From the Ground up: Diminishing Food Security Issues through Sustainable Soil Practices.

Cape Town, located in the Western Cape of South Africa, consists of several different classifications of soils throughout the city, but the majority of low-income areas, known as townships, consist of very sandy soils. Challenges arise when trying to plant different crops due to the lack of moisture and nutrients in the soil. These challenges hinder the nutrition and overall health of people living in these communities. Soil For Life, a non-governmental organization based in Constantia, Cape Town, teaches people living in townships how to sustainably garden with the soils in their homes. Several different approaches are used, such as trenching, ecocircles, and sheet mulching. To understand the impacts of these methods, soil analyses were performed in May and June 2014 to compare the original soils, found in townships, to the enhanced soils, developed through techniques taught by trainers from Soil For Life. Infiltration rates, pH, and multiple nutrient levels were analyzed for several areas, including Soil For Life headquarters and multiple townships. Overall soil quality of townships was shown to improve after using techniques taught by NGO Soil For Life. This creates the opportunity for sustainable gardening and further decreases food security issues. A map representing all areas where Soil For Life works as well as two educational soil guides were created for use online, in workshops, and in home garden training sessions.