eMbalenhle small scale farmers harvest for market

Small-scale farmers from Buhlebuyeza Cooperative in eMbalenhle urge the community to start vegetable gardens in their yards.

Buhlebuyeza Cooperative was founded in 2003 by 13 community members in Ext 18, eMbalenhle. The cooperative aims to promote self-sustainability through small-scale farming.

Chairperson Jerry Dladla emphasised not everything needs to be bought; many vegetables can be grown at home.

“Vegetables like tomatoes and onions don’t require hectares of land; they can thrive in a small space if planted correctly,” said Dladla.

The cooperative initially received support from the Department of Agriculture, which provided seeds, a borehole, and a generator for irrigation. However, the generator was stolen in 2009, leaving them struggling to pump water for their crops.

“We now depend on rainfall, which can be unpredictable and sometimes damage our crops,” Dladla explained.

Despite these difficulties, Buhlebuyeza Cooperative continues to harvest quality vegetables. The group donates some of their produce to orphanage centres and sells the rest to the community.

Dladla stated instead of another generator – which thieves could steal again – they now require a windmill to pump water more efficiently. Dladla urged young people to explore agriculture as a career to combat high unemployment rates.

“Agriculture is the backbone of the economy because, before anything else, people need to eat. There are many opportunities depending on what crops you choose to grow,” he said.

He also pointed out that some crops are not seasonal, meaning planting them year-round makes agriculture a sustainable business.

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