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Fortune 40 project in Umjindi.
A group of unemployed university undergraduates in Barberton, Mpumalanga, have turned to farming through the provincial government’s Fortune 40 programme.
The Fortune 40 programme is initiated by the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture to help graduates explore new career paths beyond their fields of study.
While most participants lack formal agricultural training, their enthusiasm for learning is transforming farming into an attractive livelihood option.
Experiences
Some participants – unemployed graduates – share their experiences as they venture into farming to make a living. Most have not studied agriculture but are willing to learn.
“As you can see me I am a graduate. You must not only wait for a post, as you can see here, we are farming,” says one participant. “So, we are asking the government to look for people who have a passion for agriculture. If they come here and find that they are their same age, they will be interested to see that this thing is doable.”
Another graduate explains, “This project has benefited me with skills. Today, I have financial management, marketing, and now I am unable to go to the shops and show them our produce. I am able to stand and educate young people about farming.”
“The knowledge I’ve gained is incredible,” adds a third participant. “I now understand vegetable cultivation thoroughly, and we’ve even earned certificates through the Fortune 40 program.”
These graduates have been given a 20-hectare piece of land to farm in to uplift their communities and with the hope of attracting more young people into the farming space.
Mpumalanga MEC of Agriculture Nompumelelo Hlophe says, “These three young people, after they graduated they have shown us the passion of continuing with farming. So, we gave them this land as the department and they are planting crops in this land, as you can see, the crops. The issue of food security, and as a province. We are curious about that and we want to see them grow into the space of commercial farming and creating employment and growing economically.”
Hlophe has raised a concern about the lack of interest from the youth in the Agriculture sector, as there are more opportunities. ”Many young people are not interested in farming, but we recruit them to have an interest in understanding what farming is. After having skills, we try and give them land to continue with the programme of planting, and it is a programme we want to see growing.”
The young people are calling on the provincial government to give them more land and create more opportunities in the agricultural sector.
Meanwhile, Hlophe has also announced that the much-anticipated International Fresh Market Produce will be opening next month.
