The joint agricultural development project of Saai, AfriForum and Thabake Business Enterprise that has been running outside Phokeng in North West since 2022 kicked off the year on a high note with this week’s harvest of the season’s first 200 kg of green beans. Since the project team kicked off the first planting cycle just over two years ago, more than 60 tonnes of vegetables have been harvested on the approximately 0,75 ha of land.
Saai and AfriForum are involved with the project through their agricultural development incubator, Resilient Regenerative Agricultural Initiative NPC (RRAIN).
The latest harvest follows on the heels of the approximately 800 kg of baby marrows harvested here in December and delivered to, among others, the Tshwane and Johannesburg fresh produce markets and fresh produce retailer Freshlinq. The continued access to formal fresh produce markets confirms the sustainable growth and commercial progress the project has already made.
This joint agricultural development project came into being in 2022 after Lebo Mosime, founder and CEO of Thabake Business Enterprise, approached AfriForum with the vision of expanding her small-scale vegetable farming into an economically viable agricultural enterprise. Since then, the partnership has grown annually, characterised by successive planting cycles, improved management practices and increasing yields.
“The fact that we can now plant, harvest and deliver to different markets during every growing cycle shows how far we have come,” says Mosime. “Each season naturally brings new challenges, but it also provides for new opportunities to learn, improve and grow sustainably. My goal remains to build a legacy that benefits not only my family but also the broader community in which I operate.”
Saai’s involvement in the project is to provide ongoing support at the management, planning and production levels, while expertise regarding variety selection and pest and weed control is continuously utilised to optimise production.
“This project is proof of what is possible when you invest in people, skills and sustainable practices over time,” says Leon Lourens, Development Coordinator at Saai. “The focus is not just on crop yield, but on the development of an independent, profitable agricultural enterprise.” According to Lourens, Mosime’s perseverance is an example to women who want to find their place in the agricultural industry and be self-sufficient.
According to Nantes Kelder, National Project Coordinator of Intercultural Relations and Cooperation at AfriForum, joint agricultural projects such as this remain a core building block of AfriForum’s focus on strengthening a network of cultural communities. This network aims to create a legacy of good relations and cooperation for the children of the different cultural communities here at the southern tip of Africa. “The growth observed since 2022 confirms that cooperation, food security and self-reliant communities go hand in hand. This project shows how sustained cooperation over time can make a tangible impact at grassroots level.”
With the successful completion of 2026’s first harvest, further planting cycles are already planned for the year as part of the project’s continued focus on the path to commercialisation.
