ERMELO – Passionate about farming and creating a name for herself in the agriculture industry, Njabulo Mbokane (26) is making waves.

This Long Homes resident and Lothair-based farm owner said her journey started in 2016 due to a lack of funds to further her studies and the difficulty of finding employment.

Since then, she has been paving a way for herself and working to seize opportunities in farming.

According to Mbokane, she began on a small farm located at Lindile High School, using a piece of it to grow vegetables.

She started following agribusiness, which specialises in agricultural services.

The choice to pursue the farming industry was met with initial resistance by Mbokane’s friends and family, who were concerned about her chances of success given that farming is widely considered a male-dominated sector.

Despite the doubts she had, Mbokane fought even harder to prove herself and realise her dream, and was voted SA Brewery FarmSol’s Young Farmer of the Year 2018/19.

“My experience as a young farmer has been amazing, from being unable to further my education to receiving recognition certificates from institutions such as the African Management Institute, Peritum Institute, Umfolozi College and GrainSA. I am currently enrolled in the Women Agripreneurship 2022 programme, which is sponsored by the French Embassy in South Africa, and I will graduate in July,” Mbokane said.

The young farmer currently employs four permanent farm workers and, during the peak season of the year, recruits 10 to 15 temporary workers for assistance.

Even though she has reached a career milestone as a farmer, she still faces a number of obstacles that require extra effort on her part to overcome.

“I don’t receive the same treatment as a man who farms; instead, more often than not, older men who farm underestimate me. My older staff members frequently find it challenging to appreciate and pay attention to how I want things done.
“The variable weather, particularly the periodic rainfall, makes it challenging to complete tasks and grow crops at times,” she said, “but I am grateful to the FarmSol programme for providing materials and feedback on my efforts.

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