Seyisi Primary School holds a month end market and sells seedlings and produce to the local community. Photo: Joseph Chirume
7 September 2016
An agricultural project at Seyisi Primary School in KwaZakhele, Port Elizabeth, aims to equip children with the skills to earn a living by growing and selling crops. Though not part of the school syllabus, pupils are taught gardening and crop cultivation.
Under the leadership of senior teacher Nomonde Ntsundwana, the garden project has already bore fruit. She said some students have established gardens at their homes.
“We began this garden programme in January. We have already produced enough food for the school and today alone we raised more than R5,000 from selling seedlings and vegetables,” she said.
Ntsundwana said the school has 600 pupils. They take turns to till and manage the garden.
The school grows potatoes, green pepper, spinach, cabbages, carrots and onions. Seedlings are also sold to the public.
“We are also promoting healthy eating … We discovered that if we teach children about a healthy diet, they will go to their homes and also teach their parents.”
“The project also teaches children about how to operate a business. The children take care of the stock and the expenses. They are the ones who organise the marketing of the crops and seedlings to the community. They take care of the inputs and we also teach them how to identify and destroy various crop pests. I hope that in two years time, the local community will be having successful gardens in their backyards,” said Ntsundwana.
She said the programme kept the children busy. “They won’t have time for drugs and crime. I want them to be always busy.”
According to Ntsundwana there is much poverty in and around the school. This was one of the reasons she pioneered the garden project. “The interest shown by the children was astonishing. I have never met students who are dedicated to gardening like these pupils in all my 27 years of teaching.”
Eight-year-old Linothando Thomas in grade one said she had learned a lot from the garden. She lives with her unemployed grandfather and has established a backyard garden to supplement his old age grant.
“Though I’m still young, I have always been admiring my grandfather. He likes gardening. He used to buy his seedlings in Walmer and other nurseries around town. Now he doesn’t have to spend money on transport as the seedlings are here at the school.
“I like growing spinach and carrots because they are healthy. I also get pocket money from selling these products, ” she said.
Nine-year-old Bonga Gxokwana, grade 3, said he discovered that crop pests can be destroyed using simple methods without having to buy pesticides.
“We use garlic plants, chillis and ordinary dishwashing chemicals to kill pests like aphids, termites and grasshoppers. This is cheaper than using chemicals. Our teachers told us that this method is also safe and not dangerous to people.”
Asemahle Mthini, 13 and in grade 7, said her family life had improved greatly after they started operating a garden at their house this year.
“We no longer have to spend money on vegetables as we have a garden at home. We are selling spinach, tomatoes, and cabbages to the community. We use the money to buy other necessities at home. I hope to become an agricultural manager when I grow up. “
Ntsundwana said they had input to start the project from the local community as well as the Department of Rural and Agrarian Reform.
Recently, plots of land in the school yard were made available to community members to grow crops. This also helped with security for the school.
“We have held two markets so far. We’re are planning to do this every month end, but we sell to individuals on a daily basis.”
School principal Khithazi Nontsele said: “We’re inculcating entrepreneurship skills. They [the students] should know how to run a successful enterprise while they are young. We also want them to carry a message to their homes about good and healthy eating. They also incorporate what they learn in class and practise it in the garden.”
Chairman of the school governing body William Mzimukhulu said: “Such projects in our community helps people with food security. I appeal to residents to protect the school and not vandalise the infrastructure because it helps all of us.”