ACFS Khunadi Food Garden from Mogoto Village in Limpopo has been named the winner of the inaugural Shoprite Act for Change Food Garden Competition today, receiving R225 000 to expand its community-driven agricultural initiative.
By Talitha van Vuuren, multimedia editor at African Farming
The winners were announced today during a celebratory awards lunch held at Meuse Farm in Hout Bay, Cape Town, where community garden leaders from across South Africa gathered to showcase the impact of grassroots agriculture in tackling hunger and unemployment.
Launched in October 2025, the competition attracted nearly 600 entries from community food gardens across the country, reflecting the growing movement of communities transforming small pieces of land into productive spaces that provide fresh food, skills and hope.
The ACFS Khunadi Food Garden impressed judges with its strong community focus and commitment to supporting vulnerable families while equipping women and young people with practical agricultural skills. The garden supplies vegetables to feeding programmes in Mogoto Village while also offering training in small-scale farming. Around 50 people benefit directly from the project each month.
Accepting the award, Smangele Sigasa, a representative of the project, said the recognition represents much more than a prize.
“This is not only a celebration for the organisation, but also a safe way out for young people who are unemployed,” she said. “When we go back with this award, it will help build a legacy for our community and inspire other gardens that serve young people and children from disadvantaged communities.”
Also read: Meet the top 10 finalists of Shoprite’s inaugural Food Garden Competition
The Ngxanga School Garden in Libode in the Eastern Cape took second place, receiving R200 000. The garden gives learners hands-on experience in food production while supporting 243 learners and five households each month through agro-ecological training, affordable seedlings and food donations.
Third place went to the P Agricultural Group (PAG) in Soweto, which received R175 000. What started as an informal community initiative in 2018 has grown into a thriving project that shares vegetables with more than 150 families every Christmas while encouraging young people to view farming as both a leadership opportunity and a sustainable livelihood.
In fourth place was the Hope Park Children’s Health Campus Garden in Krugersdorp, which received R150 000. Established in 2018 in the Munsieville community – the childhood home of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu – the garden now supplies fresh vegetables to more than 350 learners from four nearby schools while also supporting households in the surrounding community.
The Food Security Project in Gonubie in the Eastern Cape was awarded fifth place and received R130 000. The initiative supports 162 women who cultivate their own garden plots, producing vegetables for both household consumption and income generation while strengthening food security in the community.
Sixth place went to Plenty Green Africa in Tsakane, Gauteng, which received R120 000. The youth-led agro-ecology project serves around 20 households while creating opportunities for young people to gain agricultural skills and transform underused urban spaces into productive gardens.
The six winning gardens will receive tailored support valued at a total of R1 million. The assistance will be adapted to the needs of each garden and may include tools, agricultural training and infrastructure such as irrigation systems, shade netting or fencing to help projects expand their impact.
During the event, guests were also taken on a guided tour of the gardens at Meuse Farm, where they could see how sustainable food production and hospitality intersect.
It is clear that community gardens are becoming an increasingly important part of South Africa’s food system. Agricultural entrepreneur and judge Masimbonge Vuma said the gardens that stood out were those that shared their knowledge and resources with others.
“What made the winning garden stand out was their story,” he said. “They were not only producing vegetables but also sharing skills with their communities.”
Mosa Seshoene, gardening educator and judge, highlighted the importance of community gardens in a country with high levels of unemployment.
“Community gardens provide food for families and training opportunities,” she said. “In many communities, people wake up each day with a purpose – to water crops, harvest vegetables and bring food home to their families.”
Also read: Meet the judges set to join Shoprite’s Act for Change Food Garden Competition
According to Sanjeev Raghubir, chief sustainability officer at the Shoprite Group, the strong response to the competition highlighted the scale of work already happening in communities across the country.
“The strong response to the competition showed just how much dedicated work is happening in communities across South Africa,” he said.
The event also highlighted the partnership between Shoprite and Food & Trees for Africa, which works to strengthen sustainable food systems by combining agricultural expertise with the scale and resources needed to support community initiatives.
Food & Trees for Africa representative Chris Wild described the partnership as a balance between grassroots knowledge and national reach.
“Food & Trees for Africa are the roots, bringing technical expertise and agro-ecological experience, while Shoprite is the canopy, providing the scale, logistics and market access,” he said.
Over the past decade, Shoprite has invested in around 300 community gardens across South Africa as part of its efforts to tackle food insecurity and promote sustainable livelihoods. Together, these gardens produced more than 106 000kg of fresh produce in 2025.
For many of the finalists, the competition represented more than recognition. It also created a platform for community leaders to connect, share ideas and learn from one another while exploring new ways to grow food and strengthen their communities.
As the celebrations continued at the farm, the message was clear: While the gardens may be small, their impact is anything but. Across South Africa, community food gardens are proving that agriculture can grow far more than vegetables – it can grow opportunity, resilience and hope.
Also read: From seed to supermarket: Community food gardens take centre stage on Shoprite and Checkers’ Market Day
