Mpumalanga-born Zinhle Skhosana had always felt a deep connection to agriculture. Growing up, she dreamed of becoming an agricultural extension officer, hoping to help farmers achieve sustainability and success.
However, everything changed during her second year of studies in plant production at Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town.
“I only seriously thought about farming during my second year when I read stories about young farmers and experienced practical farming work,” she says.
“During my practical training, I enjoyed it more and decided that after completing it, I would go straight into working with the soil.”
Laying down farming roots
When Skhosana graduated in 2021, she returned to her home province to put down roots, starting her own small-scale farming venture with just 25 chicks. As she gained confidence and experience, she expanded her operations, eventually managing three different cycles of broiler chickens.
She now farms on about five hectares of land on Dorpsplaas Farm in her hometown of Ermelo. In her business, MPT Farming, she raises broiler chickens and cultivates potatoes, cabbages, spinach, and sugar beans.
“In the first cycle, I started with 300 chicks, followed by 300 in the second cycle, and 500 in the third cycle. I space out my cycles every two to three weeks. At one point, I had 1 000 chicks, but there isn’t a formal market, so I chose to stick with 500 instead.”
She made it all possible by saving her NSFAS funds for broiler chicks, fencing, and essential supplies. “My budget was around R6 000, and I used all of it to establish the business,” she explains.
Busy market days
Skhosana draws inspiration from her family, particularly her grandfather, who enjoyed a comfortable life through maize and livestock farming. “He still has livestock he only sells when he needs cash,” she says.
Throughout her farming journey, she’s come to appreciate the importance of meticulous record-keeping.
“I’ve also learned that farming isn’t a quick way to earn money; it requires patience,” Skhosana says. “You can’t expect to grow vegetables or raise livestock in just a week – it takes time and dedication.”
She has established an informal market with street vendors, shisanyama owners, and individual customers who buy for home consumption. On busy days, she sets up a vegetable stand in Ermelo CBD to sell her produce.
“For the past two years, I’ve been refining my planting schedule and striving for consistency. My plan is to enter the formal market in the upcoming season.”
“With vegetables, I found them easy to grow and market, even selling them on the streets and to street vendors, as they thrive well in my area.”
Skhosana adds that the local market for broilers is strong, so she is not concerned about relying on an informal market.
Related stories
- Farming teacher Nobuntu turns failures into A+ success
- HR graduate ditches desk for piggery: Zintle builds thriving farm
Overcoming obstacles
Despite seeing her customer base grow, the lack of nearby abattoirs makes it difficult to achieve her goals. Skhosana sells her chickens both live and sometimes slaughtered, but without a local abattoir, she struggles to meet this objective.
Currently, she relies on her grandparents’ agricultural equipment, such as a tractor, furrow plough, and disk plough. “I could really use a full set of chicken plucking equipment. That would make a big difference,” she adds.
She also highlights the need for a potato planter and harvester because they plant and harvest potatoes manually. Skhosana mentions that planting next to a dam pilot project shows promising results for her vegetables in the formal market.
“We’ve installed pipes to bring water to the fields. As for sugar beans, we rely on rainwater for their growth.”
Staying motivated
Skhosana says she has realised that farming can be unpredictable. Sometimes she makes a profit, and other times she faces losses. However, she believes that setbacks are no reason to give up. It is important to learn from mistakes, find ways to improve and adjust strategies to do better next time.
Despite the challenges, Skhosana’s love and passion for farming keep her going. She dreams of a future where she never gives up, creating job opportunities in her community so people can support their families.
“I strive to set an example for other young people interested in farming, showing them the possibilities and rewards of pursuing this path.”
She plans to expand MPT Farming by adding egg production and raising chickens for eggs. She also aims to establish her own abattoir and hopes to supply her products to school feeding schemes.
READ NEXT: Biyela and buddies defy odds to build growing goat farm
Get Stories of Change: Inspirational stories from the people that feed Mzansi.
