Climate Action South Africa Project #50307

Cultivating a Greener Future Together

by SEED

Project Report | Sep 26, 2026
From Local Roots to New Horizons

By Caron Tomblin | Fundraising Manager

Dear GlobalGiving Supporters

The past few months have felt like a season of connection at SEED. The everyday work continues, with food growing, training, school programs and community projects happening across our site and beyond. At the same time, new people and organizations are finding their way to SEED, and some exciting relationships are beginning to grow.

From working with hundreds of volunteers at schools in Cape Town to welcoming international teachers and interns, meeting with government representatives and now having SEED represented at a global community tourism gathering in Cambodia, it has been wonderful to see how work rooted in Mitchells Plain can connect with a much wider world.

Growing beyond our own garden

In July, SEED partnered with For Good for a special gardening event with 200 Sanlam employees at two primary schools in Cape Town.

Together, we filled and donated 100 planter boxes with vegetable seedlings for the schools’ feeding programs. It was a big day and a practical example of what can happen when businesses, nonprofits and schools work together around food security and community led food systems.

For Mandela Day, we worked closer to home with a community led project in Mitchells Plain that was started by a local resident five years ago in response to illegal dumping and littering in a shared public space.

SEED donated indigenous plants and compost from our nursery, and our team spent the morning working alongside community members to clean and beautify the area. We particularly value opportunities like this because they allow us to support people who are already working hard to create change in their own neighborhoods.

Opening our doors

Our SEED site has also been a busy place.

Through our growing relationship with G Adventures, we hosted 60 teachers from the United States who were completing a yearlong fellowship through the NEA Foundation. They joined us for a tour, workshop and lunch, and we had the opportunity to share more about environmental education and experiential learning in the context of Mitchells Plain.

We have continued welcoming visitors through G Adventures and Uthando too. These visits are about much more than simply seeing the gardens. Guests meet our team, learn about our approach to permaculture, food growing and environmental education, and experience SEED as a working community space.

This part of our work is becoming increasingly important. It creates opportunities for genuine exchange, helps generate income for SEED and allows the knowledge and experience built here over many years to reach people from very different parts of the world.

Learning across borders

We have also continued to host international interns who become part of everyday life at SEED.

This winter, an engineering student from the Technical University of Munich joined our Garden Team. Alongside getting his hands dirty in the gardens and taking part in SEED’s training, he brought his own interest in fermentation and microbiomes into the mix.

We have since welcomed another international intern from the United States.

We enjoy the exchange that comes with these placements. Interns arrive with their own areas of study and experience, while SEED offers a very different kind of classroom where permaculture, biodiversity, organic food production and community based environmental work are happening in practice every day.

Practical skills that people can use

Training has remained central to our work throughout this period.

Our Organic Gardening Course focuses on practical, affordable ways of growing food at home and in school and community gardens. Participants learn about soil health, seasonal planting, water wise growing and low input techniques that can be applied with the resources they have available.

Our Household Resilience Training takes a broader approach, drawing on the permaculture ethics of People Care, Earth Care and Fair Share while exploring self sufficiency, personal resilience and practical pathways into the local green economy.

As always, what matters to us is that people leave SEED with knowledge they can actually use.

Food keeps growing

Even through Cape Town’s cold and wet winter, the gardens kept producing.

Our Garden Team harvested 146 kilograms of fresh produce in June and another 113.5 kilograms in July. The food we grow supports schools and community feeding initiatives as well as activities at SEED.

Behind those numbers is a huge amount of daily work. Our team continues to experiment, learn and adapt, improving the health of our soil and finding ways to produce more good food from our urban site.

Our nursery has also been undergoing some changes. Its planned winter reopening had to be postponed because of the cold and unpredictable weather, but the team has been preparing for its return as we move into the warmer months.

New conversations and partnerships

There has been plenty happening behind the scenes too.

We recently welcomed representatives from the Department of Agriculture to SEED. It was an opportunity to show them our work firsthand and begin conversations about where there may be opportunities to work together in the future.

We are also continuing to build relationships with businesses, nonprofits and other organizations interested in food security, environmental education, youth development and meaningful community engagement.

Not every conversation becomes a project, of course, but it is encouraging to see more people coming through our gates, asking questions and looking for ways to collaborate.

From Mitchells Plain to Cambodia

One particularly special development this September has taken SEED considerably further from home.

