Urban farmer Mosesi Mosesi is ripping through the script of agricultural norms with a business initiative he calls New Liff Hydroponic Farm.
The 27-year-old is one of more than 3 000 youths to benefit from a Nedbank funded skills development program in partnership with the Youth Employment Service (YES). Through this initiative Mosesi was able to harness his new-found love for agriculture to escape the scourge of youth unemployment.
In 2017 he fulfilled his vision and went on to open his very own aquaponic farm in the heart of Tembisa in Gauteng.
On this week’s video episode of Farmer’s Inside Track, the “Township Aquaponics Pioneer” takes us on a journey through the day-to-day operations on his urban farm. Mosesi says the inspiration behind creating this oasis of green, crunchy vegetables was to give back to his community.
“I am trying to recreate that same opportunity that I got,” Mosesi says. “Bringing such a good project into the community is almost like me giving back.”
His business employs two members of his community as well as a seasonal worker. The urban farmer adds that his journey in creating an aquaponic setup that grows 3600 leafy vegetables was not without challenges.
“The hardest thing I have had to encounter was finding a market for us. People want to know what they consume and where it comes from, so branding our product was a bit of a challenge,” Mosesi says.
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