MARIENTAL – The Hoachanas Children Fund (HCF) held a training workshop on Thursday for small-scale backyard gardeners and farmers at the settlement as part of its ongoing efforts to increase food security.

Held under the theme ‘Sow, Save, Sustain: Building Food Security from Backyard to Table’, the workshop brought together 30 participants for a hands-on training in seed sowing and plant care.

Project coordinator Kenneth Rheent said the training was aimed at equipping the local community with practical skills in sustainable agriculture.

“Skills development is essential for our community growth and success. We believe in continuously training our people so they can become self-reliant and build a sustainable future through food production,” he stated.

He added that more than 400 vegetable seedlings of tomatoes, green peppers, onions, squash, lettuce, beetroot, butternut and eggplant were planted by the participants.

The seedlings were planted in trays at a small nursery created at the Ark Youth Centre, which also serves as an after-school care for children in the area.

They will be distributed to the gardeners after a few weeks.
The HCF has been active for 26 years.

 The backyard gardening initiative started in 2022 in response to growing food insecurity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“When the country’s borders were closed and food supply chains were disrupted, we saw the immediate need to help households feed themselves. Since then, we’ve grown to support over 200 backyard gardens in Hoachanas,” Rheent stated.

He added that the organisation provides free seeds and technical training to community members.

 In return, some of the produce is sold to the organisation for its soup kitchen, which provides meals for children and families in need. 

-Nampa