Joanie Fredericks is an activist powerhouse in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain where she has been doing amazing things to ensure people in her community don’t go hungry.
She set up the Tafelsig Community Action Network (CAN) soon after lockdown in March, to bolster the efforts of her Change Champions who were running food kitchens to help feed an already financially stressed community.
But now she’s branched off into helping residents grow their own food, through a partnership with social enterprise outfit Organic Earth Solutions.
Jeremy Rezant, CEO of Organic Earth Solutions, said he saw Joanie’s Facebook plea to the government to help its starving citizens, and the accompanying song What about the People by Craig Lucas and Marc Lottering.
“This really touched me, and in my heart I knew that we needed to do something,” he said.
After the first meeting with Joanie, and associate Shaun Cairns of Agri-Urb, they realised that the need was greater than they imagined.
“We were going to donate 14 of our Garden in a Box concepts to 14 households, but after the meeting we committed to 30 households getting them, and 10 others getting Agri-Urb’s Vertical Garden systems where the household has no garden space,” he said.
And it all happened on World Food Day last Friday where Garden in a Box was officially launched.
Garden in a Box consists of 14 seasonal vegetables and herbs, organic plant boosters and pest sprays, water saving crystals, growing medium and a trigger spray, and easy to follow instructions.
“Our goal and motto is 'One household - One Food Garden', and we will soon set up in Johannesburg,
and would like to have an office in every province because the need is so great everywhere.” he said.
Fredericks said this could not have come at a better time.
“It was always clear that we as a community had to become self-sufficient, and with the government not coming any closer to the table, and fewer food donations coming in, things looked bad,” she said.
Through the partnership between Tafelsig CAN and Organic Earth Solutions, her organisation will get a cut from the sale of each unit they sell in the community.
Additionally, half the produce from the systems donated at the event, will go to the food kitchens run by CAN.
Shaun Cairns, CEO Agri Urb said the collaboration included site visits to see how the newby gardeners are doing, as well as through a whatsapp group where they could post any issues they were experiencing.
Fredericks believes this project will lead to greater things in her community where people can barter their vegetables and even set up markets, which will ultimately bring about food security and assist in growing a local circular economy. For more information contact Joanie on 076 621 0245.