Community start food gardens for life beyond COVID19

27 July 2020
Klerksdorp, Jouberton Township
Tshepo Mmusi

As the lock down continues and people loses their jobs and they have nothing to put on the table. This leaves many households food insecure, and families go to bed hungry while others suffers the delay of unemployment social grants payments and their food hampers being diverted to the less needy.

Residents of Ext 24 in Jouberton have taken the initiative to have a food garden initiative to that can sustain their livelihoods even beyond the Covid 19 pandemic. They have identified unused land which was used for dumping and turned it to producing vegetables. A group of men, women and young people came together, and the idea was to just produce food and distribute amongst households but the idea was modified after they realised that this could be their sustainable business which they could earn a living with.

 Last week Tuesday they had visitors from the department of agriculture who then assured them support in terms of training, garden implements and equipments. The group then had another meeting which resolved that want to be a cooperative. On the 23rd of July 2020, the group requested Justice and Peace staff to give them a mini workshop on how to become a cooperative and how cooperatives function. Joe Mashilo and Tshepo attended to them and facilitated that workshop for them.