Deep in the rural corners of the Eastern Cape sits Mahliwane village, home to Khwezi Sifuba, a small-scale crop and livestock farmer who owns a modest plot of land that helps him feed his family.
Growing up in Dutywa, a name in the Xhosa language that means “place of disorder”, young Sifuba always knew that his work would involve the cultivation of food one day.
Today, he cultivates crops like red and green cabbage, spinach, lettuce, potatoes, broccoli, soybeans, maize, and spring onions. Sifuba also managed his family’s livestock on a 3-hectare plot of land.
He breeds sheep and cattle owned by his family and farms with sixty-layer chickens, selling eggs in the neighbouring communities.
“I grew up in a farming family, where my parents taught me the value of growing your food. It was only as I grew older that I realised how much potential there is in farming as a career”.
There’s a lot in the basket to offer!
Sifuba has decided to focus on the informal market as his main revenue stream, selling to community members of Mahliwane village and Mphalala village. Some of his crops are also sold to IDutywa Superspar and IDutywa Spar.
His integrated farming approach is a key element of Sifuba’s small-scale success. Sifuba believes it is helping him develop a more resilient and sustainable farm. By combining crops and livestock, farmers can make better use of their land’s resources, he adds.
“For example, manure from livestock can be used to fertilise crops, and crops can provide food for the livestock.”
Khwezi Sifuba
Mixed farming can also assist in lowering the risk of pests and diseases, Sifuba adds.
Made stronger through education
Education in agriculture has also been crucial in Sifuba’s farming journey. After completing high school, Sifuba enrolled at Fort Cox College of Agriculture and Forestry in 2016. He studied animal production, gaining the knowledge and skills needed to manage livestock on his family farm.
While at Fort Cox, he took an interest in sustainable agriculture and its potential to improve lives and the environment.
Following his graduation, he went on to study at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, where he further honed his skills in agricultural management.
“Education in agriculture is critical for anyone looking to enter the field. It is never too late to continue your education and expand your knowledge of farming and sustainable practices,” Sifuba believes.
Farm with a plan
According to Sifuba, obtaining agricultural knowledge has helped run him successfully. He says that without a strategy, so much may go wrong, such as waste, which is one of a few possible problems that might arise on a farm.
“The biggest challenge has been water or let me say an irrigation system because we have to use watering cans to water crops.”
Sifuba recognises the value of acquiring agricultural knowledge and attributes his successful management of the farm to this knowledge. He emphasises the importance of having a strategy in agriculture to avoid potential issues such as waste.
His advice to aspiring farmers is to go for it without hesitation. “To young people who want to be farmers, once you point the road, don’t look back. Neither Rome nor the Great Wall of China were built in a day,” Sifuba says.
Knowledge is power
He adds that it is important to pay close attention to soil management, and proper irrigation. Poor soil management can result in soil erosion and nutrient depletion, while poor irrigation can result in water contamination and drought, he shares.
“All of these issues can be costly and time-consuming to resolve, and if not handled, they can lead to farm bankruptcy.”
“My future plan is to open a feedlot that will also help the community where I will take in cattle from the community feed them and sell them and take a certain percentage from the profit.”
While Sifuba believes that farmers can learn a great deal on how to avoid or resolve these situations through sufficient training, he aspires to grow in leaps and bounds. He looks forward to taking his farming business to higher heights through technical advancements and implementing the academic knowledge obtained.
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