Imagine a world where some of your favourite vegetables were being grown on the rooftop of your closest shopping centre. A world where your food doesn’t have to travel long distances to end up on your plate at your best-loved restaurant.
This is the vision of Farmers Choice founder Andile Matukane who is now farming in an old parking lot at the Menlyn Park centre in Pretoria. She originally started out in Magaliesburg, also in Gauteng, where locals know her as “the spinach lady”.
“Getting the space wasn’t easy. It involved a lot of expertise and was financially demanding just for the installation [of the rooftop farm],” Matukane tells Food For Mzansi. She is most excited about her new venture.
“Currently, I am looking at serving the restaurants and retailers within the Menlyn centre, as well as individuals. For me, that will be a big step towards growing my company and reach in the area I am working from. I also intend to expand the rooftop farm and be the biggest in South Africa; being able to service a number of people and businesses.”
From the bottom to the top
Matukane’s other two farms in Mpumalanga and Limpopo are still operational. The expansion to Menlyn Park is part of her vision to expand her business empire. “In Mpumalanga, we are still selling pigs while in Limpopo we sell seedlings, so all three farms are up and running and we intend to add more,” she explains.
Currently, Matukane employs eight workers spread over the three farms. Also, as an accredited training provider, she remains committed to skills development, including for those “who will be interested in establishing other rooftop farms in different areas across the country”.
Her success did not happen overnight. Growing up in Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga no one in her inner circle even thought about farming. “Agriculture was one of the fields people don’t think of. I saw that as an advantage to explore. I wanted to be different from what others wanted to be in life.”
Thankfully, she could learn from many different mentors and advisors. Farming is tough, and she has learned that it takes a village to become a success, especially in a complex field such as agriculture. Patience and dedication is key too.
“I had to go through a number of people to get [the] help to be where I am today; a number of people came through for me,” Matukane says. “From where I started to where I am today, I have learned a lot.”
Why rooftop farming?
She adds that she decided to branch out into rooftop farming because of the continued challenge to own land in South Africa. “So, the idea is that people should be more innovative with lots of people moving to urban spaces. I saw it fitting to venture into rooftop farming.
“It involves more water than soil, so it is much easier to do and can be done in any given space. The location [of my new farm] was also critical because I am the first person to do rooftop farming in the Tshwane area in one of the biggest malls in the country.”
Matukane explains that with rooftop farming more food can be produced compared to “soil farming”. She predicts that more people will start doing this in the future as the need for food production in small spaces starts increasing.
The first few years were tough, especially because she did not initially have a mentor and she also struggled financially. “But through it all I have met several people who came through to help and to guide in decision-making and financial management. It has been amazing.”
Matukane was mentored by Indalo SA Inclusive and YgapSA. These programmes gave her a greater understanding of both entrepreneurship and farming, she says.
Building an empire through hard work
With eight years of hard farming experience under the belt, Matukane has become a role model for many beginner and new farmers. She is worried, though, that many seem to chase farming for money when the realities are much different.
Instead, they should focus on building their agricultural empires one day at a time and develop themselves. They should also realise that farming isn’t fancy. And, if you think you can do this without engaging others who have walked the same road, you’re in for a big surprise, she says.
“The advice I would give to young farmers, [those] who are interested in farming or [even] those who are already in the field? They should not think they have everything under control and not asking for clarity or help from others. [They should not be] expecting to have millions [of Rands] in return just overnight, forgetting that they still need to plant for tomorrow’s harvest.”
Matukane calls on young people especially to start working the land with the key mission of eradicating poverty and unemployment. “Find yourself a mentor. Believe in yourself and your business. Trust the process and be willing to learn from your mistakes. It is an amazing journey in farming. It gets better every day.”
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