I grew up in Soweto, a township in the big city of gold - Johannesburg, and yet I have found another home in being in the countryside. I have spent the past few years studying in Stellenbosch, the heart of the South African wine lands. It is this environment and many encounters in Stellenbosch and the Western Cape Province (as I have experienced them) that have grown me in great devotion towards farming, and in particular agriculture.

While in Washington D.C., I had the opportunity to visit two family-owned farms in Montgomery County, Maryland. Thamsanqa, Tembanin, my SAWIP teammate, invited me to join him and Michele Rivard, his internship supervisor from the United States African Development Foundation (USADF).

We first visited Homestead Farm, a pick-your-own fruit and vegetable farm owned by the Allnutt family who have been farming on the land since 1763. Although we arrived unannounced, we were warmly received by the family. Ben Allnutt, the farm manager, took us on a tour of the farm. I felt at home enquiring about the soils, irrigation systems and general agricultural practices. On the day of our visit, we handpicked blackberries and yellow and white peaches as they were in season.

Our welcome into Homestead Farm on a scorching Saturday morning

Listening to Ben explain his irrigation system

Fresh from the cob. Definitely the sweetest sweet corn I had ever tasted

Blackberries for sale

The second farm we visited was a dairy farm called South Mountain Creamery. It is owned by the Sowers' family and they have been on the farm since 1981. In addition to the eventful day-to-day dairy farming activities, the farm prides itself in producing, processing and distributing operations. Since 2001, their farming business has grown into South Mountain Creamery being Maryland's first on-site milk processing plant. Today, they not only rear dairy cows, process and bottle milk, but they also deliver milk (and other dairy products) directly to homes in Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Concerning the future of the farm, the Sowers' believe in being a self-sustainable company. Among the many projects, they are working on installing a bio-diesel (conversion of soybeans to bio-fuel) plant.

A South Mountain Creamery delivery truck

Karen showing us the cowshed

Thamsanqa getting ready to feed the calves

Most of the calves were tyrants when we fed them. Thankfully, this little fellow was pleasant

I found both farm visits refreshing. I think that Homestead Farm's business model is a novel way of getting people to appreciate the source of their food. Although I understand that our South African agricultural is different, the idea of visiting a farm to pick my own fruit and vegetables is delightful. I was also inspired by the story of how the Sowers' started, grew, keep learning and sharing. I am impressed to see their tireless efforts also being harnessed into green energy. I believe that there is a promising future in adopting modern technologies in agriculture.

Thamsanqa and I with Ben Allnutt at Homestead Farm

Michele, Karen Sowers, Thamsanqa and I at South Mountain Creamery

I give thanks to Ben Allnut of Homestead Farm and Karen Sowers of South Mountain Creamery for allowing Michele, Thamsanqa and I to feel and be at home on their farms. It was a great pleasure.

While there are a number of systems that I have come to appreciate about the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the accessibility to public transportation by people with physical disabilities is one that I hope to see being developed in many other countries, including my own. Below are some photographs and brief commentary on how people with disabilities are being empowered to independently navigate the city.

Photo 1: Tactile paving is a form of detectable warning surface commonly found near pedestrian crossings, staircases and train station platforms to guide blind and visually impaired pedestrians. This system was first introduced in Japan. Today, countries that also make use of this system include Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Photo 2: New Metro buses have low floor ramps that allow for ease of access into and out of Metro buses. In the event of a hydraulic system failure, provision has been made to allow the lowering of the floor bus to be performed manually. In addition, inside the bus is a specially designated area for wheelchair securement with safety belts.

Photo 3: Public and office building restrooms cater for ease of access to people with disabilities.