Local gardener links food security and small-scale entrepreneurship
Faniswa Bida, a 61-year-old pensioner from Mthatha, has converted a long-standing passion for gardening into a small-scale food-production and training operation that supplies the community with vegetables and teaches younger residents how to grow their own food.
Bida has been cultivating potatoes, beetroot, spinach and cabbage since 2018. She sells some of her harvest and gives produce free to elderly residents who may struggle to grow food themselves. The initiative is aimed at reducing household food costs and encouraging income-generating activities through simple, backyard agriculture.
“I’ve always grown vegetables, even when I was younger, because I believe that growing your own vegetables is much healthier than buying them at the shops. Eating what you grow in your garden is good,” said Bida.
Prices from her garden are modest: a cabbage sells for R20, while a bunch of spinach or beetroot costs R15. Bida said selling produce helps her keep some of her pension while also bringing in extra money. She also sources seedlings from local farmers and asks them to donate seedlings to people who want to start gardens.
Skills transfer and practical advice for new gardeners
Bida’s work goes beyond selling and gifting vegetables. She actively teaches young people practical gardening skills with the aim that they can save on food expenditure and generate income.
- Demonstrates basic vegetable planting and care.
- Facilitates access to seedlings from farmers.
- Shows how small spaces can be used for productive gardens.
The approach is deliberately low-cost and accessible. For instance, one woman who plans to start gardening was reassured that a large plot is not needed to grow vegetables; a cleared backyard can be sufficient.
Local impact and examples
The project has already persuaded some residents to begin their own gardens. John Mangqwambi, 79, received free vegetables and subsequently started growing his own food. “I am one of the people who got free vegetables from Bida. At first, we thought she would ask for money later,” he said. Nwabisa Gule, a 40-year-old mother of two, is preparing to clear her backyard and start planting after learning from Bida that space constraints need not be an obstacle.
| Crop | Price (from Bida) |
|---|---|
| Cabbage | R20 |
| Spinach (bunch) | R15 |
| Beetroot (bunch) | R15 |
| Potatoes | Varies (sold from garden) |
While the initiative is small in scale, it addresses two pressing local concerns: rising food prices and youth unemployment. By teaching basic horticulture and facilitating access to seedlings, Bida helps households lower their grocery bills and introduces a potential micro-enterprise model that could be replicated across Mthatha.
What this means for Mthatha residents
Community-level gardening projects such as Bida’s can have several practical benefits for Mthatha residents:
- Immediate food relief for vulnerable households, particularly the elderly.
- Reduced monthly food expenditure for participating families.
- Skills development for young people that may translate into small businesses or supplementary income.
As local governments and community organisations look for cost-effective ways to strengthen food security, small-scale projects that combine production, training and seed distribution offer lessons. Bida’s model relies on modest inputs, volunteer time and partnerships with farmers for seedling donations — a low-capital approach that suits many Mthatha backyards.
Her work underlines how local initiative and skills-sharing can turn a pensioner’s garden into a community resource, helping neighbours and nurturing the next generation of gardeners in Mthatha.
