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Valley Food Gardens
Ons Kweek Kos Saam

Beyond Food Parcels:
Unlocking the Genadendal Valley’s ​Food-growing Resourcefulness

UPDATE:  Seedling vouchers to be distributed to 800 families

Download the "How to Grow Pamphlets" here: Afrikaans  -  English  -  Xhosa

In this coming week, the Ward 2 Red Cross Pandemic Committee and the Valley Food Gardens initiative will be distributing seedling vouchers to all the 550 families who have received regular food parcels for the past four months, and to another 250 families wanting to participate. With this voucher each of these 800 families can claim 40 free assorted vegetable seedlings from one of the five seedling Hubs established by the Valley Food Gardens, in each of the communities of Ward 2.

This is an important turning point in our response to the Coronavirus crisis. The vulnerable families will be able to establish or enhance their own household vegetable gardens to lessen their dependence on food parcels in future and to provide themselves with healthy immune system boosting greens to help ward off the virus. And add to that the dignity and satisfaction that comes with growing your own food.

A basic permaculture based “How to Grow” pamphlet will accompany each voucher. Further pamphlets, coaching and regular short courses in various topics such as composting and pest control, will also be made available through the Valley Food Gardens Hub owners. These nursery Hubs are being supported to becoming their own viable nursery businesses.
We have also made a tough decision that further food parcels will only be given to those families who make an effort to use their vouchers to start a food garden. Of course, the desperately vulnerable who cannot do this will not be abandoned and the many valiant community kitchens will still be operating to ensure that children are fed.
We will need further donations for both food parcels and to support the Valley Food Garden Hubs with capital expenses and voucher subsidies, thus paving the way for the transition from humanitarian aid to local food security. We are looking at ending food parcel towards the end of September but will be keeping an eye on the situation.

What is the Valley Food Gardens?

​T
he Red Cross and supporting organisations are providing food parcels to vulnerable families in the Genadendal Valley in the Overberg Region of South Africa in the wake of the Covid-19 lockdown. But this is an unsustainable solution to food insecurity. Once the pandemic grips the cities, resources and attention may largely go there, and as the economy takes many years to recover and food insecurity persists, we may have to fall back more and more on our own resources and resourcefulness in the four towns in our valley.
 
As part of the Red Cross Covid-19 Response, the Greyton Transition Town (GTT) has launched a food security initiative for Genadendal, Bereaville, Voorstekraal and Greyton, called the Valley Food Gardens, to boost vegetable production in our valley. It is led by Marshall Rinquest, the GTT Director, who has years of experience in supporting permaculture and community-based food gardens in schools and households. 

​Key aspects of the Initiative:
  • Four community-based Hubs are being developed, one in each town in the Valley, based with existing successful growers;
  • The Hubs will supply seedlings, compost/manure and support “packs” to members (households), including those receiving food parcels;
  • The Ecolodge is the core Hub. It is already producing seedlings to kickstart the process. A local farmer is providing kraal manure;
  • The Hubs will be developed over time, with training and coaching into sustainable businesses, based on permaculture principles;  
  • We are preparing a nutrition education campaign to promote leafy greens and other immune system boosting vegetables; 
  • Extra seedlings and compost/manure are being produced at the Ecolodge for sale to wealthier residents, to provide income to support the whole initiative;
  • In the next phase we will also support local small farmers to boost their production, set up more local marketplaces and a veggie-box subscription service.
Click to donate through our Crowd Funding site

The people leading this initiative

To download our brochure click here

Home vegetable gardens increase people's economic access to food, reduce family food bills, allow more spending on proteins, enable more diverse diets, boost their immune systems and potentially provide growers with a new source of income from the sale of surplus.​

Please Donate

Through our Crowd Funding site:

​https://www.givengain.com/cc/valleyfoodgardens/
 
OR 
​

Greyton Transition Town
FNB Caledon
Branch Code: 200212

Account Number: 62355982747
Swift Code: FIRNZAJJ
Reference: Valley Food 
 
Please contact us if you have any ideas or connections to support this:

Marshall Rinquest (GTT Director)
0734861965 - 
marshall@greytontransition.co.za

Doug Reeler (GTT Chairperson)
​0732556528 –
 dougreeler@gmail.com

To download our brochure click here

To download our "Good Food to Fight Covid-19" pamphlet click here
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  • Home
  • Valley Food Gardens
    • How to Grow Vegetables
  • Courses
  • About Us
  • Gallery
  • Contact