Making community food gardens

Water Wise

Photos taken at Success-Mpumelelo-Katleho during training

Rand Water’s Water Wise has adopted two community food gardens in the Sebokeng Township near Vereeniging to help make a difference in local communities.

The Tshepong Old Age Centre group was adopted by Water Wise on 27 September 2017. This group consists of six members of ages ranging from 60 to 70 years. The food garden is an extension of their various extramural activities that they partake in to keep healthy. The aim is to help feed people in the centre as well as their family members. Currently, the community has received training that has assisted in upskilling them with the necessary agricultural competencies to maintain successful, waterwise food gardens. Water Wise has been able to put a fence around the garden for security purposes and provide the community with gardening resources. The other Sebokeng-based community food garden is the Success-Mpumelelo-Katleho community group, which was established and registered as a non-profit-company in 2018. This community group, with its four members, was adopted by Water Wise on 16 September 2021. There are an additional 15 members, mostly pensioners, who also participate in the company’s activities.

The aim of the vegetable garden is to help alleviate hunger in the community by donating vegetables to feeding schemes, as well as selling produce to make a profit and maintain livelihoods. Moreover, the community group entails other extramural activities such as sewing, coal production and the use of recycled material to create decorative items. Currently, Success-Mpumelelo-Katleho has received gardening resources from Water Wise and is still undergoing training.

WATER WISE FOOD GARDENS

In an attempt to alleviate socio-economic issues in Gauteng, while educating the

public about water conservation and its importance in sustaining all life, Water Wise offers community programmes such as food gardens and community activations designed to address these issues. The Water Wise food gardens are an initiative that focus on assisting community members on how to initiate, maintain and sustain a food garden. The programme entails customised training (theoretical and practical components) on criteria that include the following: • Soil – techniques used to identify soil type, as this determines soil amelioration techniques, as well as water-use patterns. • Hydrozoning – the grouping of plants based

on their watering needs to help eliminate the needless watering of plants. • Seed sowing and transplanting – community members are trained on how to sow seeds in trays or directly in the ground, as well as how to transplant seedlings. • Companion planting and crop rotation – companion planting is the planting of crops that benefit one another. Crop rotation is a procedure that involves the restriction of planting crops in the same soil for a period of years for disease prevention, insect control, nutrient balance and nutrient enhancement. • Watering – the importance of water

conservation in the garden is echoed through the use of watering cans (which direct water straight to where it’s needed), drip irrigation, the use of greywater, rainwater harvesting, and other water-saving practices. • Mulching – Mulch is referred to as nature’s blanket, and is any material that can be placed on the surface of the soil to help retain soil moisture. This technique reduces the need for irrigation. Tools and resources that are necessary for gardening, as well as participation certificates, are provided to the community groups. Materials include garden tools, rain tanks, fencing and seeds.

Photos taken at Tshepong Old Age Centre during training

ABOUT WATER WISE

Water Wise is Rand Water’s environmental brand, which has been active since 1997. Its responsibility is to provide education and awareness about water and environmental conservation to various target markets (adults, green industry, business, communities, general public) in an effort to promote the sustainable use of water. The necessity of the brand is informed by the increased drought events occurring in South Africa. Currently, water resources have been put under pressure due to increased demand by consumers, as well as the impacts of climate change.

The increase in potable water demand by consumers will lead to an increase in the extraction of water from natural water sources, impacting severely on downstream users and the aquatic ecosystem. Water Wise is committed to assisting community groups – in Sebokeng and other areas – with sustainable food gardens. For more information, visit the Rand Water website and click on the Water Wise logo, or email waterwise@randwater.co.za. Alternatively, have a look at the Water Wise social media content on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. And remember, always be Water Wise!