Africa has an estimated 33 million small-scale farms producing close to 70% of the continent’s food supply, yet rural poverty remains deeply entrenched in South Africa. For many farmers, the biggest obstacle to long-term viability is not land access or effort, but limited technical and business knowledge.
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According to macadamia farmer and Madimbo Agri Group CEO Gene Likhanya, a lack of understanding of farming value chains and market requirements continues to undermine small-scale agricultural success.
"I know farmers who have been farming for 15, 20 years, but haven't managed to make much out of it. They just never understood the value chain, and what is required for a product to be acceptable in the market," says Likhanya.
Learning from neighbours in Limpopo
Based in the former Venda region of Limpopo, Likhanya traces the foundations of his own success to mentorship from neighbouring farmers when he began farming macadamias in 2005.
"When I started in 2005, I didn't know how macadamia was priced. I didn't know how it was processed. And I couldn't go to the internet to ask questions. I had to go to my neighbour, who had trees that were older and more established. It was intimidating, but they knew how passionate I was about farming, so they answered all my questions and offered their support," he says.
Through mentorship and gradual reinvestment, Likhanya expanded his operation from 2.5 hectares to 17.5 hectares of macadamia and spinach.
"Self-funded to this point, I realised that although the money was running out, there was business to be done in macadamia and we needed to scale our operations. The higher the production, the cheaper the processing costs and the more leverage on pricing," he explains.
Investment unlocks scale
The next phase of expansion came through support from the SAB Foundation, following a chance introduction at a farmers’ indaba in 2019.
"I just took a gap and went to introduce myself, what I do, and the problem I was trying to solve. And that is when the relationship with the SAB Foundation started," says Likhanya.
According to the Foundation, the decision to support Likhanya was driven by his existing influence within the community.
"We had a sense of his ability to positively influence other farmers, so it was easy to walk the journey with him because there was a value alignment. We believed that he was someone who could have a much bigger impact in his community in rural Limpopo if we backed him," says Itumeleng Dhlamini, head of programmes at the SAB Foundation.
With access to capital and mentorship, Madimbo Agri expanded to 30 hectares.
Building a farmers’ consortium
As the business stabilised, Likhanya and the SAB Foundation focused on extending the impact beyond a single farm by establishing a small-scale farmers’ consortium.
“We played a critical role in the birth of the consortium. We needed to make sure that Gene had the right business processes in place to operate as a formal business, which could spearhead the group for collective success,” says Dhlamini.
Likhanya now mentors 12 macadamia farmers through the co-operative. With Foundation support, these farmers have received assistance with land preparation, water access, seedlings and infrastructure to expand their farms to five hectares each.
“Just as I needed help from my neighbours all those years ago, other farmers in the area lean on me for real-world issues they are facing around trying to scale their businesses,” says Likhanya.
Women farmers see tangible gains
One of the beneficiaries is farmer Aluwani Mulaudzi, who previously relied on manually transporting water to her orchards.
“People in the area couldn’t believe that a female was being given land to farm,” says Mulaudzi.
Through the programme, her farm now has irrigation, electricity with solar backup, water storage and protected growing infrastructure.
“Through the SAB Foundation’s support, we now have the irrigation system we need to water our plants, we have a storm house, we have a reservoir, and we have electricity with solar backup,” she says.
According to Dhlamini, the benefits extend beyond the farm gate.
“Women can buy directly from her farm and resell the produce in their community,” he says.
A community-led approach to food security
For Likhanya, the long-term goal is to create a pipeline of skilled, independent farmers who can strengthen local food systems.
“As a culture, we know the value of the god-given arable land that we are standing on. But it is useless if we can't use it as a community to empower each other's lives,” he concludes.
