As South Africa marks Youth Day, the stories of two young women farmers from Limpopo highlight the growing role agriculture is playing in creating jobs, supporting rural economies and strengthening food security.
Petunia Molea and Vhengani Ndou are among a new generation of agricultural entrepreneurs who have built thriving farming businesses while creating employment opportunities in their communities.
Molea, 36, from Gumbu Village near Musina, started her agricultural journey with a small maize garden at home. Inspired by her mother’s passion for farming, she established Godzwana General Farming in 2017 on just one hectare of land.
By reinvesting income from each harvest, she expanded the business to five hectares. Today, her farm supplies tomatoes to Tiger Brands for the production of its iconic All Gold Tomato Sauce.
The business employs two permanent employees and 15 seasonal workers.
Several kilometres away in Muswodi Village, 32-year-old Ndou chose farming over a career as a qualified boilermaker and established Onay Farming in 2019.
Despite challenges in accessing finance, she has built a growing enterprise that employs five permanent workers and around 30 seasonal workers. Her farm supplies tomatoes to Tiger Brands and also provides practical workplace experience for agriculture students from the University of Venda.
Both women are participants in the Tiger Brands Hulisani Agricultural Development Programme, which supports emerging farmers through interventions aimed at improving productivity, sustainability and long-term growth.
According to Maanda Milubi, Tiger Brands director of enterprise supplier development and transformation, young farmers are essential to the country’s economic and food security goals.
“Young farmers have an important role to play in strengthening South Africa’s food security, create jobs and contribute to economic growth,” says Milubi.
“Through the Tiger Brands Hulisani Agricultural Development Programme, we aim to provide emerging farmers with support that can help build sustainable businesses for the future and strengthen local agricultural value chains that support our business and the communities in which we operate.”
The journeys of Ndou and Molea demonstrate the opportunities agriculture offers young people, particularly women, to build successful businesses while contributing to economic activity in rural communities.
Ndou believes agriculture offers young people the chance to create opportunities not only for themselves but for others as well.
“Agriculture offers young people the opportunity to build a future for themselves while creating opportunities for others. Success doesn’t happen overnight, but with patience, perseverance and a willingness to work hard, it is possible to build a sustainable business and make a lasting impact in your community,” she says.
Molea believes agriculture can play an important role in empowering young people and strengthening rural communities.
“Farming is not easy, but with patience, commitment and hard work, it is possible to build something meaningful and create opportunities for yourself and others,” she says.
Their stories serve as a reminder this Youth Day that agriculture remains a powerful pathway for entrepreneurship, job creation and community development, particularly in rural South Africa.
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