A newly installed food garden is helping the Fig Tree Independent School on its path to self-sufficiency.
East London, South Africa (07 May 2024) — Action International Ministries has established a new sustainable garden at the Fig Tree Independent School with the support of the Greensleeves Children’s Trust.
They currently support 96 children in foster homes and provide educational support to 45 primary and high schoolers. That is a lot of mouths to feed. The goal is now to produce around 35% of their total food consumption over the next 5 years.
Like many sustainable endeavours, they are aiming to have a close-looped-system which will produce food, energy, shelter and education for all those involved. The Action International Sustainable Office has run projects like this invBrazil, Cuba, Ecuador, India, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia– but it is the first time that they are doing this in South Africa.
Should the project be a success locally, it will be rolled out in more Southern African Countries. Nourishing soil is vital in this project, and thanks to the support of a local irrigation company, Amatola, channelling water where it is needed was made possible.
The key to becoming self-sufficient requires a surprising amount of channelling water from one place to another for many different purposes; household water, drinking water, irrigation and production of compost tea for the food gardens and more.
“Water forms such a vital part of hygiene and healthy living for the children of Greensleeves Children’s Trust and Fig Tree Independent School. Thanks to Amatola Irrigation we now have a regular water supply for our school, homes and gardens.” – Davin Lehy, Principal of Fig Tree Independent School
This first project is an exciting one for everyone involved.
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