Agriculture not just for the old

Contrary to popular believe, agriculture is not for old people and a local young farmer stand as proof.

Miyeni is one of the few young people actively involved in leadership within the Communal Property Association (CPA) structure, through the Mmamahlola CPA.

Sharing his experiences in an industry that few young people are willing to explore: Miyeni said he completed high schooling at Merensky High School in Tzaneen and then studied marketing at Rosebank College in Pretoria. After graduating with marketing diploma, his lecturer advised him that there weren’t a lot jobs in marketing, and he just knew he needed to get out of the city to explore other avenues.

“I went on to pursue a national diploma in farming and farm management and a certificate in agriculture obtained from Majuba TVET College in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal. That’s where I did primary agriculture, learning the basics and technical aspects of farming, and went on to do farm management, which equipped me more for the business of agriculture. I delved into finance, marketing, HR management and maintenance,” he said.

When the Mmamahlola CPA advertised for a senior supervisor for its farm, he applied for the job and met the criteria.

“I think agriculture has always been in me, I have always loved nature, and it was a natural progression for me. I remember growing up, I went to boarding school and always looked forward to the school holidays, just spending time in my rural home, because of the quality of vegetation and surroundings. I enjoyed it and I have never regretted the decision to move careers and explore this space as a career opportunity,” he said.

His parents are both teachers by profession, and at first, they were apprehensive about the career move.

They now realise the need for my involvement with the CPA, because they are also very actively involved with that association. They understand the need to have young people within these structures for a different outlook to doing things, and to support with the necessary skills and knowledge to grow CPAs and improve their work and impact. “I think it’s a difficult thing to take such a leap, and it can never be easy on parents, but it’s also necessary to explore these opportunities where no-one else wants to go. In fact, I recall my parents wanted me to have a job where I would wear a suit and tie and work in an office; and being the only boy in a family of three meant I had to work towards following this dream that my parents had for me.

They didn’t think I would be working with my hands; getting my hands dirty on a farm,” he said. He said he found that it’s difficult to land a job on a commercial farm as a young black person, as the space is still seen as the preserve of white people, but it should change, so that young black people can also enter the space. Also, because opportunities for employment in farming or for farming graduates are located on the outskirts of cities where public transport is not accessible.

Often one have to walk long Young farmer, Karabo Miyeni(31). distances to your job interviews, and it’s a challenge for most young people. He says before joining the Mmamahlola CPA, he worked with the Lima Rural Development Foundation, a non-profit organisation that promotes community development and improves livelihoods in rural South Africa.

At Lima he was exposed to the harsh realities around food security, and that’s where he says he developed greater interest in understanding the impact of climate change on food security and the need for innovative solutions in addressing these more proactively.

“I did some extensive research work while working with the organisation, and in some of my research found that black people, for example, are not eating the right food and that food security is definitely an issue that requires innovative solutions in South Africa and the involvement of young people to work with communities to address some of these challenges. I have also found that there is a lot of pressure to perform as a young person. There is an expectation that because young people bring education and skills from college, every project must succeed, so there is definitely a lot of pressure for success, but at the same time, the feeling is really rewarding,” he said.

According Miyeni, there has to be a mindset shift around where young people should get involved, and there is a need to undo the mindset that after graduating one must get jobs in offices, because there is a lot of work to do on the ground.

“Land is wealth. Often young people don’t think about it that way. If you think about it, 90% of what we have comes from the land. And if we can effectively utilise the land, we will create the wealth and the jobs needed to address the high unemployment rate among young people,” he said. There aren’t a lot of young black graduates involved in agriculture or commercial agriculture, and there are over 1 500 CPAs – which means structures currently owned by black communities can be utilised as entry points for young black graduates to get involved in agriculture and support in growing the efforts of CPAs. More young people should begin to seriously take agriculture as a career opportunity, study agriculture and obtain the right qualifications to make contributions in this space. While the perception is that this work is not glamorous, this is where wealth is being created. My vision is to see more young people involved in making agriculture a success and more so to work with the CPA to make sure that our work grows to create 600 permanent positions at the farm. We are putting in place strategies to realise this dream; through partnerships, technical support and expertise, capital injection, networking and collaborations, we can make these projects a success,” he said.

Communal Property Associations were legally established in 1996 under the Communal Property Association Act No 28 of 1996 to enable beneficiaries of the land reform restitution programme to hold their land,” explains Peter Setou, Chief Executive of the Vumelana Advisory Fund – a nonprofit organisation that helps beneficiaries of the land reform programme put their land to profitable use by establishing commercially viable partnerships between communities and investors.

In 2017, Vumelana facilitated a 25-year lease agreement between the Mmamahlola CPA and a commercial partner for the redevelopment of 360 ha of orchards to produce soft citrus, avocado and macadamia for export. The CPA is receiving income generated from the lease agreement and it is estimated that 160 jobs will be created within the first four years of operation; enabling the CPA to begin efforts towards making its land profitable, create jobs and uplift its communities.

The project has the potential to improve the livelihoods of 3 063 beneficiary households over the next four years.