Elderly crucial to helping food gardens take root - A challenge to the Youth The City’s poverty alleviation programme supports more than a hundred food gardens across the metro – many thriving because of the commitment of the elderly. The programme supported 114 food gardens in the last financial year of which 86 were community gardens and 28 were gardens being run at City-owned early childhood development centres across the metropole. One of the highlights of the past year’s efforts was the establishment and support that was provided to bigger food gardens that are able to produce vegetables on a larger scale, thus improving the odds of sustainability. These gardens were able to support a considerable number of people and income was also generated from the sale of produce. Examples of successful big gardens include Inkwenkwezi in Philippi, Masipile in Khayelitsha, Kleinberg in Ocean View and the Scottsdene Youth Centre in Kraaifontein. ‘We’ve come to realise that many of our food gardens are being kept alive by elderly persons who aren’t always capable of the physically demanding tasks that come with such an initiative. I am completely flabbergasted at the state of affairs, especially given the rate of youth unemployment in many of our communities. I challenge our young people to pitch in and to help build their communities by giving their time and effort to these food gardens. As we saw with the YouthStart challenge earlier this year, it could even sow the seeds for an entrepreneurial opportunity,’ says Councillor Little. See http://ift.tt/2b8vbHP
Comments