Small stock farming flourishes in Kgalagadi Small stock farming ...

Desperatetimes turnopportunitiesArticle: Kesegofetse TawelePhotos: Aggripah WillieKe o l o p i l e M o t s h a b i s e o fC h a r l e s h i l l s t a r t e d h e rbackyard garden under oddcircumstances.Those odd circumstances turnedbreakthroughs to her life. All startedin 2003 when she fell very sick andcould not walk.She was diagnosed with Gout andwas advised to eat green vegetables.Due to her health condition, sheKeolopile Motshabisestarted with two backyard gardenplots at the time and little did sheknow that those two plots marked anew lease of life.Motshabise revealed that herplots were spotted by an Agriculturaldemonstrator who advised her toexpand and helped her to preparemore plots. After she got better,horticulture became her primarysource of income. She plantedChomolia, Spinach and Rape. Shesold one leaf for 25 thebe. As theAgricultural Demonstrators saw herprogress they facilitated that sheattend horticulture related courses inFrancistown. Thereafter, her pricingalso improved as she started to usea scale instead of selling per leaf,she sells 500grams for P4 whereas1kg costs P6.She expanded her garden andincreased varieties to includeEthiopian mustard, Beetroots,Tomatoes, Onions and Carrots.Motshabise explained thatEthiopian mustard is preferredby most people therefore itssales are high.She reinvested some ofthe profits into her project byfencing and net shading andbuying fertilizers. Motshabiseexude enthusiasm and passionwhen she talks of the developmentsshe did in her homestead with herprofits. She has electrified her housesand connected water pipe which sheuses to water her garden. She evenmanaged to pay for her children’sschool fees.When most businessmen andwomen strive to be the best above therest, this remarkable woman believesin healthy competition as the basisof growth. She encouraged her twochildren, one under 4B club to startsimilar projects. She also mentors oneother child whose project collapsed.“Competition encourages one to workextra hard and be more dedicatedto his or her enterprise.” This isaugmented by the awards she took atthis year’s Ghanzi show. She took twochampions for Ethiopian mustard andorange, and several first classes forother crops. Her children also provedto be on the right track as they got firstclasses as well.However, her business is faced withchallenges of its own like nematodesin the soil of which she has to travelto Maun or send people to Gaboroneto buy pesticides. She also decriedlack of transport to take her produceto the market.She explained that she gain mostsales by going around the villageselling from house to house or goingto sell at the clinic where most peopleare gathered, but she has to carry herproduce in a large bowel on her head.She lamented failure by the land boardto allocate her a plot where she couldexpand her business as the space inher yard is no longer enough.August 2012 14