 Good evening, everybody. Welcome to the Private Property Farming Podcast. My name is Mbali Rwako. And thank you so much for joining us this evening. I am in Johannesburg and it's freezing. Apparently it's one of the coldest days since the year began. So sure, thank God I don't have load shedding. And if you do, and you'll probably just experience load shedding right now, please catch this live on YouTube once you have connectivity. Today we're speaking to a young entrepreneur, an agripreneur. He started his organic garden in 2020, just in the midst of lockdown. And so I think it would be quite interesting to understand his journey, why he started his business, and why particularly organic farming. But I think the biggest shock here is that he's a social science third year, or final year student at the University of Fortes. So I'm really curious to understand how social sciences meets organic farming. And he's based in the rural Eastern Cape. So I want to know how is farming like, or starting organic farm in the rural Eastern Cape, and what have been his challenges thus far. And most importantly, his successes. And maybe we could learn a thing or two from this young graduate, young entrepreneur. And so if you're a graduate watching us, I think this is an episode tonight to learn from, because every farmer does things differently. And I think with the high unemployment rate, it's so important to learn from other people's story. And I think the fact that he's a young graduate, maybe there's some gems and learnings that you could take from his journey. So therefore, if you have any questions for our guests this evening, please drop a comment. We'll be happy to respond to the question live onto the show. We want engagement, engagement, engagement. Like, share, comment. And please send us any suggestions of what you would like to see in future episodes of the farming podcast. But let me not take too much of your time this evening and introduce our guest. His name is Kanyle Lange. Thank you so much, Kanyle, for joining us. How are you doing on this cold evening? Is it cold in Eastern Cape, just by the way? It's actually minus six this night. So it's super cold. But thank you for having me on the show. It's a pleasure to be here. Likewise. So just tell us a bit about your journey. Social science final year student, starting an organic business. What is the name of your business and why did you decide to start a business in farming? OK, so the name of the business is called something organic. And I actually have a history of having an entrepreneurial spirit from a young age, actually, after high school. So I actually had an events company in 2016. And I went out to find a company with my partner, called LeLenda, which is in ICT. And then on the brink of COVID, which was around the first lockdown, that's when I felt that I could venture into the agricultural space. So in between all of this, I'm actually a final year student. So I'm actually having to alternate between the two sides. Right. And how is that going? I mean, final year student, starting businesses, leaving another business. How are you managing all of this at a go? It's actually tough, because you have to plan your day carefully. Sometimes from the school pressure, get your mind off of other things, because of all the nerves, and it being a final year, and so forth. But I manage because I plan well. So for instance, I'll wake up very early, turn on the water, water my seedlings. And then if the day progresses, I'll get into school. And then later, I'll go to a bit of my cottage work. Yeah. And just tell me your journey around starting businesses. I mean, you're saying you're a final year student. You had an ICT business before. Now you've got an angry business as well. You deciding to go into business, was that just circumstance, or was it something purely passionate? And when I mean circumstance, did you just are you maybe the first born in a family, and you're deciding, maybe I must find additional source of income for my family, or you have aspirations? I don't know, to just earn income, make money as a young individual, or is it just passion? Just I suppose stretching your talent, stretching your abilities in terms of how far you could go with what happens in your mind, and just thinking of an idea. And you really are thrilled or excited by the fact of being able to make something out of nothing. So where does this entrepreneurial spark come from, especially as a young person currently completing their studies? Well, I can say that that spark sort of comes from an aspirational point of view. I have to go get a mentality. And I can also mix it with a bit of stubbornness of wanting to be self-employed. So I think generally speaking, it has to do with my nature of always seeking to be the leader, always passionate about leading, passionate about business, passionate about making a change generally in society. So I remember my father once asked me, I think it was in grade 11, he asked me what I want to do, and I actually thought about it for a while. And I gave him an answer saying, I want to serve the people. So I think this is where the link comes in, in serving the people, having that business aspiration, that sort of mentality. Yeah. So how did you start something organic? How many hectares of land are you farming? Or just maybe a number of seedlings. How big is of the space are you