Growing vegetables can do more than put food on the table. It can also teach valuable life skills, build confidence and create a sense of purpose. This is the thinking behind a new training programme introduced by 3M Earth, a non-profit company based at the REEA Foundation in Craighall.

The organisation aims to help other non-profit organisations establish and maintain their own food gardens by equipping staff members with practical, low-cost organic farming skills that they can pass on to beneficiaries.

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3M Earth director Andrew McConnachie said the initiative was developed to ensure that the benefits of a single training course could continue long after participants had completed it.

“The idea is that we train the staff from non-profit organisations, who then return to their organisations and train their beneficiaries. One training course becomes a garden programme that keeps running when the trainees return home,” he said.

Practical training

Each participating organisation sends three representatives, usually staff members, for nine days of practical training. No previous farming experience is required, with the course presented in plain English and isiZulu.

After completing the training, staff members use their new skills to prepare garden beds, make their own plant food and natural pest sprays, and establish the first crops at their organisations.

Beneficiaries are then encouraged to take part in regular gardening sessions, which could take place twice a week, allowing them to become involved in every stage of the growing process, from preparing compost and planting seeds to checking for pests and harvesting vegetables.

McConnachie said the programme is designed to be sustainable, with staff keeping simple records, saving seeds for future planting seasons and introducing new beneficiaries to the garden as they arrive.

3M Earth will also continue supporting participating organisations through mentorship visits, helping staff put their training into practice and address any challenges they encounter.

Sustainable methods

The choice of JADAM ( South Korean system of ultra‑low‑cost organic agriculture) organic farming techniques is central to the programme’s approach, particularly because the methods rely on free or inexpensive materials.

“We cannot train people in methods that require expensive inputs, as impoverished people cannot afford to replicate expensive methods,” McConnachie said. “Everything we do must therefore be ultra-low-cost so that it can be replicated in the trainee’s garden.”

Wider social benefits

While providing fresh vegetables can help organisations improve the diets of beneficiaries and reduce money spent on food, the initiative also aims to address wider personal and social needs.

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According to 3M Earth, gardening can provide a calming outdoor environment, encourage physical activity and help reduce stress and low moods. It can also give beneficiaries a sense of achievement, responsibility and purpose through caring for something they have grown themselves.

Working together in the garden can further encourage teamwork, patience and stronger relationships between staff and beneficiaries.

The practical skills gained may also benefit participants beyond their time at the organisation, giving them the knowledge to grow food for their own families or potentially develop an income-generating opportunity in the future.

Through the initiative, 3M Earth hopes to extend the reach of its organic gardening knowledge while helping non-profit organisations create programmes that can continue benefiting their communities over time.

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