Food Gardens in needy schools

To take the vulnerable youth in the townships and create a healthy society where they become emotionally well-rounded future leaders and role models, and are more often than not, employable, contributing to the reduction of poverty, HIV/Aids, substance abuse, crime and violence.

OVERVIEW

The Amy Biehl Foundation programmes are designed with the aims of developing and empowering youth in the townships and contribute to community building efforts as a mechanism to reduce the levels of crime and violence in these areas.

One of the organisation’s programmes includes the establishment of environmental clubs and food gardens aimed at environmental awareness, cleaning campaigns and food security. The project will establish two food gardens and an environmental club at two previously disadvantaged schools in the Western Cape. This will include training 250 learners and a care taker from each school over a period of three months in food gardening and other environmental issues. The project co-ordinator, who has an extensive background in food gardening, will up skill a facilitator for each school. This facilitator will be guided by the co-ordinator for the initial part of learner training, and thereafter take over the training from the co-ordinator. Each school will also receive follow up mentorship from the co-ordinator after the establishment of the garden, which consists of two visits a month for a period of six months. The environmental clubs are established to provide structure to learner involvement in the food gardens, as well as to organise clean up campaigns at the school.

WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT THIS PROJECT

• This project will decrease the schools’ expenditure on vegetables and provide fresh vegetables as a supplement to the current soya based feeding schemes.
• Expansion of the garden over time will enable the schools to sell excess vegetables.
• The establishment of environmental clubs along with the training on environmental issues will see greater learner awareness of the environment.

EXPECTED LIFE CHANGE

An investment of R 67, 500 will fund two food gardens and the set up of two environmental clubs. Two care takers and 500 learners will benefit directly from training and additional vegetables, while a total of 1000 learners from two schools will benefit from fresh vegetables as a supplement to the school’s current feeding scheme. This works out to a life change R67.37 per person.

NEED

South Africa is largely deemed a “food secure” nation, producing enough staple foods and having the capacity to import foods, if needed, to meet the basic nutritional requirements of its population. However, estimates suggest that approximately 1.5 million South African children suffer from malnutrition, 14 million people are vulnerable to food insecurity, and 43% of households suffer from food poverty . High unemployment rates, an inadequate social welfare system and high HIV/AIDS infection rates have all contributed to food insecurity. The challenge in South Africa is predominantly around access to foods and the means to produce it. This is a result of historical inequalities, which have prevented equal access to resources.

Food insecurity adversely affects all levels of social and economic life. With 30% of the population vulnerable to food insecurity, it is vital to address the situation for the current and future stability of the country. Food insecurity can lead to high health and medical costs, as well as poor educational development. Increased investment in agriculture will help redress inequalities. Empowering people to grow their own food for subsistence or for income generation will provide nourishment and a potential means of income.

ACTION PLAN

Preparation

The schools that will be worked with will be selected through the following steps:

• Conduct a feasibility study at the selected school in consultation with the school Principal and Educators.
• An Environmental Assessment study is conducted to establish the viability of implementing the project on the identified land, and the amount of fertilizer required.

Implementation

• 24 workshops are conducted with learners and care takers over 12 weeks to impart basic gardening knowledge to them.
• 24 workshops are conducted with the facilitators on food gardening over the same 12 weeks. Facilitators also receive 12 weeks of training on food garden facilitation. The training is designed to be implemented after each session.
• Purchasing of seeds and gardening equipment required
• Planting process
• Tending the area

Monitoring and Evaluation

Bimonthly visits to the project will be undertaken by the Co-ordinator, where hands-on mentoring and coaching will take place.

Ongoing consultation and feedback sessions will take place, to review the process and improve the project.

Change in the school expenses on vegetables will be recorded Number of vegetables harvested will be recorded

ORGANISATION ASSESSMENT

The organisation’s mission is essentially to create an environment that is safe for children, and that provides effective stimulation and allows them to develop into a well rounded individual. This understanding of the organisation’s existence is understood throughout its structures. There is a thorough understanding of the organisation’s target population group, and this is mainly due to the fact that activities require frequent contact with beneficiaries and other stakeholders.

The organisation aims to achieve its mission by providing educational and cultural activities that offer students healthy alternatives to crime, drugs, sex, idleness and negative influences and unlocks their creative talent. The approach is based on research that shows evidence of creatively (right brain) stimulated individuals fairing better at various academic and life skill activities. While activities are based on research, there is no undertaking to thoroughly understand activity impact and there is also limited sharing of practical learning.

The organisation has a board and senior management with varied and strong leadership skills, and who are able to make a valuable contribution to the organisation. Resource levels are currently adequate and systems are structured to ensure effective controls. Income generation activities currently contribute over 20% of income and strategies to grow this lend towards the possibility of future self sustainability.

RISK PROFILE

Key Strengths

• Concept: Beneficiaries are capacitated to continue with the project after the organisation has left. Training is provided that links the food garden to classroom lessons in life sciences. This enables the food garden to be used for formal learning purposes as well.
• Design: The project is based on tried and tested methods and has been successfully implemented in other schools. These gardens are still being maintained.
• Capability: Project and organisation leadership have strong organisational management experience, as well as specific experience in the area of food gardening
• Control: Weekly, quarterly and annual reports are generated to keep co-ordinators and management updated with all activities.
• Sustainability: Project is structured so that schools have the skills to maintain the food garden after the project has been completed.

Key Risks - Low

• Design: The organisation mostly relies on qualitative project evaluation, with little tracking and measuring of change. For the purpose of this project, new tools have been developed to track and measure outcomes, which will complement the anecdotal evidence.
• Control: Being a small-scale environmental education initiative part of a bigger organisation, MMEP lacks formal and regular controls and reporting systems.
• Sustainability: The school is not always able to sell a portion of its harvested vegetables, as is the projects aim. This would increase its reliability on using resources not generated from the garden in order to maintain it. The sandy soil of the schools they intend working in also requires high quantities of fertilizer.
• External: The areas that the schools are situated in are fairly windy, and this increases the risk of essential top soil being blown away.