Article for Siyazisiza Trust: Small subsistence farming, if developed, can become the breadbasket for South Africa |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Jul 16 2011 |
Conventional thinking that small plots of land can be used only to provide for the basic needs of the farmer and his family, with little surplus left for sale, has been turned on its head by a vibrant group of Maputaland people in KwaZulu Natal.
Intensively working 10 hectares of fertile agricultural land known as the Magema Vegetable Garden, the farm is nestled in a fertile rural valley in the uMakhanyakude District of Maputaland. The farmers comprise mainly women.
Once under-utilised and over-grown with weeds and trees, the land has been transformed into a lush vegetable garden brimming with healthy cabbages, spinach, potatoes, green peppers, tomatoes and carrots, among others.
Through sheer determination, hard work and a zest to succeed, with the help, advice and support from non profit developmental organisation, Siyazisiza Trust, an entire community now benefits from the success of this garden. And their influence is growing.
“We had no idea how far we could go when we first approached Siyazisiza,” says Mrs Busisiwe Mabika, chairperson of the project which has 16 members.
“We worked hard clearing the fields. Siyazisiza taught us about planning and advised us as to the best time to plant various crops.”
And, sitting on a blanket under a leafy mango tree in the middle of a verdant field of cabbages, she gestures to the fruits of the farm’s work: “Look at how good our garden is doing and how much we’ve been able to grow.”
She adds: “Siyazisiza also mentored us on how best to use the income we receive. We put a percentage of our profits aside for maintenance purposes and to purchase items such as new tools and seeds.”
Siyazisiza Trust aims to contribute to food security and small enterprise development in the rural areas of northern KwaZulu Natal. It provides training in the establishment of committees, the principles behind marketing, financial literacy, including record keeping, banking and saving.
Mrs Mabika says that the cherry on the top of everything is that Mangema has won a contract to supply fresh vegetables and fruit to the chain of Boxer Super Stores in northern KwaZulu Natal. “This is a huge achievement for us, she says proudly as her fellow-farmers nod in agreement.
Then, significantly in terms of the future, she says: “We are now starting to see ourselves as commercial farmers. We not only want to do well with the Boxer stores and our usual sales, but we also want to win more contracts. We also want to get to a point where we can supply food to the feeding schemes in schools in the area and more.”
Thinking and acting like commercial farmers, but retaining their strong community roots, has revolutionised the way the group works on the farm. Each member thinks strategically and comes up with ways in which to improve the efficacy of what they do.
One such improvement was to ask Siyazisiza for help with an electricity connection. Together with AngloGold Ashanti’s support, electricity has been brought to their area which has allowed an electric water pump to be fitted. This has made a significant difference to the farm. With the help of the pump, thousands of litres of water are carried to each member’s plot of land through a network of irrigation pipes.
“We used to battle to water our gardens with buckets. It was slow and hard. We were very happy when Siyazisiza agreed to give us the electric water pump and Eskom installed the power lines to our area. It’s only because of this that we are able to really see what we can do with our garden. We have so many ideas.”
The group’s ambitions now include the purchase of a vehicle. At present, the members have to hire neighbours’ bakkies to take their produce to the market – transport that is not always readily available, and which is expensive.
Mrs Makiba says that once they have their own vehicle, they will be able to easily purchase what they need for their farm such as seeds and tools and of course, be able to expand their market.
Through the success of the garden, the quality of life of the members has improved. They are now able to pay school fees, provide clothes, a decent home and good food for their families, as well as donate food to the local orphanage and soup kitchen in nearby Jozini. Other benefits experienced by the community include access to fresh fruit and vegetables at affordable prices and much needed employment.
According to a report by Mark R. Jury and Yogani Govender from the Environmental Studies Department for the University of Zululand titled, A survey of tropical south-eastern Africa in the context of coastal zone management, Maputaland is one of the most rural areas in South Africa with some of the lowest literacy rates and highest unemployment rates.
“Initiatives like this show that food security issues would start to disappear if more subsistence farmers were encouraged to look beyond what they currently do to what they could do if they were given the training, support and mentorship such as that received by the members of Magema,” says Jane Zimmerman, Executive Director for Siyazisiza Trust.
Last changed: Jul 16 2011 at 9:39 PM
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