“Across our communities, we are seeing how practical skills in food production are restoring dignity, strengthening resilience, and giving families real tools to secure their own well-being,” says
Bishop Billyboy Ramahlele, Director: Community Engagement. He was referring to the Certified Sustainable Food Security Short Learning Programme, launched in May 2025 by the University of the Free State (UFS) through its Directorate Community Engagement to build self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and self-sustainable livelihoods in municipalities.
In communities where grocery prices are climbing faster than pay cheques and where fresh produce can feel like a luxury, this programme is quietly transforming daily life. Communities are not only learning how to grow vegetables; they are equipped with practical skills and confidence to take greater control of their food and nutrition, as well as their own lives.
Planting the seeds of change
Dr Karen Venter, Head of Service Learning – also from the
Directorate Community Engagement – explains that the rise in food prices, together with unemployment, climate pressures, and household vulnerability, highlights the urgent need for accessible skills that strengthen household food production capacity.
Since its launch, 191 participants from urban, peri-urban, and rural communities in and around Mangaung have successfully completed the training. Each participant submitted a portfolio of evidence with ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos of their gardens, documenting their progress, which was assessed by the directorate and moderated by
Prof Johan van Niekerk, Vice-Dean: Agriculture in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences and the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development at the UFS. The results showed an exceptionally high rate of successfully established gardens; proof that the model works in real life, not just on paper.
It is precisely this tangible impact that excites Bishop Ramahlele, who – with
Thabo Olivier – are delighted with the results and outcomes of this project. “The empirical evidence determines that a tried and tested programme such as this, with these outcomes, should reach as many deserving citizens as possible,” notes Olivier, a key partner in the initiative.
Olivier, who represents Let’s Grow Food, developed and compiled the course content and leads the training. His approach focuses on low-cost, organic, and environmentally friendly methods designed for people with limited space or resources. His teaching style emphasises practical demonstrations, water-wise techniques, organic gardening, recycling of everyday materials, and building confidence, competence, and commitment within communities.
Dr Venter states that Olivier’s methods enable participants to start their gardens immediately, regardless of income or space limitations. “This makes his approach an excellent fit for vulnerable communities.”
In the programme, which offers both theoretical foundations and hands-on instruction, participants learn everything from soil health, composting, companion planting, water conservation, planting calendars, and a positive mindset for sustainable gardening, to constructing mini greenhouses, planting seeds in trays, constructing a shade tunnel, preparing organic pest solutions, and repurposing household waste into gardening tools. The aim is not simply to teach gardening, but to create lifelong skills and even pathways to micro-enterprise opportunities.
Communities were selected through collaboration between the directorate, Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, and community leadership structures. Selection focused on areas with high levels of food insecurity, limited access to fresh produce, lack of prior exposure to structured training in food growing, and strong willingness to participate. The programme also includes a sustainability phase to ensure gardens continue to grow and thrive with follow-up support, peer-learning WhatsApp groups, refresher workshops, and connections to agricultural resources and partners, as well as community showcase events at the university.
Hands in the soil, eyes on the future
“This initiative is a strong embodiment of our Community Engagement model, because it strengthens community resilience, promotes sustainable development in line with SDGs 2 and 12, builds capacity through practical, community-driven learning, and fosters meaningful university–community partnerships. By moving beyond theory to direct action, the programme lays foundations for sustainable quality of life. When families can produce their own food confidently, organise into local growing networks, and sustain these gardens beyond the training, we see a clear example of how engaged scholarship can directly transform lives and impact society,” Bishop Ramahlele states.
Support from SMEC has helped expand the training, allowing it to reach more communities. With proven results seen in the high rate of successfully established gardens and the growing demand, the directorate aims to extend the programme so that even more households can benefit.
What makes the project special is that it meets people exactly where they are: in their yards, their streets, and their daily realities. It replaces dependence with capability and uncertainty with knowledge. And perhaps most importantly, it shows that solutions to big challenges can start small, with a seed pressed into the soil and someone willing to learn.