Community tackling the issue of food security
Teamwork brings results for food garden members
THE Mngampondo community near Empangeni is living proof that by working together, good things can happen.
In four short months this community has produced a ton of vegetables from its five hectare food garden.
The food garden is the result of a collaboration between Tongaat Hulett and Siyazisiza Trust.
Through its Socio-Economic Development (SED) programme, Tongaat Hulett strives to improve the quality of life of the people living in the areas in which the company operates.
Ongoing agricultural activities have resulted in the company’s substantial land portfolio within KwaZulu-Natal’s primary growth corridors.
The 5.5 hectare food security project in Mngampondo was initiated in October and, to date, four hectares have been sown with beans, maize and butternut.
The vegetables produced was last week supplied to the uThungulu Fresh Produce Market, which will ultimately supply the school feeding programme in the King Cetshwayo municipal region.
Sixty community members are involved in the project, calling it the Vukuzane Community Garden.
The members received training and mentorship in crop cultivation, agri-planning, health and nutrition, market identification and engagement.
Tongaat Hulett’s SED programme has also seen the construction of ablution facilities for the Mngampondo Primary School, and the renovation of three classrooms.
The company’s school infrastructure programme has benefited 180 learners while improving the quality of learning and teaching.
‘The Siyazisiza Trust’s approach strengthens the capacity of local communities to analyse their livelihood systems, identify their main constraints and test possible solutions,’ said Ilene Abrams, Siyazisiza Fund-raising and Communications Officer.
‘By merging their own traditional knowledge with external information, farmers can eventually identify and adopt the practices and technologies most suitable to their livelihood system and needs to become more productive, profitable and responsive to changing conditions’.
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