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Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 5 - Food Gardens

This week the Siyayinqoba Beat It! support group learn how to start a food garden. The studio guest is none other than Thami Mthembu from the Rain and Land Care Foundation, who explains what is needed to start a food garden and who can actually start a food garden. Is substituting vegetables for ARVs a solution for people living with HIV? This is a question the support group ask and these questions are answered in the second insert where we see HIV positive people growing healthy vegetables in their food gardens but are still taking their ARVs.

Shalom Ncala: Sanibonani, siyanamukela eqendwini lokusekela le-Siyayinqoba. Igama lam ngingu-Shalom Ncala. Kuleliqembu lokusekela le-Siyayinqoba Beat It! sonke siphila negciwane le-HIV. Sihlangana njalo ngeviki ukuba sixoxisane ngezinto ezithinta impilo yethu maqondana nge-HIV, ukusuka kwezocantsi kanye nomuntu ongenwe yigciwane ukuya ekubhekaneni nokukhishwa inyumbhazana nokungavumi. I-Siyayinqoba huhlelo lwakho lokuphila ngcono ne-HIV. Uma uphila negciwane le-HIV, noma unomlingani, ilunga lomndeni, noma umngani osengenwe yigciwane le-HIV, i-Siyayinqoba ngeyakho. Namhlanje sikhuluma futhi sifunda malunga neengadi zokudla. Eningizimu afrika sinabantu abaningi kakhulu abangasebenzi noma abantu abadayisa emgaqweni emkhakhweni ongahlelekile, bezabalela ukondla imindeni yabo. Ngabe kuyasiza ukuthi sikhulume ngeengadi zokudla na? Kungaba negalelo elikhulu ekukhuphuleni imikhiqizo yethu nasekuthuthukiseni izimpilo zethu na? Kodwa ingabe ukutyala imifino endaweni encane ekhaya konele na? Ngabe abanye babaholi bethu bayawunikeza yini umyalezo kubantu abanegciwane le-HIV ukuthi izingadi zokudla zingangena esikhundleni sokwelashwa ngemithi ye-HIV kanye nezinye izifo na? Ukuze sizwisise loludaba siqala ngokuvakashela u-Mildred, umxhumanisi ovela kumhlangano ozinze e-Cape Town, i-Soil For Life, ozosibonisa ukuthi ngempela yenziwa kanjani ingadi yokudla. {IsiZulu} [Hello and welcome to the Siyayinqoba Beat It! support group. My name is Shalom Ncala. In the Siyayinqoba support group we are all living with HIV. Each week, we meet to discuss issues that affect our lives with HIV, from sex and the positive person, to stigma and denial. Siyayinqoba is your guide to living better with HIV. If you are living with HIV, or have a friend, a partner or a family member who is HIV positive, Siyayinqoba is for you. Today we are learning about food gardens. In South Africa there are a lot of unemployed people, or hawkers in the so-called informal sector, struggling to feed their families. Does gardening help us in any way? Can it give any positive impact on and improve our lives? Is growing vegetables in our gardens enough? Are our leaders giving HIV positive people the message that food gardening can be a substitute for medical treatment for HIV and other diseases? To get to grips with these issues, we start by visiting Mildred, a co-ordinator from a Cape Town based organisation called Soil For Life, who shows us how to make a food garden.]

