Carrots Into Jam: How Sizinda Green Gardens is Adding Value

Green Gardens, a community-led market garden in Sizinda Township, is exploring new ways of adding value to its agricultural produce through an innovative food-processing initiative.

The development, driven by both garden members and ZDDT, aims to strengthen livelihoods, reduce post-harvest losses and create additional income opportunities within the community.

Sizinda Green Gardens is expanding its value-addition activities with the production of carrot jam, turning locally grown carrots into a nutritious and marketable product.

The initiative is helping garden members explore ways of reducing post-harvest losses while creating additional income opportunities from produce harvested from their garden.

The carrot jam production, an exercise led by Mrs ‘CJ’ Van through the ZDDT Chef’s Academy, also demonstrates the garden members’ growing skills in food processing and entrepreneurship, as they seek to diversify beyond the sale of fresh vegetables.

By processing carrots into a longer-lasting product under the home-grown “MaSiziba” label, the garden is adding value to its harvest while opening opportunities to supply households and local markets with an innovative, locally produced food product.