SA Harvest has completed three greenhouses in Cape Town, Gqeberha, and rural Eastern Cape as part of its strategy to strengthen local food systems and improve community resilience. The facilities use Fresh Life Produce's African Grower vertical hybrid-hydroponic system, allowing communities to grow vegetables on limited land. Each greenhouse is co-located with an Early Childhood Development (ECD) center to integrate nutrition and education into local food programs.
The first greenhouse at Tehillah Community Collaborative in Elsie's River has been used to track nutritional outcomes and support local engagement. Ozzy Nel, COO of SA Harvest, said the project provides a model for linking food production with early education.
The Missionvale Care Centre greenhouse delivers fresh vegetables to patients while providing training in vertical farming to local youth. Linda van Oudheusden of Missionvale Care Centre noted that the project supports both nutrition and skills development.
The third greenhouse at iThemba Kuluntu includes solar and water systems to support operations in a remote area. More than 40 women have been trained as early childhood practitioners. The site will serve as SA Harvest's feeding partner in the region. The greenhouses complement SA Harvest's broader work distributing surplus food through a network of community partners. Since 2019, the organization has distributed over 94 million meals and prevented more than 38,000 tons of CO₂e emissions.
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