Seeding A Sustainable Future
Biowatch - South Africa - Food Security
Mrs. Mncube and her neighbors started a community garden with training from Biowatch.
Do better seeds equal food security?
Hunger is a real issue where Mrs. Mncube lives. Mrs. Mncube is a farmer in the rural community of KwaHhohho in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
More than 14 million people, over a third of the population in South Africa, are estimated to be vulnerable to food insecurity.
Some argue that the answer lies in “better” seeds.
But what are “good” seeds, especially for those whose very survival is dependent on them?
Plants grown with GM seeds do not reproduce new seeds that would ordinarily be saved for the next planting - instead, small-scale farmers need new, expensive seeds each season.
Throughout South Africa poor farmers have been persuaded by the Department of Agriculture and big agribusiness to adopt industrial farming methods, including genetically modified (GM) seeds.
GM crops have long come with the promise of increased yields for farmers, but this has rarely been the case. Over time GM seeds take their toll on the environment and organic seed varieties indigenous to the area are lost.
So What's the Solution?
Let us introduce you to Mrs. Mncube and to Biowatch, a powerhouse of an organization that trains community members like Mrs. Mncube in sustainable, organic food production so families can grow healthy food.
When Mrs. Mncube and 20 of her neighbors pooled their resources to start a community garden, they approached Biowatch for training.
Their families, like so many in rural South Africa, are dependent on the food they grow to survive and are continually seeking other ways to generate income to keep the family afloat.
IDEX partner, Biowatch offers training for the families to take their food security into their own hands through practical, low-cost cultivation methods that conserve biodiversity and ensure their food sources.
Reclaiming Traditional Agricultural Methods
Many of our neighbors use artificial fertilizers and chemical pesticides, but we see the negative impacts of chemicals on the soil and we now have the skills to be able to produce naturally and successfully." - Mrs. Mncube.
Mrs. Mncube
The group also participates in Biowatch's seed saving program.
Instead of having to purchase seeds, they can share seeds with each other. And in doing so, they are protecting nutrient-rich indigenous seeds that are well-suited to the land.
Mrs. Mncube has gone on to teach her neighbors what she has learned. She says she wants them to feel empowered to rely on their rich cultural heritage. To reclaim traditional agricultural methods: no chemical fertilizers, no pesticides, no GMOs needed.
Today, after training with Biowatch, the garden now generates income to support all the families of this group.
Seeding the Next Generation of Farmers
With training from Biowatch, the group improved their yields with natural methods such as composting, which has improved the soil on their land.
Mrs. Mncube spends her days tending to the community plot it and serving the group as its treasure. She is responsible for keeping track of the income earned by the group's surplus vegetable production.
She also grows a household vegetable garden. And when the children come home from school, they help her in the household garden. As Mrs. Mncube wants to pass down her knowledge to her children, each child has a small plot to tend to alongside her own, seeding the next generation of farmers.
With your support, Biowatch can expand its work this year to over 300 small-scale farmers, local schools and clinics with the tools to grow their own food, in a way that respects the land - and the people who work on it. Donate now!
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