FREE STATE, SOUTH AFRICA (15 April 2020): The lives of nearly 100 disabled farmers in the Free State province have been turned around thanks to INMED Aquaponics^TM led by the knowledgeable and compassionate Mantombi Madona, an adaptive agriculture facilitator and trainer for INMED South Africa.

Aquaponics is an innovative and highly intensive food production technique that combines aquaculture (fish farming) and hydroponics (soilless crop growing) in a closed system that is easily scalable to meet the needs of smallholder farmers, schools, government institutions, commercial enterprises and even home gardeners. It is climate-change resilient and is highly accommodating to individuals with disabilities.… Read the rest...

South Africans with disabilities, especially women, continue to face disproportionate rates of food insecurity, unemployment, illiteracy, and poverty amid economic, political, and social exclusion. The more than 230 000 people with disabilities who live in Free State province have been especially hard-hit due to a combination of climate change-driven drought, floods, and lack of access to meaningful educational and employment opportunities.

INMED’s Adaptive Agriculture Program (AAP) has benefitted nearly 100 disabled small-scale farmers – mostly women and youth— at three co-ops in the Free State province since the beginning of this year.
Over the last two years, INMED South Africa, a registered non-profit organization affiliated to INMED Partnership for Children, has made significant progress in bolstering the capacity of people with disabilities to adapt to climate change.… Read the rest...