Johannesburg. June 2026. More than 750 schools across South Africa will be supported in improving food security and nutrition amongst learners and their surrounding communities throughthe establishment of food garden or fruit trees.

For more than 30 years, EduPlant, South Africa’s largest school greening programme, founded by NPO Food & Trees for Africa and supported by Tiger Brands, has supported at least 13,000 schools create food gardens that supplement learner meals provided through the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP).

“Food security and good nutrition are fundamental to thriving communities. By investing in programmes that build practical skills, encourage sustainable food production and promote healthy eating, we are helping communities strengthen theirlong-term resilience and reduce vulnerability to food insecurity. We believe empowering people to sustainably nourish themselves is one of the most meaningful ways we can contribute to improving lives,” says Maanda Milubi, Director Enterprise Supplier Developmentand Transformation, Tiger Brands.

Of the more than 750 schools onboarded in the latest cycle of EduPlant, 252 schools across nine provinces will integrate the establishment of fully fledged food gardens, into the national curriculum through practical and theoretical learning.The remaining 500 schools will be supported practically to plant and care for fruit and indigenous trees, maximising the number of learners to benefit from EduPlant.

Over the next 18 months, schools participate in SACE-accredited workshops covering permaculture principles, garden design and food production, soil and water management, climate-smart agriculture,companion planting and integrated pest management, plant nursery and seed bank development, agro-processing, and health and nutrition, including the culinary and medicinal value of herbs.

From schools to home and community gardens

Knowledge gained by learners during the programme is extended to family households and surrounding communities where food gardens are established, ensuring far reaching and sustainable food security.

Research by Food & Trees for Africa shows that EduPlant school gardens continue to thrive long after the programme’s intervention, while more than 60% of learners apply and share what they have learned in their homes and communities, extendingthe programme’s impact far beyond the school grounds.

“What makes EduPlant powerful is that it is not just about greening, it’s a blueprint for community empowerment. We see learners go home and start gardens. We see parents learning from their children. We see communities that were entirely dependent on buying food begin to supplement thatwhat they grow themselves. The 2026/27 cycle is designed to multiply that effect deliberately. After more than three decades of implementing this programme,” says Tugh.

National EduPlant Competition

A national competition selects the best performing food gardens following the programme cycle.

“The best-performing schools are awarded for their commitment to implementing the permaculture practicesthat were facilitated during the training, which is evidenced by thriving food production and the understanding exhibited by the learners,” says Bharathi Tugh, Food and Trees for Africa’s Education Associate and EduPlant Programme Manager.