Clement Litlhare
Agriculture, mining, sustainability, and the environment
Nominee's Province:
Free State
Age:
28
Project Name/Description:
Founder – Agripreneur Farmers Institute
“My journey in agriculture started way before as a passion. I used to visit and stay with my great-grandmother in the rural areas, where they had livestock. I’d enjoy watching the milking of cows and also herd cattle,” narrates Clement Litlhare. A graduate of the Glen College of Agriculture, Litlhare has cultivated a fulfilling career for himself in farming, specialising in Merino sheep, horses and cattle. Additionally, his farm produces speckled beans, spinach, watermelon, sweet pepper and potatoes. Litlhare founded the Agripreneur Farmers Institute, which is accredited as an education and training provider under the Agriculture Sector Training Authority (AgriSETA). The institute has different programmes, which it implements in conjunction with various inter-provincial stakeholders, such as Blindlove Africa and Manna Calves. Blindlove is based in the Eastern Cape and promotes the health of horses through vaccinations and wound treatment, while Mannah Calves, which operates in Gauteng, works with the institute to sell beef and dairy calves in the Free State. “I believe that young people and youth are gaining much interest in the sector. We have lots of agriculture graduates with potential but lack access to land. I believe that agricultural graduates should be job creators instead of job seekers. With collaboration, we can share opportunities and work together. Agriculture is broad and with innovations it allows us to think beyond,” he shares, adding that his institute hosts an annual farmers camp that gathers youth together for collaborations and networking.
