SCHOOL
FOOD GARDEN
We build strength, stability & self-reliance
through our on-going relationships.
SCHOOL FOOD GARDEN
School food gardens provide an excellent means of supplementing meals for learners, offering additional nutrition from fresh herbs and vegetables that greatly enhance students' ability to concentrate and achieve better academic performance. Through collaboration with both public and private stakeholders, our aim is to facilitate substantial and enduring growth in the community's food security.
This objective is pursued through a food gardens project designed to directly address the needs of those experiencing hunger, while simultaneously generating income to enhance the living standards of families. Concurrently, we are implementing an enterprise development project with a similar objective, specifically targeting the youth population. This initiative aims to foster the creation of young entrepreneurs who can contribute to the alleviation of hunger and the restoration of hope within the community.
WHY AND HOW WE DO IT
A number of research projects have demonstrated significant benefits from incorporating teacher–student care of school gardens into the school curriculum. We have a variety of school gardening interventions, depending on the age of the school learners as well as stakeholder involvement, and a large database of worthy schools that have applied
SCHOOL
FOOD GARDEN
We build strength, stability & self-reliance
through our on-going relationships.
School food gardens are one of the best ways to supplement meals for learners. The additional nutrition from fresh herbs and vegetables significantly improves a student's ability to concentrate and perform better. In collaboration with public and private stakeholders, we seek to catalyze real, sustained growth in the community’s food security. This is being done through a food gardens project which caters directly to the needs of the hungry, while also generating income with which to improve families’ standards of living. In parallel, we are running an enterprise development project with the same goal-directed at youth – creating young entrepreneurs to aid in alleviating hunger and restoring hope.
WHY AND HOW WE DO IT
A number of research projects have demonstrated significant benefits from incorporating teacher–student care of school gardens into school curriculum. We have a variety of school gardening interventions, depending on the age of the school learners as well as stakeholder involvement, and a large database of worthy schools who have applied.
AGRI
PROCESS
We build strength, stability & self-reliance
through our on-going relationships.
Agri-processing industry is a subset of manufacturing that processes raw materials and intermediate products derived from the agricultural sector. Agri-processing thus means transforming products that originate from farming. Agro-processing focuses on product research and development for the transformation of local produce that can be processed into value-added agricultural products as well as the transfer of technology for agri-business development to improve income generation and food security. A key characteristic of this processing sector is its strong up and its downstream linkages. Upstream being the sector links to primary agriculture across a variety of farming models and products, while the downstream being the outputs of intermediate products to which further value is added and final goods, which are marketed through wholesale and retail chains (including but not limited to restaurants, pubs, shebeens and fast-food outlets) Being linked to agriculture is critical for employment creation and poverty eradication.
In pursuit of sustainable impact, we take an asset-based approach taking the full farm-to-fork value chain into consideration. We shift as much value addition to the farmers leveraging their available assets (labour, land, environment) and eliminate non-value-adding steps (intermediaries) from the process to maximise their possible income or reduce their external dependence for their basic needs. The most common missing elements along the value chain are adequate processing technology, financing and market linkages. While financing and market linkage solutions have multiple possible configurations, we have selected hybrid solar drying as the most effective enabling technology. Drying for preservation is one of the oldest methods given its simplicity and benefits: being applicable at the farm it minimizes avoidable food waste. Removing the water not only stops spoilage but reduces up to 80% of Product weight and volume, simplifying transport and storage while facilitating access to more distant markets
PRODUCT PROCESSING
- Drying fruits and vegetables at the farm has many benefits:
- Long shelf life and simplified storage and transport
- A good alternative to capture value when the fresh market is low
- A way to capitalize on seasonal overproduction
- A means to make high value products and ingredients for new customers
AGRI
PROCESS
We build strength, stability & self-reliance
through our on-going relationships.
AGRI PROCESS
The agri-processing industry, a subset of the manufacturing sector, is responsible for processing raw materials and intermediate products derived from the agricultural sector. Agri-processing involves the transformation of farming-originated products. Agro-processing specifically focuses on research and development to transform local produce into value-added agricultural products, as well as the transfer of technology to support agri-business development, aiming to enhance income generation and food security. An essential characteristic of this processing sector is its strong linkages both upstream and downstream. The upstream linkages connect with primary agriculture across various farming models and products, while the downstream linkages involve the production of intermediate products that undergo further value addition and final goods marketed through wholesale and retail chains, including establishments such as restaurants, pubs, shebeens, and fast-food outlets. The connection to agriculture plays a crucial role in employment creation and poverty eradication.
The most commonly observed gaps in the value chain are the lack of adequate processing technology, financing, and market linkages. While financing and market linkage solutions can take various forms, we have identified hybrid solar drying as the most effective enabling technology. Drying for preservation, one of the oldest methods, offers simplicity and benefits. By implementing drying techniques at the farm level, it minimizes unnecessary food waste. The removal of water not only prevents spoilage but also reduces product weight and volume by up to 80%, facilitating transportation and storage and providing improved access to more distant markets.
PRODUCT PROCESSING
We assist with training, mentoring and the evaluation of the current
produce and options available to farmers. Thereafter our team of experts advise on food safety, standards, labelling and packaging of products and quality control with the respective agency for training
Product Processing:
· Drying fruits and vegetables at the farm has many benefits:
· Long shelf life and simplified storage and transport
· A good alternative to capture value when the fresh market is low
· A way to capitalize on seasonal overproduction
· A means to make high value products and ingredients for new customers