Farmer Kauta flies the flag with exotic crops in Gabajana

In a community of mixed nationalities, including Ghanaians, Nigerians, Zimbabweans, Pakistanis, Somalians, and Ethiopians, a small-scale agribusiness called Amantlane Farmers has established a unique market for itself, selling a variety of exotic vegetables.

Ndipiwe Kauta is the driving force behind it all, having started farming with no experience and facing a storm of setbacks and losses in managing livestock.

In Gabajana village, Flagstaff in the Eastern Cape, Kauta has distinguished himself as a unique farmer in his area through his research into growing less common vegetables, such as kale. His decision to cultivate these crops has allowed him to avoid competition and cater to a diverse clientele.

“I don’t face competition with my crops, and I plan to add more exotic vegetables like Chinese cabbage, okra, and white carrots for my Western clients,” he says.

Kauta’s income comes from growing kale, Swiss chard, potatoes, butternut, and squash on his family’s one-hectare plot. He serves customers in Gabajana and various nationalities in Flagstaff, including Ghanaians, Nigerians, Zimbabweans, Pakistanis, Somalians, and Ethiopians. His efforts have not only provided a niche market but have also enriched the local community with a variety of fresh produce.

Ndipiwe Kauta’s farming journey began in high school, building on the foundational planting skills he learned from his grandfather. Photos: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Starting small

Kauta dreamed of becoming a lawyer, but life’s challenges led him to find solace in growing vegetables. His farming journey began when he left his village, Gabajana, to attend high school in Kokstad in KwaZulu-Natal from 2014 to 2019, staying with a relative.

Without any friends and with limited resources, he used his pocket money to start cultivating a vegetable garden in the backyard of his new home in Kokstad. He planted beetroot, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, and brinjal.

“The beetroot and spinach thrived, as did the cabbage and brinjal, but the lettuce didn’t grow well.”

During school holidays, Kauta brought his harvest to his family in Flagstaff, where his parents proudly praised his efforts, motivating him. Growing up, he noticed villagers mostly grew common crops like green maize and potatoes, but he was curious about the exotic vegetables he saw in town and wondered about their taste.

“Even when sitting in local restaurants and seeing unfamiliar vegetables, I would wonder what they tasted like.”

Becoming his own boss

After matric, Kauta worked in retail but grew bored and felt suffocated. In 2022, he explored small-scale farmers in the Eastern Cape on Facebook, learning their practices and marketing strategies, which inspired him to consider self-employment.

Using his UIF payout, he started vegetable farming in Flagstaff, planting spinach, beetroot, lettuce, carrots, cabbage, and a small amount of green mealies and green peppers. Kauta later expanded into broiler farming, drawing on tips from his late mother, who had grown broilers in 2012.

“I started with just 17 indigenous chicks, which was all I could afford at the time.”

Ndipiwe Kauta says growing kale has attracted clients from different nationalities. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Learning through setbacks

Kauta explains that his farming journey has been shaped by lessons learned from mistakes and losses due to inadequate farming practices. At the beginning of 2024, he bought five two-week-old calves without knowing how to care for them.

“For 60 days straight, I prepared milk feed as directed by the supplier,” he says. “I also maintained a vaccination schedule but eventually lost track of the timing, which led to the deaths of the calves. One day, a calf simply didn’t wake up, followed by the second and third. I purchased vaccines but ended up with the wrong ones.”

He lost four calves, leaving only one alive. Using funds saved from the lockdown grant, he bought Boer goats and now has five since 2023. He faced similar challenges with broilers due to improper vaccination, resulting in the loss of most of them. Recently, he expanded into pig farming at the start of the year.

“From 17 broilers, only six survived,” he says.

Despite these difficulties, Kauta has learned that persistence in farming can lead to success.

He registered his business in May 2023 and contacted the local government for help. They gave him 20 beetroot seedlings, 110 onion seedlings, as well as 500 chickens – 300 indigenous and 200 broilers – along with four waterers, four feeders, two heat lamps, 280 bags of feed, and medicine.

Although he has not drawn a salary and money flow is inconsistent, he remains dedicated to growing his business. The challenges have not discouraged him – instead, it drives him to reach for the stars.