Seeds of Change

High above the bustle of Kenilworth Centre, a rooftop farm is proving that urban spaces can grow food, create jobs and inspire hope for the future

- SHANEEN NOBLE

On an ordinary day, Kenilworth Centre – one of Cape Town's most iconic malls – buzzes with hasty shoppers and frenetic energy. But just above the shops, an entirely new world emerges, a place that tells you this is where things grow - HandPicked CityFarm, the largest urban rooftop farm in the Western Cape. Here, vertically stacked growing pods holding multiple plants each, rise skyward, tended by young trainees clipping fresh herbs, vegetables and edible flowers. It's not the kind of view you'd expect from a mall roof - but that's precisely the point.

The Kenilworth Centre project, launched in November 2022, is the result of a partnership between Redefine Properties (the mall's owner), Mr Price Foundation and Fresh Life Produce, aiming to decentralise food systems in South Africa. Together, they transformed the shopping centre's unused rooftop space by installing Fresh Life Produce’s innovative African Grower Hydroponic Vertical Growing System in a series of greenhouses.

While urban farming is not a new concept, this rooftop farm and other sites nationwide using Fresh Life Produce's growing system serve as training incubators and have shown promising results. In this article, we will unpack how projects like these benefit local communities and what they represent for the future of urban farming in South Africa.

THE AFRICAN GROWER SYSTEM

South Africa is rapidly urbanising, and as urban populations grow, so do the pressures on food systems. The reality is bleak: in many households, food insecurity is a daily struggle. Traditional farms outside the city provide most of our produce, but transporting it into town is costly, vulnerable to climate shocks and often wasteful.