Small farmers persist despite challenges

The Mogofes are the owners of Konkwane Integrated Farming from Turkey zone village outside Hoedspruit. They currently farm tomatoes, cabbages, sweet potatoes, butternuts interspersed with groundnuts, Hugo beans and goats.

Gloria first started buying vegetables from various producers to sell to villagers on foot when Reckson lost his job in the informal sector leaving them to find ways to fend for their children. She soon realised that she can become a producer herself and she began growing vegetables in her backyard during the rain season.

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She was able to produce a supply from her own garden, but they were faced with many obstacles. The pair eventually expanded their operation to include another premise where they had access to water wells. During the dry winter months in July and August, their water source dried up.

To mitigate the problem, a makeshift water storage facility was constructed to store water during the rainy season for the drier months. They were faced with more challenges as these storage facilities dried up and their crops were washed away by flooding.

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They were eventually granted a 5ha piece of land to work on by the Sekororo Traditional Authority, after applying for land. The land has afforded them to produce on a bigger scale and to supply various retailers. However, water still remains a challenge for the Mogofes and their clients sometimes leave them for suppliers who are more reliable.

The Covid-19 pandemic also rubbed salt to their wounds as they could not sell their produce at markets due to the lockdown regulations. Despite all these challenges they have vowed not to quit and keep producing on a small scale. To buy their produce, call Gloria on 079 225 7758.