Food security is an important element in poverty alleviation. Through the Nestlé Community Nutrition Programme (NCNP), Nestlé strives to build capacity for women to produce their own food through vegetable gardens. The NCNP, launched in 1993, was a direct response to the challenge of hunger in South Africa. This programme honours the contribution of women who work towards improving the nutritional status of their communities by establishing or running basic food, nutrition or agricultural projects. This initiative aims to inculcate a culture of gardening as a means to reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition by:
- addressing issues of food security and malnutrition,
- encouraging self-reliance through food gardens,
- positioning food gardening as a means to earn an income,
- emphasizing the importance of proper nutrition and healthy eating habits.
Each year projects or members of the community nominate a woman who they believe has contributed in the feeding of her community. The short-listed candidates are judged on the basis of their project leader’s personal commitment, the significance of their initiatives to the needs of the community, the impact of the initiative on food security and the sustainability of the projects.
The NCNP symbolises an ideal partnership model with a multi-stakeholder approach to addressing development challenges. Organisations such as Soroptomists International, Food Gardens Foundation and more recently, the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Government Communication Information System (GCIS), have all partnered with Nestlé in this initiative of good nutrition and community building.
For 2009, we added a schools category. Many schools in South Africa run their own food gardens in their premises, which are maintained by teachers and students alike. The produce serves to feed the school community, while part of it is sold to neighbouring communities.