Increasing drought conditions in South Africa are making home, school and community gardens very difficult to sustain. This, coupled with the high prices and risks of using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, has encouraged us to look into alternatives. A chance meeting last year with Mr. Trygive Nxamulo  from Acornhoek in Mphumalanga motivated us to introduce the permaculture (organic) method of producing vegetables.

In July 2016, we held a 4 day training workshop on permaculture together with two members from the Dept of Agriculture who came to assist and share their expertise. Participants in the workshop were encouraged to not use chemical fertilizers, but to instead plant vegetables using natural compost such as chicken, goat, or cow manure, kitchen scraps, leaves from the trees, and even grass.

Today we are producing 100% organic vegetables in our garden and we also have 10 families producing organic vegetables using this method. Our aim is to educate the community about permaculture and the health benefits of producing organic vegetables while persevering the environment.