With unemployment on the rise and food security becoming even more fragile, starting a business selling home-grown food is a brilliant way to survive.
Khayelitsha, South Africa (20 July 2020) – In South Africa, Swiss Chard is a staple in all demographics but it is often referred to as spinach. Swiss Chard is far more hardy and is just as versatile as spinach. Ncumisa Mkabile, a 27-year-old female farmer from Khayelitsha in Cape Town set up a small business selling Swiss Chard to her community and beyond.
As a lover of all things gardening, Ncumisa’s story is truly inspiring! The 27-year-old needed to earn an income so she cleared a piece of land and put in the work to get her business off the ground. The thing with growing food is there is a period where you wait and watch but nothing else can happen. You have done the hard work, now you wait as the seedling turn into fully grown plants and the leaves plump up and grow. At the same time, you start watching for the weeds and keeping pests like caterpillars and slugs away.
The day you make your first harvest is the very best day of the whole process. For Ncumisa, this is the day all her efforts will pay off. She can start making her investment back and supporting her family. Then when she breaks even, she has the chance to do it all again.
Her small business will not only change her own income but also the food security of her community. Being able to offer affordable, nutritious food to people around her will change so much! We cannot deny that food prices are escalating and incomes still disappearing.
Supporting people like Ncumisa is how we save South Africa, one small business as a time. If you wish to support her business, you can find out more via the Invest in Khayelitsha Facebook group here.