The culture of working the land to produce food is slowly creeping into schools and their learners in Alexandra.
Seven schools from Alexandra joined the EduPlant programme that provides participating schools with the tools to grow their own veggies. The programme is an initiative of Food and Trees for Africa in partnership with Tiger Brands, and compliments meals provided to learners by schools through the National School Nutrition Programme which is supported by the Tiger Brands Foundation.
Besides the tools in the form of garden implements to work the gardens, EduPlant also provides training and educational materials to help the learners to grow vegetables, herbs, and fruit to supplement their nutritional needs.
Participating schools in Alexandra include MC Weiler Primary School, Minerva Secondary School, Skeen Primary School, Realogile High School, and Emfundisweni, Dr Knak, and Ikage primary schools, and Waverley Girls High School whose majority of learners come from Alexandra.
EduPlant programme coordinator Nosiphelo Nkani said the skills development aspect of the programme played a vital role in empowering schools and communities to improve their livelihoods and to supply school-going children with nutritious and healthy meals.
Nkani also pointed out that successful food gardens could also become income-generating sites too.
“As a food producer, Tiger Brands is in a position to help address the growing challenge of hunger in vulnerable communities across South Africa. However, it’s more than just providing what we have, it is using our available resources to implement initiatives and partner with like-minded organisations such as Food and Trees for Africa, to equip and empower people to support their own nutritional needs in a sustainable manner,” said Preeya Naidu, social transformation manager of Tiger Brands.
The programme runs over a two-year cycle with the current cycle culminating in a competition at the end of 2023 to select the most thriving school gardens.
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