Getting Back to the Source: Hirsch Lyons' Visit to Siyakhana

When I was at school I knew very little about agriculture. Veggies were bought at the supermarket, flowers were purchased from a florist and fruit was found at our local greengrocer’s. Not a thought was spared as to where this produce was grown, how it was grown and the processes involved that enabled it to arrive at these vendors. 

Which is why encouraging school excursions to Siyakhana is so crucial: kids not only see the source of fresh produce, but they discover through hands-on experience what it’s like to nurture the land and care for it through an integrated Permaculture approach. In fact, it’s precisely this method of agriculture that makes a school excursion so worthwhile.

On Monday 28th November, Siyakhana hosted 30 Grade 4 children from Hirsch Lyons School – a Jewish school based in Orange Grove. The children were at the garden for approximately 1.5 hours and in that time, they learned all about the garden, they listened to a few Jewish ideas, and they participated in a garden activity.

When the kids arrived, Hlangi - Siyakhana’s Community Engagement Officer - took the children on a tour around the garden, explaining both Permaculture techniques and educating them about the purpose of the garden. They learnt about intercropping, companion planting, pest management, seedling propagation and greywater harvesting.

More importantly, they learned about how Siyakhana embraces the Permaculture ethic of ‘Fair Share’ by distributing garden produce to local ECDC’s.

In our world of over-consumption, this is such an important lesson for kids to learn: that when there is abundance, we must share what we can’t use.

This idea is echoed in the Jewish commandment of tithing the land. Marrying this idea with the ethics and principles of Permaculture was the catalyst for Nikki’s talk, which linked Judaism with nature. This in turn became a productive and interactive discussion about waste management and man’s impact on our environment.

Patrick – a Siyakhana gardener - led the children in a weeding activity, showing them which weeds to pull out and explaining how the weeds would be recycled in the garden. The children really enjoyed this part of the programme as they felt that they were actively contributing to an important component of garden maintenance.

If one had to ask the kids or their supervisors whether the visit was successful, they would undoubtedly answer in the affirmative. However, one has to ask what it is that makes such a visit successful: Is it the amount of practical knowledge that the kids have (hopefully) gleaned? Is it because they had such fun literally getting their hands dirty? Or, is it because when one encounters the ‘source’ the inspiration to create is infinite?

Ultimately, if these kids can take this knowledge and inspire others in their community to get back to the source and create their own Permaculture food gardens – regardless of how small - we’d be one step closer to saving our precious earth.