How to make your own food garden

Cape Town, Western Cape

Mildred Nyembezi: Molweni ndingu-Mildred, ndiphuma kwa-Soil For Life. Ndihamba ndifundisa abantu ngokwenziwa kwegadi. Okokuqala phambi koba simfundise umntu ngegadi, siqala sijonge indlela leyo imo yomhlaba wakhe ime ngayo. Then size nge-size yebhedi esimfundisa yona umntu. Ububanzi senza ibebubude bomhlakulo, ubude ibeyimihlakulo emibini. Sobe sigqibile ukwenza lonto leyo, siye senze umgca ukuze umntu angakwazi ukohlwa. Sibeke ke ii-corner sticks. Sigqibile ke ngoku ufaka ama-cardboard wethu, sifaka zonke izinto eziqinileyo ezinje ngezi phantsi kuqala khona ukuze kuzokwazi ukunika i-drainage. Izinto ezifana namathambho siyawafaka kubaazawubola. Izinto esifana neetoti, toti leyo oyiqondayo uba izakuthi iruse, siyazifaka ukunika i-iron. Sawufuna into kwakhona esawuthi siyibeke phezulu. Sithatha iinkuni ezi zitshophiweyo, sifaka zona ngaphezulu. Ukuba uthuthu belukhona, besizawusasaza intwana yothuthu nentwana ye-manure. Sawube sigqibile, sithatha amaphepha ethu siwakrazula oluhlobo. Kufuneka engene apha ukondla imisundululu. Njeng'ba bendinixelela uba siqala nge-root, sithi leaf, sithi fruit, sithi legume. Phaya ekuqaleni, yi-root yethu leya: yi-radish ne-carrot. Eyesibini ibe yi-cabbage, ibe yi-legume leya yesithathu. Siphinde siqala ekuqaleni ke ngoku... Sobe sigqibile ukutyala, siye sithatha into enje ngalena. Ezi ziingxowa zekhaphetshu nezamatswele, siye sazidibanisa, khange sakhupha mali sayozithenga. Sinoomama abadala abadibanisa izinto ezinjena. So kufuneka ingxowa leyo uyenzileyo ibe bubanzi bungaphezulu nebhedi khona kuze uzokwazi ukuyi-coverisha yonke ibhedi yakho. Senza oluhlobo ke. Unobangela uba si-coverishe oluhlobo, si-coverishela ilanga, umoya, amabhabhathane nezinja neenkukhu ezifika zimoshe igadi yakho. {isiXhosa} [Hi, my name is Mildred. I'm from Soil For Life. My job is to teach people how to make food gardens. Before we teach someone how to start a garden, we look at their soil. And then we check the size of their garden bed. The width must be equal to one spade and the length two spades. We then draw lines to mark where we dig a hole. We then put corners sticks on the sides of the hole walls. Now that we've put the cardboards in, we throw hard stuff like these pieces of wood for drainage. We throw in bones because they are going to rot. We also throw in tins that will rust and provide our plants with iron. Now we must look for brown twigs to put on top. Then we take these pieces of wood and throw them on top. If we had some ash, we would sprinkle a bit of it with manure in the hole. Then we take pieces of paper and tear them apart before putting them in. They must be in the hole to feed the earthworms. We start with the root crops, then leaf crops, fruit crops and legumes. The first row consists of our root crops: radish and carrot. The second row is cabbage. The third one is the legume. And then we start all over again, from the root crop. When we've finished planting, we sew cabbage and onion bags together. We don't buy these bags. We have older women who sew these bags together. Your blanket of bags must be wider than your garden bed so that it can cover the whole garden. We do it like this. We cover the garden to protect it from harsh sunlight, wind, butterflies, dogs and chickens that can damage your garden.]

Support group

Shalom Ncala: We'll talk more about food gardens and HIV after the break. Stay with us.

Shalom Ncala: Manje ngithanda ukwamukela isivakashi sethu uThami Mthembu onguchwepheshe we-Permaculture ovela KwaZulu Natal kanti uzele uzokhuluma ngezingadi zokudla. {IsiZulu} [We welcome our guest, Thamie Mthembu, a permaculture expert from KwaZulu Natal, who is here to tell us more about food gardens] I wanted to know from you Thamie how long it takes for an average family of six to reap benefits out the garden?]

