By Buziwe Nocuze
- Faniswa Bida sells vegetables from her Mthatha garden and gives free produce to elderly people who may struggle to grow their own food.
- The 61-year-old teaches young people to grow vegetables so they can save money, earn an income and become financially independent.
Faniswa Bida has turned her love of gardening into a way to feed her community, make money and help others become more independent.
The 61-year-old from Mthatha in the Eastern Cape has been growing potatoes, beetroot, spinach and cabbage since 2018.
But gardening is nothing new for her.
“I’ve always grown vegetables, even when I was younger, because I believe that growing your own vegetables is much healthier than buying them at the shops. Eating what you grow in your garden is good,” said Bida.
She sells some of her vegetables to people in the community and gives vegetables to elderly residents for free.
A cabbage costs R20, while a bunch of spinach or beetroot costs R15.
Bida said growing her own food helps her save some of her pension while also bringing in extra money.
She gets seedlings from farmers and encourages them to donate seedlings to people who want to start their own gardens.
Bida also teaches young people how to grow vegetables.
She wants them to see gardening as a possible way to make money and become financially independent.
“I teach young people how to grow vegetables, and I also ask farmers to donate seedlings to them,” she said.
Her efforts are already inspiring people.
John Mangqwambi, 79, received free vegetables from Bida before deciding to start his own garden.
“I am one of the people who got free vegetables from Bida. At first, we thought she would ask for money later,” said John.
He said Bida’s work does not only motivate young people. It also encouraged him to start growing vegetables at home.
Nwabisa Gule, a 40-year-old mother of two, also plans to start planting vegetables in her backyard.
She had worried that she did not have enough space.
But Bida told her that a large garden was not necessary.
“I will be cleaning the backyard so that I can start planting,” said Nwabisa.
She hopes growing food will help her family save money as prices rise.
For Bida, gardening is about more than food and money.
It also brings her peace.
“Being in the garden is so therapeutic, it gives me peace of mind,” she said.
She is especially pleased that young people and single mothers are starting their own gardens.
Pictured above: Faniswa Bida from Mthatha, who started growing vegetables in 2018.
Image credit: Supplied
