Two adjacent growing systems at Manyoni: an indigenous and food-plant nursery supplying Imbewu projects, and a rainwater-linked organic market garden built for production, learning and sales.
Period
2021 — 2022
Programme
Imbewu Yoshintso · Manyoni Private Game Reserve
Location
Manyoni Private Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal
Role
Project concept, site design & implementation oversight · Imbewu Yoshintso
The brief
Design around the place.
Imbewu needed a practical route towards earned income without adding pressure to the reserve’s constrained water system. The design also had to protect crops from wildlife and heat, serve lodge and staff markets, and create meaningful work and learning opportunities around the reserve.
People and programme.
Mandate
Rory Clark authored the 2021 market-garden proposal and led site planning and design within Imbewu Yoshintso.
Delivery partners
Stichting Roots Up funded the market garden’s first phase; Manyoni Private Game Reserve supported implementation; local labour and Future Farmers interns worked on the build and growing system. The nursery formed part of the wider Imbewu programme.
Project record
Infrastructure, sales activity and project status are drawn from the December 2022 closeout report.
Market garden: first-phase delivery
240,000 L
water-storage reservoir installed
800 m²
protected organic food tunnel completed
7 lodges
represented at the October 2022 open day
Drip
irrigation installed across permanent raised beds
The work
From design to delivery.
01
Propagate plants for projects
Developed the indigenous and food-plant nursery as a source of planting material for Imbewu projects, alongside the market garden.
02
Develop the garden plan
Developed the original market-garden concept, crop layout and staged proposal for the Manyoni office site.
03
Connect water storage
Linked the 240,000 L reservoir, pump, timer, meter and solenoid controls to a water-conscious growing system.
04
Design protected growing
Designed permanent raised beds, protected cultivation, companion planting and crop rotation within the 800 m² shade tunnel.
05
Organise production and sales
Built practical production and sales systems around crop planning, harvesting, cold storage, lodge customers and weekly availability lists.
06
Build skills through practice
Used implementation as a learning environment for local workers and Future Farmers interns, from site levels and construction to production and bookkeeping.
The project record
On the ground, over time.
Manyoni organic market garden · 2022 · 32 seconds
Inside the market garden
Rows of onions and climbing vegetables beneath shade netting in the Manyoni organic market garden.
Original project footage · 5 May 2022 · 37 seconds
The indigenous and food-plant nursery
Vegetable seedlings on propagation benches and indigenous saplings growing in nursery bags.
Photographs and drawings
The work in detail.
Garden layout Original Manyoni crop layout, from the project design record.
Sources
The records behind this project.
2022 annual review and nursery footage
The annual review describes the indigenous and food-plant nursery beside the market garden, shared management and sales opportunities. Original footage from 5 May 2022 records propagation trays and nursery stock.
Original proposal
Manyoni food-garden proposal created by Rory Clark in August 2021, including the initial production, water and enterprise concept.
Project closeout report
Rainwater Harvesting and Market Garden Report dated 15 December 2022, used for delivered infrastructure, open-day participation and closeout status.
