Mphikeleli Tyobeka grew up in an era where tending to the family garden was a rite of passage. You didn’t have much of a choice. Today, he is working towards his dream of becoming a farmer, one seed at a time.
Tyobeka is currently growing crops in his backyard garden in East London in the Eastern Cape, saving money and participating in training and workshops in order to one day establish a larger farming operation.
His passion for cultivating the land was ignited on several trips to his ancestral village of Swartwater Dum-dum in Cacadu, during school holidays. There, he was taught how to care for livestock and cultivate crops.
“Nearly everyone in the villages had their own vegetable allotment, farming was never perceived as a business,” Tyobeka explains.
During his formative years he was mentored by his uncles Wilson and Sandile, and his aunt Grace, who taught him about crop rotation, composting, mulching and irrigation.
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Starting a veggie garden
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Tyobeka decided to start a backyard garden. During this time, he founded his own construction company in the Eastern Cape, Skhovana Tyobeka Construction and Projects Pty Ltd but the business was not doing too well.
In the absence of an income, he turned to gardening to provide for his family.
“During the pandemic, there were numerous regulations in place, including time limits for shopping and the associated risks of going out. Despite these challenges, I decided to give it a try, and fortunately, everything turned out well in the end,” Tyobeka says.
Today, his backyard garden is flourishing with a variety of vegetables cultivated through the practice of crop rotation. This method entails planting different crops in the same area during each season.
He says that this practice helps maintain soil health and prevents nutrient depletion.
Putting food on the table
He is able to maintain a steady supply of fresh produce for himself and his family owing to the variety of vegetables he grows, which includes carrots, cabbages, broccoli, coriander, garlic, green peppers, potatoes, red cabbage, and spinach.
Tyobeka has never sold his produce before. He started farming solely for sustenance. However, he now has a vision to expand his farming operation on a larger scale.
“I have conducted thorough research to gather as much information and expertise as possible for an upcoming project.”
Being occupied with other construction-related duties, he admits that his garden was neglected at one point due to his travel duties.
The grand vision in farming
Tyobeka aims to develop an egg-laying business on 12 hectares of his property near Queenstown.
According to his observations, most people in surrounding towns buy eggs in East London in numbers, this implies that there is a shortage of eggs being produced in locations such as Queenstown and the surrounding regions.
“With the lack of funding in Mzansi, I have decided that I will fund myself. I have been saving to start this project, and as soon as I have enough, I will be the main egg and broiler supplier in Komani and surrounding areas.”
He goes on to say that, with food inflation in Mzansi, people need to take farming seriously to keep poverty at bay in their homes.
He emphasises the need to reinforce farming in younger children for their own future.
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