From illegal dumpsite to eco-park
Organisation hopes the small community park would benefit all the people of Gem Valley.
A local organisation in Mamelodi recently celebrated the International Day for Water and Forestry by holding a clean-up campaign and planting 10 spekboom trees.
This was as the Backyard Farmers organisation transformed an illegal dumpsite into a communal eco-park in Gem Valley extension 2 on March 26.
Thabang Shongwe, of Backyard Farmers, said the organisation partnered with the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development; the South Africa National Biodiversity Institute; the national Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment; Curro Academy Mamelodi; and the National Youth Development Agency and National Youth Service.
“The event prioritised raising awareness in the community among young people and parents about the urgent need to protect the habitat, the biodiversity and the conservation of the ecosystem,” said Shongwe.
He said they also raised awareness about the urgent need to protect water streams in and around Mamelodi from contamination by certain human activities.
This was in line with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, which aim to make the world a better place to live in by 2030.
He hoped the small community park would benefit all the people of Gem Valley.
Backyard Farmers was formed in 2020 by three friends to tackle food insecurity, environmental degradation and tourism in communities through initiatives such as backyard gardening as well as skills and seed sharing.
Shongwe added this initiative encourages community members to have their backyard gardens. It lets people share and exchange seeds and skills via a WhatsApp group.
He described the day as a success.
“We were sponsored with working tools such as gloves, litter picks, refuse bags, rakes, spades and climate change educational materials.”
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