Mukhove Matshaya and Marvellous Makhado, the founders of Roana Eazyfarm, share the purpose behind their venture into aquaculture and crop farming. The duo, based in Venda in Limpopo, discuss how they overcame challenges, made an impact in their community, and contributed to food security and youth empowerment.
“The journey of establishing Roana Eazyfarm began with a passion for sustainable agriculture and a desire to address local food security challenges like in Tshaulu, Venda. The inspiration came from observing the potential for aquaculture to provide nutritious food and create jobs in the community,” Matshaya says.
Makhado and Matshaya aim to build a stronger connection between the ecosystem and aquaculture, ensuring environmentally friendly practices in their operations.
“We have aquaculture and crop farming that we are practising on our farm. So we make sure that we feed our fish with organic materials. Also, the water that we use that we got from the fish, we don’t just throw them away. We make sure that they are being used for irrigation as they have high nutrients and they don’t contain harmful chemicals for our agricultural practices,” shares Matshaya.
Related posts
- Tapping into tilapia farming a prime opportunity in aquaculture
- How to start fish farming in just 10 easy step
- Young farmer turns passion for fish into thriving business
Matshaya highlights their challenges, such as limited resources and access to fish feed and water, as well as space restrictions at their backyard operation. Despite these limitations, the farm continues to expand, impacting their community positively.
The duo explain that the farm is a key contributor to local food security by providing fresh fish and vegetables to the community.
“It also creates employment opportunities by helping the local economy and reducing unemployment rates,” says Makhado.
The farm has already assisted around 24 young people with hands-on training, providing them with tilapia fingerlings to start their own aquaculture ventures.
Makhado and Matshaya share their vision of further expanding Roana Eazyfarm, with plans to create a training centre and employ more youth in their aquaculture operations.
In this episode, the duo also discusses:
- Advice for young entrepreneurs entering the aquaculture industry;
- The importance of research and more.
Dive deeper into the episode and gain insights from the award-winning Farmer’s Inside Track, officially recognised as Africa and the world’s best podcast at the 2024 Digital Media Awards presented by WAN-IFRA, the global press organisation.
Option 1: Click here to listen on Spotify (all mobile and other devices)
Option 2: Click here to listen on any Apple device
READ NEXT: Sustainable farming duo transforms community with aquaculture
Sign up for Farmer’s Inside Track: Join our exclusive platform for new entrants into farming and agri-business, with newsletters and podcasts.
