Tsakani small farmer motivates unemployed to start farming in their backyards

Tsakani – When Kgomotso Vilane lost her job in 2020, she decided to start a poultry business using her grandmother’s backyard.

Three years later, the 26-year-old says the business is stable and has been able to absorb an unemployed resident to help her with her business.

She says her dream is to employ more unemployed women in the area to help fight unemployment. She used the skills that she learned over in 2012 but never used to start her farming journey.

“Armed with hope, I started with 30 layer chickens which I bought with R3 000 I received from the UIF.

“This was a gamble because I wasn’t sure if I would make enough profit from this and feared my limited skills,” she explained.

She also sells freshly slaughtered chickens.

She added that her business is growing for the better and she is now able to breed 100 to 200 broiler chickens in each cycle, five times a year depending on a good cycle.

Kgomotso is encouraging young people who are unemployed to also explore a business in farming.

“One doesn’t need a big space to start a small farming business towards their survival, I started in my grandmother’s backroom that was turned into a storeroom and my business is flourishing.

“I don’t even have plans to draft my latest CV because I plan to grow my farming business. Agriculture is an economic sector that no country can flourish or survive without it.”

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