A resident of the Gift of the Givers Village in Setswetla is taking steps to ensure the village’s programme for food security does not fail despite challenges.
The village has a a large vegetable garden, which if well maintained could contribute significantly to the food security of the village’s residents and others from nearby Ext. 7, Marlboro and Alexandra.
The caretaker and avid gardener Handsome Mahlalela said many people had a negative perception of garden work as menial, demeaning and difficult to do. He said people would rather spend their hard-earned cash buying vegetables instead of planting their own.
The village received support from Amalgamated Beverages Industries staff who erected vegetable tunnels, and planted vegetables and fruit trees. The company’s staff hope that this will encourage residents to continue to nurture the vegetable garden.
Mahlalela said periodically tractors were used to till the land, but most of the work was done manually which residents tended to shy away from. He is hoping to receive support from the city council’s Region E as part of its food security programme.
The garden’s current crops are cabbage, spinach, tomatoes, potatoes and mealies.
Details: Welcome Mahlalela; 078 490 6872
