Learners perform best with their bellies full
A product called Garden in a Box was used to start the vegetable garden at the school in Munsieville.
Munsieville — At the start of the second school term, Silverstar employees got their fingers dirty with some learners of Munsieville Primary School.
With assistance from Reel Gardening and its founder, Claire Reid, the group successfully installed an organic vegetable garden at the school to aid in the provision of food for their students.
Munsieville Primary has many learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. Although the school receives food subsidies from the government, they are often insufficient to meet the needs of the learners. For some, the meal they get at school is their only meal for the day.
A product called Garden in a Box was used for the vegetable garden at the school. It includes seeds strips produced from patented, biodegradable paper, which hold seeds spaced correctly for planting. The paper also anchors the seeds at the correct soil depth for optimum germination.
So far, they have planted spinach, onions, beetroot, carrots and lettuce. The school plans to expand the garden at a later time, with more vegetable options such as sweetcorn, tomatoes, green beans and green peppers.
In an effort to ensure the longevity of the project, the school will make sure that this is a sustainable development for their learners. They have a vision to integrate the maintenance of the vegetable garden into the education system. This includes having outdoor lessons for some subjects and direct involvement in the project itself. The garden will also be looked after by a group of volunteers who are part of the school’s Community Work Programme, made up of parents of the learners.
“Munsieville Primary is one of the schools that we are committed to, and we're involved in the various educational and sports programmes they offer. Silverstar felt it was important to address their urgent need and provide additional support for their feeding programme. Learners perform best with a full belly and we hope that the veggie garden will positively contribute towards the sustenance and nutrition that they require in a sustainable way,” said Shane Collinson, Silverstar's Director of Operations and Complex General Manager.
