Soil For Life - Helping Communities Help Themselves

Soil For Life is a Cape Town based NGO which teaches people to grow their own food. Soil For Life is a not-for-gain association. Most of the income that they make (which isn't all that much), goes back into helping communities. The work that they do is incredible. They work with the premise - healthy soil, healthy plants, healthy people. They show people the benefits of creating community gardens. They show people how to save water by doing so. They show people how to make use of their limited resources which would usually land up in overburdened landfill sites.

Soil For Life is a small organization that's making a big difference. Their company consists of a team of only 7 people! When we visited, Reid and I spoke with the three fieldworkers attending to their garden. Not only do Soil For Life educate people, they also grow their own produce. They sell seeds and plants cheaply, to help those wanting to set up a garden in their community. On top of all of this, they even help with the installation of such community gardens back in the communities where the problem itself lies.

Soil For Life has a membership system. This was created to increase their income, in order to increase their monetary boundaries. Soil For Life members are entitled to many things! The entitlements are as follows:

• Basic information on growing vegetables cheaply, safely and healthily
• Access to fresh, low cost seeds, organic compost and seedlings
• Access to their Resource Center open 6 days a week (they offer this even though they themselves have limited resources!)
• Advice, and questions answered, by telephone when one needs it
• A quarterly newsletter for, and about, the people with their hands in the soil!
• Discounted workshops on pest control, organic fertilizers, compost-making, vermi-compost, companion planting and simple nursery skills
• The opportunity to help other people help themselves

Amazing isn't it. What struck us is the effort that they put into making a real difference. What's more unbelievable is that this membership only costs R150 a year! That's a mere 20 US dollars! Also for R350 (47$) and R550 (74$) respectively, you have the choice of becoming a "One Square Meter" or "Two Square Meter" member. This means that your money supports a one or two square meter community garden in a township for an entire year! This is how Reid and I want to help increase people's food security: by becoming one of these members and helping Soil For Life help struggling communities.

Because Soil For Life target those struggling to help themselves, people who earn under R1000 (136$) monthly, are entitled to a R100 (14$) per annum membership. They offer discounts! They don't earn much, but make it easier for those earning less. This company has taken our breaths away. They give so much and ask for so little. Wow is all I can say.

Soil For Life hold their workshops above their garden. Their "classroom" isn't much at all. Just some stumps situated around a table. Yet they make do! They are currently building their own "classroom" next door which will be bigger and much more fitting for their workshops.

Such organizations are what our planet needs. In order to tackle the world's problems, we need people who are driven to help others. Soil For Life is a true inspiration.

Soil For Life

- Build the soil; grow the plants; feed the people; heal the planet.

A few Statements made by Soil For Life:

"Our work is, however, not just about gardening, and not just about food. It's about 'growing' people who are able to help themselves on many fronts: survival, earning their own money, creating healthy families, improving values, dealing with inflation, problem-solving, developing creativity and resourcefulness, and building bridges of goodwill and understanding. It's about wh*** people; food gardening provides food for the body, the mind and the soul."

"We give people the skills and knowledge to grow their own food which empowers them to improve their health, their economic and social status, and to restore balance in their own lives, in society and nature."

"We educate and train people in organic food gardening using water-wise, low-cost environment-friendly technologies and provide a support program to ensure effective implementation."

Pictures (I will upload the full set onto my profile):

"Welcome to Soil For Life"

The stumps that you see in the foreground comprises of the current "classroom" while the unfinished structure in the background is the new classroom that they're constructing.