14 Aug 2017

Legendary fiction writer William Kinsella once said success is getting what you want and happiness is wanting what you get and the Lefoane family are a testament of those words.  

Although most people shun farming for white collar jobs, and some people complain about lack of rain the Lefoane family, Mr Masilo and his wife Obolokile are not deterred by such as they are devoted to their horticultural farm. 

Situated about five kilometres from Mahalapye along the Shoshong road, the family is engaged in a diverse array of produce. Four, of their five hectare farm, is cultivated and the main produce are onions, tomatoes, watermelons, cabbages, carrots, butternuts, green peppers and rape (morogo). 

Mr Lefoane revealed in an interview that they bought the land after they experienced shortage of fresh vegetable supplies at their shops. 

“Inconsistent supply of fruits and vegetables made me to realise this as an opportunity, and in 2009 we decided to buy the five-hectare piece of land, which then became our full time engagement.”

He said he and his wife had never worked, and both were raised by farming parents hence their desire to go into farming.

After acquiring the piece of land they started ploughing in 2010/2011, using the dry land farming method, and ploughed maize, watermelon and beans just for family consumption.

He said in 2012 that was when they decided that they could now go on to horticultural farming, but however, it was a start of a new journey with a few hiccups.

“My greatest problem from the onset has been mainly unavailability of water and since Botswana has a very dry climate with low and unpredictable rainfall, we had to pop out a lot of money to seek underground water,” he said  

Mr Lefoane said although they have always had to rely on underground sources of water for irrigation, the levels were so low that they spent a fortune in trying to drill boreholes. 

He said it called for the improvement of irrigation systems, which cost a lot of money, and that the little they get goes into that.

Mr Lefoane explained that they follow a seasonal production cycle, and that the various plots were rotational.

Crops are rotated in the vegetable fields and each plant family is planted in a different block each season as this helps to prevent pests and disease building up in the soil.

In the field, the majority of work is done by the couple, noting that it takes hard work and that having his partner by his side was a blessing.

Mr Lefoane noted that they were members of the Mabogo Mantle Horticulture Association, and that it helped them share ideas and farming skills with other farmers.

He said they have also participated at the NAMPO agricultural show in South Africa, which also inspired them to work harder.

Presently the couple, who trade by the name Tebo Retailers,’ hold the biggest contract to supply Spar Botswana. 

“They purchase most of what the farm produces, but my other clients include various small retail shops, hawkers, and the general public who prefer to come to the farm and buy the quality farm fresh produce at its cheapest. 

“Financial constraints is also a challenge as farming is highly capital intensive, as we require a  good amount of money for fertilizer, fuel and electricity,” he said.

Mr Lefoane said they spent almost P120 000 for electricity to be installed at the farm. 

“Our biggest financial challenge is keeping a positive cash flow. Crops take on average six months until they are ready for harvesting.”

He said they do not have permanent staff and mostly get casual staff to help them during weeding and harvesting.

“We try and plan everything as far as planting and harvesting times are concerned because if we do not we will not reach our objective.’

The farm’s success is testament to the couple’s commitment.  

The parents to seven children, they have to juggle between the farm and home to ensure that the young ones needs are met, given that they were still young, the eldest being at secondary school. Ends