Food for thought

TOMORROW marks World Hunger Day, a day which aims to find sustainable solutions to hunger and poverty. The day was first marked by the organisation, The Hunger Project, in 2011. Statistics indicate that 20 000 people worldwide die from poverty every day, with 10% of those dying from famine.

In South Africa, both poverty and hunger, which are inextricably linked, are evident in every city, town and rural area.

The Rep this week reports on Page 2 about the dire situation of elderly people who beg for small change on the streets of Komani. It is an untenable, shocking situation.

Rising unemployment in South Africa, the critical economic situation faced by the country and climate change, with the resultant drought, will bring with it more hungry people. Solutions are needed, urgently so, and while politics may well be necessary for a country’s future, it does not feed anyone.

We need to return, not only to a situation of greater ubun- tu, with South Africans showing care for one another, but we also need to educate and empower. The only way to do so, is to find sustainable food sources and to encourage self-sufficiency in this regard.

One such solution, is Tower Gardens, which has had massive success worldwide. Tower Gardens allow the growth of up to 20 vegetables, herbs and fruit in less than three square feet. The added benefit is that these gardens can be made indoors or outdoors. (

It’s a great initiative for schools, old age homes or as community projects.

We need to start learning how to feed ourselves, even it is from the schoolyard or backyard of a home.

Whether our contribution is a few packets of seeds or agricultural advice or allowing someone to plant and nurture a tower garden in our back yard, it all can make a major difference to a fellow- South African.

Mother Theresa said, “If you can’t feed a 100 people, then feed just one.”