Access to sufficient food is the right of all South Africans. South Africa is reportedly nationally food secure. However, the reality is that relatively high levels of household and individual food insecurity still exist. Many South Africans are vulnerable to food insecurity, leading to nutritional problems including stunting, low body weight, and micronutrient malnutrition.
More than two decades into democracy, it is a scandal that millions of South Africans should sleep on an empty stomach, while millions of school children go to school hungry when there is a lot of food being thrown away every day and better still, when they can grow their own food.
To this end, as part of the Field Education Ministry, SMMS students have embarked on vegetable gardening. The aim is to empower seminarians with practical skills on how to grow their own food crops using the tyre garden model, a method that is not harmful to the environment.
The garden was already set up, with the tyres and organic compost in place. The students planted the seedlings that they will be responsible for. Each student will be in charge of a few tyres.
It is hoped that the students will implement these learnings in their Circuits and communities and will teach others to do the same, once they have graduated from the seminary.
