I fully the initiative suggested by Keith Blake, Cape Argus, January 10, to encourage food security and develop community food gardens.
The following excerpt is taken from the City of Cape Town’s website www. cityofcapetown.gov.za “Food gardens help build stronger, healthier communities by providing vulnerable residents with a source of income and access to fresh produce.”
The following thriving food gardens are established and supported by the City of Cape Town: 8th Street Community Garden and the Abraham Community Garden, both in the Strand; Colorado Community Garden in Mitchells Plain; Ethembeni Agricultural Multi Purpose Garden in Khayelitsha; Love and Faith Community Garden in Mandalay; the New Lentegeur Community Garden in
Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain; the Plumbago Community Garden in Hout Bay; the Spandau Community Gardens in Blue Downs; and the Youth at Centre of Agriculture in Philippi.
In Ward 60 in Lansdowne, Kenwyn, Rondebosch East, Garlandale and Sybrand Park, early childhood development centres, schools and the Flamingo Heights Informal Settlement in Lansdowne, have embarked on establishing vegetable gardens.
The City encourages communities to establish subsistence food gardens. The Western Cape Provincial Government Agriculture Department will provide the necessary support.
The old adage of teaching a person to fish, and they will never go hungry applies to these food gardens too.
* Councillor Mark RH Kleinschmidt, Lansdowne.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
Do you have something on your mind; or want to comment on the big stories of the day? We would love to hear from you. Please send your letters to [email protected].
All letters to be considered for publication, must contain full names, addresses and contact details (not for publication).