Cape Town - The Philippi Horticultural Area (PHA), seen as the city's breadbasket, on Sunday received more support in its efforts to avoid proposed development.
Claremont Main Road Mosque clerics visited the area and expressed their astonishment at how important an asset the PHA is.
Three thousand hectares of farmland has been providing fresh produce and flowers to Cape Town since 1885 and is now threatened by talks of development in the area.
The plans include a small city of more than 20 000 gated homes, that will be built over a third of the farmlands.
It is believed the city's fresh vegetable supply and the Cape Flats aquifer, an underwater dam and source of water, will be threatened by the development.
Nazeer Sonday, the convener of the Philippi Horticultural Food and Farming campaign, said the campaign appreciated the help from the interfaith community and hoped more people would be made aware of the work done on the farms.
"Our issue touches everyone in the city. This is where their food comes from. It doesn't matter if you are Muslim, Hindu or Christian. This area is important to everybody. A third of the food the city consumes comes from here and if this area is lost, food prices will rocket and hunger will escalate."
He added Cape Town already had high levels of food shortages and the situation needed to be improved - and not worsened.
"The area is unique as it is a farming area in the middle of the city. Three things happen here that make it really special. We have abundant water, favourable soils and an amazing micro-climate. We are also very close to our market so food gets to you very quickly."
He said building houses on the farms would be a major threat to the aquifer.
"If you build roofs the water goes into drains and into the sea, instead of into the soil. After a while it will disappear. This is the last aquifer. There is enough water in this aquifer to supply 2 million houses with water. If you delete that, it will make city a very poor place to live in."
Imam Rashied Omar from the Claremont Main Road Mosque said he hoped other faiths would get on board and recognise the PHA's plight.
"We have a programme called 'environmental justice' and another programme called 'jihad against poverty'. This fits in well with our mosque mission and vision. What we will do is speak to a broader congregation and get interfaith involved as part of civil society."
Susanna Coleman, who supports the PHA, said adding the voices of churches and religious leaders to the campaign to save the area would allow for a wider range of new ideas.
Cape Argus