Community & Conservation

in Southern Africa

Kalahari Garden Project

The Kalahari Garden Project was launched in July 2007, with the aim of assisting the San population in the Omaheke region in improving their food security and nutrition through the development of home gardens. The project also set out to help promote and preserve traditional environmental knowledge, and contribute to building the skills and opportunities necessary for creating a renewed sense of self reliance within the community. 

The project has assisted the San with the development and maintenance of forty two gardens spread throughout five villages. These are providing nutritious food all year round to a population of approximately 550 San. Each San household is provided with the material for building a garden and give training in vegetable production and harvesting.

The gardens are 10 x 14 meters and have strong, livestock proof fencing and eight rows of tilled sand improved with dung and ash. Vegetables sown during spring and summer include tomatoes, maize, kale, morogo (Amaranth sp.), chilli pepper, pumpkin, butternut squash, beetroot, carrots, watermelon, onions and Swiss chard. Clementine, pomegranate and fig trees were also planted, with each garden receiving two fruit trees. Vegetables grown over the colder winter months include chard, kale, onions, cauliflower, cabbage, turnips, carrots and beetroot. Where water pressure is sufficient, the gardens are equipped with drip irrigation systems.

Due to gardens requiring a reliable water supply, the project has also focused its attention and resources on water delivery systems in each of the villages. We have made improvements to these systems in each of the villages. These include; a) installing a new solar pump, panels and generator in one village; b) installing new 10,000L water tanks on raised stands to improve the water pressure and increase control over water delivery to the gardens; c) laying new pipelines to all of the beneficiary households and installing new taps (many of the households didn’t previously own taps); d) fixing leaks in the existing lines and assisting with engine repairs; and e) facilitating water point committee meetings and community based management of water in the area. The systems we have put in place continue to work well and we are providing them with ongoing support.

The San involved in the project have been enthusiastic from the start.  Children have been actively involved in some of the gardens, helping to sow the seeds and learning about the gardens when they come home from boarding school. Garden owners have expressed that the gardens are helping them to feed themselves and their families.

A local San lady, Ida Gei//amses reported,
“ Before the project we had no food and finding food was difficult. Now we can go into the garden and feed ourselves and our children, and we are no longer just sitting and waiting for the government to deliver food aid.” 

Plans for 2009
Construction and development of school garden at Motsomi primary school
Maintenance and ongoing supervision of gardens in all villages
Health and nutrition workshop for beneficiaries
Training and support in marketing of crops
Research on San knowledge of wild food plants
Construction of indigenous vegetation garden in community campsite
Publication of 2 booklets: ‘San knowledge of wild food and medicinal plants’, and ‘Vegetable gardening in the Kalahari’
Raising more funds to support the continuation this project, and its expansion to other areas

Read more about the Kalahari Garden Project at : Community & Conservation in South Africa, KGP's blog , or download  january newsletter , April newsletter,  July newsletter and the 2007-08 annual report

You might also want to contact Hattie Wells or download pdf brochure .