German investor brings aquaponics vegetable farming to Southern Africa

A German investor, Desert Foods International, DFI has partnered with a South African Farmer to implement a historic climate-resilient agriculture vegetable and fish farming project.

The project, which will spread to the entirety of Southern Africa, commenced operations most recently at a farm in South Africa with a foreign direct investor, DFI, as a financial sponsor of a water-saving year-round farming practice that is 10x times more productive than open-field agriculture.

Hekpoort, Gauteng Province – north-west of Johannesburg, is where the largest and technically most advanced aquaponics facility in Southern Africa has gone into operation.

The team also has in-depth farming experiences with pak choi, kale (flat and curly), celery and almost any fancy lettuce from butter to cos. The weekly harvest capacity is in the range of 20,000 units of organically cultivated greens.

At present, the facility’s produce is mainly sold to local packhouses, retail stores and online shops. According to the investor, the environmentally friendly production facility will soon also be running on solar energy.

The founder and CEO of Integrated Aquaculture, Lance Quiding said they agreed with the German investor to combine forces and expedite the paradigm change in South Africa’s agriculture sector in line with the Government’s master plan.

“There was also an agreement reached to expand the hydroponic system by duplicating the previous floating raft production capacity. The modular design of the now 3,500 square meters grow bed compartment allows for versatile crop cultivation and quick adaptation to altering market requirements,” said Quiding.