- More than 60 residents in Brackenfell have converted a barren piece of land in Protea Village into the Suikerbossie Park, a thriving food garden and urban forest.
- The initiative, started by Mandy Leibbrandt and Frans Byleveld in 2022, aims to promote food security and support the community through a food security programme facilitated by the garden project.
- Supported by the City of Cape Town and the provincial agriculture department, the project has delivered over 500 fresh vegetable parcels to vulnerable families, fostering community unity and resilience.
Brackenfell residents have turned an empty piece of barren land into a thriving food garden and urban forest roughly the size of two rugby fields – sporting 42 vegetable patches and 300 trees.
Situated in Protea Village, the Suikerbossie Park came to be in 2022 when residents Mandy Leibbrandt and her husband Frans Byleveld were looking at ways to promote food security in the wake of the covid pandemic.
It was to support a group of volunteer urban farmers who use the fresh produce in their own households or to support the broader community through a food security programme facilitated by the garden project.
After reaching out to Ward councillor Grant Twigg with their plans, the couple formed the non-profit organisation Apple Tree, and the rest is history.
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The City of Cape Town signed a five-year lease with them to use the public park for urban farming. Supporting the initiative the agriculture department came on board with R170 000 to drill a bore-hole to sustain the garden.
To complete the gardens, 300 trees were planted in May last year to create an urban forest alongside the vegetable patches in the two-hectare public park.
The trees, a range of fruit and other indigenous trees, were donated by the provincial department of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in a bid to mitigate climate change.
“Since then the garden has grown significantly to become a beacon of hope for all the urban farmers involved even providing therapy for one of the gardeners,” says Angelique Wagner, spokesperson of the Shoprite Group who has now come on board to support the urban farmers with hands-on permaculture training as well as equipping them with gardening resources such as tools, seedlings, seeds and compost.
Progress so far
“Today, this garden serves as a symbol of unity – bringing together individuals from all walks of life while fostering sustainability of food sources and community resilience,” says Wagner.
One of the farmers, Colbert Mdoda, says the garden is therapy for him. After being involved in a serious car accident, gardening provided a source of healing while he learned to walk again and regained his strength in his journey to recovery.
“The training, tools and expert advice have helped us turn this unused land into a thriving green oasis where we feel a sense of community. Knowing that there is a network of support – from fellow gardeners and local partners – has given us the confidence to keep growing and thriving because together, we are cultivating something truly beautiful,” added Mandy Leibbrandt who initiated the urban farming project at Suikerbossie Park.
READ: Community garden feeds more than 500 people
Hunger relief and food security are at the core of Shoprite’s Act For Change programme through which it supports more than 230 food gardens and 4 000 home gardens – covering over 4,5 million m² – indirectly impacting about 60 000 beneficiaries.