farming in? OK, so actually how it actually started is a small garden here in the house. So that was actually where I did the practice run. And I think I actually failed in the first three months. It was around, was it just on the brink of winter. So I planted some cabbage, some broccoli, some lettuce, all variety. And yeah, the results went so pleasing. But over time, you know, in farming, it's a trial and error basis. You've always learned more and you try to trace back your steps in terms of what went wrong and what went right, in terms of preparation, timing, and all other elements. So it was not only up until towards September that I tried again within the same COVID period of lockdown. And what actually led me to fight and continue was that the actual state of mind that we were all in during COVID, having to stay at home, feeling sort of imprisoned. So the garden was sort of my ghetto waste base to find my peace. And just to go about my day, yeah, normally. So I managed to harvest some sweet corn, some beautiful sweet corn, some butternut, some lettuce. And towards January, it was potatoes and green peppers, of which were of superb quality. So that's what led me to continue going. So the story of the garden is actually that in the rural homestead, there's a lot of unused or rather unoccupied spaces that are actually already fenced in most instances. So for an example, you as the host, you may have a residential place here, and maybe you relocate to Jobek or Cape Town. So it's left here in the rural, it's locked, but there's a huge, huge space. So then I approach you and then I ask your permission to work the land. So that's how first garden came about, which is actually one and a half hectares. Right. And are you using that entire space? Who taught you about which cultivars maybe to buy from? How did you set up your irrigation? Because there's a lot of people, Kanile, that want to start farming. I, as a farmer, get those requests. People requesting me to mentor them because they want to pursue their passion into farming. How did you navigate your way around firstly irrigation, deciding what cultivars? And I think I also want to give you an applaud because you took the initiative of finding a land. You knew that a lot of people have relocated this land at home that's unused, and that's a number one thing. I think when the podcast started, the first topic was about how do you find land? Because that is like the number one ask question. So thanks for clearing out a way in which some people could find and have access to land. But just take me through the actual production without having any farming experience. What cultivars? How did you come about choosing cultivars, growing the crop? You do gardening as well. You've had some trial and error. And also just the irrigation, or just setting up pretty much this 1.5 hectares. So that was the pretty intense part of having to actually work the field. When you get an occupied space, a lot of weeds, a lot of growth, and a lot of foreign plants, and so forth, that you have to firstly move and weed out. So I called this other old man, who is also a local, he had a tractor. So he was the one who came onto the site to survey what's happening, are there any rocks, and so forth. And he's the one who actually helped me to plow. And his advice after we actually started plowing was that we actually don't need any fertilizers because this piece of land hadn't been used for quite some time, I think it was almost close to 15 years. So we can also actually say it was similar to a sleeping beast sort of situation. So the irrigation part, I just had to go to hardware stores. There's a local store in Kunuvi. It's called the Koparasi, the co-op. So I actually told them, when I got there, how much space I have, they are the ones who actually recommended that I would be needing four tap points, I would be needing a certain length for track lines for the irrigation. And I'd also be needing sprinkler heads, tripods, and a certain quantity and so forth. And when it came to the planting of the seedlings, after having plowed, I actually got some young people here from the community to help me prepare the land. Some of them were experienced, some of them inexperienced like me. And I got the seedlings from Kunuvi as well, of which with my inquisitive mentality, I just also asked the people from the seedling farm in Kunuvi to tell me more about the calendar, when to plant. For an example, a cabbage is resistant throughout the whole year, a certain cabbage, there are some things you have to grow in a certain season and so forth. So that's where I got the guidance as into what to plant according, and how to plant it, spacing, and so forth. So deciding to go organic was simply because you had obviously seen that this land has been untouched for over a decade. And Eastern Cape is a very rich place where land and natural resources is concerned. And it's so refreshing to hear a young person speak about just taking the initiative, speaking, sorry, asking questions, most importantly, and I'm glad that people from the Corporacy have given you information on how to start where and how. Tell me about the reception from the community. When they see you as a young person, starting your own organic garden, and pretty much a small scale farm, how did you come about with financing this initiative? Because there are a lot of young people who