Johannesburg. 24 July 2024. Four hundred and fifty schools located in communities across South Africa have enrolled to participate in the 2024/25 cycle of EduPlant, the country’s largest school greening and nutrition programme initiated by Food and Trees for Africa (FTFA) and sponsored by Tiger Brands.
EduPlant, the largest of its kind in South Africa, aims to establish sustainable food gardens at schools to support the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) and to create food secure households and communities.
Thousands of schools across the country have participated in EduPlant since 1995. While many have established thriving food gardens at their schools over the years, factors such as soil conditions, theft, and drought have prevented others from establishing sustainable long-term gardens to provide for their nutritional needs.
To help improve each school’s chances of establishing a thriving garden, the 2024/25 EduPlant cycle will provide mentorship.
EduPlant alumni schools that have been exemplary in their food gardening practices have been established as Centres of Excellence. These Centres of Excellence schools will provide training and mentorship to new participating schools in the 2024/25 EduPlant cycle.
In addition, new participating schools will mentor other schools as Mentee Schools, multiplying the number of schools and learners benefitting from the knowledge and skills to establish sustainable and thriving food gardens.
Centres of Excellence will each mentor two neighbouring schools, as well as three learner gardens in the nearby (or local) community. Running parallel to this, the Mentee Schools will pass their newly acquired knowledge and gardening practice skills on to at least one other neighbouring school.
“EduPlant empowers communities, promotes environmental sustainability, and develops food-secure schools. Previous cycles have created waves of change. Successful schools don’t just cultivate food, but also hope, resilience, and prosperity by enriching knowledge and entrepreneurial opportunities,” says Bharathi Tugh, EduPlant Manager and FTFA Education Associate.
EduPlant facilitators provide theoretical knowledge and techniques to educators and learners, including Permaculture Concepts, Ethics and Principles, as well as Garden Design, Soil Testing and Conditioning and Seed Bed Preparation. This is practically implemented by learners at each school with the necessary gardening tools (spades, rakes, watering cans) and planting materials (seeds, seedlings and compost) provided to them.
The EduPlant programme has the added benefit of serving as an extension to the classroom, offering learners and teachers the opportunity of practical experience of biology and science, learning and observing concepts such as photosynthesis, precipitation, and erosion among others.
Learners are encouraged to replicate and share what they learn during the programme to establish food gardens at home and in their communities, thereby multiplying the impact of the EduPlant Programme.
“Our aim as Tiger Brands is to provide learners and local communities with the foundation to build sustainable livelihoods and provide for their own nutritional needs in the medium to long term. In doing this, we stand to make a real impact on addressing hunger in the country,” says Mary-Jane Morifi, Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer.
