When food supplies ran out at Siyajabula orphanage in KwaZulu-Natal, Pamella Goldstone turned to the soil and came to their rescue. Her act of kindness in providing meals to children has turned into a growing agribusiness with the potential to supply big retail markets.
Goldstone is a farmer, community champion, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. In 2021, she launched her own business A-Myl Fresh in Chatsworth where spinach, cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, onions, lettuce, and peppers are grown. She produces these easy-to-sell crops on a half-hectare piece of land.
It all started with Goldstone’s willingness to lend a hand to a struggling orphanage.
“Due to the reliance of orphanage homes on funding, the withdrawal of sponsors during the pandemic resulted in a shortage of food. We turned to growing vegetables as a means of sustenance,” she shares.
The heart of a teacher
Goldstone has always been drawn to children. “Witnessing children frolicking in the open air, laughing and playing together, always stirred a potent sense of elation within me.”
This passion for kids drove her to pursue a career in education. She studied at the Embury Teacher’s College and graduated in 2016.
Goldstone lives up to the Asian proverb “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. She believes that it is more valuable to teach people how to be self-sustainable.
Her objective is to create awareness of the benefits of agriculture, and in doing so, eliminate poverty, promote healthy food options and create jobs.
“My experience in farming, so far, is that transparency is the key. If you are planning a thing with anyone, be transparent about how you want things to be done and be unapologetic about what you expect to achieve,” she says.
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Stepping up
In 2022, Goldstone upped her farming game by enrolling in the Momentum Metropolitan Women in Agriculture, a programme in partnership with Agri Enterprises, and International Agricultural Academy for Africa (i3A).
This intensive programme gave her the tools and training she needed to take her farming to the next level. With newfound know-how and experience, Goldstone is poised to make big moves in the world of agriculture, she tells Food For Mzansi.
“I was one of 60 women chosen to participate in the programme, working with Umgibe Farming Organics, which incubated us.”
Through the Momentum programme, she obtained qualifications in chicken production, horticulture, crop production, and business management.
“After receiving the certificates, we continued our journey and worked with different people, again through Momentum Metropolitan Women In Farming, who continue to mentor us to this day.”
Goldstone’s feathered future
Despite initially hating the financial management course, Goldstone now uses those skills to run her business like a boss.
“I’m my own bookkeeper now, and I crunch numbers like a champ,” she says. Her financial records are in tip-top shape, and she’s putting her education to use.
Goldstone now plans to venture into poultry farming and sees her products lining the shelves of grocery stores, all while her company’s name lights up on billboards everywhere.
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