Vegetable Gardens
VEGETABLE GARDENS
To anyone like Bishop Peter who was brought up in England just after the second world war, the idea of every home having its own vegetable garden comes naturally.
However in South Africa, we lost a great many rural agricultural skills in the process of urbanization into the townships; and we lost more of those skills during the turmoil of the 20 years before Nelson Mandela became president. Among other things, that was an era in which young people came hold their parent and grandparents in disrespect – and together with their skills.
Over the years many Organizations including NGOS and the Department of Agriculture have tried to encourage households to develop “door gardens” – that is, small gardens no larger than a door which are capable of supporting at least a couple if properly tended. Most township houses, however crowded, have space for this kind of little garden to support the family income and nutrition standards.
We are in contact with officials of the Department of Agriculture who travel around and encouraging residents to develop these small gardens, and who give practical grants in the form of tools and seeds to get people going.
With the HIV and AIDS pandemic, it is crucial that support is given to nutritional security.
Two large efforts have been strikingly successful, where woman in the church community have approach a local school and asked if they can cultivate unused parts of school grounds. This is a clever initiative because:
* The grounds are often large enough for a substantial enterprise
* Children at the school can be included in the project and taught basic vegetable growing
* Because school properties are public land, the Department of Agriculture is able to sink a borehole and provide items like fencing, a hut for tools, gumboots, tools, and overalls.
* Children at the school can be included in the project and taught basic vegetable growing
* Because school properties are public land, the Department of Agriculture is able to sink a borehole and provide items like fencing, a hut for tools, gumboots, tools, and overalls.
Ms Josephine Rabotapi from St Lawrence Church in Small Farms was the pioneer of the first large garden when 8 or 10 of her friends work daily and sell their vegetables through the school fence. Mrs Queen Poonyane – a veritable entrepreneur and craft trainer who also assists younger woman with atchar making, shoe making, beading, and making coal for the winter from old news paper and soapy water- is driving the second project.
