Soil for Life Introduction

Soil for Life, started in 2003 by Pat Featherstone, works with communities in the Western Cape, mainly in the Cape Flats. This is a challenging environment with very poor soil [often no more than sea sand] roaring winds and generally unsettled weather conditions.

All of the communities in which Soil for Life works are characterised by high levels of unemployment and poverty and have little or no formal infrastructure including basic services such as sanitation and electricity.

Soil for Life assists these communities to overcome poverty, hunger and unemployment through environmentally sound agricultural development. Their mission is to ”‘educate and train people in organic food gardening using water-wise, low-cost, environmentally-friendly technologies in order to grow a lot of food in small spaces”.

They operate from huts on ground lent to them by a school in Cape Town. There they have created a wonderful garden in which they experiment with ways of growing organically, run training courses, and sell produce to raise funds.

Bare minimum: the Cape Flats

Thatu and Soil for Life

UK Registered Charity No. 1108655