Pretoria – A year after a woman with a vision for great things and with a love for gardening decided to expand her little vegetable garden in her backyard, she now has enough crops to sell.

Lebo Mosime of Thabake Business Enterprise Cauliflower this week delivered her first crops of broccoli and cauliflower to the market, while her cabbage will be harvested at a later stage.

This is a joint agricultural vegetable project undertaken by AfriForum, Saai and Thabake Business Enterprise.

Mosime approached AfriForum last year after she decided to expand the small-scale vegetable production she had in her backyard of approximately 2 000 square metres.

She delivered high-quality products to the market, but the scale was too small to be economically viable.

AfriForum and Saai supported Thabake to put 0.75 hectare of the 21 ha plot in the area of Phokeng, in North West – which Thabake leases from Royal Bafokeng Enterprise – under solar-driven drip irrigation.

“I have knowledge of vegetable farming, but I want to learn and grow. I also want to transfer knowledge to people who want to farm and grow the economy by creating employment opportunities,” she said.

Mosime added that her vision was to become a full-fledged commercial farmer who produces quality products that will be sought after.

“I want to build and grow the Thabake Business Enterprise so that it can be inherited by my children and the generations after them. I want to build a lasting legacy. I thank God for this partnership,” Mosime, founder and CEO of Thabake Business Enterprise, said. Vegetable gardening is in Mosime’s blood. She was raised by her grandparents who used water from a borehole to grow vegetables and fruit in their backyard. They sold this to generate income for the family.

Leon Lourens, development co-ordinator at Saai, said they fully supported Mosime and Thabake Business Enterprise to improve their existing ability relating to planning and management of the farming enterprise.

“We collaborate with local stakeholders with the required technical knowledge with regards to choice of variety, fertilising, pest and weed control and to improve soil quality. Lebo understands farming.”

Lourens said it was a privilege to support her.

“Self-sufficient communities, food security and good relations and co-operation between cultural communities is crucial to ensure peaceful co-existence here at the southern tip of Africa.

“It is a privilege to be part of a partnership where hard work is put in with commitment to make an impact at a grassroots level,” said Nantes Kelder, national project co-ordinator of Intercultural Relations and Co-operation at AfriForum.

Rotation of crops is applied and the plan is to plant green beans, green peppers, chillies, baby marrow and butternut.

Pretoria News