want to go into farming, Canilla, and some of their barriers is that not only is it land, but the most important one is access to finance, a bit of startup capital to actually start farming. So and also a bit of working capital so that you could employ people in the village and so forth. So how did you approach your journey where financing is concerned? So from a financial perspective, it's more of a self-funded approach, even with the methods that are used in choosing the organic fruit, in choosing the cost-effective method of acquiring your space whilst you're away and you having to take it back if you come back. And just me using what I have because I'm actually a small scale farmer, there are actually opportunities from a premier's office and various other government entities for funding, which I'm in the process of applying for those so as to scale and grow, expand the business. So even from an employment's perspective, I don't have any full-time employees, so as to say. And yeah. So you're basically very resourceful and intentional in how the money is spent, organic farming. So you're cutting away from fertilizers, pesticides, you're relying on the richness of the soil, obviously to give you a good crop at the end of the day and becoming very specific in how you choose your varieties as well. And then it's a fantastic approach as well not to take any people permanent as well because that could increase your overheads, especially when you're starting and doing a lot of trial and error. So I also wanna, so what are the highlights since you started something organic? What has transpired from you finding this 1.5 hectare? Have you had any successful harvest? Who are you selling to? What has been the feedback from your customers as well? So actually there's a bit of hardship in the story in the sense of transportation. So this is for the next farmer who's looking to start tomorrow or next month. You need to know your market before you start planting those seedlings and you need to be certain about your transportation. So for me, one of the lowlights has been transportation issues which are unreliable on my side, but I can say it's been solved. But I was actually innovative about it because I'd actually approached the pigs for markets like the local spa which is actually less than six kilometers away. And sometimes how to get other stores to actually come to me in the rural area to come and take the harvest. So one of my highlights has been supplying the spas, some shops in East London, the local market, in Bussonia and so forth. Yeah, and how is that? I mean, when you look at your produce at the local spas or the supermarkets, the various stores in your nearby community, how's that feeling? Just to know that you literally started something organic from the little resources that you have and now you're selling produce to the spas and retail as well as some local shops. How's that feeling for you? You know, as a province that is actually the poorest in the country, I think we can all agree that as young farmers are more experienced for the young and we take great pride in food security. For an example, here in my rural village, we have people who are dependent on social grants. So you having to bridge that gap of being able to feed them before they get those grants and even after those grants, you have to take pride in that you're doing something wonderful in the exterior. Have there been young people that have come to say, can you please help me out? I also want to do this maybe at my grandmother's backyard or at my homestead, just specifically young people like yourself, have they come out and said, I'm seeing you farming, I'm seeing you selling. I also want to start this out and earn additional income. Have there been any individuals that have approached you since you started? Yes, I've actually had a lot of young graduates from the Twane area out there. I'm actually wanting some advice and some knowledge from my side, especially when I had my first publication with food from Zanzi. I think that there was one of my first publications that actually gained some serious traction in terms of likes and interactions. So that's where I actually had a lot of people asking me on the inbox and how to go about certain things. Yeah, this is fantastic. I think it's just an inspiration to young individuals. We've got a question here, Kanile, from Privo that came from Instagram saying, good evening. Approximately how much would one need to put aside to start farming on 1.5 hectares like this? Okay, so one would have to consider securing the 1.5 hectares with fencing. So you need fencing, you need poles, you need your tap system, which on average you need about four. You need your track lines, or perhaps if you want to actually use the watering can method, it's also cost effective. This should cost you anything between 10,000 to 15,000. 10,000 to 15,000. Yes, and this is because starting a farming practice is actually capital intensive. So if you want to start on a super small scale, 1.5 hectares is just a bit too tricky. If you want that type of setup, sometimes it's not necessary to fence, but for the issues of safety, you may want to fence it to be sure. So what next for you? I mean, you're in your final year. What happens if you graduate and you need to move to the city? Are you going to abandon this 1.5 hectare or rather something organic, your business, which is called? Would you abandon a business and seek a better opportunity in the city? Because, I mean, let's face it, you're a young graduate, you said you're 27, I think. Or is this something that you really want to pursue over and above you graduating? Do you really want to grow something organic to maybe becoming a full-on farm production, maybe not only on 1.5 hectares, but going to three, going to five, I mean, like you said, there's lots of abandoned land back home. So would you look at starting or a production on other sites? So what's the future looking like for you and something organic? So post-graduation with a number of people, actually. And I always say to them that I'm passionate about they make something. I should believe I can make something for myself within this same beauty, obviously, because people forget how beautiful the province is despite all the lackings, the inequalities and so forth. So I actually want to stay here and fight, expand, get into the animal side, maybe pigaries, chickens. But for me, my 20s are all about learning and learning so that by the time I get into my 30s, I would have known my story on the road to being a commercial farmer. That is fantastic. And please don't leave the industry because we need many, many young people in the sector to obviously grow the industry. But just your final words, Kanile, based on your journey, based on who you are, your entrepreneurial spirit, et cetera, what advice would you give to a young person watching you tonight and hearing your story? Maybe who's read an article about you on food from Zion, like you've said, and they've seen you for the first time on the private property farming podcast and hearing your story directly from the horse's mouth. So what advice would you give to a young graduate who maybe has completed their agri-qualification, is looking to start farming? Yeah, what advice would you give them? Hi, Kanile, can you hear us? I think we might have lost Kanile there, but we were just at the end of the show where I was just asking him what advice he would give to young graduates wanting to pursue a career in farming. But I definitely learned a very, very valuable lesson and which is, I think everybody could obviously take a lesson as well from what Kanile said is that when you start, definitely ask questions. You know, a lot of people in the industry are willing to help. They would give you the advice in terms of what type of seedlings to start with, how the irrigation setup should be, especially on a land that has not been cultivated. And obviously assessing the environment, I mean, know the history on where you're farming, you know, what was being previously cultivated there and for how long, you know, because this could obviously determine the success of your business in a few years down the line, or it could really break your business, you know. And from what he said is that he used the knowledge from the people in the community who knew about the area. He found an opportunity where he could rent and a piece of land that was owned by someone who's living in the city and he started his production. He got an old man from the nearby community to come cultivate and plow the 1.5 hectares so that he could start up his operations. And his decision to go organic was simply because, you know, that land has been abandoned for about 10 to 15 years. Nothing had been done about it. And so obviously he just capitalized on, you know, making the soil determine the success of his project and not using any pesticides and insecticides. And I think it has worked so well for him where he's now supplying to local retailers and shops in his communities, six kilometers away and so forth. And I think it's such an amazing journey for everybody to learn from, whether you're a beginner farmer, whether you're slowly scaling your operations or even when you're at a commercial level and really making profits, I think it's important to keep re-emphasizing that as farmers we need to learn, we need to keep researching, we need to engage with others. And, you know, that's how we grow and keep the industry sustainable at the end of the day. But for me, it was inspiring to hear and see a young person who is still completing their studies, you know, and just taking that leap of faith to start his own production and just see how it goes. I mean, he started off from a garden and now he's on a 1.5 acres, which is pretty decent for a startup or a small scale farmer. And so thank you so much for watching this evening. If you missed this live, you can catch it on our YouTube channel, the farming podcast on private property YouTube channel. And again, I would love to hear any suggestions on to the show. We've got many, many guests lined up, especially for next month. I'm excited, it's women's month. So please send your suggestions. Thank you for engaging and commenting as well on every single show that we have, every Tuesdays on Thursdays. But yeah, this is it for me signing out from a very, very cold Johannesburg night on Thursday. And I wish you a fantastic Friday tomorrow as well as a fabulous, fabulous weekend ahead. Please continue to stay home, stay safe, look after your loved ones and please check up on your family and friends that you don't live with. This time could be very lonely for some individuals. But yeah, for me, I will see you next week, Tuesday. Thank you for watching.