According to the World Food Programme, “Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest prevalence of hunger. One person in four… is undernourished. One in four of the world’s children [here] are stunted. In developing countries, the proportion can rise to one in three.”
With the support of the Woolworths Trust, the EduPlant Programme is continuing to address Food Security needs at under-resourced schools around SA.
According to Tshepiso Senetla, the EduPlant coordinator:
“Understanding food growing and nutrition empowers educators and community members to improve their livelihoods and supply school children with healthy organic vegetables.”
In 2017, the EduPlant programme entered its 23rd year and the need to address food security and find solutions to the pressing issues in our food systems are more crucial than ever. To compound this threat – reports show that half of the food in the world is thrown away! Our food systems are broken and we urgently need to fix them. The EduPlant Programme, which is run in partnership with The Woolworths Trust, has proven that it is one of the solutions.
This effective programme comprises of 45 free, one-day workshops for educators across the country. These educators then feed into 36 clusters where they can participate in seven practical workshops over the next two years. –Every two years, schools are invited to enter & present their flourishing gardens at a national Food Garden competition and awards event. The next competition in the programme cycle is scheduled for October 2018.
On Saturday the 4th of February the EduPlant 2017 programme launched with the first of 45 one day permaculture workshops, which will reach thousands of educators in all provinces of the country over the next few months. These workshops provide schools with information on how to start and improve their gardens, as well as resources, such as the FTFA Growing Green book. Educators have an opportunity to learn from each other and this encourages more food gardening and thus healthier learners and environments.
