05 Oct 2015

While others are discouraged by the negativity arising from some people that backyard gardening is a backdrop for one’s means of survival, Ms Pihelo Maleko has a different story to tell. She said despite most people tempted to disregard the small profits accrued from the sale of vegetables, she manages to put food on the table through them. 

Visiting her backyard garden one can tell that Ms Maleko did not embark on the project neither by chance nor trial, but with determination and passion. 

Most interesting about the 63-year-old woman is that her success to keep her garden green is attributed to hard work and the keen interest she has on what she does. Ms Maleko said she managed to establish her backyard gardening through the assistance of the poverty eradication programme in 2013. 

“I did not waste any time when I heard about the poverty eradication programmes that we were told about in a kgotla meeting that was addressed by officials from Serowe,” she said.

From the various projects that one could embark on, Ms Maleko highlights that she was more interested in venturing into gardening since she was familiar with. She explained that the choice of backyard gardening was not a radical move for her as she had experience in gardening. 

“I used to plant four to six plots of vegetables at the corner of my yard just for my family consumption, and I was struggling to produce more due to lack of the needed necessities,” Ms Maleko highlighted. 

She noted that from her little plots some individuals got attracted by the fresh and well grown leaves of spinach and rape that they insisted she sell to them although it was not meant for sale.  “I would therefore be forced to sell to whoever pleads and the demand for her vegetables slowly increased,” she said. 

The appreciation from others increased her love and passion in vegetable production hence her decision to continue gardening as it was operated from the comfort of her home. Ms Maleko explained that after approval of her request of backyard gardening, they went for a workshop in Thabala which she said enhanced the little knowledge they already had in what they were intending to do. 

She explained that they were taught how to make manure, straight row planting, how and when to water the plants, and that at the completion of the workshop they were provided with all the required materials of their projects. 

She was given a Jojo tank to harvest and store water, a shade net, seeds and irrigation pipes. She noted that since then she did not look back and cultivated the soil to plant. 

“I have been planting vegetables comprising of rape, spinach, green pepper, tomatoes, carrots, beetroots and chillies and profits have been promising since then,” said Ms Maleko. 

She noted that with the profits she manages to make ends meet.  “As you can see my good produce is promising because my energy and time is devoted here,” said Ms Maleko. She explained that farming requires time and energy in order to succeed. 

Ms Maleko added that she spends most of her time at home so that her customers find her available when they come to buy vegetables. 

Nevertheless, she notes that it was imperative to perform tasks such as weeding, disease and insect control, cultivation and watering. Although Ms Maleko said she was facing the challenge of high water bills and that of her plants being affected by insects, it did not hinder her to accomplish her dreams. 

She noted that every business has its ups and downs, and that all that was needed was to stand against the downs. Meanwhile, Ms Maleko expressed worry about some beneficiaries who have neglected their projects. 

She said such negligence was a waste of government’s funds as well as hindering the efforts of the government of eradicating abject poverty from Batswana. 

She stressed that such programmes could go a long way in changing the lives of people when taken seriously. 

Ms Maleko noted that what was needed was for beneficiaries to develop love and passion in their projects and aim for good results. Furthermore, Ms Maleko encouraged Batswana to desist from being spoon fed and to strive for self-reliance. 

“No one could come from nowhere and do everything for you,” she adds noting that people should understand that the introduction of such initiatives was to empower them.

She encouraged fellow beneficiaries to utilise and appreciate what they have and stop complaining. For those who did not realise the benefits of the programmes, Ms Maleko advised them to follow suit.  Ends