From growing peppers to eventually hydroponic farming, Ika Cronje is a true forward-thinker. Farming has become an unexpected and profound passion for her and in this episode of Farmer’s Inside Track, she talks about her love for farming and her thriving agribusiness in Levubu, Limpopo.
Despite growing up on a farm, Cronje’s path did not initially lead her back to agriculture. Fate, however, had other plans for her, and today, she finds herself thriving in the world of hydroponic ginger cultivation.
The queen of ginger
Cronje shares how she made hydroponic farming work for her on a small space, how after many failed experiments she finally got the hang of it, and why she chose to focus her farming business on ginger and turmeric.
“It’s been challenging getting the correct information. Ginger is a very specified market and the farmers are very selfish with information and they are mostly white male farmers,” she says.
She also talks about mentorship and finding someone who was willing to share information with her about growing ginger crops. Cronje further discusses how she used YouTube as a learning tool, what she considers the best fertiliser, load shedding, and how she never takes no for an answer.
In this episode, Cronje also discusses:
- Being the only woman growing ginger hydroponically;
- Funding and support towards hydroponic farming; and
- Future endeavours.
Want to know more? Listen to the full episode of Farmer’s Inside Track.
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Option 3: Click here to listen on Google Podcast.
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