Khayelitsha Community Food Gardens
Originally published on 18 April 2024
In South Africa, many people struggle to get enough food and this issue is made worse by a lot of food going to waste. Community gardens are becoming a good way to cut down on waste and help people get more food.
What was the problem?
South Africa faces two big issues: many people don't have enough food and a lot of food is wasted. Even though South Africa sells more food to other countries than it buys, it loses about 10.3 million tonnes of food every year. This is 34% of the food it makes. This waste is 45% of all the food in the country, showing a big problem in how food is managed. Many communities find it hard to buy food because it is expensive and not always healthy.
How did they solve it?
FoodForward SA, a group that helps people, started a plan to fix these problems with community gardens. They started the Food Gardens Connect plan to help people grow their own food, waste less, and make money.
- FoodForward SA set up food gardens in Lansdowne and Khayelitsha with help from local projects like Kwakhanya.
- They trained ten people in Khayelitsha who did not have jobs to grow their own gardens and gave them the tools and help they needed.
- The program buys extra food from the gardens, so gardeners can make money and keep working.
- The gardens give food to the families who grow it and also help the local food supply, so people do not have to rely on outside sources.
- FoodForward SA uses extra food from the food system to help these gardens and gives food parcels to people who need them.
Acknowledgements
Author: Kristin Engel
Original article: How community gardens are reducing foodstuff waste and increasing food security in SA
Photograph: Kristin Engel
Get your community involved
Is there a community-driven group or caring business in your area? A dedicated group of committed people can effectively solve local problems.
Think about starting or joining community groups like a street WhatsApp group, residents' association, or community policing forum (CPF) to get help and to stay informed and involved in local issues.
Know your rights – how local government works
It’s important to understand how your local government works so that you can work with them to support what they are doing while your community continues to keep them accountable and deliver services on time. Remember you have a constitutional right to many of the services provided by local government, as well as to accountability and transparency, wherever you live and regardless of how much you earn. It is also where money collected from taxes and rates goes.
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