Food security is Khakhu Mutheiwana’s business

Khakhu Mutheiwana is a potato farmer who currently employs 35 seasonal workers at Vhaluvhu Farm near Soekmekaar in Limpopo. Picture: Twitter

Khakhu Mutheiwana is a potato farmer who currently employs 35 seasonal workers at Vhaluvhu Farm near Soekmekaar in Limpopo. Picture: Twitter

Published Dec 3, 2020

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The agriculture industry plays an important role in South Africa by providing job and food security to many people in the country, particularly those in rural communities.

According to Statistics SA, the sector expanded by 15.1% and was the only positive contributor to the country’s GDP (gross domestic product) in the second quarter of 2020.

Khakhu Mutheiwana, who runs Vhaluvhu Farm near Soekmekaar in Limpopo, credits the partnerships she has made in the agriculture sector for the success of her farm.

She says such partnerships will help the industry stay afloat and continue to contribute positively to the country.

“One such partnership I have established is with McCain, which started in 2018 when they subsidised my labour and land preparation costs in the financial year. This intervention enabled my farm’s continuity as we strived to become self-sustainable,” she said, adding that she continued receiving technical advice, which was extremely beneficial, especially for emerging farmers who did not have a farming background.

“McCain’s standard contract comes with access to technical advice and since our partnership, I have gained valuable potato and sweet potato production knowledge from the company’s technical advisory programme.”

McCain, one of the largest suppliers of frozen foods in South Africa, has three commercial farms in three growing regions in the country, providing rewarding employment opportunities for local people and stimulating rural economies through the purchase of local goods and services.

It is the largest employer in Delmas, a small maize-farming town in Mpumalanga, and an integral part of the community in which farms create job opportunities.

Mutheiwana, who started farming in 2016 after growing up in a family that farmed, currently employs 35 seasonal workers in the Soekmekaar area. She initially grew cabbages and butternut on the farm, but as she grew into the business and better understood agriculture, she realised potatoes were a staple in South Africa and started growing them on a small scale.

Mutheiwana said that while farming played an essential role in job-creation in the community and inspired other young people, especially females, to take up farming, it was not without its challenges.

“Factors such as climate change come with diseases and various pest infections. More research and advanced farming technologies will accelerate South Africa’s global competitiveness in terms of agriculture.

“On a smaller scale, challenges like access to credit, transport, storage and infrastructure make it difficult for upcoming farmers to participate in commercial agriculture,” she said.

She added that Covid-19 did not only impact the industry as a whole but her day-to-day activities on the farm.

“The pandemic did not only inconvenience or slow down daily activities in the farm, but came with a high price tag in terms of precautions and restrictions based on government regulations that must be met for optimal operation of the farm.”

A decline in the number of farmers in South Africa has had an impact on food security in the country, with the number of commercial farmers in the country set to drop from 40 000 in 2011 to 15 000 by 2026. The loss of farmers will also lead to a loss of jobs in rural areas, where agriculture is the most important employer.

Mutheiwana says food security should be everyone’s business, with the government at the forefront.

“There is a huge gap between the number of new and emerging farmers versus retired or retiring farmers. Farming is a capital intensive business to start from scratch, and food production can never be a one-person business. It requires partnerships such as the one I have with McCain, and most importantly, active involvement from the government,” she said.

“We cannot ignore our country’s history. With the majority of us coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, it becomes impossible to venture into farming without valuable partnerships to assist not only with pecuniary but with technical knowledge as well.

“There are great opportunities for young people in farming, but the active participation of the government in assisting aspiring and existing young farmers is what our country needs.”

The Star

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