Amid the buzz and noise of Gauteng’s notorious Alexandra township, six young game-changers transformed what used to be a dumping site to a one-hectare farm, and a neglected top of a building into a rooftop garden – all for the love of farming. And today, their cooperative is flourishing despite its bleak origins.
The cooperative farms with vegetables such as spinach, tomato, potato, chillies, green paper, onions, and garlic.
Leader of Leano Agri Cooperative, Wilson Mothiba, says with all the members’ interests in farming, they saw a gap in being the main suppliers of street vendors in the township.
“We founded this cooperative from a passion-driven initiative to see the triple effect of poverty, unemployment and inequality being addressed. And the only way we saw fit was to work the land and seize the opportunity presented to us.
“We also looked at how best can we play a role in the socio-economic challenge facing Alexandra, mainly on the part of food security,” he says.
The five other members are Tebogo Molopa, Sibusiso Tonjeni, Phomodzo Mugeri, Nonhle Manzini, and Nomsa Ncube.
Determination keeps them going
Mothiba says while the aim was to uplift the community and provide closer access to fresh produce, they have experienced several break-ins at their farm.
“The break-ins involved people stealing our produce and our working inputs, and this has been a setback to our cooperative. It is still a concern because we do not have the means yet to afford security.”
Mothiba pleads with the community to work with them and not against them, as the cooperative has the potential to create jobs and alleviate poverty, especially in child-headed families.
‘We have a vision’
The six-member team says they know that many cooperatives do not have a long life, however, they are determined to unite and fight poverty and food insecurity in the Alexandra township.
“Many cooperatives fail because of financial mismanagement and greed among the members, farmers recruiting their friends to form the cooperative instead of mobilising people within the community to join forces.
“We regularly communicate about our financial and production progress as members and always strategise on how we can improve our operation.
“We remain transparent in all deeds concerning the cooperative and always seek common ground in opinions suggested by members. Above all, our passion and love for agriculture keep us going,” he explains.
Not an easy road
Mothiba admits that agriculture is a gamble, but they have given their all to work the land and produce food for their community.
“Things do not always go as anticipated, however, we are always motivated to keep going. We will never lose focus.
“We give our all even on days when we feel like giving up because Rome was definitely not built in one day. Working with the community is not easy but we soldier on,” he says.
They have learned valuable lessons since they started growing food and creating a business.
“The biggest take home we have learned for the past three years is that working together always makes the job easier.
“Having a set plan and having designated roles for each person allows us to get more work done in an orderly and organised way.”
Mothiba adds that just like any other cooperative, their biggest challenge has been the lack of funds to expand their operations, and the lack of resources and labour to assist them with the daily grind.
But despite all the challenges, this group is determined to succeed and they are working hard to make their cooperative a success.
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