Teaching locals to grow their own food

Letlotlo Modise (31) of Kuruman in the Northern Cape is a creative urban farmer who teaches people how to start their own food gardens.

He is the owner of TréCulture, which specialises in designing small farms, greenhouses, indoor growing solutions and gardens for locals in Kuruman so that they can grow their own food.

“We teach people to produce quality fresh produce just about anywhere in their homes, be it on the balcony, a plot, backyard or even indoors. It depends on the needs of our clients,” he says.

He says because of the food insecurity challenge in many communities, young people are eager to start farming but they do not know how to get their food gardens going.

“I give the necessary support and teach them what they need to know. You do not need a large piece of land to do agriculture, especially subsistence farming,” he says.

He also has his own food garden at home and mainly grows herbs and leafy salads, which he supplies to local restaurants on demand. “I package my products under my own brand, TréCulture, in biodegradable packaging to create sustainability and a cleaner environment,” he says.

Although he has not managed to create jobs as yet, he hires workers when necessary. He believes the impact he has had in his community is equal to creating job opportunities because he has equipped people with skills that enable them to grow their own food and avoid hunger.

Modise started off in 2016 by specialising in aquaponics, which is a form of agriculture in which fish and plants grow together in water. He received R50 000 funding from the National Youth Development Agency to purchase equipment.

Unfortunately, he had to review his business plan because he found aquaponics expensive and his business was running at a loss. However, he did not give up but used his skills in agriculture to start his consultancy company.