GardenAfrica Tool Kit

About GardenAfrica

GardenAfrica's Vision, Mission & Culture

The GardenAfrica Vision, Mission and Culture drives us in everything we do and helps define who we are as an organisation.

GardenAfrica's Vision

GardenAfrica envisages a world without poverty and injustice, in which everyone enjoys the right to a dignified life, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

GardenAfrica's Mission

GardenAfrica's mission is to enhance the relationship between communities and their environment, ensuring that all are left with a sustainable horticultural and botanical legacy with which to improve health, productivity and quality of life.

GardenAfrica's Culture

GardenAfrica recognises that issues relating to poverty and underdevelopment are complex and dynamic, requiring an inter-disciplinary approach to locating positive and sustainable solutions.

GardenAfrica believes that rapidly changing climate is already compounding acute resource insecurity, and will profoundly affect the ability of communities to locate and sustain responses in the battle to alleviate poverty and disease.

GardenAfrica engages principals of agro-ecology; using ecological principles to manage resources in ways that are sustainable and culturally appropriate for small scale agriculture and localised economic growth.

GardenAfrica's Approach

GardenAfrica forges powerful thematic links between dislocated sectors to pilot innovative solutions.

Health - promoting sustainable health management (nutrition and medicinal plants).
Education - enlivening educational landscapes (living classrooms and nutrition).
Conservation - linking biological and cultural diversity (for livelihood opportunities).

GardenAfrica views gardens as an inclusive forum for community exchange of both:

Knowledge - respecting and enhancing indigenous knowledge systems.
Ideas - acknowledging that communities play a vital role in how they understand issues around their own development, and motivating for change.

GardenAfrica's goals are achieved by:

Collaborating with partner organisations to identify appropriate and sustainable solutions - creating an enabling environment which adds value to their existing strengths.
Linking partners with diverse expertise to deliver an integrated approach to training and livelihood development.
Pioneering - conceptualising and piloting new and exciting models to promote positive, lasting change.
Research & Dissemination - to enhance delivery partnerships and advance debate.
Advocacy - engaging at local, national and international levels to promote policies aimed at improving food sovereignty, combating climate change and its effects, increasing access to and control over resources and technology, and reducing pressure on global commons.
Fundraising - raising money to make GardenAfrica projects happen.