Ncumisa Mkabile

Youth in Business

Nominee's Province:
Western Cape

Age:
27

Project Name/Description:
Farmer

More info:
https://www.facebook.com/ncumisamiesah.mkabile

Ncumisa Mkabile, a young farmer from Khayelitsha in the Western Cape, is living proof that every cloud has a silver lining. When her catering business faltered due to the outbreak of coronavirus last year, Mkabile turned to farming, a field she knew nothing about and, through dedication and hard work, has had a good run of it. Her farm, which is based in Mfuleni, a relatively new township 32km from Cape Town, sells her produce, mostly spinach and green peppers, and poultry that is already cut in pieces. For the sake of her customers’ convenience, her produce is also sold door-to-door in her community. Her farming operation employs seven people and, already, Mkabile is regarded as a beacon of hope. She regularly holds agri-training session with local youth to teach them about the ins and outs of farming. Mkabile is gratified with how things have turned out so far. “Food is a basic need of a human being. I knew I needed to innovate by doing door-to-door deliveries and offering affordable fresh produce,” she says. She dreams of becoming a commercial farmer and advises other ambitious youngsters to “start small with what you have and grow gradually. Don’t wait on the government to fund you, but give the government something to work with.”