GEORGE NEWS - The Kos en Fynbos movement is taking their gardening competition concept, which achieved great success in Blanco, to Pacaltsdorp where residents have already indicated their interest.

Also, a phase two is planned for Blanco and, to take the project forward there, a collaborative meeting will be held on 23 April where the 56 participants in the competition will discuss future possibilities. Dr Zilla North, one of the driving forces in Kos en Fynbos, foresees the establishment of a community nursery, community tool library and even a community exchange shop as part of the expansion of the initiative.

The Blanco competition, which ended in March, was the first of its kind in George and identified the gardens that are the best for Blanco,
rather than the prettiest. It has sparked interest from the wider community and Pacaltsdorp residents will be the next to show that they too have sustainable gardens where vegetables proliferate. Their competition will be initiated in June with the cut-off time for entries on 1 September and the prize giving in early December. The prizes for the first 10 gardens will again be sponsored by the Agriculture Department.

Kos en Fynbos festival
North sees the movement working towards an overarching strategy that touches on a wide range of food security and biodiversity issues that can all eventually be pulled together at a Kos en Fynbos festival. This plan should be driven in collaboration with other organisations such as the Wildlife and Environment Society, Landmark Foundation and Garden Route Botanical Garden. She envisions involving the whole of George through actions such as getting people to plant vegetables and fruit trees on their pavements.

According to Professor Raymond Auerbach, a lecturer in soil science and crop production at NMMU George and a member of Kos en Fynbos, knowledge and research expertise are available at the university if needed. He is excited about the potential of Kos en Fynbos and said the concept can be scaled up and extended throughout the country. "We need food gardens spreading all over Africa."


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