Yandani Kulati Food Garden
A Harvest of Hope
In a powerful display of community spirit and grassroots resilience, the Yandani Kulati Food Garden Project at Siphamandla Senior Secondary School in Sekuyasa, Khayelitsha, has taken another step toward achieving long-term food security and sustainable agriculture.
What began in 2019 as a small initiative led by Nolizwi Ngcana and her dedicated team of women has blossomed into a vital lifeline for the community. Faced with growing food insecurity and the desperate need to support a local soup kitchen, these women took matters into their own hands—literally.
Registered as the Yandani Kulati Food Garden, the project sought support from the Western Cape Department of Agriculture. Their passion and persistence paid off: with the assistance of Casidra, the garden received critical infrastructure including fencing for security, a storage facility for inputs, and a fully operational irrigation system.
These resources marked a turning point. With enhanced production capabilities, the garden now not only supplies the soup kitchen but also contributes fresh produce to the school’s feeding scheme and provides food for other families in need.
Despite the scorching heat and other agricultural challenges, the team remains undeterred. Meals are still served twice a week, and plans are already underway to expand the garden space within the next month—a move that aims to ensure no child in the community goes hungry.
“Every child deserves to eat,” is the mantra that drives the team forward—a simple yet powerful statement that fuels their daily work and future vision.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was officially signed, solidifying the garden’s commitment to long-term collaboration, growth, and impact. It marks a new chapter of opportunity, recognition, and institutional support for a project that has already changed so many lives.
The Yandani Kulati Food Garden is more than a plot of land—it’s a symbol of hope, determination, and community transformation. It showcases the immense power of women-led, grassroots projects to bring about real change and serves as a model for sustainable food systems in underserved areas.
As they continue to overcome every challenge that comes their way, the women behind this initiative are planting more than just crops—they’re planting the seeds of a brighter, more food-secure future for every child and family in their community.
