makgofe

Magkofe Trust Farm

In 1997, Maria Mehlape convinced her neighbours to start a new life on a farm. Thanks to the Land Redistribution Program, a group of landless people from Makgofe village outside Polokwane became new owners of a150ha farm.
Makgofe Trust Farm started with more than 37 members but because of challenges related to becoming a farm owner the number decreased to a 13 in 2002. Today six people proudly identify themselves farmers.
Due to various training programs - some afforded by the School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of the University of Limpopo - they decided to embark on vegetable and poultry production.
Since they were introduced to the CRCE, it adviced them on various activities on the farm, including indigenous chickens raising, vegetable production, networking.

Introduction of indigenous chickens

With an initial donation from the Department of Health and Welfare, farmers were able to raise broilers
The broilers were in the later years seen as a main pillar of the farm’s income: after one batch was swept by diseases the farm struggled to find its foothold again. As such chickens require intensive care and expensive inputs to produce while they are sensitive to diseases, the CRCE discussed with Makgofe Trust farmers on the possibility of introducing Venda and Naked-neck chickens.
These are known to be chickens with low demand of feeding, medication and require low cost housing. The introduction of these chickens was not aimed to move away from broiler production but to bring in an affordable and sustainable method of production.
“They normally scavenge for food, they sleep on trees and need aloe plants extract mixed with other plants we have on the farm for medication”, farmers exclaimed.

Vegetables for local market

The farmers at Makgofe Trust produce vegetables including beetroot, carrots, spinach, but they confessed to excel in garlic and butternut.
Butternut is planted to coincide with festive season when the demand is high.
Because farmers sell mainly informally on local market, through speculator, they don’t have to produce a constant quantity all along the year. They take advantage of this to match the demand.

Farmers cooperative and regional networking

Makgofe Trust farm together with other farmers operating in the Mole-mole district organized themselves and formed a Mole-mole farmers cooperative. The aim of the cooperative is to exchange information with their peers.
Through CRCE support, Makgofe Trust is also a member of the Small Scale Networking Forum which is an affiliate of East and Southern African Farmer’s Forum (ESAFF).