The garden of Malanti is part of the “Garden of Skills” innovative project initiated by Designing Hope in 2020 which consists in associating on the same site an agroforestry garden, in the middle of which has been set up an activity and training centre in the fields of agroecology, agroforestry, craftsmanship, and micro-project management.
A garden located 20km from the town of Piggs Peak
Designing Hope has been established in Piggs Peak since 2005, where it has forged important links with the regional hospital and the support group for HIV-positive and vulnerable women, which has been structured as an NGO since 2012, as Fundzisa Live.
After having managed several community gardens in urban and peri-urban areas in 3 neighborhoods of the city, the Garden of Skills marks a turning point for the two NGOs, who are moving their activities 20 km from the city center, to Malanti, a rural community located along the busy main road that connects Piggs Peak to Mbabane. Since most of the women do not live in Piggs Peak itself, it is very easy for them to travel to Malanti, which is very well served by minibuses and shared cabs.
Recognized for their work in nearby schools, Designing Hope and Fundzisa Live were offered this land to set up a training and demonstration center for agroecological techniques. The outlets directly benefit the community of Malanti.
A land transformed into a fertile and productive “Forest Garden”
The Forest garden is a principle developed in agroforestry, consisting in associating trees, chosen for their ability to fertilize the soil, with market garden crops. The tree species are varied, chosen for the production of wood, the production of nutritious leaves for humans (Moringa), usable as forage, for fruit production, but also for their ability to fertilize the soil, reduce evaporation and allow market gardening in an optimized setting.
The land is ideal to serve as an example, as it resembles the reality of land on which rural and disadvantaged people in Eswatini live: a mountainside site, with some outcrops of rock. Any challenge met on this site can therefore easily be duplicated on small family plots in the Hlohlo region.
A useful garden for the community
A 300 m2 greenhouse has been set up to develop a seedling production activity, and reproducible seeds, in particular for the gardens of the association’s partner schools located on the outskirts of Piggs Peak.
The vegetable production will also feed the baskets distributed to patients at Piggs Peak Hospital.
A project supported by Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche,
with the additional fundings of Raja Foundation (Raja Awards 2020) and The Ivory Foundation