As the country commemorates Youth Day today and celebrates the contribution young people made to the struggle for freedom in South Africa, there is a new generation of young farmers making a different kind of contribution – feeding the nation with passion.
As the 2023 Mzansi Young Farmers Indaba wrapped up yesterday, successfully hosted by Food For Mzansi and John Deere, young agri professionals shared their thoughts on Youth Day and what it means to be young and farming.
Farming’s highs and lows
Lesedi Gabue from Delarayville in North West is a poultry farmer who got into farming because of her deep love for animals and chicks. When she realised that she could actually generate an income from chickens, she was sold on the idea of becoming a farmer. She describes farming as a noble profession.
“Farming means that you are in charge of making sure that everybody gets something to eat. If you don’t get up and work, we don’t have food. To me, farming means feeding others and it is very important that we wake up and work, be passionate and produce quality.”
Gabue started farming in 2020 without any knowledge, she admits. Armed with a desire and passion to farm, she ordered her first 200 chicks but disaster soon followed.
“I just had a passion to go into it, but had no knowledge. I got the chicks and kept them in a shack and went back to work, but when I came back they were all dead.
“My biggest lesson from that experience is to study everything that you do and understand every single aspect of it. Acquire professional knowledge of what you’re doing. You can have passion and have the means to do it, but if you will have your product consumed by someone else, you have to make sure that you have the necessary knowledge to do things correctly. So I would say, learn, learn, learn!”
Building on a farming legacy
Karabo Mahlaba from Brits in the Free State is a livestock and grain farmer. Agriculture is extremely personal to him because of his father, who is also a farmer.
“Being young and being a farmer means getting generational opportunities because my father actually started farming at a very late age. He started at around 50 years,” he said. “So for me, it’s a very personal thing because I had to start early and take over from my father.”
Currently, his biggest challenge is the climate. For the past two seasons, he has not been able to plant at full scale due to excess rainfall. This has taught him to do proper planning, he says.
“Another important lesson I learned was that farming is time sensitive and farmers have to be on time. When it comes to finance, farmers should be able to network as much as they can and meet a lot of people and get the right direction to talk to different initiatives that help young black farmers,” he said.
Ignore the noise and naysayers
Benoni rabbit farmer Paballo Mokatsane from Gauteng took on the challenge of exploring the world of rabbit agriculture and has not looked back. This, despite many hiccups and hurdles.
“Rabbit farming is very niche and we got into it because we realised that it is something that is not common,” she said.
“The biggest challenge that I faced is people not taking me seriously because of age. But after sharing the knowledge that they did not have or the knowledge that they thought they have, it changes people’s perspective on young people in agriculture.”
Land is another challenge but Mokatsane refuses to let this stop her. Instead, she pushes forward and continues to take up space in agriculture.
“I’ve learned to work on myself and to keep myself informed and to grow. Farming is all about growth and producing,” she said.
Find the right support
Realeboga Moketi is a poultry and crop farmer from Virgina, Free State. She started farming in 2016 after the unfortunate death of her father who ran a mini poultry empire.
Her two biggest challenges currently are theft and water because of a lack of infrastructure. From those challenges she has learned that when looking for employees, it is important to find people who can support you when faced with difficult times.
“They must be employees who are not just there to get a paycheck at the end of the month, but be there to see the company growing,” she said, “I also learned to work with my partners to save money together and come up with water solutions like getting a borehole.”
Navigating stock theft
Another farmer faced with theft as a challenge, is goat and sheep farmer Palesa Maine from Ngandamotjie Malema. Her biggest challenge, she said was to invest in improving security systems in the rural area she farms.
“I learned that I have to get security systems in place. I need to get things like drones and electric fences, but as a start-up farmer, it might be challenging, but I think it’s important,” she said.
‘It’s a privilege to farm’
According to Rethabile Ngwenya, the founder of Reaoboka agribusiness and projects in Klerksdorp, North West, being a young, black woman in the farming industry is a privilege. It allows her to pursue her passion for agriculture, learn more about the field, and share her knowledge with her community and those around her.
“As an agro-processor, I have learned that the lack of a market is the biggest challenge. When considering farming, it is important to begin searching for a market in the sector as early as possible. It is a significant matter.”
Young farmers are important
Dzunisani Hlongwane, the director of Timbele Farms in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, believes that young people are crucial in ensuring that the nation is well-fed with fresh, organic produce straight from the farm. He said the country should keep an eye on his farming business as he explores the importance of maintaining food security for our country.
“A lack of knowledge continues to be a major problem in the agricultural sector. I lost one of my best Boer goat ewe breeding stock due to the lack of knowledge,” he recalls.
Lack of knowledge can be your downfall
Thandokwazi Nkosi, a mixed farmer in Mpumalanga, believes that being a young black farmer in South Africa’s agricultural industry is challenging. He feels that there is a lack of transparent information available on how to grow successfully and obtain funding for young farmers.
“I have never experienced stress like that caused by dealing with feeders, diseases, and the skills and knowledge required for animal medication. During the drought season, feeding the animals becomes a challenging task. I have come to realise that this is a crucial aspect of livestock farming.”
Paying homage to grandfather
Bakanga Moholotlheng, the founder of Baki bee farm in the Kaalpan, North West considers himself fortunate to be a young farmer. He recognises that not every young person can farm. He is extremely grateful to his grandfather for giving him the chance to farm at a young age.
“My business was vandalised and theft occurred. I suffered significant losses, which resulted in the loss of some of my valued clients. This experience has taught me the significance of security and the fact that to maximise profits, one must spend a considerable amount of time at the farm.”
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