SEDIBENG.- They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade out them.

Such idioms can sound cliched at times, but for someone like Grace Kebone Tsotetsi, the 2023 Best Homestead Producer of the Year, she lives to tell the story and the benefits thereof. In 2009 Grace got a temporary job with the Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment (GDARDE) to assist with school and community agriculture projects in Ratanda.

From there she did not look back. It was an opportunity of a lifetime, an opportunity to rekindle her love of farming which started a very young age where she worked in her mother’s backyard garden. In 2015 Grace, started her own backyard garden and entered the Female Farmer of The Year competition in the same year. She was named first runner up.

Today in her backyard in Heidelberg Ext 23, she grows a variety of vegetables. Although at first it was for consumption, she now sells to her own community, creating a healthy income for herself. But true to her name, she also donates some of her produce.

Said Grace: “When I worked as temp for GDARDE, I realised that I could have my own garden in my backyard to produce vegetables for consumption and for the needy, especially the elderly people.

“The community did not believe in what I was doing. I used to collect soil in the plain to use in my garden. I also asked people for old tyres to plant inside them. When the community saw the crops growing, they were happy for me.”

To avoid high municipality water bills, Grace has drums in which she harvests rainwater to irrigate the garden. She also recycles her laundry water which she stores in the drum and pours wood ash inside, which helps in separating the soap and water. This water is ready to be used after two to three days when the upper part is clear of soap.

“My business has been improving and developing steadily, is profitable and contributes to the community in the form of vegetable donations to schools. I am also continuously looking for ways to further improve my work environment and ways that help combat agricultural challenges faced daily so that I can maximise my profits,” Grace said.

But like most small-scale farmers, Grace has a major challenge of space. As a homestead farmer producing in her backyard, she could use more space to produce more and sell to an even bigger market. She plans to find land in which she could increase her produce and have a tank installed to decrease her water expenses.

“I also plan to have agricultural classes to teach people especially women more about agriculture and all of the related activities.”

For her efforts, Grace was named the Best Homestead Producer at this year’s Female Entrepreneur Awards hosted by GDARDE, an achievement she calls “a lifelong dream and an encouragement to continue to grow and reach greater heights”.

“I am so happy, excited and I feel so proud of myself that I have stepped on a podium, receiving an award for a recognition in my agricultural journey. Truly hard work breeds success and I am a testimony to that.”

Grace hopes her winning will encourage those who are pursuing similar journeys and help them persist through hurdles and challenges they come across.

“I want them to know they are not alone,” she says. “I encourage women to take up space in the agricultural sector. This is a field that nurtures and protects, which are the fundamental qualities that every woman has. I encourage them to wake up and work. Tsoha o iketsetse. It could be at the back of your yard or inside bags or a car tire. Produce! Produce! Produce! The world should not go hungry if we have the means to provide by putting in the work.”

This achievement is a reward for everyone who supported her every step of the way, says Grace. She is also grateful to GDARDE for the opportunity in 2009, the support ever since and finally, recognition of her work through this award.