Under the early sun of late April, a modest gathering in South Africa quietly spoke volumes about resilience, collaboration, and renewal.
The Department of Social Development—joined by the Department of Agriculture, local leaders, students, and volunteers—converged on the modest grounds of the Sivande Project to deliver more than just gardening supplies. They delivered possibility.
Sowing More Than Seeds
The heart of the project is simple: water tanks, fencing, tools, and seeds. Yet for the community of Sasko and the broader AbaQulusi region, this support carries profound significance.
Pastor and project driver Baba Ntshangase leads “One Home, One Garden,” a grassroots campaign encouraging every household—no matter how modest—to cultivate food for themselves and their neighbours.
The Department of Social Development’s donation aligned precisely with this mission, offering tangible resources to witness real transformation.
Councillor Elaine Rodway, present at the hand‑over, described the moment as uplifting:
“I am in full support of this project… everyone should be growing their own food, even on a small scale.”
Her words carry weight: with each seed planted, families gain not just fresh produce, but food sovereignty and a shared purpose.
Connecting Government With Community
What makes the initiative compelling is the unity it represents. Alongside the Social Development team were representatives from Agriculture, including Mr Oscar Dlamini, and volunteer student Sboniso Nkosi from UFS–QwaQwa—evidence of youthful energy channelled toward community progress.
Even local councillors and community leaders showed that this was more than a standalone corporate social investment—it was a multi-stakeholder effort, rooted in shared vision.
This mirrors broader shifts in South Africa’s approach to social welfare. In mid‑June, Rainbow Chicken Ltd, in partnership with the Do More Foundation, launched a nutrition‑focused initiative that provides porridge and basic support to early‑childhood students in agricultural hubs such as Rustenburg and Hammarsdale.
Both initiatives highlight a new era of cross-sector collaboration—government, NGOs, private sector, academia, and local communities working side by side.
The Powerful Promise of the Fourth Point
A key theme—echoing what Councillor Rodway called her “fourth point”—emerged loud and clear: community exchange. She envisaged a network of households exchanging produce, seeds, and ideas. This isn’t just about planting crops; it’s about seeding social cohesion, intergenerational exchange, and a renewed reverence for agriculture:
“Neighbours can come together and not only exchange produce but share ideas. I hope to see this initiative inspire our youth to foster an appreciation for agriculture… May God bless the soil…and let it prosper.”
This fourth point transcends agricultural training—it taps into cultural memory, shared identity, purposeful community engagement, and youth empowerment. It’s a method of creating sustainable cycles—interpersonal, ecological, and economic.
Real Stories: Turning Soil Into Opportunity
The vision is already taking root in lives like that of 31‑year‑old Seniren Naidoo of Isnembe, KwaZulu-Natal. A commercial banker by profession, he invested his family’s farmland in growing amaranth, herbs, kale, strawberries, and more.
The result? Thousands of bunches sold weekly across KZN and Gauteng—fulfilling both his passion and the community’s nutritional needs.
Naidoo’s path—from hobbyist to entrepreneur—is a tribute to the underlying potential of community farming initiatives. Equipping households with basic resources and know‑how can lead to unexpected successes, food security, and even new local economies.
Broader Implications: Government, Food, and Futures
The Department of Social Development’s model is part of a growing national strategy. Recent reforms have moved early childhood development programs into the Department of Basic Education—with the aim to increase enrollment and address learning gaps.
However, access to nutritious food remains a challenge: UNICEF reports that 1.5 million South African children suffer from stunting due to malnutrition.
Projects like Sivande, paired with nutrition schemes and “One Home, One Garden,” actively counteract this reality. They build local food economies, tie agriculture to health and education, and reinforce systems of self-reliance.
Weaving Hope Into Everyday Life
Here’s a scene that captures the initiative’s heart: a young student—perhaps even Sboniso Nkosi—kneeling in newly tilled earth, gently placing seeds beside a water tank funded by government aid.
An elder neighbour shares a tip on composting; a local gardener trades a handful of kale seedlings for a sprig of basil. An Instagram‑style moment, sewing together modern agricultural practices and generational wisdom.
When schoolchildren learn these values, the impact extends beyond the garden bed. They acquire respect for natural resources, understand the importance of sustainability, and feel present in the landscape of public health and social care.
A Lasting Legacy
What is evident is that with minimal inputs—some fencing, water storage, seeds, and care—one initiative can catalyze multifaceted change: better health, economic upliftment, sustainable livelihoods, stronger social bonds, and a hopeful direction for youth. The Department of Social Development’s support has done more than equip projects—it has lit a spark.
If Baba Ntshangase’s model spreads, if households in Sasko, AbaQulusi, and beyond take root in it, we could witness a quiet revolution: one narrow furrow at a time, forging pathways to food security, social resilience, and collective empowerment.
Planting the Future
South Africa finds itself at a crossroads: balancing emerging institutional reforms with enduring systemic challenges.
The “One Home, One Garden” ethos, embodied by projects like Sivande, represents a creative balancing path—leveraging governmental support, individual initiative, and community solidarity to sow a more resilient future.
With each seed planted, a deeper truth emerges: change does not always need grand schemes or high budgets. Sometimes, all it requires is water, soil, a sense of shared purpose—and the courage to plant hope.
Sources:
Citizen
