Enriching the growing beds in the Roosboom Halfway House vegetable garden.

Before planting the seedlings produced in the nursery, the women in charge of the Roosboom Halfway House vegetable garden take care to enrich the soil to ensure good growth for the future plants. Fisani, who is in charge of the vegetable garden, prepares a mixture of compost, manure and biochar, a natural input produced in Bulembu, Eswatini, with the support of The Ivory Foundation. Biochar plays a key role: it captures water and nutrients and gradually releases them to the plants, thus improving soil fertility in the long term. In order to conserve resources, this mixture is incorporated directly into the soil when the plants are planted. This deep enrichment, to a depth of about 20 cm, supports the crops throughout their growth until maturity.