SANZAF food garden for the community

KwaThema residents receive food garden

High levels of unemployment leave many ordinary South Africans struggling to meet their basic needs.

Inadequate food and poor nutrition, in turn, leads to poor development, illness and the inability to work.

The South African National Zakah Fund (SANZAF), a non-profit organisation based in Gauteng, has partnered with the KwaThema community centre to combat food insecurity.

SANZAF currently supports two community-based food gardens in the Gauteng region.

“Community food gardens we believe can play an important role in fighting hunger and creating opportunities for employment in South Africa,” says Javed Hoosen, the coordinator of SANZAF.

The community realised that there was often a shortage of affordable, high-quality seedlings in the area.

SANZAF is in the process of establishing a community seedling house that will serve to create opportunities for employment, as well as provide access to high-quality seedlings to be used in the KwaThema community food garden and sold to other local farmers.

Tshepiso Mokgabudi, the garden facilitator, expressed how happy he is because they have been battling with seedlings.

“Seedlings for gardening in this community are not easily accessible.”

Which means they have to put the seeds in the ground as they are. This affects the quality, they take longer and sometimes they do not grow at all,” says Mokgabudi.

Sharing a community garden has lots of benefits.

Emeil Mofokeng, a gardener, says the project keeps her busy and she is able to feed her entire family.

“I am able to provide food for my children. I am not working and would sometimes get bored by sitting at home doing nothing, but all of that has now changed,” says Mofokeng.

Gardeners also feel personally invested, gaining a sense of ownership and community spirit.

Popi Raxabe, a resident, explained that they sell the things they plant to generate an income and the community has been very supportive as they come to them to buy vegetables.

“We sell tomatoes, green peppers, green beans and cabbage.”

The garden has provided an opportunity for the community to have access to proper nutrition, learn about environmental issues, work skills and business principles.

In addition, improved access to seedlings and other agricultural inputs will serve to enhance the resilience of local farmers and increase the availability of locally adapted crops.

Apart from setting up the seedling house, SANZAF will facilitate the training of community members to manage and care for the seedlings.