Most South African homes have a small food garden in their backyard and many entrepreneurs are finding business opportunities from this. One such entrepreneur is Bennedicter Mhlongo, a commercial farmer in Mpumalanga that started a farming business in his backyard.
Getting started
Farming is a lucrative business venture that contributes positively towards food security, job creation and economic growth. Mhlongo’s passion to become a farmer started when he was growing vegetables in his backyard.
His community members were in awe of his flourishing food garden and started buying from him. “When I realized that farming could be a profitable business venture, I resigned from my job as a nurse and focused on farming, “he said.
In 2013, he started a farming business called Benica Projects where he grows tomatoes, peppers, green chilies, cabbage, and spinach. Transitioning from a small backyard farm to 10 hectares of land was not easy. “I struggled to find land to work on because it was during the time when land ownership debates were heated and I had to ensure I get permission from the rightful owner,” he said.
When Mhlongo finally purchased land, he started off by fencing it to restrict trespassers, conducting in-depth research on which crops to grow and hiring staff. A key lesson he learnt was that it’s important to hire energetic staff because farming is a labour-intensive sector.
A farm needs water to thrive and sourcing water is a challenge that most farmers face. To ensure that his farm has a consistent supply of water, Mhlongo had to invest in a borehole.
Multiple income streams
Benica Projects has two local fruit and vegetable shops that sell their fresh produce to the public and resellers. By cutting off the middleman, they increases profits and reinvests in the business.
Another interesting way the farm makes money is through tourism. “We are in partnership with The Timbavati Foundation which has lodges that buy from us, and they also bring their guests to visit the farm,” he said. The exposure the farm gets from local and international tourists helps to advertise the farm and attracts new customers.
Benica Projects also has a student training partnership with the University of Mpumalanga, Tshwane University of Technology, and Ehlanzeni TVET College. Every year students come to the farm to get practical training and work experience which they need to graduate.
Meeting food safety and hygiene standards
The risk of farm produce encountering contamination from farm to shelves is high and farmers are responsible for ensuring that their produce does not get infected. It’s important that farmers comply with food and safety standards as this prevents food poisoning.
Farmers often overlook the importance of complying and getting audited. “My farm complies with the perishable products standards act of 1990 and because of this, we only use registered agrochemical sprays on our produce,” he said.
Benica Projects was certified by Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) which is a voluntary certification program which does verification through an audit that checks that sound food safety practices are being used. This helps the farm comply and reduce the risk of contaminating produce that will be consumed.
Overcoming challenges
Farming is challenging because there are elements that are beyond a farmer’s control and over the years Benica Projects had to deal with bad weather conditions, loadshedding and disease outbreak. “It’s been difficult because the war in Russia led to an increase in the cost of fertilizers and when there is loadshedding, I can’t run my irrigation system without electricity, “he said.
Despite these challenges the farm is growing and thriving because Mhlongo is resilient, innovative, and passionate about farming which helps him overcome challenges even when times get tough.
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