Thamie Mthembu (Rain and Land Care Foundation): Ku-dependa ukuthi utyala hlobo lini les'tyalo. Ingadi yakho kuyofanela uyihlukanise igaba eyintathu. Kodwa mina kungcono uyihlukanise iigaba ezuhu-4, la khona utyala khona uhlobo lwesityalo okungamacembe or ama-leafy cops. Bese kubakhona enye ingadi yakho lapho utyala khona iityalo ezithela ngaphantsi ii-root crops, bese uphinde khona uyotyala uhlobo lwetyalo ezithela ngaphantsi noma ngaphezulueyibizwa ngokuthiwa ngama-legumes. Isizathhu sokuthi mawukwenze ke lokhu kukuthi Kubalulekile engadini yakho uyihlukanise ngoba la utyale khona iityalo lezi sithi ngama-heavy feeders, zi-demand more nutrients emhlabathini., kusho ukuthi funeka ufake kakhulu i-compost... usuyayisusa lapho, uyifaka kwenye i-site khona engadini yakho.ngalo ndlela akusadingi uphinde usebenzise i-compost. Awusekho ke lomsebenzi ubukhe wabhekana nawo. {IsiZulu} [It depends on what type of plant you sow. It's also important, as the lady has pointed out, that you must divide your garden into three sections. But I prefer to divide it into four where you will start with planting leafy crops. Another section of your garden should have root crops, and then you plant your legumes. The reason for doing this is that it's important to divide your garden. In the section where you've planted your heavy feeders, they're called heavy feeders because they demand more nutrients from the soil. So because they demand more nutrients from the soil, you must put more compost in the soil, as the lady was demonstrating. If you now want to plant where you had planted something else before, it's called "crop rotation", where you change around where you plant. Where you had planted your leafy crops, you now move them to a different section of your garden. By doing this, you will be returning what you took from the soil. That means you don't need compost anymore, which means that you don't have to do all that work again.]

Lihle Dlamini: I can see that there's a lot of work that needs to be done if you want to plough, and buying manure and all that stuff. I'm concerned about the costs involved that if I plant to sell because I'm a person living with HIV and I have this land and I have decided that I'm going to plant vegetables for myself as well as the community because they also need vegetables. Will I be able to make enough money to survive and be able to buy other things that I will also need like food that gives me proteins like meat and mealies?

Thamie Mthembu (Rain and Land Care Foundation): About the costs, yes. Organic farming or permaculture is a cost effective form of farming. You don't need to buy any chemicals or manure. You work with the resources that are available next to you. You don't need to go out of your way to get those resources.

Shalom Ncala: How long does it take for you to reap the products that you've planted? I understand that it is seasonal, I just want to know if ever it was January and I'm sowing, how long will it take for me to see the results of what I have sown?

Thamie Mthembu (Rain and Land Care Foundation): Ku-dependa kuhlobo lwes'tyalo osityalile. Kodwa ngokujwayelekile Ukusukela ku-60 days sekukhona osekuvuna, usuk'thole. {IsiZulu} [As I said before, it depends on the type of plant you have. Usually, from 60 days onwards, you will start reaping the benefits.]

Busisiwe Maqungo: Umntu onje ngam angakwazi ukuyenza lanto because ndivuka ngo-6 ekuseni, ndiyaphuma ngo-6 ndiyaphangela, ndibuya ngo-6 ngokuhlwa. Ngomgqibelo sendidiniwe, ngecawa kufuneka ndiye ecaweni okanye ndiphumle. Umbuzo wam ubusithi nikhuthaza abaphi abantu amaba-rune i-food gardening? {isiXhosa} [Do you think someone like me can do that? By 6 am I'm on my way to work, I come home at 6pm and I'm too tired on Saturday. On Sunday I must go to church or rest. Who do you encourage to start the food gardening programme?]

Thamie Mthembu (Rain and Land Care Foundation): Ebengifisa ukuveza la ukuthi kubalulekile ukuthi u-develope i-passion nge-farming. So if ungenayo i-passion about farming, I don't think you can be able to, so kubalulekile kuwo wonke umuntu. Kungenxa yokunthi nawe ekugcineni, lengxe yemali onayo encane, instead of buying ama-vegetables, kubalulekile ukuthi uthathe lomali uyi-investe to something else, ube sowuthathatha lemali yakho ngoba uyazi ukuthi ama-veg akhona ekhaya. {IsiZulu} [It's important to have passion for garden work. If you don't have that then I don't think it's ideal for you. It's important for everyone because at the end of the day, you will have extra money to use instead of buying vegetables from hawkers, you can take that money and invest into something else because you have vegetables at home.]

Shalom Ncala: Umuntu uma ngabe, say maybe akakawutholi nalomsebenzi lowo, unama-responsibilities in terms of kufuneka abhatale i-rent, abhatale namanzi nayo yonke into. Ikhona yini into eniyifundisayo kwi-permaculture ukuthi eyokonga amanzi, into ezifana nalezo because you cannot be dependent on i-weather ukuthi izulu lizon anamhlanje, iityalo zam zizohluma, amanzi ayadura. {IsiZulu} [People have responsibilities, like paying rent and so on. Is there part of permaculture that helps save water because you cannot depend on whether it's going to rain and plants will grow. You have to use water to an extent, and water is expensive.

