07 Apr 2024

Impacting youth has driven podcaster and entrepreneur, Mr Mpho Mutaurirwa, of Deep Dive Sessions to host a one-day Farmers Conference to address topical issues faced by youth who have ventured into farming.

Speaking to BOPA in an interview on the sidelines of the conference in Gaborone on Thursday, Mr Mutaurira said the event was informed by the need for detailed information on farming as he believed in the notion that ‘It’s possible and it can be done’.

The conference addressed topics ranging from cattle breeding mastery and best practices, starting Boer goat farming with low investment, sustainable framing as well the importance of Moraka to a Motswana.  It was also open to newcomers interested in learning more about farming.

As such, the 25-year-old Mr Mutaurirwa said the idea for the conference stemmed from interviews with entrepreneurs, influencers, change makers and people who had a story that could inspire others. He said they had stumbled upon farming as they created content and analytics informed the need for a farming conference.

He also said they believed that the easiest way to succeed was to find the people who were well vested in the farming sector to share information. “The easiest way to succeed is to find the people with the results you need and model yourself around them,” he said.

He said they had researched and found that most farmers invested in the practice but were not profitable. Mr Mutaurirwa said they were looking at addressing issues of profitability and sustainability, as without profit, the enterprise would not be sustainable. He also said they were also looking into hosting more conferences as Botswana was dealing with food security.

“The President is doing very well in terms of the vegetable ban as he is putting us in that space where we now have to figure it out,” he said. He added that people tend to go into farming as a retirement vocation yet farming needs a lot of energy, money and resources. He said farming needs tactical people and young people who are tech-savvy to bridge the gap.

One of the conference presenters, the 28-year-old, Ms Kushatha Moesi of Moruakgomo Incorporated said they needed to look at professions that contributed to the agricultural value chain.

Ms Moesi said there were elements such as transport, marketing, and accounting that could be aligned to farming. She also said farming had to become an enterprise that brings return on investment, adding, “… one needs a financial plan on how they want to do things and get money from it.”

She said this also included understanding market trends because they were affected by external factors. “What affects South Africa affects us greatly. What happens somewhere in Europe affects us and it does not matter how insignificant you think you are,” she said.

She said one had to enjoy what they did as it was equivalent to work ethic. She also said it was important for farmers to be hands-on and not to depend on others. She further said farmers needed mentors to guide them. ENDS