FoodTent solution to school feeding crisis

In response to an ever increasing feeding crisis in schools with feeding schemes, which often battle to source and secure supplies of nutritious food, the City’s Environmental Resource Management Department’s Youth Environmental School (YES) team took on this challenge.  

 
In partnership with the Heart Social Investments for Life, and with financial support from Councillor Frank Martin of Ward 19, Sub Council 22 and funding from Danida’s Urban Environmental Management Programme, FoodTents were recently put up at each of the 10 previously disadvantaged schools in the Delft area. School learners, teachers, caretakers, community and church members will work together to make these food gardens sustainable. They will all receive ‘Smart Living’ and ‘Smart Eating’ training.
 
A FoodTent is a makeshift greenhouse made out of shade cloth and in the shape of a tunnel. It houses 330 nursery bags in which vegetables are grown. An adapted hydroponics technique is used and all that the beneficiary needs to do is water twice a day with the nutrients provided. With a FoodTent comes instructions, seedlings, grow medium, nutrients, delivery, training, sponsor banner and maintenance support for one year.
 
A FoodTent can be erected in 45 minutes. This revolutionary, make-shift greenhouse increases the production of fruit and vegetables significantly. They can be harvested every six weeks, feeding approximately 50 people per month. The produce from a FoodTent can be used to supplement a current feeding scheme or initiate one.
 
To erect a FoodTent, all that organisations need is sufficient space, access to water, a small amount of manpower and the will to feed hungry tummies. FoodTent installations also make fantastic, fun, inexpensive, easy-to-do community projects and volunteerism packages. FoodTents are proving to be extremely popular as a solution to the lack of food security in South Africa.
 
According to Cllr Frank Martin: “This partnership to set up these FoodTents in Ward 19 shows that the City of Cape Town is serious about its commitment to community development through these holistic greening programmes and environmental education.”
 
The City’s YES programme is an extensive, integrated ongoing youth capacity building, education and awareness programme providing a variety of projects and programmes, activities and resources to all schools in Cape Town.
 
The schools in the area that will benefit from this unique opportunity are Silversands Primary, Vergenoeg Primary, Rainbow Primary, Wesbank Primary, Rosendal Primary, Delft Primary, Rosendal High, Hoofweg Primary, Wesbank High and Voorbrug High Schools. This initiative also creates an opportunity for these schools to go green.