In a significant step towards boosting agricultural productivity and promoting youth empowerment, the Eastern Cape government has officially handed over six tractors to emerging young farmers. 
The handover ceremony, led by Premier Oscar Mabuyane and MEC for Rural Development and Agrarian Reform Nonceba Kontsiwe, underscored the government’s commitment to supporting young people in agriculture and ensuring long-term food security.
Among the beneficiaries was the Feeda Nathi Cooperative, a youth-led farming enterprise based in Vaalbank, near Lady Frere.
The cooperative, formally registered in 2020 and operational since 2021, has been making notable strides in sustainable farming. Feeda Nathi member Siyamthanda Magxala shared the cooperative’s inspiring journey. “We actually started informally back in 2016, growing pumpkins and potatoes,” he said. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, some of us were retrenched, others returned home from varsity, and we decided to pick up where we left off.
We wanted to build something that belonged to us — something no one could fire or retrench us from. That’s when we committed to working the land seriously.”
The group of five, all aged between 22 and 31, approached the government for assistance, and in 2021, the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform approved their infrastructure application.“The department gave us fencing for two hectares of the nine-hectare land we were working on,” Magxala explained.
Despite challenges such as seasonal limitations, the group persisted. “We continued to grow wheat in season but would stop during winter because we didn’t have an irrigation system. We had to wait for the rainy season,” he said.
Impressed by their determination and progress, the department supplied Feeda Nathi with a truck in 2023. Later that year, the cooperative received an additional 10 hectares of land from local chiefs. With renewed momentum, they planted 22,000 cabbage heads across four hectares during the Spring and Summer seasons. “We didn’t grow the 22,000 heads all at once. We wanted to sell while we were still growing more,” said Magxala.
“We wanted to keep a consistent supply to the market.” In January 2024, their efforts were further boosted with the installation of an irrigation system on three hectares and the provision of a multi-purpose storage facility, along with a South African Good Agricultural Practices (SA-GAP) certification—a major milestone that unlocks access to formal markets.
“Our tractor application had been unsuccessful in the past. Fortunately, this year, on 16 June, we received the tractor and other implements from the government. It’s made a huge difference,” said Magxala.
Now equipped with the right tools, the cooperative sells produce at the East London Fresh Produce Market, to local street vendors, and directly to the public. “The journey has been difficult, trying to produce quality crops, but we are coping and doing well, I would say. With the right and proper equipment, I believe we can operate at a commercial level,” Magxala affirmed.
He expressed gratitude for the support the cooperative has received from the provincial government.
You can reach the start-up via its Facebook page: Feeda Nathi Coop or contact siyamthandagatyeni@gmail.com for more information.
Emerging Eastern Cape farmers can visit: https://ecagriculture.gov.za/contact-us/#head for regional contact information.
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