At work: The team of volunteers get new beds established in their community garden
A community in Upington cherishes the garden they have built together
“To understand this transformation, you have to go back to where we started from,” says Tarirai Mpofu, ForAfrika’s Food Security and Livelihoods specialist in South Africa. “We are in the middle of nowhere!”
He is speaking from the community garden which he established in the KhoiSan Valley, near Upington, at the end of last year.
“The soil was just bad; it was sandy and stony and dry – like you find in the desert. It was just not arable, nothing could have grown here and the people had very little experience. It was a challenge for me – even with all my years of experience and I had to think outside the box. After we had established it, I still had my doubts it would survive.”
But, the people of KhoiSan Valley near Upington in the Northern Cape have invested their hearts and souls into the project and the garden is thriving.
Still thriving
“A few months down the line and we have a productive garden. It has produced a variety of nutritious vegetables organically that can feed the community. We have used the agro-ecology approach, so no pesticides and only organic fertilizers. We work with nature rather than against nature. Now the gardeners have eaten from the garden and sold vegetables,” he says, brimming with pride.
“We have also been teaching about the value of nutrition; showing how to make ‘potjiekos’ [stew] using the onions, spinach, brinjals and peppers.”
Now there are households willing to start soup kitchens to feed hungry families.
“This garden has touched my life; I have come to love it so much. I’m so happy that this garden is here to help us feed the community and our little children and we want this garden to expand more and more so we can add schools and soup kitchens for our people,” said Annemarie Jonkers, an enthusiastic participant.
From elderly women to toddlers playing in the sand, the garden has become a place of purpose and contentment.
Keeping children off the streets
“There are a lot of children on the streets here,” says Adel Terblanche, Community Development Officer. “A lot of teenagers are susceptible to drugs. The garden offers them something much more worthwhile.”
The community is eager to expand the garden so that these teenagers and others can get more involved.
“There is land available,” says Tarirai, “we would just need a lot more shade netting and other equipment because it is really, really hot here. While there is municipal water available, this does incur a cost. “We have the will of the people, now we just need some more financial support,” he concludes.
