Mandela day: focusing on food and nutrition for social development

South Africa’s greatest anti-apartheid hero, Nelson Mandela devoted he’s life to the service of
humanity. We now seek to continue he’s enormous legacy on Mandela Day (18 July 2022) by
dedicating our time towards action for social development and upliftment. The theme for Mandela day
2022 is focused on food and nutrition, specifically on the importance of community and backyard
gardens, supporting fruit and indigenous tree planting, and creating awareness of the intersections
between food security and climate change.

“We often see businesses spring into action on Mandela Day with volunteer work or a donation drive.
While Mandela Day acts as an enabling opportunity to do good work, it is important to have an
ongoing social and environmental contribution, not just once off,” says Brian Küsel, Director of BiobiN
South Africa. “Now is the time to take a look at your business to assess what areas that have the
greatest social and environmental impacts, or where you have the capacity to make the most social
and environmental contribution. For many businesses this area is their food and organic waste.”
“In South Africa, we still have a third of all edible food that is produced (10 million tonnes) goes to
waste while 6.5 million South Africans still struggle to receive an adequate source of food,” says
Küsel.

Food security remains one of the greatest social challenges. If you are considering a corporate social
responsibility project as company, BiobiN recommends putting food security on top of the list. “One of
the most sustainable ways of contributing to food security are through community food gardens,
whether it be at schools, churches, or central community spaces. Planting fruit, vegetable and herb
plants can supply an ongoing source of food and foster a sense of pride and appreciation towards the
natural environment,” says Küsel.

BiobiN South Africa works closely with the retail sector to divert food and organic waste from landfill
through the use of on-site organic composting units. Units are designed to convert large volumes of
commercial organic waste into high-grade compost. “Working with the retail sector we have seen the
successful model of many shopping centres having a composting unit to convert food and organic
waste into compost, and then donating that compost to a local community food garden and other

farming initiatives. This model works and addresses both the environmental impacts of organic waste
and the social impact of food security.”

To find out more about this innovative way to deal with your company’s food waste, visit
www.biobin.co.za

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top