It is often said that the future belongs to the young people but the candid concern remains, how prepared are they? The African continent possesses a lot of great opportunities for which its inhabitants ought to benefit from. Nonetheless, its potential is heavily stifled with financial constraints, political unrest and many other hindrances.
With a lot of sacrifices, determination, commitment and youthful exuberance, Thabo Dithakgwethe, a 19-year-old young man from Vryburg, has defied all odds to become the youngest livestock farmer in South Africa.
Thabo now operates a 790-hectare farm with cows, lambs, and goats, and he sells the animals he rears. Locals looking for cattle for weddings, funerals, or celebrations are sometimes taken aback when they meet the lanky youngster at the farm in Pomfret.
Pushoetsile, his father, from whom he inherited a land, taught him everything he knows. When Thabo was 14 years old, he learned the ins and outs of commercial farming. His father had given him his first animal, a pregnant cow. He reared it till it was 18 months old and then sold it to a local farmer. Thabo used the R14,000 /GH₵ 5,681.29 he earned from the sale of the cow to purchase another cow. Then he had two breeding cows and began expansion.
He is currently a mixed farming student at the Potchefstroom College of Agriculture, where he rattles off a litany of innovative agricultural techniques. He has developed a software that makes farm operations more efficient. For example, using an artificial insemination technology, he buys sperms from local farmers rather than purchasing a bull for himself. He also uses social media to market his company and uses monitoring gadgets such as drones to give live information on the animals on the farm while watching at the comfort of his home.
Thabo’s technological prowess distinguishes him from other farmers. He has this saying, “I’m prepared to experiment with new methods and technology to make farming more efficient.”
Despite his reliance on technology, the teen’s success is also dependent on his ability to create partnerships with older farmers he meets at agricultural fairs.
He is motivated by the prospect of creating jobs in his community. Thabo now has twenty employees He has in total, 120 cattle, but would want to expand his stable. He strongly feels farming is where the real money resides. A single bull may fetch up to R1.8 million at auction, but before he can spread his wings, he needs additional territory. Thabo is in negotiations with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to help him lease a farm.
Thabo assists in ushering people into the digital era in exchange for their wisdom. He works as a photographer for the elderly farmers and creates promotional films for them to use on social media to promote their livestock.
WRITTEN BY: DICKSON KOJO ANANE
Comments are closed.