Greenfields Women Transform School Garden into Organic Venture

In Greenfields, KuGompo City, a group of nine women from the Sozingca Multi Services Primary Co-op are transforming a school vegetable patch into a commercial enterprise. Operating out of Sinomonde Primary School, the initiative supplies fresh greens to neighbours and school feeding programmes, aiming for full organic certification and access to major retail markets. The co-op is steadily laying the groundwork to turn sustainable agriculture into reliable, long-term livelihoods.

The Sozingca Multi Services Primary Co-op has begun supplying surplus vegetables to the community, after produce from the garden at Sinomonde Primary School has been used for school meals. The nine members have yet to earn an income from the project, as all current sales revenue is reinvested into seedlings and equipment to expand production. The group is receiving training on organic standards and the Participatory Guarantee System from the SA Organic Sector Organisation and the MM Xotyeni Foundation.

The co-operative is mastering organic farming standards and branching into agroprocessing, including jams, fruit juices, frozen vegetables, and vegetable achar. The farmers are targeting broader commercial markets, having explored preliminary supply opportunities with major retailers such as Pick n Pay. The group has surveyed the market at Pick n Pay, where it received an indication of potential interest in buying between 30 and 50 bunches of vegetables a day.

SAOSO chair Bakhusele Mathupha said the main aim of their organisation is helping farmers with the standards required for organic certification and connecting them with the wider community of organic producers. He emphasised the importance of linking local food production with local consumption, reducing the need to buy food from outside the community. The Participatory Guarantee System is one route through which small-scale producers can demonstrate compliance with agreed organic standards.

MM Xotyeni Foundation founder Babalwa Hopa began mentoring the women in February or March after they approached her for help with getting involved in agriculture. She helped them find people who could guide them in planting and production. Hopa described the training as an opportunity to build the farmers' knowledge and confidence while helping them understand the value of the market for organically produced food.

Sozingca co-op chair Edna Malusi expressed gratitude for the school garden, saying the group was deeply appreciative of the opportunity to work in the garden. The immediate challenge is to turn the growing and production processes and market opportunities into reliable earnings for the members, while meeting the requirements of any certification system and prospective buyers.

The greenfields co-op has spinach, carrots, beetroot, cabbage, spring onions, lettuce, turnips and vegetable seedlings growing. The group is working towards a sustainable business, with organic certification and access to larger markets among their goals.

Key points

• The Sozingca Multi Services Primary Co-op aims to achieve full organic certification and access to major retail markets.
• The co-operative is receiving training on organic standards and the Participatory Guarantee System from the SA Organic Sector Organisation and the MM Xotyeni Foundation.
• The group has explored preliminary supply opportunities with major retailers such as Pick n Pay.