What is the story behind our food?

Local artisans and food producers

Food With A Story, an online artisanal and ethical food producer’s directory, is the brainchild of couple Deni and Carlin Archer. Believing passionately that people's food choices have a powerful effect on the world, they hope to raise awareness around food consumption through the collection of positive and ethical stories on their website.

The idea behind it is that by knowing how your food is grown - as well as understanding the impacts this may have on the environment - consumers are them empowered to make better choices.

National Geographic: Orpington

Previously we gave you 10 great reasons to look into keeping your own urban chickens.

Now we take a look at some suitable home-range breeds, where to get them, and what you can expect to pay.

CocoáFair is the first organic bean-to-bar chocolate factory in Africa based on social entrepreneurship.

I do not realise on entering the factory of CocoáFair, tucked into the corner at the Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, that I'm about to learn more about social entrepreneurship than I am about chocolate.

For many of us just the promise of locally made, artisan, organic chocolate is enough of an invitation to have us reaching for a taste...and believe me, having sampled, it is a mouth-watering experience.

But Thor soon explains, as I query the name, that yes, CocoáFair is definitely about the fairness involved in the way the cocoa is traded, but the emphasis is also very much on the 'affair' with cocoa – not only the love of it, but the relationship of cocoa with the people who grow it, and the people who turn it into chocolate.

Ankole Coffee Producers Cooperative Union Ltd, Bushenyi, Urganda: Pic by Nathalie Bertrams

Climate change has wiped out nearly half of the 10 million coffee trees the members of the Fairtrade Mzuzu Coffee Planters Cooperative Union have planted since 2003.

Mzuzu Coffee represents 3,500 small holder coffee producers in Malawi’s mountainous northern region whose hopes rest on COP17 delivering policies that can help them in the face of climate change.

With a week left to COP17 in Durban, South Africa, a critical element of the discussions in Durban must be around financing adaptation. Outcomes of the talks must provide sufficient support to tackle the adaptation needs of farmers in developing countries who have done very little to cause climate change yet are vulnerable to its effects. Fairtrade farmers are

fresh organic veg on sale
Despite the recent freaky weather, spring is most definitely in the air and the time is perfect for markets, of which Cape Town has many. One of the most fabulous is the new Gaia food market in the leafy suburb of Constantia. Gaia is another name for ‘mother earth’, and so echoes the natural ethos of the market: natural, organic, healthy, yum and fun!

Perfect for those with gourmet taste-buds and a tendency to sup on nought but vegetables, as well as a great day out for those new to the ‘organic-and-natural’ food scene, this Sunday event is a must for all Cape Townians and tourists alike.

A new energy drink hits South African shelves, certified 100% Organic

Say hello to the world's first 100% organic, vegetarian and FairTrade approved energy drink! Racing driver Toby Scheckter delivers a product that is great-tasting, gives energy galore plus is good for you and the earth too.

Unlike most commercial energy drinks, Scheckter’s OrganicEnergy possesses no added preservatives, artificial additives or colours. The super-food ingredients sourced from all round the world make up the energetic properties of this beverage and the fruity taste is uniquely refreshing.

10 great reasons to unleash your inner chicken farmer!

Buff Reds

No farm is really a farm without a few hens scratching through loose hay in the yard and the iconic rooster crowing to the sunrise upon his picket-fence pedestal… It just wouldn’t be right! Although most farms are a far cry from what they used to be (you only need to type CAFO or chicken farm into Google to confirm this), the chicken still does, and has always represented the quintessential farm. There is something simple, sunny and inviting about chickens wandering a property in search of something tasty. But chickens need not be a feature of faraway farmlands and way-out rural regions - the urban chicken has earned its rightful place within the city limits of many capitals around the world.

So why are chickens such good urban companions, and why should we keep them in suburbia? Here are 10 great reasons!

A wonderful mosaic stands at the door

In the quiet Cape Town suburb of Plumstead a listed national monument building houses a vegan/vegetarian friendly restaurant that specialises in fresh and fantastic lunch buffets.

Michelle Carelse, the owner of Organic at Heart, took us for a walk around the kitchen garden - a space that was car park only 8 months back, now a thriving veg patch - where we discuss companion planting, worm-composting and the joys of eating as fresh as the last pick.

‘I like the idea of sustainable living,’ says Michelle. ‘This garden inspires people to start their own vegetable gardens. It’s not difficult to start growing your own herbs and salads – if everybody could just grow a little bit we could be well on our way to becoming a more self-sufficient society.’

Ratanang Permaculture projectFood insecurity, food-related riots and malnourishment have been on the increase globally in the last number of years, and Africa has been particularly hard hit.

South Africa has an opportunity to create solutions that can be scaled up across the continent, as well as providing its own poor with sustainable livelihoods and dignity. But small farmers often lack the managerial and technical expertise to succeed in the highly competitive farming industry.

A new programme by Food & Trees for Africa’s (FTFAs), Farmer Eco Enterprise Development (FEED), is aiming to address the needs of emerging farmers to enable them to become players in the mainstream agricultural economy.

Waverley Hills organic wine and olive farm has been named a 2011 Best of Wine Tourism winner for its sustainable practices by the Great Wine Capitals Global Network.

The Waverley Hills estate is located 150km outside of Cape Town near Wolseley at the foot of the dramatic Witzenberg Mountain Range. The estate’s name comes from its proximity to the original Waverley Wool dye works where some of the original buildings from the late 1800’s still stand.

In 2000 Waverley Hills Wines made the decision to enter the organic wine market and have since planted and cultivated 30Ha of vineyards and olive groves organically. The estate is run