#ICYMI: Industrious Alex co-op turns barren land into a lush food garden
ALEXANDRA -– A success story of a community vegetable garden that is thriving in this iconic township.
A highly motivated group of urban farmers in Alexandra has gone a long way in turning a once barren piece of land into a lush food garden.
That journey has not been a walk in the park as it took years of dedication for the determined group to realise their goal.
No one ever gave the Matsuvu Cooperative a chance of success when they proposed the project considering the state of the land. When the garden was first conceptualised in 2012, it was met with resistance from the Alexandra community, who wanted houses built on the piece of land instead of turning it into an urban farming venture to grow vegetables.
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“Most people, when they see an empty plot, only think of the need for housing,” said Nellie Khunou, one of the founding members of the cooperative.
But all this changed when spinach, cabbage, onion, beetroot, carrots, kale and tomato sprung up from the earth, added the 59-year-old.
“The criticism soon faded when families – a total of 40 beneficiaries – were being fed from what we produced.”
Hard times had pushed the group of 12 co-op members to approach Food and Trees for Africa with their plans of building a self-sustaining food garden that would help supplement their pensions and disability grants.
That is now paying dividends as witnessed with the recent partnership with Shoprite, who came on board and supplied the co-op with garden tools, compost, a water tank and seedlings.
The members also receive training, which has helped them increase their output to half a ton of vegetables per month. The partnership with Shoprite saw them doubling their produce in just six months.
“We sometimes give our vegetables to pensioners when they cannot afford to buy. We also sell our goods at social grant offices so that the elderly get a chance to buy their vegetables first,” Khunou said.
“Since Shoprite got involved, there has been a dramatic change in the garden’s fortunes,” said the co-op coordinator, Trevor Maluleke.
“For example, the water tank supplied by them helps us preserve water when it’s raining. The compost and the tools also boost the yield of our vegetables.”
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The money the co-op makes from their efforts is reinvested into the garden. Members only keep a small portion of proceeds for themselves.
Maluleke, who also teaches gardening skills, said their project was also helping in the transfer of skills to other community members wishing to start their own projects too.
“I have been teaching gardening to the young and old for a long time now and some have gone to start vegetable gardening in their own backyard.”
