Shoprite Foundation backs hands-on agriculture training at Soshanguve school
Shoprite Foundation backs hands-on agriculture training at Soshanguve school. Grade 9 learners at Soshanguve Engineering School of Specialisation will gain practical agricultural experience through two new horticultural tunnels and a borehole supported by the Shoprite Foundation.
The infrastructure was officially opened on 15 September 2026 and will be used for agricultural training at the school.
Forty Grade 9 learners will receive practical training covering soil science, crop rotation, compost production, irrigation, and pest and weed control.
The project follows the Shoprite Foundation’s first horticultural tunnel initiative at Oosrand Commerce and Entrepreneurship School of Specialisation. Over the past two years, approximately 5,000 units of produce have been harvested at Oosrand for the school’s feeding scheme and sale to the surrounding community. More than 1,700 learners have also received agricultural training.
Maude Modise, director of the Shoprite Foundation, said the project would give learners an opportunity to gain practical agricultural skills alongside theoretical training.
MarketPlace Academy, the Foundation’s implementation partner, is training educators as facilitators and supporting the addition of an accredited plant production part-qualification to the CAPS curriculum.
Chantyl Mulder, CEO of MarketPlace Academy, said the practical facilities would allow learners to complete the work required for the accredited qualification and potentially leave school with both matric and a recognised qualification.
The hands-on approach is also reflected in other activities at Soshanguve Engineering School of Specialisation. Learners previously designed and built Modjadji, a solar-powered train that won the Engineering category at the Gauteng Schools of Specialisation Festival.
School principal Tladi Mashiane said the tunnels could help learners understand how agriculture can contribute to food security and provide knowledge that can be used at home, in further studies or to earn an income.
The school plans to use produce from the tunnels to supplement its feeding scheme, while surplus produce may be sold to the surrounding community, with income invested back into the school.
The Shoprite Foundation’s other school-based initiatives include its AI, Coding and Robotics Programme, which has reached more than 8,800 learners through seven labs in five provinces.
