Second Edition Of Traditional & Organic Food Festival On This Weekend

The second edition of the Traditional & Organic Food Festival will be held on 27 and 28 September this year, from 9 am to 4 pm at the National Botanic Gardens in Harare.

This follows the successful launch of the event at the same venue in December 2013.

Last year’s inaugural festival drew an encouraging number of people. It was planned as a celebration of natural and healthy eating.

This year the intention is still the same: to promote the production and consumption of traditional and organic foods which are now internationally regarded as the healthier options.

Tasting time: Visitors at the 2013 taste the results of a cooking demonstration.

Several groups have collaborated in setting up both editions of the event. These organisations include ZAVSAP (Zimbabwe Adding Value to Sustainable Agriculture Produce), CADS (Cluster Agricultural Development Services), ZOPPA (Zimbabwe Organic Producers and Promoters Association), ZIMSOFF (Zimbabwe Small-Scale Organic Farmers Forum), STEP (Sustainable Tourism Enterprises Promotion), BIZ (Bio-Innovation in Zimbabwe), FoodMattersZimbabwe and representatives from various government ministries, in particular: the Ministries of Health and Child Welfare; Agriculture and Mechanisation, Industry and Commerce; and Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development. There has also been support from the Food and Nutrition Council as well as the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.

The overall aim is to encourage producers and consumers, who some call co-producers because of their potential to influence how production happens, towards food systems that produce, process and market healthy and nutritious foods in a sustainable way. Nearly 40 stallholders will display a variety of food and drink, both for buying and, in some cases, for tasting. Information will be provided as well.

There will be stalls run by small-scale organic farmers and food businesses, government ministries, NGOs; among others. Farmers will be coming from different parts of the country. Pop-up restaurants will be selling lunch, snacks and drinks that are in line with the theme of the festival. A diversity of traditional, nutritious foods from Zimbabwe and other countries will be available.

Entertainment will be provided by local artistes: Sniper Storm, Edith weUtonga, Vera, BaShupi, Steve Chikotie, Zim Jam Signal and the Kubatana Unite Marimba Ensemble are in the line-up. There will also be cooking and other food processing demonstrations. Carl Joshua Ncube will be showcasing his culinary skills.

An exciting programme of activities has been planned for primary school age children in the KidsZone. They will be able to do colouring, mask-making, and create objects from recycled materials. They will also be introduced to traditional dance and the playing of traditional musical instruments.

Mindful that habits start early in life, the children will get an opportunity to learn about healthy foods and lifestyles.

The SPCA will arrange donkey cart rides and a pen of farm animals; as well as a short talk about them.

A reduced entry fee into the National Botanic Gardens has been negotiated for the Traditional & Organic Food Festival. Children under the age of 12 will enter for US$ 0.50 and everyone else will be charged US$1.

Festival Presser