Creating employment opportunities for young people in agriculture and ensuring food security, is the strong goal of 2019 Activator, Themba Godfrey Nkosi (26), from Mmakaunyane, North West, who is the project initiator and Managing Director of the Zenzela Farming Initiative.

“We basically are farmers, but with modern-day methods. We use the hydroponic farming method to grow food in our backyards, with the intention of commercialising the smaller farms we have for the creation of job opportunities and ensuring food security within our community. In the process, we also produce seedlings for reselling to other farmers in and around our village,” explains Nkosi.

Their local partners include Plantforum, local supermarkets and their local business chamber; and their beneficiaries include local households, farmers, supermarkets and restaurants.

“My biggest goal has always been to see young people finally being at the forefront. With this project, young people are becoming economically emancipated and are choosing not to look like their problems, but to bring a solution to every rising issue,” he adds.

His support comes from organisations like, Dare to Love, Servolution, Con-ect it, and African Civil Revolutionary Movement (ACRM). Challenges include customers who don’t pay, investment for expansion, and water issues when it doesn’t rain for some time.

What would assist Nkosi and his team, is the intervention of both the private and public sectors. “We need assistance with relevant resources like land, irrigation tools, finance, access to markets; and more training for young people to ensure sustainability and make the project thrive and expand to other areas.”

Nkosi would love to collaborate with other activators on this project, especially as regards marketing or fundraising endeavours.

Contact him on social media:
Facebook: Themba G. Nkosi
Twitter: @GodfreyMaqG
Instagram: @nkosi_tg 4
LinkedIn: Themba Godfrey Nkosi