Alexandra Earl, UNIC Pretoria
The first Millennium Development Goal is “The Eradication of Extreme Poverty and Hunger”. The global food crisis which was exacerbated in 2008 has seen the number of people going hungry rise to over 1 billion. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations now predicts that prices will continue to rise in 2011, with global food reserves declining. This hungry billion exists in a world where many millions of others are overweight and obese. The problem lies not in production – there is enough food in the world for everyone to eat enough every day. The problem lies in food distribution and access. People do not have enough to eat because they cannot access it or they cannot afford to buy it. This applies to both the hungry and the obese. New obesity trends indicate that it is primarily located amongst the poor who cannot afford to buy food and who live in areas that have limited access to fresh food. In a world where the supply chain is becoming more and more complicated, many are turning to self-production and sustainability as a way to provide for themselves. One of the key features of such sustainability is a food garden.
Food gardens have been springing up everywhere you look – from school gardens to the front lawn at the White House to homestead gardens in sprawling townships. They have a long history of triumph in the face of adversity. “Dig for Victory”, “Turn over a New Leaf” and “For their Sake, Grow your own Vegetables” posters encouraged people to plant gardens wherever there was space – in the backyard, on apartment terraces, in allotments – in order to overcome import constraints and rations during World War Two. The Science Newsletter of 1943 says that production from gardens generated 8 000 000 tons in America that year and helped alleviate serious food shortages, particularly in fresh produce. With food prices increasing and the global recession squeezing ordinary people’s pockets, food gardening is once again becoming a viable activity which will help improve your diet and save you money.
Food gardens are also increasingly being used as a development tool. In South Africa, food gardens are springing up in both urban and rural areas. In Botshabelo Township, in the Free State Province, people have turned their backyards into veritable havens of magical garden loveliness. The gardens feature all kinds of different vegetables, from green beans and spinach to pumpkins, carrots and beetroots. Peach, apricot, fig and plum trees provide shade cover. Fruit and vegetables can be bottled when at peak harvest and stored to tide over the harsh winter months. Seeds can be bought from as little as US$0.7 per 15ml scoop – a far cheaper option when a head of cabbage is US$1.4. Gardeners grow a wide diversity of produce which means that they consume a wider diversity than their income would necessarily allow. Gardens provide a means of extra income. Bunches of vegetables are sold to others and can earn gardeners up to US$28 in a good harvest month.
And what of those whose access to land is limited? School and community gardens can also be successful avenues for combating hunger. School gardens can help supply feeding schemes, provide opportunities for on-hand learning, not only of gardening skills but also of biology, the environment and cooking. Such gardens rely on community responsibility and participation and can thus also create jobs. A school garden in the outlying areas of Pretoria has had particular success with involving parents in the school garden and using garden produce in afternoon meals and feeding schemes. Alice Waters, instigator of the “Edible Schoolyard” in California, says “A school garden, kitchen, and cafeteria are integral to the core academic mission of the school, so that ecology and gastronomy help bring alive every subject, from reading and writing to science and art.”
The World Health Organization’s Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health advocates eating 5 fruits and vegetables every day in order to maintain nutrition. Gardens can be made anywhere and allow you the opportunity of watching your food grow. In a world where the production of food is becoming increasingly mechanized, sterilized and chemical, growing your own is becoming something everyone should try. If you don’t have much space, you can grow herbs and tomatoes successfully on the kitchen windowsill. In doing so you will become aware of the joys of local produce, seasonal eating and you will make a small contribution to reducing your carbon footprint.
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