Visionary farmer in bid to improve life in Misty Mount

With a will to positively change the lives of people in the Misty Mount community, Neziswa Mlenzana equips unemployed residents with skills to help them grow food and generate an income.

Libode-born Mlenzana, co-founder and CEO of the Green Vines Agricultural Primary Co-operative, is described as a progressive thinker, visionary, and activist who works towards a sustainable, ecologically friendly farming method in which the farm produces organic food using conservation agriculture techniques and worm farming.

Her drive to become an agripreneur stems from her love of nature and all things organic, and her desire to empower rural youth in the OR Tambo district.

The Movement in Africa NPC was established in 2020 when the main founder, David Epstein, saw the difficulties faced by young people from the Eastern Cape who migrated to Cape Town in search of work.

Mlenzana joined the programme in February 2022 when they established food gardens in two schools, Ngxanga SPS and Manqukwana SPS.

Food from these gardens feeds the pupils and elderly people in the community.

The work equips women and youth with ecology skills as they learn how to grow vegetables, make insect repellents, and sericulture (silkworm farming).

“Epstein believed that if they could learn to farm and work the land, they could make more money in their gardens than they would earn in minimum wage jobs in Cape Town. So he came to Eastern Cape and began working.”

Mlenzana said the initiative now works with 10 youths aged 25 to 35, eight women aged 45 to 55, and two men between the ages of 40 and 45.

The women and young people established their own backyard gardens and have embraced the lovely Amalima concept, under which they all get together and work in someone’s garden.

“We have been working in five districts with various NPOs and leaders interested in agro-ecology to create relationships and lay the framework for agro-ecology, which is a paradigm change,”  Mlenzana said.

Her mission is for OR Tambo and the Eastern Cape to become food baskets and self-sufficient, with young people and women participating and gaining access to local and global markets.

Five workers — excluding the two executive directors — develop plans for the NPC’s general operations, network, offer training, prepare and submit proposals for fundraising purposes.

They create gardens, attract sponsors, and cultivate partnerships with traditional leaders, government, and business institutions.

“I also serve as secretary of Youth in Agriculture and Rural Development and as a member of the SA Youth Council,” she said.

“This work has allowed us to be accepted as an implementing partner for the Social Employment Fund, where we have established food gardens at 10 schools, two non-profit organisations, and a hospital.

“These gardens provide employment and learning opportunities for 200 participants on 2.4 hectares. And a total of  3,000 people benefit from the food produced.”

 Mlenzana, who has a B Com in economics and statistics, is also certified in worm farming, vegetable production, new venture creation, farm data management and sharing, and agriculture services.

“Our challenges are a lack of working resources for vegetable cultivation such as tools, irrigation water, and the expensive seeds, not to mention lacking the means to pay wages,” she said.

“Despite the challenges though, it fulfils me seeing young people empowered and making a living. I like seeing people’s lives improve.”

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