The world has been turned on its head since 2020. With the nationwide lockdown closing transport networks and many informal grocery stores, many citizens have decided to grow their own food. Millions of South Africans found themselves temporarily or permanently unemployed when the lockdown was announced. Gardening has offered a safe haven for many citizens; keeping people busy and allowing them to grow their own food at home.
The global pandemic has highlighted the ways in which society is vulnerable to these sorts of events. It has shown people the value of the agricultural system, supply chains, retail networks and logistics. Food is an absolute necessity and must be able to withstand these once-in-a-lifetime events.
IWESCO offers gardening services to private residences, communal housing developments and corporations. We do not offer landscaping services, but we can conduct regular maintenance of gardens to ensure that plants are pruned, lawns are mowed and vegetable gardens thrive. These services can be carried out on a daily, weekly or monthly basis - the timeframe is negotiable with the client.
Home gardening has many benefits
Growing food at home is one way to improve food security for affected families. The idea of home agriculture and gardening has multiple benefits beyond providing a sustainable source of nourishment. It also keeps unemployed citizens busy, which is beneficial for their mental health and physical well-being.
Gardening is an escape for many people. It allows them to stay busy at home and have something to nurture for a long time. During the lockdown, it is important to stay active and keep the mind preoccupied. Gardening is a great way to destress, clear the mind and reap life-sustaining rewards at the end.
A good garden needs to be well-maintained and looked after. Fruit trees need pruning and vegetable gardens need nourishment. This can be time-consuming, which is fine for many people in lockdown, but for those who have gone back to work - IWESCO can offer some assistance with garden maintenance and care. Allow us to keep your home food source healthy and alive.
Pollinators are vital for food production
Gardening can also help local ecosystems to thrive and ensure that bee populations have a source of food. Pollinators - bees and butterflies - are a vital part of the success of gardens. Most of our food crops rely on insect pollination, including those plants and vegetables grown at home.
Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins and most fruit trees need bees and butterflies to pollinate the flowers and keep our gardens alive. They are an important part of the ecosystem and are a natural, often invisible, way to ensure the success of gardens and crops. Without bees, citizens would need to rely on expensive mechanical solutions for pollination. The future of food production and homegrown crops relies heavily on nature.
Resilience in the wake of lockdown
Gardening has made many South African families more resilient during the global pandemic. It has been a reliable source of food for those families that cannot travel to the shops on a regular basis. Growing food at home also means that many families do not have to risk exposure to the virus by leaving their house and travelling to public stores.
Gardens have offered relief to many unemployed citizens. Food can still reach the table with little-to-no source of income. This has always been the case in times of hardship; wars, depressions, famine and catastrophic events have all been survived largely thanks to household gardens and homegrown crops. It provides an opportunity to increase resilience and improve the mental state amid a global crisis.
For garden maintenance and home crop assistance, please contact us today to set up a virtual meeting or to get a quote. IWESCO can be on-site within a number of days to ensure that your vegetable garden thrives and that your garden is in optimal condition. Our gardening services can be tailored to your needs.
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IWESCO offers specialised cleaning and waste control services to industrial and commercial customers in South Africa. These services are aimed at minimising our customers’ impact on the environment. Our services also include pest control, garden maintenance, fogging and disinfecting. Our staff are highly trained to offer the most professional services. IWESCO is a Level 2 B-BBEE supplier with ISO 14001 certification for environmental management.
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We are a one-stop shop for all your contract cleaning and waste control needs and have a national footprint. Our head office is located in Tshwane but we can provide services to any industrial and commercial client in the major metropolitan areas around South Africa, including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Mbombela and more.
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