This 300m2 community garden was founded by Nancy Chauke who recruited six other women in the area to cultivate the parcel. The garden is situated in Mhinga village, Malamulele, Limpopo province. The land is registered under her name and the group has registered as a trading cooperative in order to fit within the South African legal framework.
The water is provided by the local municipality and the soil is rich in nutrients so that the crops cultivated can easily adapt to the local climatic condition, which is found on low land.
The group has attended agro-ecological training workshops and have purchased various garden equipment (a jojo tank to collect water, hand hoes, a digging fork, and wheelbarrows among others) and have installed a drip pipe irrigation system, which is now making it easier for them to work the soil.
Some of the crops cultivated in the garden include winter crops such as spinach, cabbage, onions, carrots and tomatoes, while among the summer crops there are peanuts, corn, watermelon, beans, baby marrow, tindluwa (which looks like and is planted like peanuts, but can only be eaten when cooked, and is mainly used as an ingredient in some indigenous dishes such as Tihove and Xiendlahivomu). They also have a chicken coup, where they raise free range chickens. The products are used for personal consumption and any surplus is sold to the local community, the revenue from which is goes toward the daily family expenses.
Area
Mhinga Village, Malamulele, Limpopo province
Coordinator
Chauke Nancy