• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Lifestyle

From struggling farmer to mentor

14th July 2020
Dr Peter Oberem (right), the founder of Afrivet Southern Africa, with Ronan Smith, Bimeda’s chief executive for the Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific division. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Bimeda’s Afrivet takeover ‘to strengthen animal health offering’

17th August 2022
Agriculture, land reform and rural development minister Thoko Didiza has placed a 21-day ban on the movement of cattle across South Africa due to foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

SA battles 116 FMD outbreaks amid 21-day cattle ban

16th August 2022
ADVERTISEMENT
Illegal sand mining poses a threat to many ecosystems, human safety and agricultural practises. Photo: Pixabay

Will the world run out of sand?

16th August 2022
Organic certification is a long, but rewarding process. Photo: Supplied/Food for Mzansi

How to get the ball rolling on organic certification

16th August 2022
This #SoilSista’s poultry farm puts quality first

This #SoilSista’s poultry farm puts quality first

16th August 2022
Prof. Theo Venter gives his take on the ruling party’s recent policy conference and what it means going forward. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Fixing agri challenges: ‘ANC no longer has a choice’

16th August 2022
The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Ms. Thoko Didiza, MP has taken the decision to suspend all movement of cattle in the whole country. The Ministers decision is aimed at halting the continued spread of Foot and Mouth Disease in the country. It also means that cattle may not be moved from one property to another for any reason for a period of 21 days reviewable weekly. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

FMD battle: Govt prohibits movement of all cattle

16th August 2022
Justin Platt, founder and CEO of Zylem and RegenZ argues that instead of basing management decisions on a purely rational and cognitive approach, farmers need to harness (and trust) their unique intuition. Photo: Supply/AdobeStock

Farmers, trust your intuition and go with your gut

16th August 2022
Leanne Gammage and Jackson Andrew, co-founders of Masterstock Cape Wild Food. Masterstock Cape Wild Food is a speciality salt brand focused on regenerative agriculture. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Agripreneur 101: Regeneration at the heart of this salt company

16th August 2022

R350 grant puts sisters on agri path to success

15th August 2022
The uMngeni Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal is supporting local farmers through a new agricultural unit that has been established in the municipality. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Farmer support: KZN municipality leads the way

15th August 2022
Farmers in the south-western parts of the country can expect a slightly drier than usual spring. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

ICYMI: Below-normal winter rainfall to continue

15th August 2022
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
11 GLOBAL MEDIA AWARDS
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Food For Mzansi
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
    • All
    • AgriCareers
    • Entrepreneurs
    • Farmers
    • Groundbreakers
    • Innovators
    • Inspiration
    • It Takes a Village
    • Mentors
    • Movers and Shakers
    • Partnerships
    Leanne Gammage and Jackson Andrew, co-founders of Masterstock Cape Wild Food. Masterstock Cape Wild Food is a speciality salt brand focused on regenerative agriculture. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Agripreneur 101: Regeneration at the heart of this salt company

    R350 grant puts sisters on agri path to success

    The uMngeni Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal is supporting local farmers through a new agricultural unit that has been established in the municipality. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Farmer support: KZN municipality leads the way

    This drone is collecting data which farmers can then access on the yield management platform. Photo: Supplied/Aerobotics

    How the Internet of Things is transforming agri

    His life took a turn for the worst when he ended up in jail for dealing in drugs, but Thembinkosi Matika turned his life around and now helps others through his Legacy Farming Project. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Drug dealer turned farmer ploughs back

    Christo Van der Rheede is the executive director of Agri SA. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Former music teacher leads agri’s greatest symphony

    Agripreneur 101: Creating a beauty brand

    Agripreneur 101: Creating a beauty brand

    Claire and Martin Joubert have sacrificed and struggled to become top breeders of Ankole cattle in South Africa. But giving up was never an option, because they wanted to offer only the very best Ankole genetics in the country. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

    Farming couple lives and breathes Ankole cattle

    Tackling climate change, one tree at a time

  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought
No Result
View All Result
Food For Mzansi

From struggling farmer to mentor

by Lindi Botha
14th July 2020
in Inspiration
Reading Time: 6 mins read
A A

On Gene Likhanya’s farm and that of his mentees, butternuts are intercropped with the macadamias to ensure cashflow while the trees are maturing.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Armed with a bit of spare cash after working as a United Nations peacekeeper in Burundi, Gene Likhanya, chief executive officer of Madimbo Mac’s Pty, returned to South Africa ready to invest in a sensible operation. “I watched my fellow soldiers squander their money on fancy cars. People do stupid things with money when you don’t know how to invest it and I wasn’t going to do the same.” 

