January is one of the toughest months for South African households. As school fees, uniforms and transport costs collide with post-festive financial strain, community food gardens are quietly stepping in where it matters most. Across the country, these gardens are doing more than growing vegetables, they are helping families put food on the table, restore dignity and start the year with resilience and hope.
The family-run Siyazondla kwaPhindangene Co-operative in Ulundi and the Kunothile Agricultural Primary Co-operative in uMbumbulu, KwaZulu-Natal, are helping families begin the year nourished and better equipped to face the months ahead. They are just two examples of the many community gardens nationwide showing the power of collective action and local support.
Since its establishment in June 2019, giving has been at the heart of Siyazondla kwaPhindangene’s mission. While the garden generates a steady income through the sale of fresh, organic produce, the co-operative prioritises sharing its surplus with employees, their families and vulnerable community members.
As households feel the pressure of post-holiday expenses and back-to-school costs, Siyazondla kwaPhindangene is expanding its support while also creating long-term employment opportunities for women, young people and persons with disabilities.
Feeding People and Growing Futures
“As we look ahead to 2026, our hope is for Siyazondla kwaPhindangene to grow into an agrihub that supports not only our cooperative but also local farmers and families around us,” said Siyazondla’s Indlunkulu MaMohale Buthelezi.
“At the start of the year, when many households feel the pressure most, our garden becomes a place of sharing, from providing seedlings and helping with ploughing to giving surplus vegetables to those who need them.
“Our potatoes will be ready early in the year and they’re a favourite in our community, whether [for] potato salad, roast potatoes or chips. These simple meals, grown from our own soil, help families begin the year with food on the table and hope for what lies ahead.”
To recognise and strengthen initiatives like Siyazondla, Shoprite launched the Act For Change Food Garden Competition in October last year. The competition celebrates community gardens driving nutrition, sustainability and upliftment at grassroots level, with collective prizes of R1 million tailored to each garden’s needs.
Siyazondla is one of hundreds of inspiring entries received from across the country, as the competition enters its next phase, celebrating gardens that are cultivating both abundance and hope in their neighbourhoods.
Also read: Meet the judges set to join Shoprite’s Act for Change Food Garden Competition
Turning Surplus into Support
The Kunothile Agricultural Primary Co-operative has also emerged as a vital anchor of support in its community. After selling produce to sustain members’ livelihoods, the cooperative consistently sets aside surplus vegetables for local households and school feeding programmes.
These contributions were especially important over the festive season, when many families faced tighter budgets and children missed out on regular school meals provided during the academic year.
As the new year begins, this continued support helps families stretch limited finances through an often difficult month, ensuring households have enough to eat while meeting other basic needs.
Kunothile’s impact extends beyond food relief. Members prioritise passing on practical food-growing skills to young people, equipping them to establish small home gardens of their own. In doing so, they are cultivating not only vegetables but also a new generation of growers who understand the value of self-reliance and community care.
“As the new year begins, we focus on helping families and older community members plan their home gardens, sharing leftover seeds so they can start planting again,” said Nqobile Mbonambi, the chairperson of the Kunothile Agricultural Primary Co-operative.
“We also open our garden to young people, offering free lessons and practical skills, and no one leaves empty-handed. It’s our way of making sure the garden continues to feed, teach and support the community as the year unfolds,” she added.
According to Sanjeev Raghubir, chief sustainability officer at the Shoprite Group, food is a key household consideration. “At the start of the year, post-festive spending and back-to-school costs increase financial pressure, making access to affordable food even more significant,” he said.
“Our community food gardens are not just growing vegetables, they are growing dignity, resilience and community spirit. Projects like Siyazondla and Kunothile show how sustained support can help families navigate a challenging month and secure a strong start to the year.”
Also read: EduPlant winners turn food gardens into classrooms of change
Why Food Gardens Matter Now
As consumers continue to face mounting economic pressures, community food gardens are proving to be essential sources of relief and resilience. Many of this year’s Act For Change Food Garden Competition entrants provide both an income stream for their members and a vital safety net for neighbours who might otherwise go without.
The skills developed in these gardens, from soil preparation to water-wise growing, are shared across households and generations, ensuring that knowledge, confidence and food security endure beyond a single season.
“As we embark on a new year, the Act For Change Food Garden Competition celebrates the growers whose hands bring nourishment, stability and kindness to their communities,” said Raghubir.
“Their gardens remind us that when people plant together, they flourish together, and that collective action in food growing can deliver lasting benefits well beyond the harvest.”
Also read: How EduPlant is empowering communities through food gardens
