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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
Students in Agricultural Economics do well on Safex
2007-09-17
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Third-year students from the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Department of Agricultural Economics had to take part in a competition as part of a course in Marketing. The students had to manage the price of white mealies for delivery in July 2007 by buying and selling on Safex. The competition ran from 25 April 2007 to 25 May 2007. During this period, the market grew from R1 650 to R1 712 per ton. The winning group achieved a price of R1 777 per ton, hereby beating the market with R65 per ton or almost 4%. From the left are: Llewellyn Eastman (member of the winning group), Frikkie Maré (member of the winning group), Willem Zwiegers (leader of the winning group), Dr Kit le Clus (Extraordinary professor in Agricultural Economies at the UFS) and Mr Pieter Taljaard (Lecturer in Agricultural Economics at the UFS).
Photo: Supplied
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