Durban — To make farming fashionable among the youth, four small-scale farmers from the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal have embarked on a journey of attracting young people to join the farming sector.
The farmers Siphindile Phumelele Hlengwa, Thanduxolo Msomi, Zanele Cele and Marvin Mnqobi Ndelu are encouraging the youth to turn to farming as a business to combat unemployment.
They have reached a level of being recognised as small-holding farmers, each with a yearly sales income of more than R50 000.
In addition to conducting their business services, the farmers said they also work towards building a sustainable community through employment opportunities, skills development, food security, access to nutritional and affordable produce, and overall growth as a business network.
Hlengwa, director of Ndlovukazi Agriculture Multipurpose farm said she teaches youth on their farm located in Imfume village, South of Durban.
To assist those in need, they have provided seeds to local vulnerable farmers in their community.
“I have been farming for four years now and as a young black female in farming, I can state that farming is not for the faint-hearted.
“The sleepless nights doing administration and studies coupled with the long days of farm labour (including construction on site) has made me very strong emotionally and mentally to tackle farming,” Hlengwa said.
She said they also have student farmers on their farm so as to contribute towards a much more skilled workforce.
Director of Phumenhleni, Thanduxolo Msomi, from Mfume village, said being raised in a household that focused on agriculture as a main source of income has been a pivotal role in her life.
“I was indoctrinated to love farming and as I became an adult I understood why it is important to get into the farming business.”
Msomi also said that being a farmer is a means to become self-sufficient and live off the soil by getting nutrition and selling produce. However, it takes resources like land, machinery, equipment, inputs, and skills. Mostly it requires knowledge of how to obtain these things and the correct network to achieve it, and that farmers need land.
“My support system is my family. The foundation for the passion I have for agriculture was forged through the lens of a child (me) witnessing my grandfather give his time and effort to agriculture," said Msomi.
Endabukweni Farm CEO, Zanele Cele, whose farm is also in the Mfume village, said her most cherished moment was “when I harvested a successful crop and supplied one of the big retail shops in Durban. I was so excited to see my spinach and cabbages on the shelves. I felt a sense of pride knowing that my work contributes to feeding my community”.
The farmer from uMlazi said the lessons she learnt over the years in farming are patience and timing, adding that as a farmer one needs to have patience because planting, growth and harvest all require patience and understanding of natural rhythms.
“It is not as easy to be a commercial farmer because you have to understand marketing, finances and management. You must be able to manage risks like coping with weather, especially the floods in KZN, market fluctuations, and diseases. Also, commercial farmers need to stay up-to-date with market trends and consumer demands,” said Cele.
She also said that a support system is crucial for farmers as she also relies on her fellow farmers, her reliable team and customers, and her family who understand the demands of farming, especially her children… They always offer emotional support.
Director of Mngadi Paradise Marvin Mnqobi Ndelu plants food as well as bananas, guavas, avocados and peaches and has goats and indigenous chickens.
Ndelu said young farmers must realise that agriculture is a business and that they should stop selling land that can be used to produce fresh produce to eat, and produce fresh air, suggesting leasing land rather than selling.
One of the community members who benefited from the Ndlovukazi Agriculture Multipurpose Programme, Nobuhle Gumede said she started her studies at Umfolozi TVET College’s Eshowe campus, where she completed her 18 months in farming management theory.
She then applied for in-service training and luckily she said, she got the opportunity to gain experience at Ndlovukazi Agriculture where she is currently doing her practicals.
“I have learnt how to use organic and inorganic principles in our farming activities and spacing as well. Farming on a farm is vastly different from basic gardening,” she said.
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