Farming with spirit on the North Coast

A one-month Farming God’s Way training programme at All Soul’s Anglican Church for people from the Vulamehlo Hospice, Sinikithemba Organisation and Siyakhula Creche and Pre-School was an eye-opener for most of them.

The mission behind the agricultural philosophy is to break the yoke of poverty through sustainable, natural farming methods.

The premise being that learning how to take care of the earth we have been given to farm by the Lord is the first step towards creating a sustainable future.

Teaching an effective mulching method in order to keep the nutrients and moisture in the soil is one of its lessons.

One of the people who benefited was Thebelihle Zwane from Sinikithemba Organisation in Groutville, who praised teachers Portion Dzangare and Patrick Kwava who taught her that a productive vegetable garden was not only possible but also achievable without the use of chemicals.

“We attended the training three times a week in November and we learnt a lot. I was surprised to learn that instead of burning the grass that was cut in my yard, I can use it to cover the soil in my veggie garden, helping ensure that water gets to the ground correctly. It’s called God’s blanket.”

A vision to teach people from the townships and rural areas how to plant vegetables without using technology or chemicals is what birthed Farming God’s Way at the church two years prior.

A third of a hector of land now produces vegetables such as green beans, spinach, beetroot, lettuce, green peppers, spring onions, carrots, eggplant and maize.

Facilitator Rodney Spencer said they are supplying some of the local shops and restaurants with vegetables and are hoping to extend the garden so that they can supply more stores.

Dzangare encouraged more people to come and learn from the programme because healthy food should not have to cost the earth.

The North Coast Courier Orphan Fund fundraising co-ordinator, June Mdolo, who organised the training for the non-profit organisations that are supported by the Fund said she hoped the training would result in making fresh vegetables more readily available to the many children who rely on the Fund.

“I also learnt that I can make my own compost at home, using my old vegetables. There is absolutely a lot to be learnt from the programme,” said Mdolo.

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