Patients from the Isiphingo Clinic will benefit from a newly launched aeroponic garden.  This is a garden where plants are suspended in the air and not planted in the ground.

PATIENTS and the community around the Isiphingo Clinic are set to benefit from a newly launched aeroponic garden aimed at ensuring that patients on medication have access to sustainable nutrition to promote adherence to their treatment plans. Aeroponics is a method of growing plants without the use of soil. Instead of being planted in the ground, the plants are suspended in the air and their roots are regularly misted with a nutrientrich solution The state-of-the-art garden is a significant step towards social health and food security made possible through partnerships with the Aids Healthcare Foundation, the Department of Agriculture, and the City’s Health and Agro Ecology Units. EThekwini Health Unit’s Food Security Manager Londiwe Ncube said they are proud to have trained nine women with skills. “They can now set up their own home gardens and sell fresh vegetables. This success wouldn’t have been possible without the support of all our stakeholders.

We, along with the Department of Agriculture, will continue to provide essential services to ensure the project’s sustainability,” Ncube said. Dr. Logandran Naidoo from the Aids Healthcare Foundation highlighted the importance of the Isiphingo Clinic’s Food for Health Garden Training Hub. He said the initiative ensures clinic users have access to the nutritious food needed to maintain their health and adhere to their treatments. “The garden is low-maintenance and uses rainwater to sustain itself,” he said. Zanele Mntambo, one of the women trained, said since the project began in May, not only has it educated her about food security but has also empowered her to create her own vegetable garden at home. She sells the produce in the community. “I know how to grow vegetables using compost and different methods of soil-based gardening,” Mntambo said.

The project also features smaller gardens, including sack gardens, which are ideal for those without land. Other innovations include gardens using recycled tyres, seedbeds, flat gardens, messy gardens, and trench raised beds. The main aeroponic garden can accommodate up to 4 000 plants, including baby cabbages, kale, tomatoes, brinjals, and spinach.