Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) has introduced a Vegetable Garden Club in Tygerberg, providing students with ‘Green Therapy’ in the form of gardening.
Project Coordinator for the FMHS Dean’s Advisory Committee on Environmental Sustainability (DACES), Christine Groenewald says that the Vegetable Garden Club was initiated in response to a need amongst the students.
“It started with the #FeesMustFall movement where staff became aware that we have students in need. We discussed various ways that the green committee could contribute to one of the areas, which was to help with the infrastructure of the vegetable garden.
“We wanted to implement it earlier but with the drought, it wasn’t possible. We had our first planting activity at the end of last year. This year it really picked up because we had more water and students interested,” says Groenewald.
According to Sibongumenzi Mtshali, 4th-year medical student at SU and student coordinator for DACES, being a part of the garden project happened organically.
“I have always been passionate about environmentalism and sustainability. I started gardening when I was a little girl and it was a shared hobby with my grandmother. When I heard about the possibility of having such a project on campus I jumped at the opportunity. It was a way to get back into something I loved since childhood,” says Mtshali.
Mtshali says the initiative plans to add more patches to accommodate more students in the project. PHOTO: Facebook/Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
In addition to the environmental benefits of the garden, Mtshali says the project has also been mentally and emotionally beneficial for her.
“This initiative is something very close to my heart. It has personally impacted me positively. I use it as a coping mechanism for those stressful times during the end of block week as well as in between when life happens. It has become an important part of my life.”
Groenewald adds that the Vegetable Garden Club is currently a virtual group where information regarding planting activities is shared on a WhatsApp group.
“It’s still a very informal group. Students will spend a Saturday and lay out the different plots. We dig the new trenches and refill older ones with compost and that takes about the whole day.
Since the start of this project, students have mainly harvested spinach. PHOTO: Marecia Damons
“This year it was quite intensive because of construction on the Tygerberg campus which caused the irrigation to be shut down. So, the students had to go every afternoon and water the plants from the water tank. But it’s all worth it in the end because they get satisfaction from seeing their plants grow,” says Groenewald.
For 1st-year Occupational Therapy student at SU, Jaime Dawson (19), the feedback from her peers about the gardening project sparked her interest.
“I heard about the initiative earlier this year, but I wasn’t sure whether to join it. But after one of my closest friends told me that it’s helped her cope with the varsity stress, I’m definitely keen on joining now.”
If you are interested in joining the group for the next planting season in September, please contact Christine Groenewald clgroenewald@sun.ac.za.