Stuck for Christmas ideas? Well-loved agricultural firm Laeveld Agrochem has challenged South Africans to order a seed pack that can produce up to 150kg of vegetables. The best part is that it will only set you back R259.
’Tis the season to give the gift that keeps on giving, after all. Through the Food for Good Challenge, Laeveld Agrochem hopes to inspire people from across the country to start their own home gardens with fresh vegetables.
“Give someone vegetables, and you give them food for a day. Empower a person to grow their own vegetables and you feed them and their loved ones for a lifetime,” explains Kobus Hurter, the founder and primary driving force behind AgricultSURE.
A single AgricultSURE vegetable seed pack can feed a family of six for up to six weeks, says Hurter. Each pack consists of seeds for eight types of vegetables, an illustrated instruction manual, fertiliser and soil improvement, and integrated pest control products, as well as tools to measure plant spacing.
Vegetables worth R2 000 for less than R300
While only summer vegetable packs are currently available, winter suits will be ready for order in the new year.
“For less than R300, you get vegetables worth around R2 000 as well as all the inputs needed to create a top quality garden,” adds Hurter. “And all that is needed to get this garden up and running is a 15 square metre space. The seed packs can help many needy people to become self-sufficient. Over time, they may even become small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs.
“The aim of the Food for Good Challenge is to help families grow their own vegetables and feed themselves for ‘good’ and for good; to give them something that will benefit them in the long run. We challenge companies to participate, because their involvement can have a long-lasting positive impact in the areas where their workers live,” says Hurter.
Laeveld Agrochem specialises in crop optimisation and precision farming. The company’s marketing director Corné Liebenberg adds: “The Bible commands us to be good stewards. Therefore, rather than donating only money or food, both of which are quickly depleted, we call on people to be good stewards of their money by donating something that grows and is sustainable.
“It will also bring hope and dignity to people who cannot simply run to the store every time they need food. Best of all, it is not just about the food. Valuable skills and lessons are learned through planting and tending a vegetable garden.”
Furthermore, Liebenberg also believes that helping more people get back on their feet can lead to the creation of a stable environment and fewer people who are dependent on the government or other external sources for help.
“In such an atmosphere, businesses can flourish, and this is exactly why we challenge other businesses to get involved in building up our country through agriculture.”
Click here to order seed packs online.
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