Jilongo farmer believes farming is rooted in his heart
Vutivi Muhlanga said he has been motivated by the number of young black farmers doing well in the Vhembe district.
LIMPOPO – After completing a B.Comm in human resource management at the University of Venda, Vutivi Muhlanga from Jilongo village outside Malamulele decided to follow his passion for farming.
Today, he is a vegetable farmer who farms sweet potatoes, cabbages, onions, tomatoes, spinach, beetroot, green peppers, chillies and mustard.
The 24-year-old said farming is rooted in his heart and he started to take it seriously when he enrolled at the University of Venda in 2018.
“I got a chance from the Jilongo chief to use the farm next to the village to create jobs. It was not easy as some were attacking my vision. I started with sweet potatoes, spinach, beetroot, mustard and green peppers. Knowing the climate was my secret to my success, as I kept my focus because in farming you don’t always win. There are times like now when we are facing a heat wave. Plants are dying but we keep our focus, setting up a plan, meeting targets and goals and learning new things. I love attending business conferences, workshops and all opportunities motivated me to keep farming,” said Muhlanga.
He said he has been motivated by the number of young black farmers doing well in the Vhembe district.
“As a young black farmer, I saw a need to be in farming because most quality items and vegetables that are produced are exported, and we in turn buy items in lower grades. There are various complaints in our societies saying food is expensive. Because there is less locally produced food the price will always be high, so this motivated me to start farming to solve the challenge of high prices in healthy foods that people can produce themselves,” he said.
He told CV that the journey has been interesting, and he thinks what makes his life exciting is not the good things, but the mistakes he has made.
He further said young farmers face a variety of challenges, from a lack of resources to inexperience.
“Finding the right mentors and guidance can be difficult for upcoming farmers. They may not have access to capital or the necessary funding sources,” he concluded.
