Farmers Keep Toiling and Persevering to Feed the Nation

There is a saying that suggests that we are what we eat. Therefore, it is logical to also insinuate that our everyday heroes are those who produce that which we eat.

These are those who toil the land tirelessly and those who keep livestock. They are our all-time essential workers.

#ImStaying writer, Mbekezeli Setsura, took it upon himself to talk to some of these farmers, eager to find out how business has been in these arduous times?

Bennedicter Mhlongo, a crop farmer, said more time had to be allocated to the essential deed as the demand had been very high since the implementation of the lockdown.

This vegetable farmer started Benica Projects in 2014, after resigning from the department of health where he worked as a nurse. That’s right #Stayers, rest assured, as it seems that what we eat has been nursed from seeding to harvesting.

Bennedicter has been following the ‘never give up’ rule since childhood. He farms and we eat.

A cattle farmer commented that business has been unfavourable on their side. They had to adhere to the call of fewer gatherings. Their patrons are mainly those who do events. Fewer gatherings meant less demand.

A line by Bob Marley, ” One who fights and run away, lives to fight another day” keeps him soldiering on, as he says stopping is a ‘No’ for him.

Judge Mabuse, who is into mixed farming, says the love for farming has kept him in this industry for over 18 years. This undying love, which is legal and no more a minor, is what keeps him firmly in the agricultural sector amid all challenges they face as farmers.

Tefo Moeti gave a thumbs up for the implementation of the lockdown, as this will help save lives. He has been in this business of feeding lives since 2016. He advises the newbies in the industry to surround themselves with those with experience.