Collaboration to promote young women in agriculture
Nestlé aims to inspire women of the North West in agriculture.
Every year, on the 12th of August, the world celebrates International Youth Day, and this year’s theme is denoted as “From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development”. The latter places emphasis on the critical role young people play in improving their personal circumstances, as well as those around them, through sustainability in the ever-advancing digital world.
In line with International Youth Day, and empowering the leaders and changemakers of tomorrow, Nestlé established Nestlé Needs YOUth (NNY) in 2013 – an initiative to help ten million young people gain access to economic opportunities by 2030. Since announcing this commitment in 2017, the brand has reached more than five million youth through various initiatives. NNY’s approach is centered around three distinct focus areas: agripreneurship: inspiring the farmers of tomorrow; entrepreneurship: empowering young innovators; and employment and employability: helping young people secure jobs.
Following in the footsteps of celebrating what International Youth Day truly stands for, is actress and poultry farmer, Kamohelo Bombe. She is the founder of “Farming in Heels”, a South African women in agriculture initiative. Kamo founded “Farming in Heels” in 2021 when she recognized the incredible potential of South African women in agriculture.
“When establishing ‘Farming in Heels’, my goal was to create an empowering platform to celebrate young women in the agriculture space and provide them with the resources and support they need to not only make progress, but thrive in farming,” she says. “This initiative aligns with International Youth Day, as I have witnessed first-hand the passion and dedication women bring to this sector in order to change their lives. A lot of this can be attributed to how individuals and businesses alike are creating pathways for sustainable development that will have a lasting impact on young people for future generations.”
In 2024, “Farming in Heels” will be hosting two Women in Agriculture summits, including a poultry masterclass, where participants will be equipped with the knowledge and skills around topics such as poultry farming, crops, funding, agro-processing, livestock farming and applying for a farm. These summits will be taking place on the 17th of August in Matambandou in the North West, and on the 14th of September at The Capital Hotel in Mbombela, Mpumalanga.
“Nestlé has made great strides in terms of regenerative agriculture and using technology to work our way towards low carbon emission operations at 96 farms across South Africa that is centered around innovation,” says Hoven Meyer, Group Manager: Nestlé Agricultural Services, Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region. “In line with our ethos of ‘Good food, good life’, Nestle recognizes the importance of sustainability, and are constantly looking at ways to care for the planet by reducing our environmental footprint through circularity practices and interventions that ensure we leave a minimal carbon footprint while still producing the best-in-class products.”
The “Farming in Heels” 2023 summit, in collaboration with NNY, took place on the 7th of October in Midrand. The venue hosted over 70 women from diverse backgrounds in agriculture, hailing from KZN, Limpopo, and North West. These women included university students and seasoned farmers, with ages spanning from 23 to 45. The event featured 13 speakers who shared valuable insights and engaged the audience in transformative conversations, covering topics from sustainable farming practices to financial management, access to land to access to market while also offering young women valuable networking opportunities.
