Meet Geronimo de Klerk, Young Community Builder, Feeding the Future through Food Garden Movement
Mr. Geronimo de Klerk believes the youth are fighting hunger by not by waiting for the government, but through doing something for themselves. In 2020, he co-founded Feed The Future, his non-profit organization, transforming the place known for some of the worst gang violence and insecurity to a community garden where people come together to grow food and feed themselves. The movement is growing and making real impacts on the people’s lives and well-being in the communities. (Interviewed by WFF Africa, 18 July 2022)
Thank you for joining us today. We wanted to hear about your experience of developing the community garden project that you started.
Thank you. I am the co-founder of Feed The Future in South Africa, dedicated to developing communities and the area through food gardens activities. We believe that we are making a positive impact on our communities because we do not only grow food but also work with schools to educate them on the ways of growing food, on food waste, and where the food is coming from. One of the main goals of all of this is to make sure each person, each household and each community have access to nutrition, through which we also know the process how the nutritious food is coming from the community garden that we established.
I am sure it was not easy to start food garden in the place where gang violence exists. Could you tell us about why you started creating a food garden as a solution?
The reason why we chose to work on the area where gangsters were around is that we found that those were the places that we need to work on, as violence is all around our local community. And of course, hunger is one of the biggest issues in the community. We do not want to die from hunger while we have open spaces where we can provide food.
We believe there is no other way but for us to work on from the community as we believe that changes only come from within the community.
We need affordable food so we promote food for free now as the community faces high unemployment and people are difficult to buy food.
As an youth-led organization, could you also tell us about how you involve youth in farming and other activities, and how you think it is important?
I believe that the changes needs to come from youth in the community as youth is the power for our future. That is why we think youth involvement is very important.
On the other hand, the challenges that our community faces also include how to make employment opportunities especially for the young people involved in the activities. What we noticed is that youth unemployment is one of the causes for having more gangsters and increasing the violence in the community.
Many young people do not see agriculture as a place to find job. But I believe that agriculture is one way to empower the community. It is agriculture where we have big opportunity to create jobs for people, to grow enough food and to make sure we all have access to nutritious food.
Starting from a food garden, your organization’s work expanded to neighboring communities and collaborate with various originations and schools for educational program and soup kitchens.
Yes, our organization is growing. We currently work in Khayelitsha, Nyanga and Elsies River. The organization also established educational programs in four local schools, namely Elsies River Community Food Garden, Edward Primary School, Khayelitsha and Clarke Estate. What we do in our educational program is to teach people how to grow and nurture food, and how to make sure the food you grow is sustainable. It also successfully created jobs in food growing programs, and contributed to youth engagement and community development.
I also think that the sustainability of the organization is key, and for that sustainable education is crucial. Our organization started just before the pandemic came. While many organization faced difficulties in running during the COVID-19 pandemic, our organization has been sustainable, because we were supported by people, because we have the amount of food to feed people, and we made sure that people have food on a daily basis.
There, sustainable education comes in. To be sustainable means that education cannot die out itself but should continue to go on to grow food from generation to generation, people to people, and community and community.
Please tell us about the soup kitchen. Who cook the food (do you also cook) ? How many people does each meal feed? How frequently held? Do you have any favorite menu? Do you think coming together to eat together would also have positive impact on people such as finding connection to the community?
Our organization has about fouteen feeding schemes under the Umbrella of Feed The Future For Life NPO — We provide nutrition food and supplies vegetables to all our Feeding Schemes, so that the vegetables can be cooked in the community. Women in our communities and neighbouring Communities is cooking the food. Since we started we have fed over 10 000 meals within our Project. We feed every week. Cabbage food is our favourite food. The moment when we come together and eat, those are the times we establish connection between our communities and people. It definitely generate a good impact when we eat as a community.
Thank you very much. Do you have any final words for this session?
For young people: There are opportunities to make changes. Keep on pushing to your goals.
Changes come from youth and communities. So be the change because you are the change.
Lastly,
“IN THE MIDST OF CHAOS THERE’S OPPORTUNITY FOR CHANGES.”
Thank you.
This article is part of WFF Africa’s changemakers’ web story series. The views expressed in this article are the individuals’ own.
If you are young individuals acting for the agrifood systems change, join us in our social community of young changemakers “World Food Forum AFRICA HUB” on Facebook and LinkedIn.
