The founder and CEO of Made with Rural, Leeko Makoene shares insights into the challenges of being a farmer.
Despite farming and food being in her DNA, Makoene recalled how she hated it as a child because of the manner in which it was pitched to her — as a chore that took her away from friends and play time rather than a passion to be nurtured.
This began when her grandfather, from whom she inherited her passion, sent her the chillis he couldn’t sell back home and produce from other small-scale farmers. Unsure what to do with all the produce, an innovative Makoene decided to take a leaf out of her grandmother’s book and preserved the food, including the chillis that later gave rise to her popular chilli relish which she sold to notable restaurants including News Cafe.
Among these were the logistics around transporting the produce, compliance and cold chain issues, funding and consumers’ mindsets. “Accessing markets is full of barriers, including compliance and cold chain. Farmers get left out with these smallanyana things.”Another major challenge Makoene highlighted was the impact Covid-19 has had on farmers, especially during the hard lockdown.
“Agriculture will show you flames. It is the most uncertain industry ever. If you don’t have the support, honestly it is not worth it. It is expensive to farm.”
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