A seedling may be small, but in the right hands, what grows from it can reach far beyond the garden.
At Rise Above Development, one of the most anticipated moments of the month begins with vegetables harvested from the garden. The produce is gathered and transformed into a big communal pot of food for the children.
“One of our favourite moments is our monthly big pot of food made from our own harvest,” says Malany Meyer, Centre Manager at Rise Above Development. “The children look forward to it with so much excitement, and seeing their smiles as they enjoy food grown right here means more to us than words can explain.”
It is a simple example of what can grow from a seedling.
Growing food for tomorrow
The Light From Africa Foundation’s (LFA) Community Food Garden Project began in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic placed enormous pressure on households and deepened existing food insecurity.
While the immediate crisis has passed, access to nutritious food remains a challenge. According to Statistics South Africa’s 2024 General Household Survey, 19.5% of Western Cape households reported inadequate or severely inadequate access to food.
LFA recognised early on that responding to hunger could not be only about providing food for today. Communities also needed opportunities to strengthen their ability to grow food for tomorrow.
What started with emergency food relief therefore evolved into supporting households, schools and community organisations to establish and sustain their own food gardens.
Since 2020, LFA has distributed more than 135,500 vegetable seedlings across rural and urban communities in the Overberg and Cape Metropole.
When the harvest is shared
At Masi Creative Hub, those seedlings have become a resource that reaches far beyond a single garden.
“By supporting us with seedlings, you are changing people’s lives in our community, from senior citizens to primary and high schools and ECD centres,” says Nutrition Ambassador and Food Garden Champion at Masi Creative Hub, Lwando Shaun Siboninge.
Now in its fourth year, the partnership has also helped introduce more people in Masiphumelele to fresh vegetables and healthier eating. As Lwando explains, “you have shown love to the Masiphumelele community. Our community is now more aware of healthy eating and eating vegetables.”
A similar ripple effect can be seen at Rise Above Development, where produce is shared with children, families, senior citizens, volunteers and others in the community. Sometimes seedlings themselves are passed on to other organisations, allowing new gardens to take root.
More than a seedling
This is what LFA’s Community Food Garden Project has become: not simply the distribution of seedlings, but an investment in communities’ ability to grow, share and build greater food security.
As Malany from Rise Above Development puts it, “Your seedlings bring nourishment, dignity, joy and hope to our community.”
A seedling may be small. But in the right hands, it can become a harvest, a shared meal, a healthier choice and the beginning of another garden.
To support LFA’s Food Garden Project, email info@lightfromafrica.com.
