For Koketso Baloyi Mofokeng, nothing beats the memory of her and her siblings running around on the farm when they were younger. The conditions were not perfect, but the bond of family sparked her passion for starting her own farm.
“I was inspired by my grandmother because she and her little sister were farmworkers, and I just loved growing up on the farm. It was easier and more fun living on the farm back then. I kind of loved the farm life more than anything,” she says.
She was raised by her grandmother Agnes Baloyi in De Wit, a small community called Mmakau outside Brits in North West. Baloyi was a farmworker for 37 years.
“It was a very nice time when we were young, life was simple,” she says.
With support from her family, she ditched her photography career for the farm and has never turned back. She gives credit to her determination and focus.
The start of a beautiful journey
Her own farming journey started in 2018 when her small crop farm on three hectares produced mainly green peppers and cabbages. It has now extended to a 16-hectare farm that produces peas, squash, beetroot, and cabbage.
Specialising in horticulture as well, Mofokeng says farming has a very special place in her heart because it provides employment and feeds her community.
“Mostly my workers, when I look at them I’m motivated to try again [because] they need that salary to feed their families. As a child who was raised by a farmworker, I know and understand poverty and know how much that salary means to someone,” she says.
“We started farming with nothing, only land. We had to build everything from the ground, starting with irrigation to the packhouse and running on a daily basis. In some instances, we took out investments that didn’t work and ended up with debts.
“Farming is challenging … you can do everything right and still not get it right, but you learn and grow every day.”
Lessons learned
Mofokeng always perseveres, no matter how many challenges life throws at her.
“I farm with passion. Whenever I want to give up I go back again to fight one more time.”
Her farming business, Diatla Tshweu, supplies fresh produce for big market names like King Fresh, Cassgro, and Boxer, but for her, it is more than that. She also leads projects aimed at feeding the community by donating food to local schools, orphanages, and old age homes.
“As a farmer who grew up in poverty, I don’t farm only for profit. I wake up every morning with a full heart knowing that I can help those in need,” she says.
“We try to make sure that everyone gets a meal on their table every night because as someone who grew up in poverty, you don’t wish for anyone else to go to bed hungry.”
Words of wisdom and advice
Getting where she is now was not an easy journey, she says, and it was intimidating entering a male-dominated industry.
One of the biggest lessons she has learned ever since was to not depend on other people for investments and to first secure a market for her business before planting. She says this has worked for her and advises startup farmers to do the same.
“if something were to happen, the investor would still want their money and you just have to start from the beginning and be patient with yourself,” she says. “One of the biggest mistakes I realised in many farmers is that they just plant first and then look for a market, but I think it should go the other way around. You must plant where you know you’re going to take the crop.”
Plans for the future
The journey to glory has only just started for this ambitious farmer. Mofokeng plans on starting a piggery and because of her innovative business strategy, she has secured markets for her soon-to-be new business venture.
“Farming is a good venture to go into because there is always business in farming. It’s the kind of industry where you can’t run out of business because people eat every day, they need food. Food is one of the biggest businesses in South Africa because we eat every day.
“Farming is my life, I get peace in the field connecting to my crops, farming is a lifestyle. But when I’m not farming I spend time with my two kids and my husband. Also, I help my students with their reports and we train students from different universities doing their third year at the farm.”
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