Community gardeners take centre stage at Market Day

Staff Writer Beetroot, carrots, chillies, herbs and other vegetables grown in a Namibian community garden were showcased and sold at Shoprite Lafrenz in Windhoek during Market Day. This year, the project which annually provides local community gardeners with a valuable retail platform coincided with World Hunger Day, which is a global awareness day focused on food insecurity and sustainable solutions. Groot Aub Fresh Producers is among more than 300 community gardens supported by the Shoprite Group across southern Africa, helping to strengthen food security in the region.

“This year, Market Day provided nearly 60 local gardeners and cooperatives across the region with the opportunity to sell their fresh produce directly to the public, gain retail experience and strengthen the roots of small businesses that feed their communities,” said Sanjeev Raghubir, the group’s chief sustainability officer. “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. In some instances, they even purchased seedlings for their own home gardens.”