Sicambeni village has one of the best views along the Wild Coast. The Mngazi river meets the ocean below and on a clear day the sea lies smooth with barely a ripple to signal the treacherous currents that have buried ships that ventured too close to shore.
In amongst the unemployment and poverty that is seemingly endemic to this stretch of South Africa, there is a vegetable garden built at MamaPats, in Sicambeni, with assistance from volunteers originating from all over the globe.
The area now under cultivation was disused and abandoned before and a major cleanup was necessary before any thoughts of cultivation could be activated.
Water was also a problem as when there is a shortage, it’s a dire shortage and when there is rain it’s usually gallons of it. One of the problems identified by the volunteers was the runoff when it rained, causing soil erosion and taking the topsoil into the river and out to sea.
A decision was made to dig a small dam to collect water for irrigation purposes during dry months, thereby reducing dependence on tap water and also contributing to building up the water table.
Every decision has been made by the community in consultations with all members and recently more land was released for further development by Amapondo Projects, which oversees the volunteer programs, in conjunction with the community.
The recent food riots around the world in countries that are mostly dependent on food handouts has led to the South African government looking seriously at food production in South Africa.
South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel stated that poor people should be resuming subsistence agriculture that was a crucial part of the country’s heritage and cultivating as much land as possible.
This sage advice is the rationale behind the developments at Sicambeni village. Luke Boshier, Amapondo Projects co-ordinator, says, “People need to regain contact with the earth, planting and reaping their own food. There is too much land lying unused and not enough people learning once again how to live off the land just as their ancestors once did”.
The garden at MamaPats was started before the recent hikes in food prices leading to riots around the world but it is in line with a return to a closer relationship with the earth and the cycles of nature, growing food organically without destructive fertilisers, simply utilising natural by products to mix a nourishing compost at no cost.
This small vegetable patch on the hill overlooking the Wild Coast is a small beacon signalling to other subsistence farmers just what can be accomplished through community co-operation and sustained work, creating not just a vegetable patch but a sustainable and ongoing supply of nourishing food.
