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16 www . sasmallholder . co . za
Rand , where she has lived for many years with her family , initially had a shack on a patch of land which would certainly have been large enough to accommodate a couple of vegetable beds . Then the ANC government , quite rightly and admirably , built the residents of Etwatwa brick and mortar RDP houses . A great improvement in accommodation , with electricity , sanitation and piped water . But on the land which could have been used for growing . Having moved into her new RDP house , did my lady friend demolish her shack and open up new ground for vegetables ? No . She kept the shack and , like all her neighbours , rented it out to members of her extended family , thereby increasing her monthly income . And she is not unique in the shack rental business . And can you blame her ? The option of a regular rental income each month from Day One versus the option of possible free vegetables in the future if everything goes right over the growing season . Next , the traditional freestanding home with garden front and back like our parents and grandparents lived in is falling out of favour as young middle-class families opt for “ security ” clusters and lock-up-and-go townhouse complexes . If they ' re lucky the residents of such modern edifices will have a small patch of garden in the front , which will soon become cluttered with braai paraphernalia and garden furniture , rather than with vegetable beds . But there are three other factors apart from space restrictions which militate against South Africans growing their own food . The first is water . For both rural and urban poor the
# SAFoodCrisis
provision of piped water ~ shortages and drought apart ~ is often a problem , and family members may have to walk many metres to a communal tap to collect water in a bucket or canister for the basics of life such as washing , cleaning and cooking . How likely is it , do you think , that they will make further trips to get water to pour onto a vegetable patch ( notwithstanding the fact that vegetables , given their high water content , are more thirsty than , for example , flowers …)? The second is theft . If you thought crime was bad where you live , spare a thought for dwellers of , especially , informal settlements . Hunger does not breed honour and a big ripe cabbage growing in somebody ' s veg patch is going to prove too big a temptation to even the most God-fearing honourable soul , if that soul is hungry . I was once told of a strategy suggested by the Gauteng Dept of Agriculture when faced with complaints by women running township communal food gardens that their ( white ) cabbages were being stolen . “ Grow red cabbage ,” suggested the department ' s extension officers , “ and sell them to whites .” Township dwellers apparently don ' t like red cabbage . “ Then take the money to buy white cabbage to bring home .” Next , there is a question of time . For the average employed urban dweller the weekday logistics include a pre-dawn start , a walk to a taxi rank or bus stop , a trip or two with changes , and a walk to the workplace , with the process being repeated in reverse at the end of the workday , often arriving after dark . Then there is the evening meal to prepare and
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