Nowadays moving from a village to the big city is a natural process for many young people. Many perceive country life as boring and move to the city in pursuit of a ‘better' life. But does life in urban areas offer a better and brighter future? Does rural life have nothing interesting to offer young adults? Sarah Madonsela's story proves this theory wrong.
Today Sarah Madonsela (31) who sees her future as a farmer is a first year student of crop science at Tompi Selea College of Agriculture in Limpopo. Her passion comes from her parents, successful small farmers and members of Heifer's Hereford Project.
by Magdalena Wos
Nowadays moving from a village to the big city is a natural process for many young people. Many perceive country life as boring and move to the city in pursuit of a ‘better' life. But does life in urban areas offer a better and brighter future? Does rural life have nothing interesting to offer young adults? Sarah Madonsela's story proves this theory wrong.
Today Sarah Madonsela (31) who sees her future as a farmer is a first year student of crop science at Tompi Selea College of Agriculture in Limpopo. Her passion comes from her parents, successful small farmers and members of Heifer's Hereford Project.
Heifer International South Africa (Heifer) is a non-profit organisation that assists poor rural families on their way to a sustainable, food-secure life. Members with whom Heifer work receive training and livestock. Over a 3-5 year period of cooperation with the organisation, they become small farmers.
Sarah's mother Johanna, joined one of Heifer's projects in Limpopo a few years ago. While participating in the Hereford Project, Johanna received training in the necessary skills as well as the gift of a cow. She also established her own vegetable garden.
A few years of hard work as farmers has completely changed the lives of Mrs Madonsela's family and other project members. Through regular access to milk and vegetables, the nutrition of the project families improved dramatically. They began generating a regular income through selling milk within the community as well as selling vegetables at local and national supermarkets. Some members generated additional income by selling bulls. With fast growing farming businesses and increasing responsibilities, some of the project members decided to employ people from the community to help them with planting and harvesting vegetables, as well as take care of animals.
Sarah's family also noticed the difference farming brought. Selling butternut and green beans as well as milk became a source of regular income, generating R2700 per month. For Sarah's parents this not only led to improved nutrition in the family, it enabled them to pay for the children's school fees. They also managed to invest in the farming business and bought a tractor.
Sarah Madonsela with her parents
But for the Madonsela family, joining Heifer's project brought one unexpected change. Daily involvement in farming activities, seeing the passion and joy farming brought to her home as well as the changes in her family's life, created an interest in agriculture for Johanna's daughter, Sarah. In 2011 Sarah received a Sector Education and Training Authority scholarship and began her studies at the Tompi Selea College of Agriculture. Asked how friends her age react to her involvement in agriculture and Heifer's project, she says, "For them being involved in the project is foolish." For Sarah however, being a farmer is not only interesting, it makes sense. Sarah sees agriculture as a way to a sustainable and food-secure life. In the future she plans to be even more involved in her parents' farming business and to export their vegetables abroad as project members have already been doing.
With limited resources and understanding, many young people find agriculture unappealing and consider the city as the only escape from poverty. Fortunately there are still young people like Sarah who prove this theory wrong and show that agriculture can help open doors to a far greater future and there are many opportunities for job creation for the youth in agriculture.
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