2022 planting season launched in KwaMhlanga

The MEC for agriculture, rural development, land and environmental affairs (Dardlea), Busisiwe Shiba, has welcomed the 2022 planting season under the Phezukomkhono Mlimi Programme, with plans to elevate the living standards of at least 22 000 vulnerable households, especially child- and women-headed ones.

“It is time to put in the work for great harvests next year to uplift the lives of small-scale farmers and vulnerable households in the respective districts of Mpumalanga. Sixteen hectares of land is under production this season, with an estimated 1 175 smallholders, 2 420 subsistence farmers and 3 520 vulnerable households to benefit from this land.”

So said the MEC at the celebration of World Food Day and launch of the Phezukomkhono Mlimi planting season for 2022 at the Solomon Mahlangu Stadium in KwaMhlanga on Thursday October 13.

“It is on that note that we are calling upon all land custodians to enable agricultural revolution so that we can have an increase in food production. I know that we do not have enough means to reach all farmers at the same time, but that does not mean we must stop trying,” Shiba said.

The celebratory day also saw the exciting announcement of a ground-breaking initiative called the Climate Smart Agricultural Technology, commonly known as the Square Food Garden, and the unveiling of new farming land within the Thembisile Hani Local Municipality.

“This is indeed exciting news for Mpumalanga, because the initiative aims to target, against all odds, issues such as water scarcity, land shortage, excessive heat and many others,” Shiba said.

The MEC said the department has noted the challenges and frustrations faced by farmers in accessing funding and land, and has engaged relevant stakeholders to help them so they can pursue commercial farming.

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“Dardlea has engaged the Land Bank and other financial institutions to relax the stringent regulation such as collateral requirements, de-risking of black farmers, and many others that made accessing funding difficult. It will now be easy to apply for financial support at the lowest interest rate reserved only for emerging farmers. Joining the food production chain should not be a difficult task at all,” she said.

Many governmental stakeholders within the Thembisile Hani Local Municipality showed their support to the joyous occasion, including the municipality’s speaker, Cllr Poppy Msiza, the Thembisile Hani Local Municipality’s acting executive mayor, Cllr Lucky Mtsweni, the Nkangala District Municipality’s acting executive mayor, Cllr Dipuo Mahlangu, private stakeholders and local tribal authorities.

Some small-scale farmers and those interested in farming honoured the MEC’s invite to prepare for the season, one of them being Vicky Mtsweni. She said she appreciated Dardlea’s efforts to support the province’s farmers.

“I appreciate agriculture, because it has allowed me self-employment when job opportunities are still scarce. There will always be challenges in whatever career path, but agriculture is easier, because almost everyone in African communities has some sort of background, whether it is cattle or pig farming, or a backyard vegetable garden,” she said.

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Shiba encouraged the communities in Mpumalanga to venture into backyard farming.

“This is a another initiative supported by Dardlea that will help households put food on the table. We were able to donate basic gardening tools and products to disadvantaged households to start and maintain their own food sources. Families will be kept nourished for the longest time and future generations will consume from the fruit trees, which some can be harvested and sold to provide more basic essentials,” Shiba said.