VRYHEID KZN: Encouraging women to venture into agriculture

S’negugu Hadebe (27) is a young woman who is all about agriculture… She believes in it so much that she was able to secure herself a scholarship from Ghana called ‘Ignite Guzakuza’, which is a programme that focuses on women in agriculture. This programme is said to provide relevant training, access to industry coaches and mentors, as well as access to investors and the marketplace.

S’ne graduated from the University of Free State, where she studied Psychology.

However, due to a lack of job opportunities, she decided to go back and do, professionally, what her grandmother taught her, ie farming. She now has her own one-year-old farming company called Imbewu Farmers, where they produce corn and sweet potato. She mentions that her biggest highlight this year was when she supplied corn for Vryheid SuperSpar, being her first formal market; she usually supplies informal traders and street vendors with her vegetables. They also plant other vegetables like cabbage and spinach, and plan to soon venture into livestock farming to expand her business.

S’ne grew up in Vryheid and also in Paulpietersburg (eDube), mentioning that she attended Vryheid Junior Primary School and Vryheid High School.

During school holidays, she would visit her grandmother at eDumbe, in the Phuzane area, and that is where the farming bug bit her. “At home, we grew up farming. My siblings and I used to help our granny in the garden, and she would say “ngininika isinkwa sangunaphakade” (meaning: I am giving you food for life). Now that I am older, I clearly and fully understand what she meant by those words, because indeed farming is like having bread for your entire life.” S’ne encourages other young women not to shy away from the agriculture business.

“I really urge the youth to venture into this field, as there are many opportunities and careers one comes across – just like me. I applied for this scholarship through a friend and I managed to get it! I believe that anyone can get it and be able to gain more insight into the world of agriculture. It is a four-month programme from September to December, starting next year. You can always check out their website (www.guzukuza.org) to see when and how you can apply to be part of the programme in 2022.” Her future plans include creating employment for women, especially in rural areas, and also to venture into hydroponics, as she really loves innovation and technology. ALSO READ:How rural women are changing the world

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