One young farmer in Kuruman in the Northern Cape, Paballo Motumi, started her farming journey with poultry and has now ventured into planting peanuts.

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The 29-year-old and her husband had decided to take on peanuts at the end of last year after her father-in-law stopped farming as he will be turning 90 soon. He gave permission for them to utilise his land and Motumi shares that she chose this specific crop because the soil there is very rich. “So, we started the process of removing trees and weeds in August last year and we were finished by the end of October. We started planting at the beginning of November.

“What really inspired me to continue planting this crop, is the availability of land and the eagerness to learn more about agriculture – not only the part where you make money of course, [but] being able to create jobs for more unemployed people, making a difference in their lives and also being an example to my peers that you can make it even if you start from level zero,” encourages Motumi.

This venture has allowed Motumi to employ about 50 seasonal workers.

They are currently busy with harvesting and sells the peanuts to a local corporation where they get their peanut seeds from. Local tuckshops and street vendors are also some of their customers. 

The abovementioned customers use peanuts to make peanut butter, amongst others. 

When asked what the best part about being a female farmer is, Motumi shares that, “most people are willing to teach us things, and the most supportive people are women”.

Meanwhile, OFM News had previously reported that Motumi started her poultry business in 2019 and formally registered it under the name GG Enterprises last year, with the hope of one day owning a farm big enough to host all of the animals and crops. 

She advises young females who would like to take on farming to have a passion and love for farming and to not be afraid to ask for help. Motumi adds that those who would like to venture into farming needs to have a willingness to learn and to do the practical work, “because I’ve realised that sometimes what you read on paper is not exactly what happens when you do something practically.”

OFM News