Our Director, Logie, was invited to attend GX 2026 Cambodia, the annual global gathering hosted by G Adventures and Planeterra. GX brings together community organizations, tourism leaders, partners and changemakers from around the world to explore how tourism can create meaningful benefits for local communities. This year’s gathering includes community visits, shared learning and the World Community Tourism Summit.

For SEED, the invitation feels particularly meaningful because our own relationship with community tourism has been steadily growing. We have seen firsthand what can happen when visitors are given the opportunity to connect with real community work rather than simply pass through a place.

GX offers a chance to learn directly from community tourism initiatives in Cambodia, exchange experiences with organizations from around the world and bring new ideas and connections home to Mitchells Plain. It is also an opportunity for SEED to share what more than two decades of community based environmental work has taught us.

Looking ahead

There is a lot beginning to take shape at SEED.

Our nursery is preparing for its next chapter. Training continues. Our work with schools and communities keeps growing. New partnerships are being explored, and our gardens continue to provide the living foundation underneath so much of what we do.

Perhaps what has been most encouraging over these past few months is seeing how these different pieces connect. A vegetable seedling grown at SEED can end up in a school garden. A visitor to SEED can become a new supporter or partner. A training participant can take practical skills home. And work that began in Mitchells Plain can become part of a conversation happening on the other side of the world.

Thank you for being part of it.

Your support through GlobalGiving helps us keep growing food, sharing skills, supporting schools and communities, and creating opportunities for people to learn and grow.

Thank you for helping us sow seeds of hope.

Warm regards

The SEED Family

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May 28, 2026
Under The Same Sun

By Caron Tomblin | Fundraising Manager

Under the same sun

Dear Value GlobalGiving Supporters

A mural rooted in community

The past few months at SEED have been full of movement, creativity and growth across our programs and community spaces.

One of the most exciting changes has been the transformation of our Outdoor Classroom through a large scale mural project by local artist Ashtree, titled Under the Same Sun. The artwork brings together landscapes and landmarks from across Cape Town and the Western Cape, creating a shared visual story about connection, community and belonging.

At the center of the mural is a simple reminder that, despite our differences, we all live under the same sun, breathe the same air and share the same water. Watching the mural slowly come to life has brought new energy into the space and sparked many conversations with learners, visitors and staff alike.

Learning outdoors

Our Outdoor Classroom program continued at Rocklands and Caradale Primary Schools during this period. Every week, Grade 4 learners explored nature, planted seeds, learned about climate action and spent time connecting with the environment through hands on activities.

Earth Day in April was especially meaningful. Learners created posters and reflected on how everyday actions can help care for the planet. Moments like these continue to remind us how powerful experiential learning can be for young people.

Training and youth development

This season also brought important growth within our training and youth development programs.

In February, SEED hosted an Organic Gardening Course for community members wanting to strengthen their practical growing skills and deepen their understanding of organic food production. Participants explored composting, soil health, planting techniques and seasonal food growing in an urban context.

In March, we hosted a Facilitation Training for youth. Participants explored communication, leadership and workshop facilitation skills, helping prepare them for future opportunities as tutors and teachers’ assistants in their communities.

Our Applied Permaculture Training also returned in April, bringing together participants wanting to deepen their knowledge of regenerative growing, self sufficiency and sustainable living practices.

Growing food and growing people

Behind the scenes, our gardens have continued to thrive under the leadership of our new Garden Manager, Sihle, alongside a hardworking and dedicated garden team. Between February and April, the team harvested 346 kilograms of organic produce which supported local feeding schemes, schools and our onsite vegetarian café.

The gardens have become more productive through ongoing experimentation, planning and care, and there have been many joyful moments shared along the way, including successful banana harvests and the continued expansion of growing spaces.

We have also loved seeing young people continue to grow into long term opportunities within the organization. Earlier this year, two former SEED interns graduated with Diplomas in Agricultural Management and are now permanent members of the garden team, including Sihle, who has continued growing into an important leadership role within the gardens.

Another young team member recently joined us through a Work Integrated Learning placement and is gaining hands on experience in regenerative agriculture, organic growing methods and biodiversity focused food systems alongside their formal agricultural studies.

Community connections

In March, an enthusiastic Dutch choir visited Rocklands Primary School, sharing music and cultural exchange with learners and staff. We also welcomed children from a local educare program for a day of planting, composting and harvesting in the gardens.

