Sustainable Living, from Congo to Limerick

There is something very satisfying about eating food that you have grown yourself. That’s something the young people involved in a Limerick community group are discovering for themselves, thanks to a vegetable garden project that has been under way for the past year.

On a farm at Ballyneety, outside Limerick city, Maurice, 61, and a team of volunteers are working with young people to produce fresh vegetables, with a focus on native African vegetables that are not widely available to buy locally. The young people are involved in all aspects of the process, from planting the seeds to harvesting the produce and distributing it locally.

Maurice is a native of the Congo who has lived in Limerick for more than 20 years, and the project is run by a community group called SOS Congolese Youth. With the help of Doras Luimní they secured a plot of land for their project, and received some grant funding from Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB). Maurice then applied to Good Shepherd Ireland’s No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) in May 2018 for a loan to develop the garden.

“We got an LCETB grant to buy a polytunnel and pay the rent for the land, and then to buy supplies for the garden we borrowed from NILS,” explains Maurice.

Maurice is clearly passionate about the project, which along with supporting the young people to grow fresh vegetables, offers them the opportunity to produce African foods for the local community. The vegetables currently being grown include amaranth, sorrel, morrell, aubergine, African spinach, African kale, Congolese sweet potatoes, and African tomatoes.

“We have volunteers who teach the young people how to grow the tropical vegetables in the polytunnel, and show them how to deal with the Irish soil and Irish weather. The young people grow the vegetables from beginning to harvest. They plant the seeds, water them, and look after the plants until they come to harvest,” says Maurice.

Securing the loan under NILS was instrumental in getting the project off the ground, and Maurice says the application process was very straightforward: “It can be difficult to get a loan from a credit union or bank. I heard about NILS through Doras, I saw a note on the noticeboard there. I called them, they came to meet me at Doras, I filled out the form, and got the loan in one week. The money went straight to Homebase and B&Q to buy the supplies,” he says.

“We paid back €10 every week – it is a small amount to pay each week, and there is no interest to pay. It’s a very good system; the staff are so helpful and there is no stress.”

Maurice and the team are continually working to develop the scope of the project. Their future plans include the introduction of rabbits at the farm to generate manure, the addition of a second polytunnel, and purchasing a van to help distribute the produce. They are also looking into selling the vegetables at local markets.

More than 30 young people aged 16-25 are now involved in the project, and Maurice feels it offers them the opportunity to be part of something positive and healthy.

“Young people sometimes feel they have nothing to do. It is a good experience for them to be able to grow their own food, in their own garden, instead of buying vegetables in a big supermarket. This food is organic and healthy and different to what young people normally eat. The experience is also very good for their mental health.”