With local employment scarce and her household budget stretched to the limit, Shinga recently managed to earn R1 250 in a single week from selling surplus green peppers and chillies to her neighbours. More importantly, she no longer relies on paying for vegetables to feed her family fresh produce.

"Farming has helped me become independent," says Shinga, who joined rural development NPO, Thanda's Household Gardening Programme in 2023."The garden feeds my family, and when I have extra produce to sell, I can earn money for things my daughter needs, like school uniforms and stationery. It has made a real difference in our home."

Shinga's story aims to offer a vital blueprint for resilience at a time when macro-economic pressures are eroding household purchasing power across South Africa.

Thanda notes that when income and grant pay-outs cannot meet basic food basket needs, the quality and diversity of diets drop first. This poses a silent, devastating threat to childhood nutrition and stunting. A lack of nutrient-rich foods during the critical first 1 000 days of a child's life accelerates stunting, an irreversible condition already affecting an estimated one in four South African children.

"Prevention begins long before a child enters a classroom," says Angela Larkan, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Thanda. "When households have steady access to diverse, nutritious foods, they are better able to support healthy pregnancies and early childhood development. But when household budgets stretch to the limit, families often have zero room left to absorb market shocks. Home-grown food is no longer a hobby; it is a critical necessity for survival."

Recognising these systemic vulnerabilities, Thanda launched its Household Gardening Programme in 2022 with the aim to help families supplement their access to quality nutrition. By training residents in low-cost regenerative practices like composting, mulching and seed-saving, the programme says it focuses on self-sufficiency and resilience.

When pests recently threatened her crops, Shinga didn't need disposable income for chemical pesticides; she used organic sawdust and chilli-based methods taught by her Thanda mentor, says the NPO.

As inflation persists, Thanda continues to look for additional layers of insulation against household-level food volatility by training over 650 Household Gardeners in growing protein-rich foods in their garden, aimed at proving that self-grown food can substitute for missing spending power, adds the NPO.

"Too often, food gardens are viewed solely through an agricultural lens, but their impact is entirely social and economic," says Larkan. "When a household grows its own food, they are no longer entirely dependent on cash to survive an unstable economy. At-home food production, whether in a rural homestead or a small container garden, offers a practical way to reclaim agency."

As global and national economic pressures remain unpredictable, Thanda concludes that it is calling for a shift toward household-level food production as an essential tool for long-term national resilience and systemic change.

or more information, visit www.thanda.org. You can also follow Thanda on Facebook, LinkedIn, or on Instagram. 

*Image courtesy of contributor