“You don’t guess your way to success. You plan, you prepare and you plant with purpose”
By Maphuti Mongatane, Business Development Manager at African Farming
These were the powerful words shared by Brian Lever, Managing Director of AGT Foods Africa, during his keynote address at the annual Zamukele Day of Celebration.
With over 50 years of farming experience, Brian delivered a message that every farmer – from beginner to commercial – needed to hear.
“Start with the soil. Take a sample. Know what it’s telling you. The crops you choose must match your land. Farming is not about changing your mind every season; it’s about building a plan and sticking to it.
“You must treat farming like a business: Know your hectares, your input costs, your markets, and how quickly you can move produce. If you grow something that takes weeks to reach the market, you’re already losing money.
“And we must rethink the way we farm. There have been too many years of pouring chemicals into the soil. Let’s start incorporating biologicals, compost from livestock and more sustainable methods. Even if you start with just 5% of your land, begin.”
He said not everything has to go to Woolworths or SPAR. “Create your own local markets. Sell amongst each other. Let’s revive farmer-led systems that serve our communities and build real profit!”
Thank you, Brian and the AGT team for this wisdom. Raw, real and exactly what our sector needed to hear today.
Keep an eye on www.africanfarming.com for more news about this event.
