Looking at Sustainable Development Goal #2: Zero Hunger

“Freedom is meaningless if people cannot put food in their stomachs, if they can have no shelter, if illiteracy and disease continue to dog them.”

Nelson Mandela

There are many sides to the mission of “zero hunger” and it certainly is a goal that seems hard to reach when looking at countries such as South Africa, where there is extensive poverty and unemployment. Each of us can do our bit, for our communities and our greater sphere.

It might start in the kitchen but the ways of combating hunger extend much further. By creating more opportunities for our local community, for example through our JabuLadies entrepreneurship programme and employing local staff to join the team and grow with us, we can enable greater economic development and abundance to enable issues like poverty and hunger to be combated sustainably.

Find out the other ways Jabulani is addressing sustainable food management below!

What We’re Doing at Jabulani…

In The Kitchen

Kitchen recycling and waste distribution are top of our priorities. We source local produce as much as possible, especially as we are in the hub of many fruitful farms. Using local produce ensures fresh produce that lasts longer, reducing food waste, and also reducing the carbon footprint, while supporting local producers and feeding revenue back into the local economy and community 

We try to keep our food waste to a minimum by also using all our offcuts of vegetables, bones and herbs for stocks and sauces. We don’t offer buffets and focus rather on individual portions to prevent wastage.

We keep the remaining food leftovers one side and the team from HERD (Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development) collect it and use it for compost – utilising the wormery, Bokashi bins and elephant dung. This compost is used in our reserve and also for the bana grass plantation that is grown to provide a sustainable and nearby food source for the elephants in HERD’s care.

We invested in an aquaponics food garden with HERD, alongside the orphanage, to grow fresh herbs and vegetables that can be used in the Jabulani kitchen and for staff meals. Our innovative aquaponics system allows us to grow fresh produce most commonly used in our Jabulani kitchen; giving us more control on the quality and source of the ingredients available to our Jabulani chefs. Find out more here >

We aim to also start using this composting practice in the local Mpisi School we work with through HERD, to incorporate it into the schools’ gardens and help them grow fruits and vegetables for home use.

Jabulani Owner, Adine often gives elephant dung with local farmers to help grow their crops, and in exchange they give us some of the best local produce like berries, oranges and butternuts.

In the Community

We work with HERD Trust to support the local Mpisi School, through a nutrition programme, donating Nkosi bars that are given to the Grade R class three times a week to supplement their food intake, since many school children in the area come from impoverished homes and sometimes the only meal they may have in a day will come from school. With HERD, we are also working on a food garden at the school, to teach the students to grow their own food easily, to supplement their meals with nutritious produce that provides essential vitamins and minerals.