Wendy Moshakga
Nominee's Province:
Limpopo
Age:
27
Project Name/Description:
Wendy Moshakga is known as the “Cabbage Queen”. The Limpopo farmer has taken the humble vegetable and expanded its farming potential and even written a guidebook teaching others how to grow it. Wendy now harvests around 20 000 cabbages per month from her farm in Polokwane – an astonishing feat, considering she sold tin cans to gather the startup capital for her first farming exercise. Wendy has now perfected the art of growing cabbages throughout the year thanks to a meticulous pesticide and watering regime. Currently, she manages a 15-hectare leased farm, where she leads a dedicated team of five permanent employees and 15 temporary workers, while also hosting 10 graduates who gain hands-on experience. “There were many challenges for me. It was climate change, capital and figuring out how to grow cabbage through the year and not just in winter,” she says. “I wouldn’t advise anyone to start with a big farm; if you don’t know what you are doing, you will fail. I started in a backyard with chickens before I decided my passion was with crop farming,” she says.
