Seven months after winning Shoprite’s inaugural Act For Change Food Garden Competition, six community food gardens are putting their support to work in different ways, and preparing to mark Garden Day on Sunday, 18 October. 

Now in its 11th year, Garden Day invites South Africans to enjoy the green spaces and the many ways they add to people’s lives. This year’s theme, “From Garden to Table: Grow, Gather, Celebrate”, puts a particular focus on the food people grow and share. 

“Garden Day is an opportunity to celebrate these six gardens and the work they continue to do in their communities. It’s fitting that the gardens will mark the day by bringing people together to share food they have grown and spend time in the spaces they have nurtured.”

–  Sanjeev Raghubir, Chief Sustainability Officer at the Shoprite Group

For the six winners, who were selected from nearly 600 entries and received tailored support worth a combined R1 million, the occasion is also a chance to reflect on what has changed since winning their awards.  

In Limpopo, first-place winner ACFS Khunadi Food Garden in Mogoto Village provides fresh vegetables to local feeding programmes and supports around 50 people each month. Since the competition, the garden has benefited from a shade-net structure to protect its crops and received agricultural tools that are being used in practical training.

“The support has helped us improve the garden and give young people more practical training. A group has now completed Plant Production NQF Level 2 training, including hands-on experience using the tools provided through the competition.”

– Bertha Magoge, Executive Director at ACFS Khunadi Food Garden

For Garden Day, the team plans to encourage more people in the community to get involved in growing food.

Having an irrigation system installed has been the most significant support for the second-place winner, Ngxanga School Garden in Libode, in the Eastern Cape. “We have a bigger growing space now and we’re producing more food. As a result, we were able to hire three young people from our community permanently,” says gardener Neziswa Mlenzana.  

On Garden Day, learners will perform songs, dances and plays, while community members will be invited to visit the garden and share what growing food means to them. 

Elsewhere in the province, fifth-place winner Food Security Project in Gonubie is focusing on what’s happening below ground. The team is working to restore its soil using wood-chip mulch and improved compost-making methods. 

“Many of our beneficiaries appreciate the return to permaculture methods, and they also want to use worms to make compost at their own homes or fields,” says gardener Thabang Sejo. 

The team plans to celebrate Garden Day with its “Garden Mamas”, the local women who work in the garden every day.

Three of the six winning gardens are in Gauteng. Third-place winner P Agricultural Group, based in Soweto, says the competition has helped it strengthen production, improve infrastructure and create more opportunities for people to take part.

“Being recognised nationally gives our community confidence,” says gardener Phetole Raseropo. “People who once saw farming as something that belonged in rural areas are starting to see agriculture as an opportunity for themselves – something they can learn from, earn from and be part of.”

Raseropo says they want Garden Day to be a practical and joyful celebration of the progress they’ve made together.

In Krugersdorp, Hope Park Children’s Health Campus Garden feeds 300 children a day.

“After we were announced as the fourth-place winner, we saw more people start to have faith in what we are doing,” says gardener Betty Homvula. “We started a second garden, and people and organisations are now asking us to train them to start gardens too.”

On Garden Day, members plan to cook new dishes with people from the community and celebrate what they have achieved during the year.

In Tsakane, sixth-place winner Plenty Green Africa has redesigned its growing space and is putting lessons from training in soil health, pest control and seed sowing into practice.

“For us, Garden Day means celebrating what the garden can become – not only a place to grow food, but a place where people can come together, learn, share knowledge and connect around food,” says gardener Nkululeko Motloung.

The winning gardens are sharing their stories as Shoprite prepares to open entries for the second Act For Change Food Garden Competition on 20 October, giving more community food gardens across South Africa the opportunity to have their work recognised and supported.

The competition forms part of Shoprite’s broader work with community food gardens. In July, the retailer marked the milestone of supporting its 300th community food garden.