GardenAfrica works in South Africa, Swaziland, Namibia and Zimbabwe

GardenAfrica’s work is currently focused in Southern Africa, where we establish productive organic training gardens in schools, hospitals and clinics, growing nutritious food and medicinal herbs. These gardens offer practical and effective solutions for building community health and livelihoods, ensuring the continuation of vital botanical and horticultural knowledge through to the next generation of carers and providers.

Countries where GardenAfrica operates

South Africa – Living Classrooms: Sustainable Schools Project (SEED), Cape Flats
The area on the outskirts of Cape Town is a poverty stricken area. Overcrowding due to rapid urbanisation has led to a degradation of the environment where communities struggle to survive alongside dwindling wildlife. The high level of HIV infection places further hardship on these communities, as access to nutritious food is essential to building immune systems, whilst assisting concentration and learning.

South Africa – The Ntandabantu Women’s Project in KwaZulu Natal
The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the village of Ntandabantu has resulted in many children being orphaned. The population now consists largely of elderly women and children, with households supporting up to 16 children, or children themselves heading up households.

South Africa – Soweto Clinics, Soweto
The Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto is one of the largest in the world, with the day clinic visited by more than 2,500 women and children living with HIV/AIDS every week. GardenAfrica teamed up with local partners HIVSA and Ukuvuna to enhance non-clinical services for people visiting the clinic; training them in sustainable urban agriculture to boost nutrition and income.

South Africa – Umthathi Africulture Project, Grahamstown
Visit our projects in South Africa: Conserving Medicinal Plants to Support Healthcare; Inter-Generational Knowledge Exchange; Living Classroom – environmental education and Sustainable Health Management.

Swaziland
Community-based home gardens in the rural Hhohho District of Swaziland.

Namibia
The Kalahari Garden Project in Namibia has been established to support the internally displaced San peoples, who once hunted and gathered for edible and medicinal plants, on land that is now commercial or communal farmland.

Zimbabwe
Promoting skills training in plant-based livelihoods in Zimbabwe.
GardenAfrica is committed to build the capacity of local organisations which struggle to provide vital services in health, education and agricultural extension, in the absence of any coherent formal state provision. In consultation with these organisations, GardenAfrica has identified the need to promote improved smallholder productivity and trade, education and nutritional health.

See GardenAfrica Development Strategy 2009 and Beyond here.

See GardenAfrica’s website here.