Thamie Mthembu (Rain and Land Care Foundation): Njengoba sikhuluma nge-permaculture noma sikhuluma nge-organic, kukhona lento ibizwa ukuthi Rain Water Harvesting techniques, la khona nina noma wena njengomlimi, ubheka khona ukuthi yini ekhona eduzane ongayisebenzisa ekwenza ukuthi ikuvunele amanzi. Kubalulekile ukuthi uwanakekele amanzi, kubalulekile ukuthi amanzi uwa-harveste. Sihlala eyindaweni ezinogedasi, sihlala ezindlini ezehlisa amanzi, yiba ne-drum eduzane nasekhaya lapho khona kuzongena amanzi edrumini noma etankini, lawo manzi ke yiwona ozowasebenzisa. {IsiZulu} [When we talk about permaculture and organic, there is something called Rain Water Harvesting Technique, where you as a farmer look for the nearest equipment to assist with water conservation. It's important to conserve water, it's important to harvest water. We live in houses with asbestos roofs and rain water runs down the sides. Place a tank on the side of the house to collect the rain water. That water can be used for farming.]

Lihle Dlamini: A person like me who doesn't even like gardening, I wouldn't be able to garden. At times in our communities, as support groups you get encouraged that you must develop food gardens, even if it's like a door-sized garden, but you are never told what is involved.

Busisiwe Maqungo: As much as we are encouraging people to start their own gardens, they don't always work, some gardens die or Fanie starts a garden and it doesn't even grow...

Fanie de Villiers: Is it because I'm white?

Busisiwe Maqungo: Yes.

Lihle Dlamini: In a lot of support groups, there are people who come and just tell you how you go about planting things, they don't tell you about seasons and that stuff. They just give you seeds and tell you that you must just plant. And I think there's a lot that is involved in gardening.

Vuyani Jacobs: Now you look in semi-urban areas or semi-rural areas or rural areas where people live on pensions. When there's pension, it's like Christmas, when there's child grant, it's Christmas. Between child grant and the end of the month, people have nothing to do. And honestly, if we can create a community ownership of this programme, it's possible for people to really get involved yet it must never be an alternative to social problems. That means as a solution to unemployment, as a solution to no access to grants, as a solution to having no access to food and security but it must be a means of the community taking ownership of issues around them.

Shalom Ncala: Sizophinda siqhubeke ngezingadi zokudla ne-HIV ngemuva kwekhefu, siyabuya. {IsiZulu} [We'll talk more about food gardens and HIV after the break. Stay with us.]

Shalom Ncala: Mbukeli siphinda siyakwamukela futhi ohlelweni leqembu le-Siyayinqoba okuhuhlelo lwalowo nalowo ongenwe futhi nothintekayo nge-HIV. Namhlanje sikhuluma ngeengadi zokudla. Ngaphambi koba siqhubeke, masivakashele i-project eseduze nase-Howick maphakathi ne-KZN lapho izingadi zokudla zenza umehluko ezimpilweni zabantu. Makhe sibone. {IsiZulu} [Welcome back to the Siyayinqoba support group - the programme for everyone infected and affected by HIV. Today we are talking about food gardens. Before we continue, let's visit a project near Howick in KZN, where food gardening is changing people's lives. Let's take a look.]

