Alexandra’s MC Weiler Primary School is among 36 finalists in line for a school gardening prize from the National EduPlant School Garden Competition 2023 which were announced by EduPlant partners Tiger Brands and Food & Trees for Africa.
MC Weiler was shortlisted from a total of 300 schools onboarded as EduPlant participants at the start of 2022 and the Top 3 schools that will be the eventual winners will be announced on October 31.
EduPlant is South Africa’s national school nutrition and food security programme that was initiated in 1994 and implemented by Food & Trees for Africa (FTFA) and EduPlant has been supported by Tiger Brands since 2019.
The 300 schools that were initially onboarded as EduPlant food garden schools in 2022, received extensive training in permaculture practices to assist them in growing their own vegetables, fruits, and herbs.
The produce is harvested and served as part of the schools’ learner-feeding programme. Any surplus crops are shared by the school with surrounding communities and the 36 shortlisted in the national competition were singled out for how best they implemented their newfound knowledge to grow a successful garden.
Bharathi Tugh, manager of EduPlant at Food & Trees for Africa, said, “These finalists showcase how gardens function as outdoor classrooms; they become a tool for garden-based learning and education.
“The focus of our school-based production sites is agriculture, natural sciences, and nutrition and we are so pleased to collaborate with Tiger Brands on this for five years running.”
In many instances, learners and educators transfer their newly acquired subsistence agriculture skills and knowledge to surrounding community members who in turn have created their own food gardens to meet the nutrition needs of their families and to generate a small income for themselves.
“The power of the EduPlant initiative is that it empowers young people to take charge of their nutritional needs and to pass their newfound knowledge on to those around them. The leading schools have made a personal commitment to improving lives through their dedication,” said Lulu Khumalo, corporate affairs director at Tiger Brands.
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