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Smallholder Farmer of the Year category
(10 ha, but producing less than 250 tons)
Expert advice and passion
make dreams come true
T
he winner of the 2016 Grain SA/Syngenta Smallholder
Farmer of the Year award, Mr Sizwe Ngwenya (31), is a big
dreamer, but not the kind that walks around with his head
in the clouds. He is seeking a realistic purpose for his life,
holding on to a vision of a better life, one of success and abundance
where, as a full-fledged commercial producer, he can play a part in
global food security.
His interest in agriculture started at a young age helping his father
on the farm. In 2008 his father rewarded his hard work and pre-
sented him with 50 ha of arable land on which he is currently farm-
ing. On this piece of land in the Piet Retief area near the Swaziland
border, Ngwenya plants maize, beans and potatoes. His livestock
component consists of mixed beef cattle, for which he has a mar-
ket in Ermelo, merino sheep producing wool, which is marketed via
BKB, and goats sold to the community and on auction.
Ngwenya joined Grain SA in 2011 and is an active member of
the Donkerhoek Study Group. ‘When I started the courses with
Grain SA, I didn’t realise that you need to know what type of soil
you have and what minerals are required,’ he mentioned. With
Grain SA’s input he has increased his yield from about 1 t/ha to
about 4 t/ha.
This year he yielded 250 tons (all harvested by hand) as a result of
excellent soil management, including conservation practices and a
strong focus on pH and nutritional balancing. During an interview
for the DVD presentation that was shown during the awards
ceremony he urged other farmers not to plant without taking soil
samples.
‘If you plant without taking soil samples, it will be the same as
throwing money down the drain,’ he advised and concluded, ‘add
lime according to the soil sample results before you start planting.
The plants will grow easier and bigger.’
As he has seen the big difference the use of lime makes, he will
definitely adhere to this practice in future. After accepting his award
at the Day of Celebration held in September this year, he thanked
Grain SA for making this dream a reality and encouraged other
farmers to dream big, as one day they too can achieve what he has.
Backed by an able workforce and through good personnel manage-
ment, this energetic young man even finds time to do construc-
tion work for the mines. Every cent earned by the extra income is
ploughed back into the farm and every input accounted for as he
carefully calculates his next step: To plant 100 ha of maize and grow
his enterprise.
He plans to improve his cropping system and to add more livestock
in future. Although drought and the shortage of implements are
challenges he has to face, he believes that he can overcome them.
And judging by what this enthusiastic young man has already
achieved, he will.
23
November 2016
GRAIN SA
Awards ceremony
LOUISE KUNZ,
SA Graan/Grain
contributor and
HELENUS KRUGER,
photos
1: Thank you Syngenta for sponsoring this award. With Sizwe Ngwenya are
Jaco Minnaar, Antonie Delport (managing director: Syngenta SA) and
Jannie de Villiers.
2: Sizwe Ngwenya shares this special moment with his wife, Lindiwe.
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