Chronicle Editor
Flora Fadzai Sibanda, [email protected]
FOR Mr Edward Gadlula (93), who has been staying at an old people’s home for the past few years, learning how to use a vegetable grow bag has helped rekindle his passion for farming.
Grow bags are a popular alternative to in-ground gardening. They are lightweight, which makes them a perfect choice for balcony and terrace gardening.
They can be easily carried around as they don’t require much strength to move them. They are usually made of thick, breathable fabric, which allows air to reach plants more efficiently.
The bags are usually rectangular and come in a wide array of heights and widths, making them much more versatile than hard plastic containers. Grow bags are filled with nutritious soil.
Mr Gadlula said due to old age coupled with staying in a home, moving around in a garden has become almost impossible.
He said he has been preparing his bed by mixing his soil with manure. After mixing the soil, he filled his bags with the help of an Agritex officer who had volunteered to help them as part of the SPA Community Trust initiative.
The organisation provides inclusive support to the elderly who are aged over 65 and living with non-communicable diseases. It empowers the elderly with food security issues and the sustainability of locally available resources.
Mr Gadlula said: “I usually go to SPA Community Trust every week just to spend some time away from home. So, when they introduced this concept to me, I was actually very happy because, not only did it give me a new hobby, but I now rekindled my love for agriculture.”
Mr Gadlula said he has managed to grow spinach, chomolia, and other vegetables in his two vegetable grow bags.
“Soon, I will start eating relish which has nutritional value and that is one of the greatest benefits for people like us. I was doubtful that the crops would grow into something big and healthy given that this is different from the traditional way of planting,” he said.
Mr Gadlula said he waters his plants using a five-litre bottle, something that he can even do while sitting on his chair.
“Because my crops are now very healthy and there are signs that they will not fail anytime soon, I am thinking of asking nurses at our home to allow me to take them to my room,” he said.
Mr Gadlula is one of the more than 500 elderly people in Bulawayo who are the beneficiaries of an empowerment programme funded by SPA Community Trust in partnership with some local companies.
They are undergoing training on how to use grow bags despite the health challenges they are facing.
Another elderly person who has benefited from the programme, Gogo Sylvia Ncube of Mzilikazi suburb said growing cops using grow bags is a fun-filled hobby that keeps her busy and mentally healthy.
“The food is also very nutritious because when watering some of the soil is not washed away and neither does it hold water for a long time because of the structure of the bag that we use,” she said.
SPA Community Trust managing director, Mrs Limukani Mathe said the programme is meant to help improve the diet of the elderly.
She said they decided to teach the elderly how to use grow bags after realising that most of them spent the whole day doing nothing.
“We felt this would help keep them active so that they do not attract more diseases by sitting idly. This concept only requires them to water the vegetables twice a week and that is good because it means the elderly will not get tired at the end of the day,” said Mrs Mathe.
“We are happy to be doing this with our elderly team because it makes us proud when they are able to do things they enjoyed doing when they were still young. Besides being a good hobby, it will also improve their diet and help promote their emotional and mental health.”– @flora_sibanda
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