Cape Town - Long clinic queues and the quality of food consumed by people on chronic medication prompted Mawande Sigwinta to start an organic food garden in his community.
The 29-year-old PhD candidate started I-Afrika Yam to supply organic food to people he saw standing outside his local Nomzamo clinic in Strand on the outskirts of Cape Town.
“Most old people are on chronic medication and they consume a lot of processed food,” he said.
Sigwinta said he does not believe processed food is good for their health and the garden would provide an alternative.
“When I started the garden in 2017, I wanted people to have access to fresh organic vegetables for free. The idea was that I would do a soup kitchen outside the clinic and also bring raw vegetables so people can take home and cook,” he said.
The garden was almost affected by the land occupation that the community grappled with in 2018. Sigwinta had to pause, but as soon as protests died down, he went back to his garden and grew vegetables.
With the help of his family and friends he started the soup kitchen, but little did they know that it would mutate into a restaurant that produces vegetables and sells them as meals. It is also a hangout spot for the community, with activities that include music shows and events requested by residents.
“The garden has also created a culture of agriculture around the community. We partnered with the department of agriculture to fund people interested in agriculture to come on board, and today we have people who have chicken farms.
“Household farming did not exist in Strand before, but since the start of this garden it now exists. There are more opportunities that will be created through partnerships,” he said.
Sigwinta has stopped his soup kitchen but provides fresh produce for free to Strand residents who are struggling. The garden has a range of vegetables which include onions, spinach, green peppers, cabbage, lettuce and beetroot, to name a few.
“It is also worth noting that I started the garden to inspire young people to start their projects. If they see me, a PhD candidate, in a garden doing something that is most of the time said to be that of uneducated people, they will be inspired.
“Agriculture is not for rural areas only or old people. It is for everyone who has access to land and I hope the story of I-Afrika yam will inspire people across South Africa,” he said.
Noluthando Zweni, 62, said young people should look up to Sigwinta.
“This child started little by little. He had no land, but an idea and then he worked hard to make the idea work. This is the kind of person young people should look up to. Juggling studies and a garden is not a child’s play. Plants are like children, if you do not take care of them, they die. The whole community is proud of the work done by this young man,” Zweni said.
Sigwinta said he still looks to partner with people who are either interested to learn more about what he does or provide assistance.
“The generation before us did agriculture, and now the future of agriculture lies with us.”