OneFarm Share: Cutting Down on Waste to Fill Up Plates
South Africa faces a conundrum. Each year, over two million tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables go to waste in the country. The disposal of fresh produce is estimated to contribute to around 4.3% of South Africa’s greenhouse gas emissions, with 90% of all food waste ending up in landfills. And yet despite the excess amount of food, one in four households doesn’t have enough to eat.
This contradiction came to a head during the early days of the covid-19 pandemic, as instantly diminished demand and a consequent over-supply of fresh produce presented a very real challenge for the country’s farmers. OneFarm Share was born during this time to nourish the country while building a resilient and inclusive agri-food system in the process. The initiative works by providing farmers with a hassle-free solution to donate their surplus produce to a network of beneficiary organizations. They manage all the administrative and logistical aspects associated with the donation. According to the initiative, their beneficiary network is significant, reaching almost 3,000 registered charities across all nine South African provinces. These charities collectively feed more than 1.2 million people on a regular basis.
OneFarm Share reports that they operate in three key ways that contribute positively to our food planet. Firstly, they state they provide a viable option to reducing food waste. Food waste carries widespread environmental, social, and economic costs, and by providing a solution between production and demand, OneFarm Share is able to reduce the frequency of produce being sent to landfills or open-dumps, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions; improves the farmer’s business performance and sustainability practices; and reduces the ‘loss’ of farming inputs such as water, fertilizer, and energy resources.
They also report to be driving inclusivity and promoting sustainable practices. OneFarm Share helps smallholder farmers progress along the path of commercialization by providing them with reliable access to market, market-related pricing for their produce, prompt payment of invoices, and increased access to business support. This way OneFarm Share enables farmers to focus on growing their produce, instead of stressing over where to sell it.
Finally, the initiative says they are strengthening community resilience by building robust local food networks. The food procured or donated from participating farmers is distributed through localized distribution hubs that minimize the need for long-distance transportation, thereby reducing the environmental impact. OneFarm Share focuses on optimizing logistics by, whenever possible, booking empty return loads from transport companies for food collection and delivery, taking advantage of existing journeys and minimizing the distance that food travels.
According to OneFarm Share, they have sourced over 25 million kilograms of fresh produce translating to a cumulative 100 million meals for South Africans facing meal uncertainty. The distance from farm to table just got a lot shorter.
Learn more about OneFarm Share.
Written by Sarah Souli
Photos provided by OneFarm Share
