Calling on more young women to take farming
Growing up, Zanele Twala of Pink is Green Enterprise cherished a dream of becoming a lawyer. But her dream was short-lived as she prematurely dropped out after just one year at university. Instead she opted to study anything that had to do with agriculture and entrepreneurship.
Sustainable farming practices
This choice seems to have paid dividend for today Twala is one of the budding and young female farmers in Gauteng. This is a generation of farmers who use their farms not only to address food security and ensure that their practices are sustainable and are also aligned with global efforts to mitigate the increasing negative impact of global warming. She worked as a labourer at one of the local small farms and this is where she learned more about farming. She gained more practical experience and knowledge about farming in the form of mentorship from seed to harvest.
Launching own farm
When Twala felt that she has learned enough she decided to start her own farm, Pink is Green in Hammanskraal in 2017. As she was mulling the idea and how to implement it, she recalled that her great grandmother was a seasoned and astute informal farmer in her own right. Her great grandmother used to plant sunflower, owned goats and pigs on the same piece of land she is currently operating from. This served as a massive inspiration and also gave her a solid base and springboard from which to launch her farming project.
Love for livestock
Twala also made sure she does not require huge capital outlays and investment to get her project off the ground. She started by growing and selling cabbages and used the profit to purchase two pigs for R1 200. She says she has always wanted to farm in goats and pigs.
“Since the beginning of my farm career, I have wanted to raise livestock since I enjoy working with them. I decided to keep growing cabbage since I knew I would have to prune it, and use the leaves to feed the livestock,” says Twala.
Pigs are money spinner
Although she performs most duties at the farm by herself, Twala also provides jobs for six seasonal employees around the area. She says one of her difficult tasks is when she has to slaughter a goat or pig. But Twala says she has learned to be dispassionate because she understands this is about business. Even though goats and the cabbages sell well, pigs are popular and bring in more business “because people love pork meat and a lot of young people are now venturing into piggeries so we also sell them for breeding purposes.”
Pigs can be a handful
But the challenge with pigs, she notes, is that they are not always reliable mothers to their young. Says Twala: “dealing with the untimely death of my animals is one of my biggest challenges,” adding, “finding all your piglets have died because their mommy slept on top of them is heart breaking”. Sometimes, Twala says, she rears a female pig for slaughter, only to find out later that it is pregnant and this could be stressful.
Harnessing latest technologies
Twala is also exploiting the power of social media and uses to market, advertise and grow her company’s profile including client base and exploring new business opportunities. She has also mastered some of vital skills such as networking, communication, advertising and financial management.
More women needed in farming
Twala says she wants to see more women take part in farming and agriculture. Her advice to them is that they should be brave and be clear about what they want. “It may not be easy, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done”, advises Twala, adding “the best way to succeed is to do research, network with other farmers, and believe in yourself when no one believes in you.”
She also stresses the significance of education: “If you don’t have the necessary skills and education to run a farming business and comprehend the seasons of farming, you won’t be able to run your farming business effectively,” she says. Her future plans are to expand her operations.
