Assessing the performance of public funded school food gardens projects in the Sedibeng District Municipality

Abstract

The context of this study focused on school food gardens and performance assessment. School food gardens forms part of the food security programmes initiated by government towards poverty alleviation. Performance assessment forms part of the performance management function in organisations. This research study was aimed at assessing the performance of public funded school food garden projects to determine their relevance and fulfilment of project objectives in Sedibeng District Municipality (SDM). This study is prompted by the poor performance of some public funded community projects aimed to alleviate poverty and the creation of income earning opportunities. Some established projects are discontinued due to lack of participation. A qualitative research approach was preferred in this study. A set of questionnaires containing open ended questions were designed and issued to the Food Security Senior Advisors at the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) and the six selected schools in the SMD respectively to collect data. Literature review was considered to understand the concepts and a content of the study. The results show that school food gardens play a vital role in enhancing food security and creating income opportunities. The study found performance assessment being essential for the government institutions to assess the impact these projects towards improving the lives of the community. It can be said that developing, implementing and monitoring performance measures is higher in support of school gardens.