Growing up, Tinyiko Khoza witnessed her mother’s business methods as she always tried to put food on the table by farming. While Khoza pursued a career in the emergency services, the apple did not fall far from the tree. In 2021 Khoza decided to pursue farming full-time. She is one of the woman selected for the Corteva Women Agripreneur 2022, a year-long blended development programme at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) Entrepreneurship Development Academy (EDA).
Khoza grew up doing backyard farming in Limpopo and enjoyed being taught by her mother about the various farming methods to be able to survive.
“I grew up in a family with business-minded women. My mother was a single parent and very much into business; she was raising chickens and goats,” says Khoza.
Education has always been important to Khoza, and she went to pursue a career in the emergency services and became a fire fighter. Not long after her career as a firefighter kicked off, she began her side hustle by selling vegetables.
“ I started working in 2004, [and] wanted to pursue my career. [Then] I started to sell vegetables because [there was] a bakkie,” says Khoza.
Khoza adds that while she was sourcing her stock on different farms for the best products, she fell in love with nature and immediately saw an opportunity that she could not pass on.
She explains that her passion for business motivated her to explore the possibilities of farming again.
“I was motivated by food security that is affecting everyone globally and I loved the idea that I could do something about it. “ says Khoza.
Farming passion ignites
In 2007, she started farming part-time and continued to work full-time in the emergency services department. Khoza soon realised that she was not meeting her targets and she needed to make a tough decision.
“When I am not there, people do what they feel like doing. Also, they think you are not serious because you show them the opportunity to make money, and you leave them with everything and check now and then. It was not good for me.”
In 2021, Khoza went into the farming business full-time and does not regret it at all.
To be able to pursue her dream of farming, Khoza decided to rent a plot in Pretoria for better opportunities and to reach a better market.
Poultry tickles her fancy
“I am into poultry farming. I do both layers and broilers. My business is based in Pretoria, Centurion to be exact, and I am renting a plot in Nandi,” she explains.
Since she went into farming full-time, Khoza saw the growth in her business. But that’s not all for this #SoilSista because she is working on a five-year plan to own a processing unit.
“I would like to see myself having an abattoir and a small processing house, where we will be processing the chicken even for other farmers in the community.”
She adds that too many farmers must travel quite a distance to be able to get their chickens to the abattoir. Her dream is to be able to be accessible to the farming community in her region.
Accessing the market can be very challenging too, says Khoza. Currently, her focused market is local Chinese restaurants and walk-in customers, including deliveries that creates more customers through word-of-mouth.
“The market access is the hardest, one which affects all of us as farmers, especially for us as small-scale farmers. I managed to source the restaurants that I have because of my previous skills and knowledge, but it remains difficult,” she adds.
Khoza believes that there is always room to grow.
Farmer at heart
Khoza says what keeps her going is the fact that she considers herself a naturally born farm girl.
“Even at home, I always loved the garden. People always asked me why I am doing a man’s job? Simply because I love farming, I can’t just drop it.”
Khoza had her eye on the prize to join the Corteva Women Agripreneur programme and she applied but was unsuccessful initially in 2021.
She explains that the second time was the charm, because she was accepted for programme this year. “It opened a lot of opportunities for me. The programme groomed me to become a successful agripreneur.”
Khoza has bigger plans up her sleeve and the youth are close to her heart as well. She adds that her biggest dream is give back to the youth by offering training in the agricultural industry.
“I am also a training development specialist, so I am going to give back to the community by arranging with the local schools to bring the learners to the farm to learn about agriculture and also food processing.”
Khoza does not shy away from an opportunity and gives her all during the tough days.
She also explains that women who want to be farmers should start where they are and with what they have. “You can even start by just buying that one seed packet from the shop and planting it in your backyard and see how it grows.”
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