Luyanda Sisusa has been trying to make her farming dreams come true for more than a decade. Despite many trials and obstacles, the Gauteng-based farmer’s ambitions burn brighter than ever. Sisusa is one of the extraordinary women selected for Corteva Women Agripreneur 2022, a year-long blended development programme at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) Entrepreneurship Development Academy (EDA).
Recounting the first time it occurred to her that she could be a farmer, Sisusa remembers walking into the food garden set up by the NGO she worked for. It was 2007, and the garden was managed by the beneficiaries of the programme where Sisusa was doing skills development work.
“What I would do is, when the stresses of the office would get to me, I’d go and sit with them, and I would just de-stress. Every time I go and sit with them, I’d be so relaxed and so focused, and I thought, ‘this is something that I need in my life.’”
At the time, Sisusa’s work involved teaching people different types of skills in different sectors. The NGO also had a focus on practical work and tried to ensure that its beneficiaries received hands-on experience at different companies.
“Some of them did a course in agriculture. We helped them to form a cooperative and apply for land through land reform programmes. When I saw them getting the land, that’s when it occurred to me that I can do this for myself.”
A journey filled with obstacles
Sisusa applied for state-owned land in 2010, a process that she thought she completed despite government bureaucracy.
“I had applied with land reform in 2010 but because it’s such a long and tedious process, I only got a call back in 2013. And that was after I had to kick and scream and do all sorts of things to actually get their attention. After that long fight, I finally got a call to come in for an interview. That was in 2013. I was super excited.”
She explains that her interview went very well, and the only thing left to do was to sign the actual contract. By 2013 Sisusa had left her NGO job to work in the corporate space, which she then left in preparation for her new venture.
“But then something weird happened. Until today, no one can find my file.”
The loss of her file was a devastating blow to Sisusa. Despite rigorously planning her farming venture and staying on top of her land application, she still ended up without her corporate job and had no land to farm on.
Not one to stay down after a setback, Sisusa explored other ways in which she could still continue her new calling.
“I said to myself, ‘If I want to continue loving what I’m doing, I need to get away from these people.’ Luckily, the lady that was mentoring me asked me if I wanted to come and work with her.”
Sisusa’s mentor, Sindi Sabela, was someone she met while still working at the NGO. Sabela opened her farm up as a learning opportunity for Sisusa, something she says she will always be grateful for.
Sisusa and Sabela worked together from 2013 to around 2015, around which time Sabela experienced extreme illness. Her condition deteriorated so fast that she was unable to continue farming.
“She was extremely ill, so much so that there was a time where the doctors had written her off and said she is not going to make it. It was by God’s grace that she pulled through, but sadly, she could not go back to farming and ended up having to shut down her operation.”
Sisusa was once again looking for a place to farm. Her search for land spanned over four years when she finally managed to secure land again in 2019.
“It was a huge gap. I actually had to go back to corporate work because it was just not feasible for me to try and farm anymore. But I was still thinking about farming and how I really, really wanted to do it. I only managed to get land in April of 2019.”
A new farming chapter
Sisusa is a crop farmer, and like many smaller farmers, struggled to access proper infrastructure and the market. She explains that she had to spend a lot of money on fixing the dilapidated structures on the property she is working from, money that she now cannot use to expand her business.
Still, as someone who is determined to make her operation a success, she found a way to not only fix the infrastructure but also to ensure that she has an active market.
“I believe that you need to push yourself. You cannot wait for things to happen for you. So I planted a few vegetables and then, once they were ready for harvest, I packaged them and took them to the local Spar and PnP, just to show them what I’m able to do. I asked for the fresh produce buyer and queried whether they liked the quality of my produce.”
Now, Sisusa supplies vegetables for local retailers, as well as Johannesburg market, and even to local hawkers selling on the street.
As someone who waited years to fulfill her farming dream, Sisusa is very keen to ensure that her operation is a success. She is deeply aware of her farming operation as a business. This is why she decided to apply for the Corteva Women Agripreneur Programme.
“When I saw the ad for the programme, I felt that it can take me from where I am to where I want to go. I believe that most farmers are failing because they don’t see themselves as business people, and I felt that this programme will teach me the business side of what I am doing.”
If you do not treat your farming operation like a business, she says, you will not see progress.
“Not seeing your farming practice as a business will make sure you end up being an emerging farmer for the rest of your life. You will never get to a point where you say ‘I can compete with the big names, with the people who are called corporate farmers’.”
Sisusa’s drive to be successful is strong, and her passion is deep. Farming is all she wants to do, regardless of the obstacles and risks.
“This is who I am. I will never be happy doing anything else. That is what has been keeping me going.”
AlSO READ: Farming a ‘spiritual calling’ for this #SoilSista
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