Nutritious plant-based meals made with fresh produce from their own school gardens are now being served to students at two rural schools in Genadendal Valley in the Western Cape.
This is thanks to the launch of Humane Society International/Africa’s (HSI/Africa) Green Monday SA programme. LR Schmidt Primary School, South Africa’s oldest primary school, and Emil Weder Secondary School, the only secondary school in the Valley of Grace, are the first to pilot this initiative, which aims to enhance the nutritional quality of meals with a variety of plant-based options.
The pilot programme, funded by the Western Cape education department, aims to enhance the nutritional quality of school meals by incorporating a wide variety of plant-based options sourced directly from the schools’ gardens.
LR Schmidt Primary, with an enrollment of 500 learners, currently feeds around 360 children daily, while Emil Weder Secondary, serving 550 learners, provides meals to 200 of them.
Some of the mouthwatering plant-based meals served include a protein-rich soy curry with cauliflower, spinach, spring onion, turnips, and fresh herbs, as well as a cabbage, carrot, raisin, and beetroot salad with homemade mayo dressing, and healthy sweet potato chocolate brownies.
LR Schmidt Primary’s thriving garden is a key part of the programme. The school grows a range of vegetables, including spinach, spring onions, herbs, cauliflower, turnips, carrots, sweet potatoes, and leeks.
Sixty percent of this harvest is used to enrich the learners’ meals, while the remaining produce is sold to the local community. Sales of vegetables help fund essential pantry items like vinegar and spices, which are used to preserve the produce and create additional side dishes for the meals.
Enhancing nutrition and food security
HSI/Africa, in collaboration with Valley Food Gardens, worked closely with the schools’ cooks to evaluate their existing menus and incorporate more nutrient-dense, plant-based ingredients. The programme reduces the use of animal-based products by 20%, introducing more sustainable and healthier alternatives.
Learners also receive Eating Green at School is Cool booklets, which educate them on the benefits of plant-based eating and the nutritional value of the vegetables grown in their own gardens.
Norah Hudson, Green Monday SA campaign consultant for HSI/Africa, expressed her excitement about the initiative.
“We are thrilled to launch this pilot programme at LR Schmidt and Emil Weder schools, with plans to expand across the Western Cape and eventually the whole of South Africa,” she said.
“Eating more plant-based meals not only improves our health, but also helps reduce the environmental impact of animal agriculture. It can also boost food security in under-resourced communities. It’s incredibly rewarding to see students benefiting from their own efforts and enjoying the homegrown produce.”
In 2025, the programme will introduce an exciting new initiative where learners can participate in a feeding scheme. Those who collect meals for at least a month will receive a seedling tin to nurture with the help of the school gardener.
Once their fruits and vegetables are ready to harvest, the students can sell them back to the school kitchen for a small stipend – an opportunity that many children in rural communities rarely have.
Green Monday is a global initiative supported by Humane Society International, one of the world’s largest animal protection organisations. The programme encourages people to improve their health, the environment, and animal welfare by swapping animal products for plant-based meals at least once a week.
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