School cultivates success with vegetable garden

Stampriet Combined School's vegetable garden has brought about a remarkable change for the school and the community.

"School attendance has improved significantly; students now stay the entire day at school. Previously, our attendance rate was low. Even the students' behaviour has greatly improved – previously, students used to take each other's food, but that is now a thing of the past," school principal Festus Toromba said.

The school is a beneficiary of the World Food Programme's (WFP) integrated food project, which helps schools and clinics establish vegetable gardens to supplement their diets.

"Considering the socio-economic status of most of our parents, many students come from circumstances where they do not have breakfast before coming to school in the morning. This means they have to learn on an empty stomach," the principal said, adding that they have also noticed an improvement in student grades.

Relief

Alma Goases, a parent who volunteers to help prepare meals, said a significant burden has been lifted from her shoulders since her child has begun receiving a balanced meal at school.

"I don't have to worry as much anymore because I know my child can get something, at least at school," she says.

The fruits and vegetables harvested supplement the diets of the 474 students, offering them more than the maize porridge provided by the education ministry, Toromba said.

The school boasts butternut squash, beets, spinach, onions, and watermelon, as well as eggs that provide essential nutrients and proteins to the students.

In addition to supplementing diets, Toromba said learners who study agriculture as a subject learn from the practical work they perform in the garden.

The project coordinator, Buruxa Amutse, said learners regularly come to him for advice on their agricultural homework.

Toromba has noted an increase in household vegetable gardens in the community as learners take the skills they learn at school back to their homes.

Challenges, plans

Amutse and Toromba said the establishment of the garden was not without challenges. According to Toromba, they sometimes struggle with thieves, and Amutse said the butternut squash was being eaten since there is no shade netting.

The school erected shade netting about three months ago to address this issue.

Amutse also noted that market access is a stumbling block.

"The WFP told us that many of these gardens suffer losses after harvesting. As it is, the children will soon be on vacation, and what will happen to the vegetables?"

The school currently sells a portion of its harvest to generate income for maintaining the garden. The remaining produce is donated to the clinic in Stampriet.

Amutse said initially that students didn't like much of the food. However, he noticed that the food was prepared without any salt, spices or oil. Now, they use some of the profits generated by the garden to buy the necessary ingredients.

Both would like to have more sustainable market access.

"We have a few workers that the WFP pays. If the WFP wants to hand over the workers to us, we will have to pay those salaries. There are also plans to keep pigs, and if we can get one or two dairy cows to give the project an additional boost, we would like to do that too," said Toromba.

There are also plans to plant fruit trees around the garden. This will protect the garden from the wind and make it possible to offer fruits to the students.

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