Gugu and the Misters

Soil For Life — Tue, 07 May 2013 09:24:38 +0000

“Ah, Mr Dlamini! Welcome!!” bellows Mr Munye as Mr. Dlamini eases into the group. This is a fourth follow-up visit that Soil for Life fieldworker Gugu is paying her elderly group in Khayelitsha. Her group consists of mainly men from the community who are members of an old-age care centre in the township. Growing food for themselves has brought them a clear sense of pride and there is no hiding their joy. Their enthusiasm is tangible. They are energetic and excited about their food gardening project. We meet them at a community garden and are then taken to their land at the local old age home. They are very proud and excited to show us their piece of land as well as their centre. As the women assemble inside for their group gathering, the men gloat over their work outside. Gugu patiently explains the simple methods that Soil for Life teaches to her eager learners. This method, though easy in principle, is no easy work. Knee deep trenches are dug into the ground which are then refilled layer by layer in a labour-intensive process. At every stage, care is taken to explain methods of retaining water and using this precious resource most effectively in a sustainable food production process. Working in the garden becomes a true test of commitment, which means that only the most resilient gardeners produce healthy, resilient crops to feed themselves and their communities. Baptising newspaper to retain moisture Not only is gardening a challenge to one’s physical capacity, it is also a challenge to one’s patience because there is little instant gratification. But, as anyone can find out for themselves, when the first green shoots and appear, the rewards are great. The men working on their trenches may have grey hair with their faces creased with memory, yet their sense of mischief shines through as they tease and joke with one another. Gugu brings out her newspapers and demonstrates how to tear them into strips. They are then dipped in water and distributed into the trench. “Ah” exclaims Mr. Munye, “we need to first baptise the paper before we add it to the pit!” “Yes” responds Gugu, “to keep as much water in the bed as possible… we need to baptise the paper!” This is one stage in the trench building, and the lesson that Gugu has planned for the day. There are several layers that need to go in before the fertile trench is ready for planting. As the re-filling of the trenches continues, a humorous voice announces: “all we need now is a coffin!” Tucking the babies in snugly in the mulch Various methods of planting are shared with the group, with the most important final touch being the mulch that is added at the end to cover and protect the soil and also to help seal-in the precious water used. “We are putting a blanket over the plants,” is Mr. Dlamini’s take on the mulching process. “You can never protect the babies too much,” he says referring to the seeds and seedlings. While I am probably young enough to be the gentlemen’s grandchild, I feel they have far more energy and vigour than I do. Their passion and excitement is contagious and I leave feeling invigorated and even more excited about the gardening projects taking place throughout Cape Town with Soil for Life’s team. I look forward to my next visit with them to see their progress and to get a new shot of energy from them. Words + images: Nava Derakhshani

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