Concerned about the high rate of youth unemployment, a Bachelor of Education student at the University of Limpopo (UL) has already started planting seeds of hope in his bid to close the joblessness gap
While harvesting his latest batch of cabbages, Katlego Mohloding urged fellow youth to take a step toward reducing poverty and unemployment by exploring a career in agriculture, since agriculture is an essential part of any society.
Mohloding could not stop singing praise to the university, noting that being active in student entrepreneurship efforts inspired him to begin his initiative. He stated that Enactus-UL, a non-profit organisation that empowers students to better the world through entrepreneurship action, exposed him to a pool of young and business-minded people.
His venture, Katlego Glen Poultry Farming, was founded in 2019 in Ha-Muila in the Vhembe District of Limpopo and now employs two people temporarily. The business offers broiler chickens as well as veggies (cabbages and spinach). The business already supplies cabbage and spinach to big supermarkets in Elim.
The 21-year-old, who was born in Thothololo village in Ha-Muila, just outside Elim, explained that in February 2021 he secured an unused piece of land inside his former school premises (Lupenyo Primary) to grow cabbage and spinach. He also frequently provided learners with hands-on agricultural experience.
“In exchange for using land at the school, I promised to donate ten school shoes to ten underprivileged learners each year. I have already donated ten pairs of shoes,” said Mohloding.
Mohloding had harvested over 3 000 cabbages by the end of June 2021. Interestingly, the young farming sensation has just acquired a new piece of land, 1.5 hectares, not far from his parents’ home, on which he will soon operate a nursery, capping off a fantastic year.
“The reason we sometimes face food insecurity and severe malnutrition is that the agricultural sector is suffering from water scarcity and people do not have much land to use. Fewer people go hungry when we have agriculture which can grow with much support from everyone,” he said.
Although economic development is linked to a country’s agriculture sector, Mohloding envisions his business running on a vast scale, with layers, pigs, and broilers, as well as an organised structure in all activities.
As a former Enactus-UL member, he said that the organisation assisted him in terms of scaling a business and recording finances, as well as running a business professionally. Having a business and becoming a successful CEO has been his dream since he used to sell sweets in primary school.
Mohloding said that he had a strong interest in agricultural activities, but he lacked the enthusiasm to get started until he joined Enactus-UL.
“The strength came out after I became administrator of Tihuku Project, which is about sustaining poultry projects at Mankweng. That is where everything started to burn for me to achieve my passion for farming,” he explained.
So far, he has a capacity of 600 broiler chickens. He has planted 3000 cabbages, and is also growing spinach and peppers.
Mohloding served as the Projects Manager for Enactus-UL’s Tihuku Project, which helps subsistence poultry farmers at Mamotintane village in Mankweng. Following that, as Administrator for the Tihuku Project, he was promoted to Executive Administrator.
By Malatji Monyelegwete