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enterprise instead of on the devastating effect the drought was hav-
ing on his own farm, he remained positive. His total immersion in
the programme was clear when mentee, Mr Edwin Thulo Mahlatsi,
became the 2017 New Era Commercial Farmer of the Year.
For many of the producers involved in the programme, this experi-
ence has enriched their lives as they are learning more about differ-
ent cultures and traditions. Communication skills are improving as
mentors realise that what is obvious to one person is not necessarily
evident to another.
Prejudice is being eradicated as mentors notice how resilient the
mentees are. ‘They just keep on keeping on, no matter what the
challenge is,’ someone mentioned. This encourages mentors to stay
involved and teach the farmers as the seasons and circumstances
change. The immense gratitude expressed by the mentees has
helped increase patience and tolerance amongst several of the men-
tors. As one mentor stated: ‘The relationship-building that is taking
place through this programme brings light into the darkness.’
Many mentors have discovered a new purpose in life, for others
pride has been restored. After a family feud and the loss of the land
on which he was farming, Mr Solomon Masango from Carolina, who
was the New Era Farmer of the Year in 2016, could have become
despondent. Fortunately, he was employed temporarily as a mentor
for a few months by Grain SA.
This gave him a new purpose in life and after his contract expired he
decided to stay involved and visits the farmers as often as possible.
‘I love being a mentor. When you teach others, you learn,’ he says.
The impact the programme was having in the lives of the emerging
farmers also inspired him to tackle his new piece of land with the
same enthusiasm.
A programme that empowers, results in
stories that inspire
Even though the mentors initially become quite emotional when they
witness the hardships the farmers have to face, they are inspired
by their hard work, initiative, good results and gratefulness. A big
hug from Gogo who said, ‘Thank you for all your help. I could not
have done it without you,’ made Mr Gavin Mathews, from the Est-
court district in KwaZulu-Natal, realise that the Grain SA Mentorship
Programme is making a big difference in people’s lives and that he is
truly blessed to be part of it.
The mentors all shared that mentees who achieve improved results
always inspire the others to get involved, without any recommenda-
tion from their side. At farmers days inspiring success stories are
often shared by the mentees. To hear how improved farming prac-
tices have led to increased yield – from 30 bags to 100 bags – is
definitely progress. To see the smile on the face of someone that
never thought they would ever harvest 100 bags of maize, is reward-
ing. Mentors in the Eastern Cape find it exciting to see how this pro-
gramme gives people hope and a better future. One mentee started
planting on a plot and is now planning to plant 20 ha and another
went from harvesting in bags to harvesting in tons. This programme
has proved that poverty can be eradicated.
To Mr Sinelizwi Fakade, provincial co-ordinator in the Eastern Cape,
the mentorship programme is all about changing lives and ensuring
food security at grass roots level. He has witnessed farmers who
produced hardly enough for their own community, who are now
producing maize of commercial quality. ‘That is transformation – not
just changing for the sake of change, but empowering an individual,’
Fakade declares.
Mr Paul Wiggill (mentor in the Bergville area) is passionate about
farming and has made time, whenever possible, to assist others who
share this passion. He firmly believes in the old Chinese proverb,
‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish
and you feed him for a lifetime.’ To him sharing his expertise with
developing farmers is a dream come true as he knows development
assistance can better people’s lives.
There is a fundamental law of nature: What you sow, you will reap.
This statement is also a Biblical principle and an essential rule of
life. The mentors of the Grain SA Mentorship Programme agree and
found that when they ‘cast their bread upon the waters,’ it came back
in sandwiches! In the words of the Greek fabulist and story teller,
Aesop: No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.
This article was inspired by a series of interviews with mentors in the Grain SA
Farmer Development Programme which appeared in
Pula Imvula
(Grain SA’s
monthly publication for developing grain farmers) since March 2017.
“
Although the initial
goal of the programme
was to ask experienced
producers to share
their expertise and
skills with developing
farmers, the unintended
consequence has been
nation-building...
“
1: Soois Scheepers (Amsterdam region)
2: Gavin Mathews (Escourt district)
3: Paul Wiggill (Bergville)
4: Solomon Masango (Carolina)
5: Christiaan Bouwer (Bothaville)
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