Ward 2 Development Forum

Pigs to Plants

Properties3
descriptionA Greyton Farm Animal Sanctuary programme that helps backyard pig farmers switch to growing vegetables. Five market gardens are running in the Greyton and Genadendal valley, selling produce as The Graceful Garden.
tagseconomic/farmers-land-water, theme/environment, priority/agriculture-food-sovereignty, lang/en
aliasesThe Graceful Garden, Pigs to Plants Farm Transitions

3 min read

For the Pigs to Plants team to review

This page is waiting for the Pigs to Plants team to check it. It is published now so that they can see how it fits with the rest of the site. Until they have approved the text, it may change. Questions for them:

  1. Is this description of the programme correct? What would you like to change?
  2. How many gardens are running now, and where can people buy The Graceful Garden’s produce?
  3. How does a pig farmer apply to join the programme?
  4. Should readers reach you through the moderators, or would you like a public contact listed?

Pigs to Plants is a programme of Greyton Farm Animal Sanctuary [MS]. It offers people who keep pigs in their backyards the chance to change to growing vegetables. A farmer either hands their pigs over to the sanctuary or closes their pig business slowly. In return, the programme gives money, materials, and staff to turn the space into a market garden [MS].

The sanctuary says backyard piggeries often keep animals in poor conditions, pollute water and soil, and cause conflict with neighbours [MS]. The programme aims to replace them with gardens that grow fresh fruit and vegetables where people live [MS].

A team of gardeners recruited locally works on five gardens in the Greyton and Genadendal valley, with more planned in the valley and in other municipalities [MS]. Produce from the gardens is sold under the brand The Graceful Garden, as vegetable boxes, salad packs, preserves, spices, and sauces, to earn a better price [MS]. The programme aims to pay for itself within five years [MS].

The Olsen Animal Trust and Humane Society International fund the programme. The University of the Western Cape’s Department of Sociology will help measure its results [MS].

Needs

  • Backyard pig farmers in the valley who want to change to growing vegetables [MS]
  • Buyers for The Graceful Garden’s produce [MS]

Offers

  • Money, materials, and staff to turn a piggery into a market garden [MS]
  • Jobs for local gardeners [MS]
  • Fresh vegetables grown in the community [MS]
  • Lessons in schools on why growing vegetables is kinder to health, animals, and the environment [MS]

How to get involved

See the Pigs to Plants page on the sanctuary’s website. For anything else, contact the moderators via How to Submit.

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