With the support of ConVista Consulting, learners at the Khayelitsha Special School have had the opportunity to learn permaculture food gardening skills for the last year and a half. They are now proud to announce the launch of their garden which signifies the culmination of these teachings.
The children have greatly enjoyed the practical and healthy work in the garden which was developed around permaculture design principles to maximise production as well as sustainable use of water and soils. The garden can enhance the feeding scheme at the school and learners are also receiving cooking lessons to prepare healthier meals. “This is a good model of the Chinese proverb, ‘Give a man and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime’. In this case we are teaching the school community to grow so that they can eat for a lifetime,” affirmed Kirsten Zsilavecz, FTFA permaculture facilitator.
Ultimately in permaculture style, it will also satisfy its own requirements for soil fertility and seed, wind protection and waste management. A worm farm turns kitchen waste into extremely high value soil, as well as supplying liquid fertili-tea which is applied when watering the garden. Trees have been planted to create a wind break, and indigenous medicinal plants will attract insects and birds and supply bio-mass for the compost pile.
Some of the vegetable plants will be left to go to seed, which will be collected and used for subsequent planting, thus reducing maintenance costs.
Says ConVista Consulting’s Sheryl Cooke, “We hope that the garden will provide the children with skills that will sustain them, in addition to providing pleasure and nourishment while participating in the growth and maintenance of it. We would like to thank our German office for funding the project and Food & Trees for Africa for providing the opportunity for us to visit the school and connect with the children”.
