Phiwokuhle Myoyo only has one thing in mind for the future of her veggie farming business in Nkqonkqweni, and that is to inspire a generation of farmers in the rural Eastern Cape.
Like many up-and-coming farmers, she was scared to start without the necessary expertise. Fear almost prevented her from achieving her goals. However, the dream to become a farmer didn’t allow her to rest, so she began gradually.
“I started my business with uncertainty. This is what has kept my business afloat and thriving. I have always been afraid to fail.”
She farms on three hectares of land in rural areas of Nkqonkqweni, in Berlin, East London. Her business, Magiliwe Farming Primary Limited Cooperative, supplies a wide range of produce including potatoes, peppers, cabbage, spinach, beetroot, and garlic.
Inspiration is all around
Farming has always been on her mind. The farming bug bit her at the age of 12 when she would visit her aunt’s farm-style home at NU 17 in Mdantsane.
“They had a variety of animals at their home, I got inspired right there. I knew I would one day own a farm.”
She says that her late uncle Simphiwe Nyobo was a mixed farmer, and that he dearly loved putting food on the community’s tables.
The most intriguing aspect is how she perceived the money he made from the milk his cows produced.
“I would ask Mawawa [his clan’s name] – which is how we referred to late uncle Simphiwe – if I would be making a substantial income from farming He assured me, ‘There’s an abundance of it [money]’.”
Myoyo felt cheated when her uncle left this world in March 2019, since she lost both a mentor and a father figure.
Securing a future
Myoyo believes that the invention of agriculture was the first major step toward the development of civilisation. She says that she farms to sell, prosper monetarily, combat climate change, and restore the dignity of black people.
“Not a second of my life was wasted on a farm. There is nothing more special to me than giving meals to other families, and I do just that.”
She says that growing up wasn’t at all easy and that she literally grew into the person she is now. “My mother is a nurse by profession; she worked from city to city and was rarely at home. I was then pushed to mature quickly.”
She tells Food For Mzansi that she never had the favourite cartoons or TV shows that other children did. “Unfortunately, at the age of nine, I was obliged to raise my nephews; I was forced to mature at this age.”
Growing into her farming legacy
Myoyo farms on her maternal family’s land, and her great-grandfather was also a farmer. Even after so many years of inactivity, when she gained possession of the land, it wasn’t that bad, she says. “My goal was aquaponics, but I lacked the funds to launch the system.”
She explains that she initially faced challenges, such as a lack of resources, but that the Local Economic Development (LED) Policy stepped in to help. After she applied for agricultural assistance in April 2020, Mthimkhulu Dike, the coordinator of Agriculture and Rural Development for LED in Buffalo City, paid her a visit.
“Mr Dike made me realise how vital it is to know what I’m doing and where I want to be in the future. He guided me along the process and eventually LED provided me with shade nets and a drip irrigation system.”
Myoyo supplies her produce to street hawkers and Nick’s Food Supermarket in Berlin, East London. “My vegetables sell like hotcakes,” she says.
The future is bright on the other side
She says that one of her aspirations is to one day build a coalition of farmers in the Eastern Cape to help one another, as she believes that we can only achieve success in the industry if we work together.
“I intend to venture into agro-processing with my peppers and livestock farming in the future.”
She currently has seven hectares of land, but she can only afford to use three of them.
Myoyo might have started small, but this go-getter is working hard to achieve her goals and expansion might not be too far in the future. So watch this space.
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