Driving empowerment with Angora goats
The Mohair Empowerment Trust has launched a project aimed at establishing commercial mohair producers within a five-year period. Mike Burgess travelled with the trust’s Bongani Ndhlovu to one of four...
Broiler farmer prospers with successful partnering
Farmer Sam Nkosi started out small, but with good management and the right support he has grown his business into a 1,5 million-broiler farming operation.
A promising career for award-winning young farmer
At just 24 years old, Thato Moagi is already an award-winning farmer. She spoke to Luyolo Mkentane about her mixed farming operation and plans for the future.
Award-winning beef farmer’s drive to succeed
The Agricultural Research Council’s Eastern Cape emerging beef farmer for 2015, Sinako Ntseke, farms on three properties which collectively amount to more than 1 200ha. His passion for farming drives...
Tested farming model the secret to co-op’s success
The Suurbraak Grain Farmers’ Co-operative in the Southern Cape recently won the Western Cape Agricultural Writers’ Association’s Emerging Farmer of the Year award. The group ascribes its success to Boet...
Ambitious smallholder farmer ready to expand operations
North West farmer Salphanius Motswenyane tells Luyolo Mkentane how farming saved him from poverty. Having achieved success on a small scale he now hopes to grow his farming enterprise into...
Developing ostriches in Peddie
Since 2003, this Eastern Cape small-scale ostrich farming project has been providing opportunities for farmers to improve their livelihoods. Having overcome stringent biosecurity requirements, the project is set to expand...
Sheep farming success in Goshen
When Simon Txoanyana – a retired SANDF member – decided to farm in 1999, he realised he couldn’t afford a commercial farm. Mike Burgess spoke to him about how he...
Hard work, not handouts, behind this farmer’s success
Frans Malela from Limpopo gave up his city job to farm full time. With no government help, he became an award-winning farmer, growing maize then cotton on leased land. Today,...
From a hawker to an award-winning agro-processing farmer
Entrepreneur Gugu Mlipha went from being a hawker to an award-winning agro-processing farmer with a turnover of R2,4 million/year. Despite her success, she remains firmly hands-on, even driving her company’s...
Private-sector help for an impoverished community
A poor, deeply rural Eastern Cape community is on the brink of enjoying a revival, thanks to a project to establish a commercial farming operation amongst communal farmers. The venture...
‘I want to be the SA ambassador of black farming’ – Buyambo Mantashe
Buyambo Mantashe is hip, urban and a 24-year-old Joburger-turned-farmer. Orrock Robertsen caught up with him on his family farm in the Eastern Cape to get his views on land reform...
New dean for Africa’s top vet school – Onderstepoort
Prof Darrell Abernethy, appointed last year as Onderstepoort’s new dean, is poised to steer his alma mater towards addressing Africa’s desperate need for more vets in rural areas and improved...
From packer to co-owner
Ivy Mzamo has come a long way on the Luthando citrus farm near Kirkwood in the Eastern Cape. Beginning as a packer, she progressed to general manager and today is...
Co-op boosts smallholder farmers’ success
Since forming a co-op three years ago, smallholder vegetable farmers Johannes Arendse, Joseph Bantom and Polly Theunissen have expanded their business and gained access to assistance that will help them...
Eastern Cape’s top developing beef farmer
Lawrence Maduna (65), the Agricultural Research Council’s Eastern Cape Emerging Beef Farmer for 2014, farms a Bonsmara-dominated herd of 160 breeding females in the Lady Grey district of the Eastern...
Still emerging – but getting there!
Input costs are biting hard, but Matla-Gamede Farming’s owners are determined to turn their operation into a fully-fledged commercial business.
A peachy outlook for KZN poverty alleviation
It is an unfortunate reality that unemployment and poverty are rife in South Africa’s traditional authority areas. A pilot research project to develop commercial peach production and processing in parts...
How mentoring should work
Cois Harman’s assistance to developing farmer GK Gasekoma is a case study in mentoring. His procedure should be compulsory in any project involving taxpayers’ money.
Land reform success for Western Cape fruit farmer
After having built up a successful fruit trading enterprise, Joseph Hendricks began farming apples and pears on land that was in desperate need of attention. Today his farming company, Kaapschön,...
