PLANTING 1 000HA OF MAIZE AT 29!
For three years the 29-year-old Sinelizwi Fakade worked as a Grain SA mentor, crisscrossing the Eastern Cape to provide training and assistance to small-scale farmers. Starting out with 448 farmers on his books, he had 3 500 farmers signed up within three years. “We got this growth because we were getting results. Especially yields really improved.”
Yet Sinelizwi also believed it was time to take the leap towards realising his own lifelong dream of becoming a commercial farmer. Fortunately he had some heavy hitters in his corner. The legendary farmer Rob Farrington, who had pioneered irrigation farming in Ugie, also happened to be his friend and mentor.
“I practically grew up on Rob’s farm and learnt everything I know from him,” explains Sinelizwi. From Grade 9 he spent all his school holidays on the farm. “Getting back from boarding school, I would drop off my bags at home and immediately get into my
