LIMPOPO – What started as a humble backyard garden to feed her family has grown into a thriving agricultural business that now supplies major retailers, local institutions and even buyers from outside South Africa.

For Maria Rungulani Baloyi, the manager of Tisani Multipurpose Primary Co-operative in Mavalani village, the success of the farming business shows the importance of municipal support for small farmers.

In just a few years, Baloyi has grown the operation from a small plot behind her house to a 10-hectare farm, with preparations underway to expand to another 20-hectare plot.

Outgrowing the backyard

“We started small, but the customer demand kept growing,” she explained.

“We moved from the backyard to a one-hectare farm, and even that became too small. That’s why we had to move here to a 10-hectare farm,” she said.

The co-operative’s growth has been boosted by its success in the municipality’s Woman Farmer of the Year competition.

In 2025, Tisani Multipurpose Primary Co-operative won R90 000 in the smallholder farming category before receiving a further R75 000 as the overall winner, bringing its total prize money to R165 000.

Baloyi said the money helped the co-operative expand its farming operations.

“We used the money to secure another farming plot, a 20-hectare farm, because this farm is also becoming too small to meet the growing demand from our customers. We are currently busy preparing the new farm,” she said.

The co-operative continued its winning streak in this year’s competition, taking home R100 000 in the smallholder farming category and a further R75 000 as the overall winner, resulting in total winnings of R175 000.

Baloyi said the latest prize money would also be invested back into the farming business.

Creating jobs in Mavalani

The co-operative, which consists of 11 women members, has created employment for 13 permanent workers, with additional seasonal workers hired during harvesting periods.

Supplying markets near and far

The co-operative supplies veggies to the Johannesburg and Pretoria markets. Baloyi said they also have a contract to supply Giyani Police Station with veggies, as well as occasionally supply retailers such as Spar and Boxer Supermarket.

“We do not have contracts with them, though. We only supply them when we have more than enough produce for our usual markets,” she clarified.

The farm has also attracted buyers from outside South Africa.

“Trucks from Mozambique occasionally come here to buy our products. Recently, we sold 400 crates of tomatoes to a buyer from Mozambique at R250 per crate,” she said.

She added that a buyer from the North West also occasionally visits the farm to purchase vegetables. Baloyi said social media platforms, particularly TikTok and Facebook, have helped the co-operative market its produce and attract customers.

Thanking the municipality

Baloyi thanked Greater Giyani Municipality for supporting the co-operative’s growth, saying the assistance had helped transform their backyard operation into the successful farming business it is today.

“The support from the municipality has played a big role in our success. I would like to end by thanking the mayor for the Woman Farmer of the Year programme, through which we have been uplifted,” she said.