As South Africa (SA) marks Youth Month, attention is turning to young people who are creating opportunities for themselves and others through entrepreneurship.
While youth unemployment remains one of the country’s biggest challenges, some young South Africans are turning to agriculture to build businesses, create jobs and contribute to food security.
Youth unemployment continues to be a major concern in South Africa, with many young people struggling to find work.
However, some are creating their own opportunities through agriculture. In the Limpopo province, 36-year-old Petunia Molea from Gumbu Village near Musina has built a farming business from humble beginnings.
What started as a small maize farming project has grown into a commercial operation supplying tomatoes to one of the country’s major food manufacturers.
Petunia Molea explains the challenges she faced when starting out.
“I started farming in 2017. My farming journey was not easy at all. As you know, farming need money. By that time, I decided to plant one hectare of maize meal. While I’m busy with maize meal, I decided to ask for fund from family member. One of my family members managed to help me with money to prepare one hectare. I am now planting five hectares of tomato for Tiger Brands.”
Molea’s story reflects the challenges many young farmers face, particularly limited access to finance.
Despite these obstacles, she has expanded her operations while creating employment opportunities in her community.
–Channel Africa–
