Limpopo farmer finds peace, purpose in the harvest

Farming is a space where hands work, ideas take shape, and hearts find calm. For Amanda Murungi from Manini village, Limpopo, artistry has always been in her hands, and farming has now claimed its space in her life, helping her heal and grow.

Her journey, once difficult, is now blooming with strength and meaning.

Murungi started farming in 2023, with her agribusiness formally registered as Renewed Steadfast. “Living on a farm, surrounded by nature and leading a peaceful life, has always been my dream,” she says.

Searching for direction

Initially, Murungi enrolled in human resource management at Tshwane University of Technology after matric, but quickly realised it wasn’t for her.

After that, she tried her hand at different things, including registering for mechanical engineering, starting a human hair import business and a year in Mpumalanga, enrolling in economics and management sciences.

Chickens need the right feed, and for Amanda Murungi, this means producing top-quality eggs and meat. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

“Deep down I knew I wanted to pursue something more creative, but I didn’t know how,” she says. “During that time, I researched fashion schools and finally found my direction.”

From 2016 to 2017, she studied clothing production at Central Johannesburg College, and afterwards moved to Maboneng to work in a clothing factory. Murungi then became an independent designer, supporting herself by working online as a scheduler.

“I spent about two and a half years designing clothes, hosting events, attending brand marketing gatherings, and exploring creative projects,” she says.

When Covid-19 hit, she returned to Thohoyandou, where she grew up in a large family in Phiphidi village.

“It was a beautiful, fertile place with mango trees everywhere,” she recalls. One of her fondest memories was helping on her grandma’s maize farm. The best part for me was drinking lemon leaf tea while we rested. That’s probably where my connection to farming really began.”

Finding inner peace through farming

Murungi found her way back to a farm, but not in the way she expected. She became part of a religious cult in August 2020, based on a farm. That period reignited her love for farming and hands-on work.

However, it was also a traumatic experience, and after she left the cult, she spent two years healing. Farming put her on a path to rediscovery.

She began creating farming content through social media, starting with chickens, then adding goats and planting crops. “For the first time in a long time, I felt at peace,” she says.

For Amanda Murungi, farming means taking care of her fruit trees, while her passion for food extends to agroprocessing. Photo: Supplied/Food For Mzansi

She received R15 000 from her family to start the farming project on family land, which she used for a mini irrigation system, fertilisers, and seedlings. Her goal was to create a space where people could reconnect with nature, a kind of “back to Eden” concept, she says.

Murungi also decided to study again, this time in marketing through Unisa. This helps to grow her farming project sustainably.

The joy in every harvest

Her farm now includes papaya, avocado, pineapple, bananas, watermelons, grapes, guava, lemons, tomatoes, mango, lychees, beetroot, onions, peppers, green beans, peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, several exotic chickens, and three pregnant goats. She doesn’t have a formal market yet, and the project is slowly becoming what she envisioned.

Her homemade chicken feed includes dried bread, crushed eggshells, crushed chicken bones, sunflower seeds, and papaya pieces, which help her chickens grow healthy.

Mangoes have been a successful pilot project, with her and her mother making mango atchar to sell locally.

“I sell vegetables to a local restaurant, and I give fruit to neighbours, friends, and even strangers,” she says. “Sometimes I just carry them with me, waiting for someone to ask.”

She also grows flowers, which keep her garden colourful and alive. Murungi says her greatest joy is knowing someone can enjoy a bunch of vegetables or a bowl of fruit without paying. Her dream is to build a food garden where everyone is welcome to harvest and cook at home.