Community food gardens across SA have another opportunity to grow their impact, with Shoprite’s second Act For Change Food Garden Competition officially open for entries.
Five winning gardens will share R1m in tailored support, ranging from training to garden resources and infrastructure that will help the gardens grow and increase their harvests for the community.
Chief sustainability officer at the Shoprite Group, Sanjeev Raghubir, said the competition was judged on how much food a garden produced, as well as its broader social impact, the skills it shared, and how it operated and improved food security.
“Our purpose is to uplift lives every day by pioneering access to the most affordable goods and services and creating economic opportunity," Raghubir said.
“Community food gardens bring that purpose to life in a practical way.
"They put fresh food within reach, create opportunities for people to learn and earn, and bring communities together.
"Through this competition, we want to recognise gardens already doing that work and give them support to grow.”
The inaugural competition attracted nearly 600 entries, and since the winners were announced in March, the gardens have put their support to work in different ways.
Last year's winner, ACFS Khunadi Food Garden in Mogoto Village, Limpopo, has benefited from a shade-net structure to protect its crops.
“Entering the competition made a real difference to our garden,” Bertha Magoge said.
“The support helped us improve our infrastructure and food production, to ultimately reach more people in the community.
"I would encourage other community food gardens to enter.”
The Eastern Cape was also represented on the podium with Ngxanga School Garden in Libode taking second place and receiving a new irrigation system that has enabled them to expand the garden and increase food production.
Project manager Neziswa Mlenzana said the garden had also been able to employ three young people from the community permanently, while Wednesdays were set aside for pupils to work in the garden.
For P Agricultural Group in Soweto, the third-place winner, the competition has helped challenge perceptions of what agriculture can offer.
Project manager Phetole Raseropo said: “People who once saw farming as something that belonged in rural areas are starting to see agriculture as an opportunity for themselves — something they can learn from, earn from and be part of.”
The other winners included Hope Park Children’s Health Campus Garden, which has started a second garden.
And in Gonubie, KuGompo City, the Food Security Project is working to restore its soil using wood-chip mulch and improved compost-making methods.
Gardener Delight Omoike said some beneficiaries also wanted to use what they had learnt about permaculture and making compost with worms at their own homes or fields.
To enter the Act For Change Food Garden Competition, entrants must be aged 18 or older and represent a community-based food garden.
Entrants will need to provide a short description of their garden’s history, purpose and role in the community, as well as photographs of the garden.
Entries close on November 15, and winners will be announced before April 2027.
Entry is free and no data costs apply. Enter online at actforchangefoodgardencompetition.datafree.co