Grow food in !Xairu

In the rural community of Suurbraak (original name !Xairu meaning Paradise), the high price of rainwater storage and municipal water, as well as the current resource-intensive mode of gardening, do not enable cost-effective food production, even though people have access to land.

By establishing container food-gardens, families will have a cost-and-water effective way to produce vitamin-rich and nutritious vegetables and will ultimately impact on the long term food security of the most vulnerable families in the community.

The objectives of the container garden pilot project is:

• To supply two (+/-) 1m x 1m (plastic lined, recycled pallet wood) plant containers per family, to ten new families per month, over a four-month period.
• To supply compost and seedlings
• To offer assistance with the planting of seedlings.
• Install a simple and cost effective, deep watering system (made from recycled 2L cooldrink bottles) in the containers.

Each month, the previous month’s participants will receive an additional box to introduce the idea of succession planting.

During the pilot phase, we are encourage children and older youth to be part of the project in an effort to ensure food security for their generation.