After funding his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Johannesburg, Likhanya decided to take what was left and purchase a 2,5 hectare farm in Venda, Limpopo, where he was born. Prompted by a relative’s courage to leave his job and farm macadamias, Likhanya reasoned that if his uncle was brave enough to take such a risk, he would be too.

Many costly mistakes followed, as Likhanya’s inexperience in farming cost him dearly. “I bought ungrafted trees that ended up taking double the time and effort to get them into production. Unfortunately, there are bad businessmen that will take advantage of someone with no know–how. 

“One of the first things I teach my mentees is that land preparation needs to be done properly before you can even think of planting trees.”

“I could’ve invested more time in looking for mentors and asking successful farmers for advice, but it is nerve wracking knocking on another farmer’s door. Where do you start, who do you ask? Consequently, you make a lot of mistakes if you don’t know and you don’t ask.” 

Likhanya bemoans the difficult road emerging farmers have to walk. “It is very costly to enter the sector, even more so because things need to be done properly from day one. But assisting farmers is about more than grant money, it is about access to information and providing mentorship. 

“Finding a mentor is a difficult process, because there are so many barriers, including cultural and communication. It is important to form a good relationship with your mentor, where there are mutual values, respect and goals. Mentoring is a lot of work and if the relationship is not built on a good foundation, it is hard to remain motivated.” 

Gene Likhanya farms 10 hectares of macadamias in Venda, Limpopo.

He says that after years of being in the farming community, relationships with other farmers have naturally led to mentoring and other farmers coming forward to offer their help. “I now invite them to my farm and ask for their opinions on where I can improve.” 

While Likhanya has since become a successful farmer with ten hectares of macadamias in production, he remains mindful of the struggles new entrants to agriculture face. He has resolved to be a part of the solution by setting up a farmer incubator programme with funding from the SAB Foundation.  

Likhanya is mentoring twelve emerging growers, each with five hectares of macadamias in Ha-Mahau. He says understanding that short cuts will only lead to failure is key to being a successful farmer. “One of the first things I teach my mentees is that land preparation needs to be done properly before you can even think of planting trees. This goes beyond just ploughing the soil, but includes having a proper analysis done to determine your nutrient levels.”  

“My vision is for this concept to roll-out on a bigger scale through the value chain, but still within community farms.”

He says that this analysis is expensive and farmers could be tempted to hold back the funds. “But you get what you pay for and while the soil analysis that the government extension officers do is free, it is merely one page long. Compare that to the pricey alternative performed by a commercial company that contains pages and pages of information, and you can see why it is better to invest in a proper analysis.” 

He notes that one of the most common questions he is asked is what his fertiliser programme consists of. “This is the one issue no farmer can advise you on without knowing your soil type and nutrient levels. Two farmers can be situated right next to each other but their nutrient requirements are different. It is important for new farmers to understand that this is not something that can be duplicated from one farm to the next, but requires individual analysis.”  

The incubation’s charter is to create sustainable businesses not only for the farmers, but for support service providers in the area for the next 40 years and beyond.   

Gene Likhanya mentors twelve emerging macadamia farmers. Photo: Supplied.

In entirety the incubator initiative employs 37 temporary staff, of which 28 are female. This number increases to 50 people when Likhanya’s individual project in the same region is accounted for. He also employs nine permanent staff on his farm. A nursery housing 50 000 seedlings was set up in 2019 and 5000 trees are set to be planted this year. Locals will be benefiting from this through skills transfer. 

“My vision is for this concept to roll-out on a bigger scale through the value chain, but still within community farms. Bringing people from the fringes of society to inclusive farming is my primary motivation. For example, the farm manager on my farm is female and she had never had a job before working for me. This is meaningful, worthwhile stuff! I want to impact society and change lives for the better,” Likhanya concludes. 

