A young man from Mpumalanga who quit his job as a researcher to take on full-time farming says he couldn’t be prouder that he’s playing a role in feeding the nation. 
Bongani Zulu runs Rise Ndabezitha Supply and Projects in the rural area of Elukwatini, where he was born.
This is where he produces cabbage, spinach, lettuce, green pepper, okra and green chillies from a three-hectare plot that he inherited from his late father.
Growing up, the 34-year-old witnessed his dad tirelessly working the land, which is a stone’s throw away from his home.
But in high school, his interest was piqued, leading him to ditch his dream of becoming a lawyer.
“One day at school, we had a career day where they took us to a College of Agriculture in Mbombela.”
He recalled being exposed, for the first time, to new agricultural practices.
“That’s when I fell in love with farming.”
In 2011, he pursued his National Diploma in Plant Production at the University of Mpumalanga.
After his studies, he scored in-service training at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC).
“I was privileged to work under a rural development project and went to the Eastern Cape where I advised farmers while I was busy with agriculture research.”
The following year, the ARC appointed him as a researcher, where he worked diligently while he patiently tended to the farm over weekends using his salary.
It took him four years to install a borehole and the irrigation system before he could start growing vegetables in 2020 which is the same year that he quit his job.
Being a young black farmer comes with many challenges, he told Vuk’uzenzele.
However, throwing in the towel is not an option for Zulu, whose company now supplies major retail stores, including Spar and Boxer.
“We also supply Galitos restaurant and our local Roots Butchery uses my chillies to prepare their peri-peri wors.”
His produce can also be found at formal local markets and street vendors, while some of the produce is donated to an old age home.
He could not believe his luck when he was awarded R50 000 funding from the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) last year.
The fund helped him procure farming equipment and inputs such as a water tank, manure and seedlings.
He also managed to sustain three of his employees he is also training with funding from the agency.
Despite the hurdles, he is glad that he is part of a group of farmers who are reducing poverty and improving food security in the country.
For more information about the NYDA visit www.nyda.gov.za
Rise Ndabezitha Supply and Projects can be reached on mageba.sb@gmail.com
Email
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp