SIGANGENI – Sithembiso Gamedze, a young man from Sigangeni, has traded chalkboards for seedlings after establishing a nursery of 80,000 onions with support from FINCLUDE and other partners.
Gamedze, a former teacher, made the shift to farming with the help of SOS Children’s Village, which he approached with a proposal to set up his own seedling nursery. Backed by the organisation, he began cultivating onions on 2.5 hectares of land, marking the start of a new chapter in his life.
His farming journey received a major boost through training from FINCLUDE, a national project targeting smallholder farmers and micro-entrepreneurs, particularly women. Implemented by the Centre for Financial Inclusion (CFI) and supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), FINCLUDE helped Gamedze improve his productivity through proper record-keeping, crop tracking, and expense monitoring.
With guidance from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Gamedze also acquired financial literacy skills to manage his income, reinvest in his nursery, and budget effectively.
He applied environmentally friendly practices such as crop rotation and organic pest control to protect his seedlings. But the journey was not without setbacks. Unpredictable weather and financial constraints tested his resolve. To overcome this, Gamedze formed a cooperative with fellow farmers to buy pesticides and other supplies in bulk.
His efforts paid off when Namboard, a government parastatal, entered into a contract to purchase his produce, securing a stable market and guaranteeing returns for his work.
Support from the Ministry of Agriculture, FINCLUDE, FAO, and SOS Children’s Village has helped Gamedze to expand his operations.
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