Sigingqini Village 10th October 2012
Besides Ernest and Nothemba, 10 people met with us.
We asked the group to share their plans for how they plan to use the R13 000 that has been allocated to them. Apart from wanting to buy wire netting for people who do not have adequate fencing for their home gardens they have not yet made any detailed plans. We then had a question and answer session which was similar to what came up in the other villages we visited.
We then had a long discussion about their wish to have a community garden. I had asked the group to clarify their reasons for wanting a community garden. They were unable to articulate what advantage a community garden would have other than that other villages had community gardens and that it would be “development.” Pressed on what they meant by development, they spoke of producing for the market.
We then visited a number of gardens in the area. Some of the gardens are very productive and have very high quality vegetables growing. A few people also have fruit trees which seem to be doing very well. However there s a tendency to grow on a scale that focuses on having produce for the market and this results in large stands of cabbage, onions or spinach and this creates a tendency towards mono culture and a lack of continuity. In other words you will have a whole lot of something and then nothing until the next crop is planted and has time to grow. Not only does this deprive the family of a continuous supply of vegetables, it also creates a loss of diversity which seriously depletes the beneficial soil microorganism which maintains soil fertility. A focus on having large unblemished cabbages for the market also increases the pressure to make use of insecticides at the first sign of insect damage and a number of people admitted to using Blue Death on the vegetables. This is a very poisonous substance that takes a long time to break down and lose its toxicity.
We then had a long discussion and looked into the pitfalls of making food a commodity for sale rather than first and foremost producing firstly for consumption and then selling any surplus produced.
The current state of the food that is available is a direct result of making food primarily for the market. Market forces have given us food that at best has very little nutritional value and at worst is s serious health hazard. The way this food is produced has also had a very destructive effect on the land. At present people are selling good quality vegetables and buying inferior commodities that are marketed as food. It seems nobody in the village is milling their own maize - instead the little that is grown is fed to livestock and chickens. People, instead of eating their own healthy mielie meal as was the case in the past, buy mielie meal made from genetically modified maize which is a health hazard.
In the past wheat was grown in the area; now none is grown and people are buying highly refined flour or buying bread made with this over-refined flour and has many unhealthy additives.
If people could once more grow most of their staple foods and vegetables they would not only save a lot of money they would also be a lot healthier.
During the November visit we will demonstrate making a banana circle.
Click HERE to return to the Sigingqini page
We asked the group to share their plans for how they plan to use the R13 000 that has been allocated to them. Apart from wanting to buy wire netting for people who do not have adequate fencing for their home gardens they have not yet made any detailed plans. We then had a question and answer session which was similar to what came up in the other villages we visited.
We then had a long discussion about their wish to have a community garden. I had asked the group to clarify their reasons for wanting a community garden. They were unable to articulate what advantage a community garden would have other than that other villages had community gardens and that it would be “development.” Pressed on what they meant by development, they spoke of producing for the market.
We then visited a number of gardens in the area. Some of the gardens are very productive and have very high quality vegetables growing. A few people also have fruit trees which seem to be doing very well. However there s a tendency to grow on a scale that focuses on having produce for the market and this results in large stands of cabbage, onions or spinach and this creates a tendency towards mono culture and a lack of continuity. In other words you will have a whole lot of something and then nothing until the next crop is planted and has time to grow. Not only does this deprive the family of a continuous supply of vegetables, it also creates a loss of diversity which seriously depletes the beneficial soil microorganism which maintains soil fertility. A focus on having large unblemished cabbages for the market also increases the pressure to make use of insecticides at the first sign of insect damage and a number of people admitted to using Blue Death on the vegetables. This is a very poisonous substance that takes a long time to break down and lose its toxicity.
We then had a long discussion and looked into the pitfalls of making food a commodity for sale rather than first and foremost producing firstly for consumption and then selling any surplus produced.
The current state of the food that is available is a direct result of making food primarily for the market. Market forces have given us food that at best has very little nutritional value and at worst is s serious health hazard. The way this food is produced has also had a very destructive effect on the land. At present people are selling good quality vegetables and buying inferior commodities that are marketed as food. It seems nobody in the village is milling their own maize - instead the little that is grown is fed to livestock and chickens. People, instead of eating their own healthy mielie meal as was the case in the past, buy mielie meal made from genetically modified maize which is a health hazard.
In the past wheat was grown in the area; now none is grown and people are buying highly refined flour or buying bread made with this over-refined flour and has many unhealthy additives.
If people could once more grow most of their staple foods and vegetables they would not only save a lot of money they would also be a lot healthier.
During the November visit we will demonstrate making a banana circle.
Click HERE to return to the Sigingqini page