© New Day United 2024 | Privacy Policy | Registration number: 2003/ 010314/08; NPO 030-425; PBO 930023429; UK Charity 1154744
Our foodscaping programme is transforming barren land into a sustainable source of fresh food for our communities. We are developing the next generation of horticultural entrepreneurs and growing appreciation of the environment – all while feeding hundreds of people each day.
People living in our communities face the twin challenges of malnutrition and Type 2 Diabetes.
But it is difficult to eat well with a meagre income to buy food.
In 2018 NewDay started sowing the seeds of the Foodscaping programme by supporting a small number of local people to grow their own food by raising seeds into seedlings in recycled containers. These were then transplanted into yards, verges and wasteland.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit South Africa, it became even more difficult for families in our communities to feed themselves.
NewDay responded by establishing an emergency food distribution service, sourcing food donations from businesses across Cape Town and delivering food parcels to those in need.
We were able to maintain this service throughout the lockdown periods of the pandemic, with our team braving significant challenges and uncertainties day-in, day-out. The results were remarkable:
As news spread of our work to feed those in the greatest need, there was a surge of interest in helping to build food security in our communities.
With local champions, we identified an abandoned plot the size of a football pitch, at the local high school where we were formally granted permission to develop it into a large-scale nursery.
2021 was our Year of Harvest and what a harvest we have reaped since the first seeds were sown in the Phoenix High School Garden! In July 2021, this was a neglected piece of land. But with manpower, willpower, and prayer, the field has been cleared and tilled, and the plot transformed into a thriving vegetable garden.
George and Stanley from the Community Work Partnership (CWP) now lead a team cultivating and distributing a variety of produce for the community.
A quick tour of the foodscaping site in September 2023
We are seeing the literal fruit (and veg!) of our labours since we started working on this 1-hectare plot at Phoenix High School.
The site is flourishing and has yielded a range of seasonal produce from tomatoes, celery, green peppers and beans to cauliflower, cabbage, parsnips, pumpkins and coriander.
We are so grateful to the Department of Agriculture, who have supplied essential equipment, cover for the polytunnels and installed water pumps and irrigation, and with the support of the CWP and local volunteers we now have a team of 15 people working on the land.
There’s more fruit on the horizon for the Foodscaping programme!
Work has now begun clearing a second plot at Phoenix High School for cultivation. Nearly 3 times the size of our first, it is exciting and daunting as the team work to transform the hard dusty land into a verdant landscape.
April 2024 update from George
Word has spread about our work, and we have been approached by local companies interested in purchasing commercial crops grown by the project. This potential source of income offers the hope for a self-sustaining cycle of reinvestment in production and growth. It would also enable us to create new jobs with a living wage for local people, and continue training the next generation with the skills to feed themselves and their community.
You can provide essential material help to this project by purchasing one of the items below.
© New Day United 2024 | Privacy Policy | Registration number: 2003/ 010314/08; NPO 030-425; PBO 930023429; UK Charity 1154744
