Ten years ago, Nkanyiso Ngubane and Nothando Shangase started Dukathole Farm. In New Hanover, in KwaZulu-Natal, South-Africa, they grow open field and greenhouse vegetables. The agricultural graduates combine food production with educational opportunities, and employments of women and youth.
Nothando was born and raised in deep rural Ndwedwe in the Thafamasi Area. "Farming was a daily life and most families depended on farming for food security. However, as I grew up, I noticed that the agricultural sector was highly dominated by men, more especially in animal production and most families did not treat farming as a business. Even though they had land and the potential to move from subsistence to commercial farming, they lacked knowledge and did not have enough courage to take produce to formal markets. This pushed me to grow my knowledge about the industry where I enrolled for a Diploma in agriculture at Mangosuthu University of Technology, and a BTech Agriculture degree with Tshwane University of Technology, wanting not just to see change but also to be the change."
The Dukathole business was established in 2014 to meet the growing demand and ongoing need for fresh vegetables. Dukathole aims to develop a high-quality vegetable brand targeting not only South Africa but also a growing business for exports. For Dukathole directors, farming has become their livelihood, and they have experienced both intensive and conventional vegetable growing systems.
Production
Dukathole produces a variety of vegetables both on the open field and in hydroponic tunnels. "Mainly in the open field, we have produced green beans, baby marrows, cabbages, and cauliflower. In the greenhouse, we have produced runner beans and cherry tomatoes, and our main produce has been cucumbers of which we produced 11 200 cucumber sticks per tunnel per season", says Nothando. Their total acreage is 50 hectare, both including open field and greenhouse production.
Hydroponics
"We initially opted for hydroponic tunnels because of the limited land we had, and we needed a system that would allow us to produce high yields, while also allowing us to utilize vertical space. The other advantages we have experienced include water savings, fertigation being more effective as irrigation is directed straight to the roots, and the system enables us to customize the fertigation programs according to our different crops and their requirements. The growth cycles are also faster than our traditional methods, and product quality is easily maintained."
Challenges for the two female director
"I would say as growers we face challenges of complying with financial institutions and formal market requirements. The industry is still developing, especially for black growers in South Africa. We find these two aspects challenging and limiting us to maximize our land and to produce up to our full potential", says Nothando when asked to reflect on the challenges in the industry. She explains that growers, and especially women, are facing another extensive challenge of theft and other security issues. "This has led to additional unforeseen business costs."
Dukathole Farm has been fully funded by the South African government so far and they are looking forward to this season to grow and comply with private financial institutes to become financially independent. "We have tried to comply before but have not met their requirements yet which has led us to so many delays while teaching us endurance." She explains there's not enough assets to be used as collaterals, and the cashflow is not constant due to limited land. After terminating their lease contract on a previous site, the team is currently in the process of relocating one of their greenhouses.
Nothando explains that they have recently already moved their business to a new site and are looking forward to introducing grain production in the open field as part of their agriculture. They will have dry beans for the first time this season, and they "cannot wait to learn and grow, and we are thrilled to see ourselves entering new doors to complete what we have to offer".
Labor
The Dukathole Farm employs residents, more especially women and youth. As a small business cannot afford minimal wages for all their workers, they reduce the working hours to comply with the South African Labour Act. "As we are professionally trained managers of the farm, we also empower the women we employ by training them in our ways of cultivation. We believe this is the best sustainable way."
For more information:
Dukathole Farm
Nothando Shangase
Email: [email protected]