaging

OneFarm Share's collaboration with Agrimark addressed another significant challenge in food rescue — access to packaging.

Agrimark Packaging, one of the country's leading suppliers of packing material for the agri sector, is making fruit and vegetable packaging material available to enable the surplus fruit rescued in large volumes by SA Harvest to be distributed promptly to beneficiaries from SA Harvest's warehouses.

A promising future

As we reflect on the evolution of the SA Harvest and OneFarm Share Programme partnership, it becomes evident that such collaborations are not just about rescuing food. They are about:

• transforming communities
• empowering local farmers, and
• ultimately, working toward the noble goal of ending hunger in South Africa.

A message to the agricultural sector

The message from this evolving partnership is clear: Thanks to partnerships with OneFarm Share, Agrimark, CHEP, Agrimark Packaging and logistics companies, SA Harvest is equipped to collect surplus loose fruit across the country.

The journey of SA Harvest and the OneFarm Share Programme is a testament to the transformative power of collaboration. It showcases the potential for organisations with shared values and a commitment to a noble mission to make a lasting impact.

The future is promising, and as we continue to evolve and innovate, we move closer to the day when no one in South Africa goes to bed hungry.

For more information, visit www.saharvest.org. You can also follow SA Harvest on Facebook, X or on Instagram.