Shoprite Community Garden Competition Highlights Local Food Security Initiatives Across South Africa

The competition, launched in October 2025, received nearly 600 entries from community gardens across South Africa.

“The strong response to the competition showed just how much dedicated work is happening in communities across South Africa,” says Sanjeev Raghubir, chief sustainability officer at the Shoprite Group.

Following a multi-stage judging process, six gardens were selected based on their food production, management and impact in their communities.

“The winning project stood out for its strong representation of women in leadership and decision-making roles, supported by meaningful participation from youth and women across the wider team. All six are recognised for their consistent food production, strong management and measurable impact on their communities,” adds Raghubir.

“They demonstrate the diversity of food-growing efforts – from rural villages and townships to schools and next-generation led projects – and it is anticipated that this prize-winning support will help them take their work to the next level.”

Winning gardens across South Africa

First place: ACFS Khunadi Food Garden – Mogoto Village, Limpopo

The garden supplies fresh vegetables to local feeding programmes while providing small-scale farming training to women and young people. Around 50 people benefit directly from the project each month.

“Winning first place in the Shoprite Act For Change Food Garden Competition is a huge encouragement for our team,” says Bertha Magoge from ACFS Khunadi Food Garden. “This support will help us strengthen our garden, continue providing fresh vegetables to our community and expand the skills and opportunities we can share with women and young people in Mogoto Village.”

Second place: Ngxanga School Garden – Libode, Eastern Cape

The school garden combines food production with hands-on learning. Students grow vegetables such as tomatoes and spinach while gaining knowledge about agriculture and food systems. The initiative supports 243 learners and five households each month through agroecology training, affordable seedlings and food donations.

Third place: P Agricultural Group – Soweto, Gauteng

Established in Tladi in 2018, the project has grown from an informal initiative into a structured food production space. It hosts farmers’ markets and agricultural training and distributes vegetables to more than 150 families each year during the festive season.

Fourth place: Hope Park Children’s Health Campus Garden – Krugersdorp, Gauteng

The garden, established in 2018 in Munsieville, supplies fresh vegetables to more than 350 learners from four nearby schools and supports 27 households each month. The project uses organic and water-wise growing methods and encourages families to start their own food gardens.

Fifth place: Food Security Project – Gonubie, Eastern Cape

The initiative supports 162 women who manage individual garden plots. Participants receive seedlings, tools and training in organic farming, water conservation and recycling. Harvested produce feeds participants while surplus crops are sold to generate income.

Sixth place: Plenty Green Africa – Tsakane, Gauteng

This youth-led initiative supports about 20 households by transforming underused urban spaces into productive gardens. Participants harvest crops they grow themselves while developing agricultural skills.

Support for food-growing initiatives

The six winning gardens will receive tailored support valued at R1m. Funding will be allocated according to placement, with first place receiving R225,000, second place R200 000 and third place R170,000. Fourth, fifth and sixth place recipients will receive R150,000, R130,000 and R120, 000, respectively.

"These resources are intended to help the gardens take their projects to the next level and make an even greater impact in their communities," says Raghubir.

Support may include equipment, infrastructure such as irrigation systems or shade netting, and training, depending on each project’s needs.

Together, the six gardens produced more than 106 000kg of fresh produce in 2025. In addition to providing food, the projects also help participants develop agricultural skills and generate income through the sale of surplus crops.

"Through the Act for Change Food Garden Project, we are reinforcing our long-term commitment to sustainable interventions that help communities thrive and we look forward to continuing to support more gardens in future competitions," concludes Raghubir.