According to the WC Minister of Agriculture, Dr Ivan Meyer, every household needs to have the opportunity to grow food for their families as it will contribute towards the family’s food security. Even a small garden can provide cabbages, onions, beetroot and beans during autumn and broccoli, spinach, carrots, turnips, and peas during spring.
The Minister travelled to the Overstrand last week and visited several new and existing vegetable gardens in Hermanus and Kleinmond in the company of Mayor Dudley Coetzee, Speaker of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament and Constituency Head for the Overstrand, Masizole Mnqasela, as well as the Deputy Mayor of the Overberg District Municipality, Archie Klaas, and a host of other dignitaries and councillors.
During his visit to Zwelihle, Minister Meyer said: “As part of our Covid-19 response, the One Home One Garden Campaign encourages households to start their own food production units.” He added that by boosting households to establish vegetable gardens, “we are shifting the focus from food relief to food security – we cannot encourage a hand-out culture all the time, we must encourage sustainability”.
Minister Meyer and fellow councillors had time to meet accomplished gardener, Trevor Nkoyi, who started the vegetable garden at the Zwelihle Youth Café. This community centre serves as an after-care centre and space where entrepreneurs can host workshops and sell their goods. The founders of the Zwelihle Youth Café, William Ntebe and Fikiswa Gxamesi also run a daily soup kitchen and a portion of the vegetables from Trevor’s garden go towards this nutritional programme.
Before handing out vegetable seedlings and fertiliser, the Minister encouraged all present to become ‘food soldiers’ like Trevor and get a home food garden growing.
Seedlings and fertiliser being delivered in Kleinmond.
He concluded by saying: “During my visits to similar vegetable gardens, I have witnessed teamwork, joy and fun in the families. Through these food gardens, we are seeing #ForTheLoveOfAgriculture in action on the ground in various communities.”