It is quite something when the national minister of agriculture in South Africa decides to take time out of her busy schedule to pay your farm a visit. Zandile Kumalo, Sandton’s award-winning rooftop farmer is still in awe after she recently hosted minister Thoko Didiza on her farm.
Kumalo’s co-owned farm called Neighbour Roots made headlines in 2021 when it was launched on top of Sandton’s Morningside Shopping Centre.
Right in the heart of Johannesburg’s concrete jungle, Kumalo grows a variety of fresh vegetables such as lettuce, baby spinach and a variety of herbs. She sells her produce to several restaurants and businesses on the floors below her, as well as in surrounding areas.
So far, most of her agricultural dreams have come true, despite the many ups and down. But it is moments like Didiza’s visit that makes it all worthwhile. Food For Mzansi caught up with Kumalo to hear about the visit.
ASLO READ: Meet the woman behind Sandton’s rooftop farm
Duncan Masiwa: Hosting the minister of agriculture, that kind of recognition must mean a lot to you.
Zandile Kumalo: It was great to see the minister of agriculture visit my farm, and I’m grateful that she took the time out of her busy schedule to come to see what we do here.
Give us the juice, what did you talk about?
Haha! We spoke about how climate change has been a huge problem for farmers, and how we have to deal with the effects of climate change on our crops. You know, climate change makes it difficult to produce crops that are of high quality and fresh.
Minister Didiza and I also talked about the benefits of hydroponics, and how it can help farmers overcome these obstacles.
As we walked through the farm, showing her the different types of systems that we have on the farm, we went deeper into conversations about how each system can benefit farmers.
From farmers that operate in the concrete jungles (urban spaces) with backup electricity, to farmers that want to farm in townships with limited electricity, using hydroponic techniques.
We last spoke in 2021, what have been some of your career highlights so far?
We have received numerous awards since 2021.
In 2022, I was awarded the excellence in agriculture award by the Charlotte Mannya Maxeke Institute (CMMI). The award was for being the youngest woman to pioneer innovation in agriculture.
That same year, I received the inaugural national Presidential SMME award for being one of the most “Innovative in the Agri Space”. The award was handed over by minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams.
You’ve grown so much already, but what’s next for you?
Our business growth! We are building our third hydroponic greenhouse and are still seeking more investment so that we can build more hydroponic farms. This will enable us to meet our market demand and also aid our efforts to teach, and grow more youngsters in the industry.
The project that we do for youngsters, Neighbour Roots, has collaborated with Green Urban Farms to expose and give skills to youngsters between the ages of 18 and 25 years.
The young agripreneurs get to participate in an intensive 12-month programme in which they gain hydroponic farming skills, and business skills through a STEM learning concept. This means they get to learn the science behind hydroponic farming, the technical, engineering and mechanical side of operating a hydroponic farm.
We initially started with six youngsters and we will be enrolling seven more young agripreneurs.
ALSO READ: Zandile believes agritech can woo youngsters
Many people don’t know that you have a big heart for your community
Yes, we’ve done a few community impact initiatives. We also have helped raise funds and built a hydroponic farm for a primary school in Orange Farm, and are still building one for a high school in Jabulani.
Since then, we’ve also constructed two smart gardens for two early childhood development centres in Alexandra. We also do farm tours for primary schools to show how agriculture is evolving in South Africa. We strive to impact more communities and schools in 2023.
My hope and wish for agriculture is that our sector gets more investment so that more innovative ideas sprout.
ALSO READ: ICYMI: Govt needs to up their land reform game
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