Beetroot, carrots, chillies, herbs and other vegetables grown in a Namibian community garden were showcased and sold at Shoprite Lafrenz in Windhoek on Market Day on Thursday 28 May. This year, the project, which annually provides local community gardeners with a valuable retail platform, coincided with World Hunger Day – a global awareness day focused on food insecurity and sustainable solutions.

Groot Aub Fresh Producers is among over 300 community gardens supported by the Shoprite Group across southern Africa, helping to strengthen food security in the region.

“This year Market Day provided almost 60 local gardeners and co-operatives across the region with the opportunity to sell their fresh produce directly to the public, gain retail experience and strengthen the roots of small businesses that feed their communities,” says Sanjeev Raghubir, Chief Sustainability Officer at the Group. “Customers stocked up on local peppers, spinach, parsley and many other vegetables and fruits, met the small-scale farmers and learned about their sustainable growing methods and in some instances, even purchased seedlings for their own home gardens.”

Namibian gardeners gain skills and market access

On the outskirts of Windhoek, Groot Aub Fresh Producers food garden grows a wide variety of crops, enabling project members to sell produce to community members and create employment opportunities. Surplus, produce from the six-year old community garden, is often donated to a neighbouring old age home and community centre.

“Through this Shoprite Group project, we get connected to other communities, which helps us to sell our products quicker and generate income more easily,” explains Julia Haipinge. “At Market Day, we gain a lot of trust and customers for our products, along with skills and knowledge. This all keeps us going, and we will never give up when it comes to food production.”

The skills that the retailer endeavours to pass on to participants during Market Day include customer relations, communication, pricing, product presentation and record-keeping amongst others.

“For each community gardener taking part in Market Day, there is a story both of individual circumstance and a pathway towards a more grounded and food secure life rooted in the soil,” adds Raghubir.  “The power of this day is in taking this a step further by facilitating market entry with skills training.”

Beyond Market Day, the Shoprite Group continues to support community food gardens through its Act For Change programme, which to date has assisted hundreds of gardens with training, seedlings and infrastructure. This year, the retailer marks the milestone of its 300^th community garden, a project outside Bredasdorp, in South Africa.

“It’s exciting to see the seeds we help sow within our communities grow and flourish,” says Raghubir. “We are proud to champion the heroes of southern African gardens and small farms, who nourish their communities and their future through their own dedication and hard work.”