Funding or donation Requests

Funding or Donation Requests

People Involved

• Netanya Naude’ founder & administrator of Art of Craft
• Nklandla  Pirates Garden Guardian and Compost Manager
• Joseph Laborer, assistant apprentice for managing future urban farming project

Supporters of Art of Craft include the Pirates Sports Club and community, and also small businesses in the surrounds of Pirates Sports Club.

MISSION – the Preservation of Culture : To revise the current standard of living among urban settlements, and provide training in the application of low-cost, practical upliftment through example and education, as well as creative learnership of our African cultural heritage to all.  In essence a re-establishment of community based exchanges.

The purposes of the plan or ideas set out in this document are to achieve empowerment and to achieve the end goal of rehabilitating some land on the grounds, providing subscription food boxes and other naturally grown organic products such as hand creams to the community.

This project will be beneficial in creating more community and a central gathering space to achieve the above-mentioned mission.

Background of Founder of Art of Craft – Netanya Naude’

Netanya has a wealth of experience and knowledge about plants and their medicinal use. She worked for a company assisting urban communities with farming and gardening projects, while living off the grid herself. When she moved back to Johannesburg she got in contact with the Pirates Sports Club (PSC) in Greenside. The initial food garden was located between the gym and squash courts, which she maintained for a period of 6 months. Together with volunteers from various companies the garden grew significantly. She started a blog, www.artofcraft.co.za to record all the activities at the garden. On the blog (this one you are reading now) Netanya writes about herbal teas, medicinal use of plants, poetry, organic and recycled art and the companies that volunteered in the garden. Herbal tea remedies from the garden were sold at local markets

PSG Certification

After 6 months of maintaining the garden, it was moved to a different location at the Pirates Sports Club to allow for more growth and growing opportunities. At the same time Netanya got Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) “in transition” certification for the garden as defined by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM). “Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) are locally focused quality assurance systems. They certify producers based on active participation of stakeholders and are built on a foundation of trust, social networks and knowledge exchange.” (IFOAM, 2008)

PGS represent a real alternative to third party certification, especially adapted to local markets. Thousands of small farmers who grow organic produce are unable to certify their products, due to the costly processes involved and requires onerous record-keeping and infrastructure beyond the means of small farmers.

The new garden was started in November 2015.

Product or services and its advantages

1. Interactive gardening sessions on Saturdays from the garden, where people can learn about plants and their uses.
2. A venue for people wanting to do workshops on making toothpaste, permaculture gardening, sustainable building such as building with bottle bricks or cob, composting, medicinal plants and how to use them and cooking from the garden.
3. Showcase of thriving food and herb garden. Customers can see how food and medicine are growing and are encouraged to interact in the production of food and medicine.
4. Fresh 100% organically grown produce from heritage or heirloom seeds.
5. To provide a conferencing center, or showcase garden that will be used to host visiting expert trainers in job skills, work ethic, sustainability and sufficiency in maintenance – connecting people and community.

All of the above awaken the connection between mankind and nature, they awaken the body to healing itself again, to longevity and health and abundance for all The earth is assisted in her recovery of what all the waste and concrete on the land did.  A lot of bottles, broken bricks and waste from the grounds have already been used, promoting ideas of recycling.

Benefits and Features

1. The soil is being rehabilitated, and the garden will be self-sustainable within the 36 month period.
2. Many people are learning the medicinal use of everyday cooking herbs and that organic medicine is just as possible as organic food from their own back yards.
3. People have the opportunity to learn about composting, hugelkultuur, plant medicine,making creams, making toothpaste and making hair shampoo and much more.
4. Empower, inspire and educate people.  Community is coming together in a way recreating itself, encouraged to trade or use money or use alternative currencies or both or all three closer to home or at least en-route home.
5. The harvest is organically or naturally grown. Coffee grains and bokashi are used in the garden and grow anti-pest plants which I ferment and spray with if required.  So far not yet.
6. The garden is a sanctuary for all to enjoy, excluding the herbs and medicinal plants reserved for above-mentioned companies.
7. Future plans include exclusive meals from the garden or served on deck at Pirates or during wine tastings. Workshops on a variety of topics can also be introduced.  And growing alot of herbs for different companies and restaurants making use of them in food preparation.

Unique selling points

1. No produce is ever older than a month, in the case of a month it may only be dried herbs in this period of agreement of land usage.
2. Pick food fresh in front of customers, or customers can harvest themselves.
3. Custom made tisanes or herbal remedies.
4. Unique once off workshops – many plants to use in various creams, soaps and shampoos.
5. Limited and exclusive harvest.

Produce Impression

Market opportunity

1. Suburban upper-class enjoys wine tastings – food, tea and wine pairing is becoming very popular. Carmien Teas used in Netanya’s tisanes from the garden, already do this with wine clubs in the Citrisdaal area in the Cape.   X Factor Wines is based in Johannesburg and Pirates already have a wine club going.  Small local tea companies such as Dandelion teas can also come together in this space.
2. Organic or Farmers Markets bring community members together.
3. Supply ofHealth Shops
4. Co-op produce shops and Open Food Network
5. Restaurants and Coffee shops.

THIS IS HOW YOU CAN HELP US                                  072 146 9017

Corporate/Civic Partners 

Corporate/Civic partners are companies and organizations with a special tie to Art of Craft   Netanya features corporate partners prominently whenever possible on her blog, on Facebook, newsletters and anywhere else we can promote the partnership.

Corporate/Civic Partners engage in our efforts to create this garden in at least one of the following ways:

• Contribute R500 or more
• Host a food or fund drive, using produce from the garden.- as much as possible.
• Place a link to Art of Craft on your website
• Sponsor an Art of Craft event
• Bring a group to volunteer at the Art of Craft garden

2016 Art of Craft Corporate/Civic Partners:

1. Pirates Sports Club – grounds and water for 36 months
2. Solid Green Consultants – volunteers in the garden

Funding requirements