A recent wild food foraging workshop held at the Sustainability Institute (SI) aimed to inform Stellenbosch locals about the potential uses of indigenous plants to improve food security in their communities.
This is according to Loubie Rusch, the founder of LOCAL Wild Food Hub, who led the workshop.
Learning about the potential of plants considered weeds is incredibly valuable for food security purposes, said Loubie Rusch, founder of LOCAL Wild Food Hub. “Nettles can be used in teas with great health benefits,” she said. PHOTO: Nicola Amon
“It’s important that people know how to use these plants,” said Rusch. The sandkool plant is used overseas in food and beauty products, but there is so little knowledge about how it can be used here, Rusch said.
The plant grows “straight out of the pavements in Khayelitsha,” and has endless uses, both as a food source, and for desalinating soil, said Rusch.
The workshop, held on 26 July, formed part of South African Urban Food and Farming Trust’s (SAUFFT) 2024 Food Indaba programme, which began in 2014.
“[The Food Indaba] is an annual programme of talks and events, welcoming communities and food system professionals to work towards fostering a healthier, more resilient and just food system,” said Iain Harris, the workshop’s project manager.
Tackling food insecurity
“This is the first year that Food Indaba has extended its reach to the Stellenbosch area since its start in 2014,” said Rusch. “The SI also has its legs in the Lynedoch community, which opens up opportunities for further collaboration.”
“I fell in love with indigenous plants,” said Masilakhe Nyaniso, a traditional healer who works in the gardens of the Sustainability Institute. Loubie Rusch, founder of LOCAL Wild Food Hub, said that it is essential for local communities to have knowledge about indigenous plants to avoid the “elite capture” of the indigenous plant market. PHOTO: Nicola Amon
Extending reach beyond the Cape Town municipality for the first time marked the beginning of a relationship between SAUFFT, a non-profit organisation focused on farming in vulnerable communities, and communities in the Stellenbosch area, said Rusch.
“South Africa faces numerous challenges in its food system, with one of the key issues being the availability, accessibility, and affordability of food for the majority of the population,” said Kurt Ackerman, chief executive of SAUFFT.
“Despite the country technically having enough food to be considered food secure, the challenge lies in ensuring that this food is accessible to all.”
A recent wild food foraging workshop at the Sustainability Institute marked the beginning of a fruitful relationship with the South African Urban Food and Farming Trust, according to Loubie Rusch, founder of LOCAL Wild Food Hub.