Starter Potatoes

Families of a primary school student who need income to send their child to school are given enoguh starter potatoes to plant a quarter acre. The student learned not only at school, but also farming at home—and also learned about paying it forward when enough of the first crop to plant another quarter acre was given to another family with the same needs, and the same responsibility to pay it forward.

Seven years of primary school tuition is state-sponsored, but some families simply cannot cover the incidental expenses. And with help to succeed in primary school, they are more likely to need to pay secondary school tuition, which is the family’s responsibility. A plot of potatoes during primary school made it more likely that the student would be able to attend secondary school as well.

The family taught the child to care for the potatoes, growing the potatoes in a plot near their house.

From the first harvest, enough potatoes were given back to SACLP for the next family, and then the remaining potatoes were sold in the local market. Funds are used to help cost associated with the child’s schooling.

This project, initially funded by TILT, is now self-sustaining, as each season, new seed potatoes are given to additional families, and stored in dedicated seed potato storage that protects it to last until the following year.