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17 June 2020
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Story Dr WP Wahl
The Division of Student Affairs (DSA) prioritises innovation to meet the challenges of food insecurity and malnutrition among students. To this end, several student volunteers and student governance structures are collaborating with the DSA on various initiatives.
During 2019, various conversations were held about the possibility of creating a health-promoting food environment at the UFS where students and staff are well informed and empowered to take appropriate action regarding their food and nutritional needs. These conversations resulted in an institutional strategy to address the food environment at the UFS. Student representatives serve on a technical committee that directs the implementation of this strategy. In this regard, several initiatives have already been launched.
Students from residences and other student communities have planted vegetable gardens on the Bloemfontein Campus with the assistance of KovsieACT and the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences. Students and staff are already harvesting and distributing vegetables to needy students every week. Measurements were put in place to continue this during the COVID-19 period. The following vegetables were planted: spinach, cabbage, beetroot, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots.
Food parcels, donated by Tiger Brands and Gift of the Givers, are continuously handed out by DSA staff and student volunteers. In this regard, 540 food parcels have already been handed out on the Bloemfontein Campus during the COVID-19 period alone. During the same time, 117 students received food parcels on the Qwaqwa Campus. The innovation of this food parcel project rests on the fact that business, NPOs, UFS students, and DSA staff are collaborating to address food insecurity and malnutrition.
More collaborative initiatives will be implemented over the next 12 months. The DSA staff and students are already working with the Department of Dietetics and Consumer Sciences to create information packages about the preparation of low-budget nutritious meals.
Related article:
Vegetable tunnels established to continue the fight against food insecurity
First annual Orange River Basin Symposium
2008-11-27
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The first annual Orange River Basin Symposium was recently presented by the Centre for Environmental Management at the University of the Free State (UFS) on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein. The theme of the symposium was “The Orange River Basin - The Resource”. The Orange River Basin is the focus catchment for work on “Water management in water-scarce areas”, which is one of the six Strategic Clusters at the UFS. At the symposium were, from the left: Prof. Herman van Schalkwyk, Dean: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the UFS, Dr Anthony Turton, Natural Resource and Environment Unit Fellow at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and keynote speaker at the symposium, Ms Nolene Morris, Chief Executive Officer of BloemWater, who delivered the opening address, and Prof. Maitland Seaman, Director: Centre for Environmental Management at the UFS and co-ordinator of the symposium.
Photo: Sanet Neethling |