DRDAR’s Alfred Nzo District holds Women Entrepreneur Awards
Household food gardens, a programme being promoted by the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR) are a step to economic freedom for both the farmers and those they employ.
Testimony to this is Nontuthuzelo Mbele from Goso Village at EmaXesibeni in the Alfred Nzo District who started her household food garden in 2014. At the time, she produced vegetables only for her family and had no ambitions of selling her produce. While still in her subsistence farming phase she entered the Women Entrepreneur Awards (WEA) formerly known as Female Entrepreneur Awards and won in the subsistence category both at district and provincial levels.
Yesterday Mbele clinched the Best Smallholder farmer category and also won the overall prize during the DRDAR’s Alfred Nzo District WEA competition.
Speaking after winning her prizes (yesterday), Mbele said: “In 2019 I entered this competition and I won in the Best Subsistence producer Category. This year I also entered the competition under the Smallholder Category and I won. I also won the overall producer prize for the district. I thank God for giving me strength to farm and to continue employing jobless youths. This means my company is not going to fade any time soon.”
She added that with her 2019 winnings, she bought water tanks, which she used to store water for irrigation, seedlings and with this year’s winnings, she will add 10 000 litre water tanks for her farming enterprise, which includes beef, vegetable, poultry and piggery production. She sells her produce at local food retail stores including Spar, Spargs, a local lodge and schools around Goso.
Alfred Nzo District Director Buhlebuyeza Nodola said participants at the district awards demonstrated that they are well trained.
“This is due to the help of our Extension and Advisory Services Officers. The department is further helping some of them with various things such as farming inputs and feed. We also assist some in cropping and we are going to continue assisting farmers, women and youth in particular” Tomorrow, the OR Tambo District will hold its own awards ceremony in Mthatha,” said Nodola.
Source: Government of South Africa