Mthethwa’s Story

22 June 2011

In His Own Words

In 2003 Mthethwa was desperate – living in poverty, not greatly educated and not having much hope. A father to two children, his daily struggle was simply keeping the family fed, sometimes through his own efforts, occasionally from free aid given by international organisations. He felt a failure, and what stung the most was ‘being fed by someone else like a chicken in a coop.’ It does bad things to a man’s sense of self-worth.

Then someone told him about Foundations for Farming, and he decided to attend the training they offered on conservation farming. The principles were easy enough to understand, but unlike everyone else he had been to, they were not offering anything at all other than the teaching – no free seeds or fertiliser. This was a surprise; most NGO’s offered something.

He enquired about this and was surprised to be told he had everything he needed to turn his situation around. He had the desire to change his situation; this was worth more than anything they could give. He had time and energy. Being a rural farmer, he owned a small piece of land . The trainers then told him their own stories in which they had themselves been in his position some time back. How they had solved the seed issue was to approach the local pastor who made an announcement in church on their behalf. An older farmer leant them the seed to start, and they repaid it at harvest time.

He had the desire to change his situation – this was worth more than anything they could give.

Thus armed he set off. The trainers assured him that they would walk the season with him – teaching, encouraging and sharing all they knew. The most important thing they kept telling him was not doing the work, it was realising who he truly was. For years he had seen himself only as a poor man with nothing to offer, with no inherent value in himself. They too had been in his situation, lost and despairing. But as they tilled the land in a God honouring way God found them. And everything changed for them.

The work in the first year was not easy, but he stuck with it. His harvest that year was 25 bags. This was phenomenal! The most he had ever got when he used to farm before was a tenth of that. Everything changed for him in that first year. He sold the excess and pocketed some hard earned money. It felt good.

He went back to the teaching and started planning the next season – started planning! He had never really planned before. And the rest as they say is history. Mthethwa, the man who once lived in poverty on land he owned is now the proud owner of a good house, a truck to deliver his produce and a self image that makes him one of the best conservation farming trainers around.