The benefits of working in your food garden

Mpophomeni, KwaZulu Natal

Mduduzi Zwane: Igama lam ndingu-Mduduzi Zwane. La eMpophomeni sinomsebenzi noma intlangano ebizwa ngoMasibumbane HIV/AIDS Mission. Engadini sinomsebenzi osiza ophakela umphakathi waseMpophomeni, siwubiza uthiwa uQed'indlala Community Garden. Intlangano le yaqala ngobona isdingo endaweni siphila kuyona ukuthi baningi abantu abangasebenzi... kwabonaka ukuthi bakhona nabangaphilile. Kwesebakhona ke iingadi ke abafundiswa zona la esibahambelayo ukuthi bakwazi ukuthi bas'philise. Kukho nama-home gardens emakhaya so aseva labo esibahambele emakhaya. Basizakale ngokudla okuqhamuka engadini ukze bakwazi ukuthi baphile babe-strong. Kodwa futhi ke bayadinga ukuthi bathole usizo lwezemithi. Bayasizakala ke engadini kodwa akushiwo ukuthi umuntu noma uyakuthola ukudla okuvela la engadini akanandaba ngamaphilisi njengo-ARV. {IsiZulu} [My name is Mduduzi Zwane. In Mpophomeni we have an organisation called Masibumbane HIV/AIDS Mission. We have a garden project that helps the community of Mpophomeni. It is called the Qed'indlala Community Garden. The organisation started because we saw that there are many unemployed people in our community: over 80% of the people are unemployed. We also saw that some people were sick. We go to people's houses and teach them about gardening so that they can earn a living through these home gardens. The gardens serve the families. The food they get from the gardens helps them stay healthy. Another thing is that they need help accessing treatment. Because they get some food or nutrition from the garden it doesn't mean that they can't take medication like ARVs.]

Phelelani Mchunu: Ngathola ngo-2003 ukuthi ngi-HIV positive, kwakungu-January. Ngeempawu ngabona ngeshingles la kumina, ngase ngihamba ngaye-clinic ngayocela ukuthi bangiteste igazi. Masengitestile igazi ngalinda iintsuku ezimbili, bang'tshela ukuthi ama-result wami angu-HIV positive. Kuyang'siza impela ukudla okutyalwe la engadini ngoba ngiyakwazi ukuthola kuse-fresh, ngikwazi uthola oo-carrot ne-spinach. Kuningi oku la engadini engisizwa nguMasibumbane. Nginikwa huyena iithombo bese ngiyatyala ke. Ingadi ayivimbi ukuthi ngisebenzisa amaphilsi ngoba ngales'khathi ngisebenza la engadini ngiya-exercisa. Ngiyamuva masengila engadini, ngiyatyala besengingena endlini ngiwasebenzise ke amaphilisi mangiqeda ukudla. Angiboni ukuthi ngingabanenkinga masengisebenzisa ama-ARVs, mhlawumbi angangiphazamisa kwingadi yam. Uma sengiwadla ama-ARVs ngizoqhubeka ngisebenze la engadini ngoba vele kuyahambisana, ama-ARVs afuna umuntu ozowadla adle nezinto azinempilo eziwuhlaza, ziphuma engadini. {IsiZulu} [I found out that I am HIV positive in January 2003. I had shingles, then I went to the clinic for a check up and asked them to do a blood test. They tested me and I waited for two days to get my results. After those two days they told me that I'm HIV positive. The food that I get from the garden helps me a lot. I get everything while it's fresh, like carrots and spinach. I get a lot from this garden, with here. Gardening doesn't stop me from taking pills because working in the garden is a form of exercise. I move around the garden and plant, go back to my house and take my pills after a meal. I don't see why I should stop working in my garden when I start on ARVs. When I start ARVs, I will continue working in my garden because ARVs work well with the green vegetables found in this garden.]

Mduduzi Mchunu: Labantu abaphila negciwane ibasize kakhulu ngoba abaningi babo basizakale ngokudla ekutholakala la ngotyala ingadi. Bakhona uphila is'khathi eside ngoba iyasiza kakhulu. {IsiZulu} [It helped the people living with the virus because the food they get from the garden has helped many of them. They stay healthier for longer.]

Support group

Shalom Ncala: My mom loves gardening so much. When I discovered my status, I was looking for work and that was my main focus. She took me from that point where I was confused and looking for work, and I was sick at the same time. But it helped me when my mom usually said we should go to the garden and see the world outside, nature and all that. These things are very therapeutic. As they said, the exercise you get from digging are some of the things that helped me get better because if people knew where I come from, they would dispute that, because if I had a CD4 count of 9 and now I'm well above that.