Tags: Gene LikhanyamacadamiaMacadamia nutsMadimbo Mac’s PtySAB Foundation
Share196Tweet123Send
Previous Post

Hundreds expected to sign manifesto to ‘heal the land and people’

Next Post

Youth Day: The future of agriculture is already taking shape

Lindi Botha

Lindi Botha

Lindi Botha is a journalist and communications specialist with a specific focus on the agricultural field. She has an unrelenting passion for agriculture and writing stories that show the industry as a positive contributor to social change and economic upliftment. She has garnered numerous awards during her career, the most recent of which is International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Star Prize 2019. Lindi also serves as the secretary of the Agricultural Writers’ South Africa, where ensuring professional development of those in the media and enhancing the image of agriculture in mainstream news is a key interest.

Related Posts

Seize farming opportunities where the money lies

Seize farming opportunities where the money lies

by Nicole Ludolph
22nd February 2022
0

A successful farm is one that makes money. No matter how small you start, there are opportunities to grow if...

Bovine brucellosis is transmittable to humans and can cause infertility, reduced milk production, miscarriage or birth, complications and weak joints. Photo: Supplied

Crowd-funding: A financing lifeline for smallholders

by Malapane Thamaga
10th June 2021
0

With transformation and inclusive growth at the top of the National Development Plan and the latest Agriculture and Agroprocessing Master...

Changing the healthy eating narrative, one smoothie at a time

by Noluthando Ngcakani
17th November 2020
0

For many the idea of healthy eating never sounds appealing because it conjures up an image of boring steamed veggies...

Three things happening in agriculture today, 14 September 2020

by Noluthando Ngcakani
14th September 2020
0

Brace for impact! It is Monday morning and the madness begins as this week’s agricultural calendar is busy, busy, busy....

Next Post

Youth Day: The future of agriculture is already taking shape

Organic certification is a long, but rewarding process. Photo: Supplied/Food for Mzansi
Farmer's Inside Track

How to get the ball rolling on organic certification

by Nicole Ludolph
16th August 2022
0

FARMER'S INSIDE TRACK: Organic certification poses a challenge to many South African farmers who go that route. Alan Rosenberg, chairperson...

Read more
This #SoilSista’s poultry farm puts quality first

This #SoilSista’s poultry farm puts quality first

16th August 2022
Prof. Theo Venter gives his take on the ruling party’s recent policy conference and what it means going forward. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

Fixing agri challenges: ‘ANC no longer has a choice’

16th August 2022
The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Ms. Thoko Didiza, MP has taken the decision to suspend all movement of cattle in the whole country. The Ministers decision is aimed at halting the continued spread of Foot and Mouth Disease in the country. It also means that cattle may not be moved from one property to another for any reason for a period of 21 days reviewable weekly. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

FMD battle: Govt prohibits movement of all cattle

16th August 2022
Justin Platt, founder and CEO of Zylem and RegenZ argues that instead of basing management decisions on a purely rational and cognitive approach, farmers need to harness (and trust) their unique intuition. Photo: Supply/AdobeStock

Farmers, trust your intuition and go with your gut

16th August 2022

Farmer support: KZN municipality leads the way

Farmer 101: Top tips to grow spring onions

Fruit farm shows there’s power in transformation

Bumper harvest for Mzansi’s olive growers

Food may soon be cheaper. What’s the catch?

Beat the winter blues with yummy butter chicken

THE NEW FACE OF SOUTH AFRICAN AGRICULTURE

With 12 global awards in the first three years of its existence, Food For Mzansi is much more than an agriculture publication. It is a movement, unashamedly saluting the unsung heroes of South African agriculture. We believe in the power of agriculture to promote nation building and social cohesion by telling stories that are often overlooked by broader society.

Bimeda’s Afrivet takeover ‘to strengthen animal health offering’

SA battles 116 FMD outbreaks amid 21-day cattle ban

Will the world run out of sand?

How to get the ball rolling on organic certification

This #SoilSista’s poultry farm puts quality first

Fixing agri challenges: ‘ANC no longer has a choice’

  • Our Story
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright

Contact us
Office: +27 21 879 1824
News: info@foodformzansi.co.za
Advertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Changemakers
  • Lifestyle
  • Farmer’s Inside Track
  • Food for Thought

Copyright © 2021 Food for Mzansi

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.