More than 60 local gardeners and co-operatives from across South Africa, Namibia and Botswana showcased and sold their fresh produce at selected Shoprite and Checkers stores during Market Day on Thursday, 28 May.

All participating gardens form part of the over 300 community food gardens supported by the Shoprite Group across Southern Africa to help strengthen regional food security.

Market Day provides these community gardeners with valuable access to retail platforms and customers, and this year it coincided with World Hunger Day – a global awareness day focused on food insecurity and sustainable solutions. 

Customers stocked up on local peppers, spinach, parsley and many other vegetables and fruits, met the small-scale farmers and learned about their sustainable growing methods and in some instances, even purchased seedlings for their own home gardens.

Among the community gardens participating in this year’s Market Day was the Dirang Batswana Greenery Project from the North West. Established in 2012 with just four members, the project has since developed 150 household gardens and a soup kitchen that feeds 300 children, using primarily vegetables grown in the gardens.

Gardener Seipati Tlhong says Market Day creates an important shift in mindset: “Being there on that day says ‘we are producers, not just beneficiaries’; that shift matters for how we see ourselves. Seeing people choose our produce over commercial brands reminds me that our labour has real value.”

“For each community gardener taking part in Market Day, there is a story both of individual circumstance and a pathway towards a more grounded and food secure life rooted in the soil. The power of this day is in taking this a step further through facilitating market entry with skills training.”

- Sanjeev Raghubir, Chief Sustainability Officer at the Group

As part of this support, participants receive practical retail training in areas including customer relations, communication, pricing, product presentation and record-keeping. 

Beyond Market Day, the Shoprite Group continues to support community food gardens through its Act For Change programme, which to date has assisted hundreds of gardens with training, seedlings and infrastructure. This year, the retailer marks the milestone of its 300^th community garden, a project outside Bredasdorp, in the Western Cape.

“It’s exciting to see the seeds we help sow within local communities grow and flourish,” says Raghubir. “We are proud to champion the local heroes of South African gardens and small farms, who nourish their communities and their future through their own dedication and hard work.”

Whatsapp