A qualified English teacher by profession and now a full-time horticultural farmer LethuMandaza has gracefully taken up the challenge with much success in Bulawayo. We managed to sit down with her for an interview to get details of how she is doing it.
By Emmanuel Dube
ED. Tell us a little bit about yourself, who is Lethu Mandaza
LM. I am a qualified English language online teacher by profession, I was born in Hwange which is where I grew up and I am also a proud mother of one. I used to teach in Cape town South Africa before resigning in 2018 and relocating back to Zimbabwe to try out new business ventures and farming happens to be part of it.
ED. What other business ventures where you involved in when you came back to Zimbabwe?
LM. I was trained in Tapestry and bead work and as a person who is passionate about empowering women, I set out to train other women in this craft. In 2019 we managed to travel across Africa training and empowering women in this craft and I must say the uptake was amazing.
ED. How did you then get into farming?
LM. A friend offered to teach me farming and together we decided to start our venture by growing cabbages on a small piece of land measuring 2.5 acres and its been nonstop since.
ED. Where is your plot located and how big is it?
LM. Our plot is conveniently located approximately 18 km from the city of Bulawayo on your way to Matopo. Currently we are using 3 ha of land for intensive horticulture all under drip irrigation.
ED. Which crops do you grow on your farm?
LM. We grow Okra, sugar beans, straw berries and green mealies which should be ready in a few weeks, you should place your order by the way. We also plan to put in beetroot, carrots etc as we expand our program in the future.
ED. How is the market in Bulawayo for fresh produce?
LM. Because I am into digital marketing it was not that difficult for me to penetrate the market though its not always that easy, I still manage to reach out to many upmarket fruit and vegetable shops in and around Bulawayo.
ED. Earlier you mentioned cabbages how was that venture for you?
LM. Cabbage is a no-go area for me because the first time we grew them it flooded the market, and it was a harsh lesson as we struggled to sell. I strongly encourage a good market research before growing anything.
E.D How lucrative is the fresh produce business in Bulawayo?
LM. I have realised that fresh produce sells like hot cakes every end of the week and most people want fresh vegetables for the weekend and that is when we schedule our harvest and delivery hence I can safely say it is indeed a lucrative business worth getting into.
ED. Horticulture is labour and capital intensive how are you coping?
LM. Honestly this is one thing that keeps me awake at night however I just have to find a way to make it happen and eventually run a self-sustainable project and with the little we have done so far the returns have shown that it is possible. Skilled labour is a challenge however to bridge that gap I rely on input from professional agronomists who advise my team and I regularly on best agricultural practices and cropping plans.
E.D What are your future in terms of your project.
LM. We plan to put up a green house and set up a large scale nursery for seedlings as we have noticed most farmers in and around Bulawayo have to order seedlings from Harare as there are very few nurseries in Bulawayo, those that are there are overwhelmed.
E.D Wow those are big plans ….
LM. Ohh did I also mention that I have set up a mushroom growing house, I am expecting delivery of the growing kits next week. I realised there is a huge market for these in Bulawayo.
E.D What word of advice do you have for other upcoming farmers especially women in agriculture.
LM. The struggle is real without passion you can easily give up, just make sure when you get into farming give it your all, make it your baby, research as much as you can , start small, grow in it and above all be humble enough to ask for advise and help from those in farming already. I draw a lot of inspiration from Tanaka seedlings in Harare I would like to follow in her footsteps.
ED. How can people get in touch with you?
LM. If anyone wishes to contact me, they can send an email to Lethu42018@gmail.com
E.D – Interviewer LM – LethuMandaza
If you would like us to feature your project, please get in touch with us.Emmanuel is a qualified Agronomist and Agribusiness specialist with more than a decade’s experience working in the agri-business industry and development sector. You can contact him on edndsep@gmail.com or WhatsApp on 0783495396
