More Farmers From Community Food Gardens Shine At Shoprite And Checkers’ Market Day
More Farmers From Community Food Gardens Shine At Shoprite And Checkers’ Market Day. More than 30 local community food gardens sold their fresh and organically grown produce directly to the public at selected Shoprite and Checkers supermarkets on Wednesday, 7 June 2023.
Launched in 2017, the retailer’s Market Day serves as an opportunity for small-scale food gardens supported by the Shoprite Group, to gain valuable retail experience and to generate some additional income.
Dudu Radebe from the Dithaka Dikopane Cooperative in Walkerville, Gauteng, said that they thoroughly enjoyed Market Day. “We were delighted to sell our fresh vegetables directly to the public at the Checkers Southgate supermarket. The response from the community was fantastic, everyone was excited to sample our produce and we cannot wait for more such opportunities.”
“As small farmers we struggle to find markets, but the large customer footprint at Shoprite and Checkers enables us to sell to more customer.” Mpho Mutaung from the Carroll Shaw Memorial Centre in Randfontein. “This was our first Market Day and a valuable experience,” added Victor Zanbuko from Our Garden in Brackenfell, Cape Town.
The Shoprite Group is committed to ensuring food security and currently supports more than 200 community food gardens and over 3 500 home gardens, which impacts almost 55 000 beneficiaries. In the past year, more than 2 700 community members were trained in sustainable food gardening and the gardens collectively produced a harvest of more than 31 500 kg, providing almost 100 000 meals.
The food gardens in provinces such as Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo and Eastern Cape participated in the Shoprite and Checkers Market Day by selling beans, beetroot, cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes and more.
