The Havas Village Sow Good project is a success

In the spirit of LeadSA, Havas South Africa decided to focus on food security this Mandela Day, and used their 67 minutes (which turned into a whole day) creating a vegetable garden on their Bryanston-based property.

Some broken nails, sore backs, and 67 trays of seedlings later, they can confirm that Project Sow Good was a resounding success.

"We managed to plant 402 veggies - spinach, beetroot, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, you name it. Once they've been harvested, the fresh vegetables will be donated to the surrounding communities," explains Havas Worldwide Johannesburg Group MD, Ursula McAlpine. "It's important to us that we're involved in bettering the community in which we operate, and this is our way of giving back, not only on Mandela Day, but for many days to come."

"Sow Good is a long-term, sustainable project. These sorts of projects can be initiated relatively easily, but they're so important. Apart from contributing to food security in our country, they help foster a sense of community and some entrepreneurial spirit," explains Lisa Bayliss, Havas Worldwide Johannesburg creative group head and head of the Sow Good initiative.

The latest Havas Prosumer Report confirms this sentiment. The New Consumer and The Sharing Economy, looks at how consumers are looking to consume smarter and waste less, and moving toward a new economic model - that of the shared economy.

"Brands and organisations should be harnessing their power to make a difference for the good of their communities, their countries and the planet. And it's easy if we do it one project at a time," concludes McAlpine.