The Restore Africa Foundation recently hosted a hands-on agricultural learning initiative at Sandfields Primary as part of its growing Veggies4Kids programme, aimed at teaching pupils practical food-growing skills while promoting sustainability and food security in schools.
According to the founder, Eduard Louw, the programme is designed to go beyond simply showing children how to plant vegetables.
Sithembiso Magubane, a representative of Mahindra (one of the sponsors).
Instead, it introduces pupils to the full cycle of growing food using simple, accessible methods that can easily be replicated at school or at home.
During the session, pupils were taught how to plant spinach seedlings in buckets filled with a mixture of sand, compost and stones.
Each class will keep its own bucket garden, taking responsibility for watering and nurturing the plants until they reach maturity. Once harvested, the spinach will be used in the school’s kitchen, directly contributing to meals for the pupils. The programme also includes an innovative recycling component. Pupils were shown how to repurpose empty toilet rolls as biodegradable seedling trays.
Eduard Louw and Justine Theunissen of Restore Africa Foundation.
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Seeds are planted inside the rolls, and once the seedlings reach the right size, the entire roll is planted directly into the soil. As the cardboard decomposes, it releases nutrients that help the plants grow, while also supporting soil regeneration.
“This initiative is not just about planting vegetables. We want to introduce children to basic agricultural skills, recycling and soil regeneration while helping schools establish their own vegetable gardens to support food security,” Louw explained. Sandfields Primary is the fourth school to benefit from the Veggies4Kids programme in the Tongaat district.
The foundation has committed to rolling the initiative out to ten schools in the area, with Starke Ayres and Mahindra among the sponsors supporting the programme.
Each participating school receives the necessary resources, including seeds and planting materials, to ensure the gardens can continue growing year after year.
Louw said the long-term goal is to collaborate with the Department of Education to incorporate basic agricultural skills into the primary school curriculum.
He believes that teaching children practical skills at an early age will not only broaden their knowledge beyond traditional academic subjects but also empower them to contribute to sustainable food production in their communities.
Through initiatives like Veggies4Kids, the Restore Africa Foundation hopes to nurture both environmental awareness and life skills among young pupils while strengthening food resilience in schools across the region.
@risingsuncommunity
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