Busisiwe Maqungo: I think Thamie into yegadi akuba siyayikhaba, yinto ebalulekileyo especially kwabanye abantu ngoba nyani ke imisebenzi inqabile, inqabile nje umntu uzofuna uba makubekho into ekhoyo ngoba abantwana ... ukuba nento nje eyakho, ubanebhongo ngayo sometimes ingakwenza ube neqhayiya, ikwenze uba ube-positive and confident, ngoba kaloku lento lena yeyam. Kuzophela nalanto yoba abantu ba-frustrated ingathi ba-depressed ezilokishini, at least umntu ozikhipha busy nge-something. If ayogadi zii-beads nento ethile njalo, njalo. So zii-programmes bekufanele uba zibekhona ezo. {isiXhosa} [Vuyani has a point about how we shouldn't overlook the food gardens. It's important to some people because there's no work and people need an income. At the end of the day children need food. Besides that, having something that is entirely yours makes you proud, positive and confident. You'll think: "This is my hard work". It's going to save people who are frustrated and depressed in the townships. At least to keep busy, whether it be gardening or beading etc. These programmes should be implemented. What worries me about food gardening is that government has taken it as a form of a healing replacement system.]

Vuyani Jacobs: Food gardening should be promoted as a programme nationally. You see, denialists and all other pro-Africanist people who confuse Africanism and the rest of solutions to life, mixing up gardening and food to their own mad ideology of anti-medication, of antiretroviral drugs and it's wrong. It's wrong because it confuses people. Food has been good for all our lives. And everyone here can claim it's good for maintaining good health, you're right, it is but it's not an alternative to medication under any circumstances. And no minister, no doctor in a moral duty of the office, can say that.

Thamie Mthembu (Rain and Land Care Foundation): So yingakho thina kwa-permaculture no-organic farming sikholelwa kakhulu ukuthi phela mayibuyele emasiswini, makhe kusetyenziswa leya ndlela endala. Singashongo ukuthi i-sciencs le isetyenziswa na manje kufanele masiyibalekele. Masibheke okuhle kwasemandulo nokuhle kwamanje besesikuhlanganisa besesiqhubeka. Malunga nama-ARVs awangasetyenziswa, engikushoyo mina njengo-Thamie ukuthi makubene-balance. {IsiZulu} [That is why we believe that we should promote food gardening. This doesn't mean we should stay away from modern science. Let's take the goodness of the past and present to create a better future. With regards to food gardens versus medicines like ARVs, I as Thamie say you should have a balance. If you're eating healthily and using ARVs, there will be a balance.]

Fanie de Villiers: Ja ek dink net dat daar een ding is wat my nog 'n bietjie pla is dat, jy weet dat, ek het nou 'n bietjie terug gesit en geluister na al swat bespreek is. Ek stem een honderd persent daarmee saam maar toe ek op 'n stadium was waar my CD4 teling op 46 was en 'n virus lading van oor 'n miljoen was sou 'n groente tuin nie vir my reg geruk het nie. En ek dink as ons hom gaan begin implementeer en as ons begin praat van die goed dan moet ons ook nie vergeet van jou antiretrovirale middele nie. Want dit is die enigste ding wat my regtig deur die ding sou kon bring om weer daar uit te kom. {Afrikaans} [There is one thing that bothers me. I was listening to the discussion and I agree 100% with what is said. But when my CD4 count was 64, and the viral load was over a million, a food garden wouldn't have made me better. If we start talking about and implementing these things, then we must also not forget about ARVs because that is the only thing that made me better.]

Shalom Ncala: Namhlanje sifunda ukuthi izingadi zokudla zinakho usisiza kakhulu ukuba abantu bagcieke bephilile. Kepha kusemqoka ukuthi abantu abaphila ne-HIV bathole ukulasha futhi bagqugquzelwa ukuba bayokwenza uhlolo lwe-VCTl, i-CD4 kanye ne-viral load ukwenza isiqiniseko ukuthi baqala ukolashwa ngesikhathi sifanele, nokuthi angakuyeki kuze kubeyingozi... masiphinde sihlangane evikini elizayo. Kuze kube yis'khathi esizayo, hlalani niphilile, hlalani ninethemba. Salani kahle. {IsiZulu} [Today, we learnt that food gardening can really help people stay healthy. But it is important that people living with HIV have access to treatment and go for VCT, CD4 and viral load tests to make sure that they start treatment at the right time and don't leave it too late. Each week, we receive many letters from you, our viewers. We value your comments and questions. Join us again next week in the Siyayinqoba Beat It! support group. Until then stay healthy, stay positive.]

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