Earlier in the year, we partnered on a small scale food garden project at Magnolia Primary School, helping transform unused spaces into productive growing areas using reclaimed materials and permaculture principles.

Internally, we recently gathered for our annual AGM alongside the SEED board and leadership team. It was a valuable moment to reflect on the year so far, reconnect around our shared vision and celebrate how much has already been growing across the organization.

Looking ahead

As we move further into 2026, we are feeling energized by the momentum building across our programs, partnerships and community spaces. From murals and gardens to classrooms and youth trainings, these spaces continue to grow through collaboration, creativity and care.

Thank you for walking this journey with us and for helping us continue sowing seeds of hope in our communities.

Warm regards

The SEED Team

Earth day

Banana Harvest

SEED Learner Quote

Links:

SEED Annual Report 2025

Attachments:

SEED quick stats (PDF)

5 Attachments

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Jan 29, 2026
Harvests of Hope: SEED's October to January Update

By Caron Tomblin | Fundraising Manager

Dear GlobalGiving Supporters

As we move into 2026, we’ve taken time to reflect on the past few months and the steady growth across our gardens, schools, and programmes. This has been a season of deepening our impact, improving what we do every day, and creating new opportunities for learning and connection. Here's a look at what we’ve been up to from October through January.

A growing harvest and stronger systems

Our garden team has been working hard over the last six months to improve organic growing techniques and strengthen our planning and soil health. The result is a major increase in what we are able to grow and share. Over the past year, SEED has tripled its monthly harvests. In October, we harvested 131 kilograms, and by November, that grew to 137 kilograms. These vegetables are now shared regularly with two soup kitchens and two primary schools in Mitchells Plain, making a real difference in local food access.

In October, Caradale Primary School was added to our produce donation list. They now receive a weekly organic harvest box, joining Rocklands Primary and others in benefiting directly from what we grow. We hope to expand this further in the months ahead and are also exploring small public sales to help support the sustainability of the gardens.

Connecting with educators and looking to the year ahead

In December, we hosted our end-of-year Teachers’ Workshop and Lunch, bringing together twenty-two educators from Rocklands and Caradale Primary Schools. The Outdoor Classroom team led a space for reflection on the past year, shared insights into how nature-based learning supports the curriculum, and opened a discussion about what’s possible going forward.

We ended the day with a shared vegetarian lunch and a clear vision for 2026. SEED will be supporting the launch of at least five eco-clubs in primary schools on the Cape Flats, expanding opportunities for children to engage with environmental education and community care in a consistent and hands-on way.

Growing our presence through site visits

October was a busy month for visitors. We welcomed a group of Landscape Architecture students from the University of Cape Town for a tour and a medicinal plant workshop. These kinds of visits offer a valuable exchange between formal education and grassroots environmental practice.

On 8 November, SEED hosted its first Community Seed Swap during the Summer Market at Rocklands Primary. This was an extension of our Community Seed Library project launched in September. The event invited community members to bring seeds to exchange, connect over food sovereignty practices, and learn more about local growing and sharing. It was a powerful way to bring the Seed Library to life and spark conversation about community resilience through shared resources.

In January, we hosted 37 PhD students from King’s College London for a half-day tour and lunch. The group visited the gardens, explored our indigenous medicinal plants, and enjoyed a two-course vegetarian meal cooked with ingredients harvested right here on site. These visits bring income to SEED and open up space for sharing stories of local action within a global learning context.

Launching youth internships with SEF

In January, SEED also launched a new partnership with the Social Employment Fund. Through this programme, we are hosting nine youth interns throughout 2026. These young people will participate in all four of SEED’s core trainings and gain real work experience by rotating between our garden team, facilitation team, school support and community programmes. The internship is designed to support skills development, confidence and pathways into the green economy and community development sectors. We are proud to walk alongside these interns as they begin their year with us.

New website live

At the end of November, SEED launched a newly updated website. The revamp was led by Lily, an intern from the University of North Carolina who spent three months with us supporting facilitation and workshops. Lily brought fresh eyes and thoughtful design to the website, helping us better reflect who we are and what we do.

How you can support

If you would like to continue supporting SEED’s work, we would love your support. Every contribution helps us train young people, grow more food, support schools, and strengthen community-led solutions. You can also help by sharing our GlobalGiving project page with friends or networks who care about food, learning and local resilience.

Thank you for helping us sow seeds of hope.

Warm regards
The SEED Team

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