#AppreciationMonday: 100 trees planted in Newlands East in honour of World Food Day
What a wonderful world to live in...
There are special days that run across every day of every month in the year. All are inspired to push us into acting, acting for the betterment of our lives and for the lives of our communities.
One such day is World Food Day. A day that reminds us that not everyone is blessed with an abundance of food, and no, it's not always because they chose that lifestyle, it's all well and good to sit on our pedestals and judge, but sometimes it just takes a minute to put yourself in someone else's shoes.
It's all about encouraging community members to become more self-sufficient in providing food for their families, says John Ngubane, a Horticulturist from Agro-Ecology Hub in Newlands East.
In aid of World Food Day, "Food & Trees for Africa and Konica Minolta South Africa sponsored trees such as nectarine, plum and pear, to the the hub. Around 100 trees were planted as a way of creating sustainability to the communities and also as a way to eradicate hunger in Durban.
"Ngubane said in Newlands there were 15 gardens, which included those at Bright Future Special School and Hillgrove Secondary.
"At Bright Future Special School, the fruits and vegetables that are grown form part of the school's nutrition programme, while at Hillgrove, farmers use the land at the school for their benefit." (IOL)
I started here in 2016 when the Parks Department took over the privately owned land. At the time, Parks was having trouble cutting large pieces of vacant municipal land and hence came up with an idea for people to plough these lands for free.
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The beauty of this project shows that anything is possible with a little help. Ngubane shared that there are around 350 gardens that grow spinach, carrots, madumbe (yams), lettuce, beetroot, and onions.
"Food & Trees for Africa, explained that their aim was much like the city's but extends to different parts of the country.
"We've trained tens of thousands of people across the country to grow food naturally. We've created economic employment, skills development, all related to food security." (IOL)
There are five million people under the age of five in SA that go hungry every day. It is not just about the 100 trees today, it's about growing people.
Definitely something to shout out about when it comes to uplifting and upgrading our communities. The best part about these projects is that they are empowering community members to create sustainability, not just for our people, but this also helps the environment.
Image Courtesy of Facebook