Agrinews February 2013 - Ministry of Agriculture

YOUNGsmall stock farmerin RAMATLABAMAArticle : Refilwe Lobelwane“Farming life is the closest thingto freedom you can get meanyou do what you want when youwant, you get to experience thingsother people would never getto in their entire lifetime, withfarming you learn something newevery day (whether it be a simplerway of doing something or hardimprovements) you get to live offthe land, it always offers new thrillsand fun.Nature is just a challenging thing,that’s what makes farming interesting.What most of us young people don’tknow is nature is a great teacher,to farm is to learn about one’s self,to begin to see how one’s own lifefits into the grand scheme of things.The reward of farming are likethis; seeing a steaming new bornkid, all shakey legged, latchingonto its mother’s teat in the weehours of the morning, you lookat it with an educated eye andsee that your breeding program isworking, you know that this cutecross tswana-boer or whateverbreed you have will be a “keeper”I won’t lie, there are difficult timesthat nature deals you and greattimes that nature deals. But afarmer learns how to move inharmony with nature, good timesand bad. The thing is farmersgravitate towards one another, helpone another. Working togethertowards the common goal ofbeing a self sufficient community,binds the people of a communitytogether for the common goal.Historically farming has beenshown to play a special, crucialrole in economic growth andpoverty reduction. It has unique“multiplier effects” that spurgrowth in every sector of economy.Farming is essential for protecting,restoring and maintaining thenatural resources upon which allpeople’s lives depend. A productiveecologically sound farming systemcontributes directly to the wellbeingof children by supplying food,providing income for their familiesand helping to ensure a healthyenvironment.Government focuses on helpingyoung people to increaseproductivity through improvedfunds. Young people need easyaccess to market profits from theincreased farm production, but theyare hindered by lack of informationand poor infrastructure. Governmentfunds help young farmers organizethemselves into cooperatives,access credit and other financialservices and learn how to succeedin market so they can graduate fromsubsistence to commercial farming.To complement their farming andmarketing activities governmentprovides young farmers withtraining and they ensure the longtermimpact of its interventions,both through training and byassisting farmers to protect andconserve their natural resources.So i highly recommend this farminglifestyle not only to young peoplebut to everyone.”17February 2013