Mentorship paves the way to success
As the son of a farmer, Sizwe Ngwenya never dreamt of anything other than having his own successful farming enterprise, and he proved his commitment early on. While still at school, he was given a 5ha maize field near Piet Retief in Mpumalanga by his father, and soon increased his land to 9ha.
But the real change came in 2012 when he joined Grain SA’s Farmer Development Programme. This helped him increase his yield from 1t/ha to 5t/ha, and in 2016 he was crowned Grain SA Smallholder Farmer of the Year. At that stage, he was farming 50ha, and has since progressed to becoming an entry-level commercial farmer on 108ha.
He has also added soya and dry beans to his crop rotation, spreading his risk through diversification. Ngwenya says that he can see a huge difference in his farm since he started.
“Every time I attend a study group I learn more and can do better. I rotate my lands to prevent disease build-up and alternate the chemicals to prevent resistance from developing in pests and diseases. Taking soil samples is another important lesson I learnt. It was a real eyeopener to realise I could test the soil to see what it needed to produce optimally.”
As part of his continual quest to improve his farming, Ngwenya seeks out larger commercial farmers for advice and historical data for the area.
“That way, I can see rainfall patterns and make provision for dry years. It’s important to speak to as many farmers as possible to build a good network so you have people to advise you when you have a problem.
“I belong to a WhatsApp farmers’ group so we can solve problems together and help each other. You need to have the right people around you who can add to your knowledge and keep you motivated.”
He stresses the importance of expanding gradually, not jumping from, say, 1h to 50ha in one season.
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