FARMING FOR LIVELIHOODS : Rirhandzu Marivate, a champion for urban food systems using regenerative farming

Rirhandzu Marivate is a changemaker in the realm of urban food systems, utilizing regenerative farming and agroecology to empower marginalized farmers and informal traders. As the programmes manager at SA Urban Food & Farming Trust (SAUFFT), she follows a simple mantra: "Working with food as if people and planet matter."

Born and raised in Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, Marivate's childhood was spent surrounded by farming activities, but she never pursued agriculture as a child. Instead, her interests lay in nature, and she aspired to become a zoologist. Her academic journey included obtaining a degree in ecology and geology, followed by an honors degree in ethno-ecology, and finally, a postgraduate diploma in Sustainable Development and Planning.

Throughout her career, Marivate has worked on various projects, including at the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) where she helped disadvantaged communities gain environmental authorisation and understand environmental legislation. She also gained experience at the Sustainability Institute (SI) where she established a regenerative farm and developed a keen awareness of the limitations of environmental legislation for small-scale developers.

In 2021, Marivate joined SAUFFT, where she spearheaded the Living Soils Community Learning Farm in partnership with Woolworths, Spier, and the SI. This project provided a proof of concept for regenerative farming practices, which was later incorporated into Woolworths' Community Inclusive Justice Initiative (CIJI). Through SAUFFT, Marivate works to empower urban food systems actors and contribute to community resilience, providing technical training, capacity support, extension support, and communal infrastructure to farmers.