"On Wheels" Farm

Mr Louis Kwashube is part of a six member primary co-operative located about 30km west of Umzimkhulu that is determined to make their land productive. The difference with this group is that four of the six members are wheelchair bound. We only discovered this last year when we met the members for the first time at their project site as prior correspondence was only on the phone. Mr. Kwashube had over a period of two years approached us looking for information on fodder grass for beef cattle, where to purchase bulls, land preparation procedures using kraal manure, where to sell goats, sheep breed options, the planting of eucalyptus trees, and the cultivation of dry beans. He had clearly been exploring his options. Mr Kwashube and his brother have title to 120 Ha of land that was previously owned by the Catholic Church near Lourde’s Mission. The co-operative submitted a proposal to the Department of Agriculture for the establishment of a poultry project and it sounds as though this may be approved. In the interim, they have forged ahead with the planting of maize, cabbages and dry beans on one hectare over the last two seasons. Another one of the members, Mr Siphamandla Gumbi, is based in Durban as a mobility consultant for the company, Chairman Industries, which specialises in the manufacture and supply of mobility equipment for people with disabilities. With his expertise he can offer excellent guidance to his team in terms of what their project can achieve in spite of their physical limitations. HGA will continue to serve an advisory role in this project wherever it can and work alongside these determined individuals to help them make a success of their project. We would however like to make an appeal to prospective funders for financial support for this project and to anyone from their area with vegetable cultivation or poultry expertise who would be interested in mentoring this group.