South Africa's Youth Are Investing in Farming

⏱ 10 min read · 1,951 words

South Africa's Youth Are Investing in Farming

How real farms, real finance and real numbers show where young people are actually entering the industry

South African agriculture is still associated with an older generation of farmers, but young people are working their way into the industry in increasingly visible numbers.

Some have grown up on farms and returned after studying or working elsewhere. Others have spent years as farm employees before starting their own operations. Some have taken responsibility for family businesses and turned informal arrangements into registered enterprises.

Their businesses range from grain and livestock to table grapes, potatoes, eggs and mixed farming.

Statistics South Africa recorded R491.7 billion in income for the commercial agricultural industry in 2023, compared with R332.0 billion in 2017. The industry employed 770,181 people as at 30 June 2023.

Where the Money Is in Agriculture

Animal farming generated the largest portion of commercial agricultural income in 2023, followed by mixed farming, horticulture and field crops.

Source: Statistics South Africa, Agricultural Industry, 2023.

Employment is distributed differently. Horticulture accounted for 311,426 jobs in June 2023, making it the largest employer within the commercial agricultural industry. Mixed farming accounted for 154,409 jobs, field crops 139,210, livestock 136,935, and agricultural services and fertiliser production 28,201.

Agriculture reaches well beyond the farmer producing the crop or raising the animals. Machinery, transport, irrigation, animal health, packaging, storage, processing and agricultural technology all form part of the industry.

Five Young Farmers, Five Different Routes In

Dwayne Kaschula spent years working his way into farming

Dwayne Kaschula was 16 when he started working on a farm in the Eastern Cape. He had 30 Drakensberger-cross cattle and continued building his livestock operation while gaining experience in commercial farming. Over the following two decades, the business expanded into a much larger mixed operation near Maclear.

Kaschula and his wife, Kathy, run the Confluence farming enterprise. The farm produces maize and potatoes, keeps laying hens and operates cattle enterprises that include Brangus and Angus breeding stock. Game farming is also part of the business.

The workforce grew with the business. Reports on the operation have put employment at more than 50 permanent workers and around 120 seasonal workers.

In 2024, Kaschula was named Toyota/AgriSA Young Farmer of the Year.

Simphiwe Mabuza returned to the family grain business

Simphiwe Mabuza's interest in farming began during school holidays at his grandmother's home, where he helped with chores before sunrise. His father, Shadrack Mabuza, a mentor within Grain SA's Farmer Development Programme, had a significant influence on his development as a farmer.

After completing a diploma in operations management in 2018, Mabuza went back to the farm to run Lisise Farming's operations. The Mabuzas grow soya beans and maize on more than 300 hectares near Breyton, Mpumalanga, and keep Merino and Dorper sheep alongside Beefmaster and Brahman cattle.

The business later secured R4.4 million from the Kgodiso Development Fund and Standard Bank to support its expansion. Mabuza has also credited Phahama Grain Phakama's development team with opening up channels to funding and mentorship that are otherwise difficult for developing farmers to access.

Lehlohonolo Phakoe went back to the farm when his mother needed help

Lehlohonolo Phakoe grew up in Senekal, in the Free State, without farming as part of his plan. When his mother told him she was struggling to manage the family farm on her own, he stepped in to help.

In 2017, he took over the farm, a 250-hectare livestock and mixed-produce operation now known as Basotho Farming. Since then he has increased profits and diversified income streams, with cattle bought young and sold once mature the main source of income. He has also used cattle-tracking technology to reduce losses from theft.

Francois Rossouw grew up around export agriculture

Francois Rossouw grew up on Mooigezicht Estates in the Hex River Valley, where his family has farmed table grapes since his great-grandfather founded the business in 1928. After finishing school, he studied agricultural economics at Stellenbosch University, then spent eight months gaining international market exposure, visiting key table-grape destinations in the EU, East Asia and the UK. He also spent three months in California working at a cultivar development company before joining Mooigezicht.

Mooigezicht today comprises ten business units producing 18 varieties of seedless grapes for export to the UK, Canada, Europe, China, the US, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Rossouw's management has included precision agriculture, soil analysis and automated irrigation, alongside people development and community engagement.

Anton Pelser is watching the numbers closely

Anton Pelser farms near Hendrina in Mpumalanga. His operation combines grain and livestock production: maize and soya beans are grown alongside cattle, with crop residues providing grazing after harvest. Different maize cultivars are matched to soil types, and the farm produces non-GMO maize for a premium market.

The financial side of the operation gets as much attention as production. Seed, fertiliser, chemicals, fuel, machinery and labour all affect the final margin from a hectare of land, and Pelser's approach involves measuring those costs against production and returns.

In 2026, he was named Agri Mpumalanga Young Farmer of the Year.

Entering Agriculture During a Difficult Employment Period

Statistics South Africa recorded a national unemployment rate of 32.7% in the first quarter of 2026. Among people aged 15 to 24, unemployment stood at 60.9%. For those aged 25 to 34, it was 40.6%.

The agricultural industry cannot absorb millions of unemployed young people on its own. Farming businesses require capital, skills, land and access to buyers, and those requirements change considerably according to the type of operation.

A grain farmer may need land, tractors, planters, harvesting equipment, seed, fertiliser, chemicals, fuel and substantial working capital before receiving income from a crop. A livestock farmer faces different costs — breeding animals, grazing, feed, veterinary services, fencing, water infrastructure and security. Horticulture adds irrigation, planting material, labour, packaging, cold storage and strict quality requirements.

Land Remains One of the Biggest Obstacles

Buying agricultural land is beyond the reach of many young people. Someone starting with limited capital may instead look at leasing land, using family property, entering a partnership, or working on an existing farm while building experience and savings — as Kaschula and Phakoe both did, in different ways.

Land tenure also affects access to finance. A farmer who wants to borrow money for irrigation, fencing, buildings or machinery needs to demonstrate that the business has a secure enough basis for the investment. The issue was raised again by young farmers during a Department of Agriculture Youth Day round-table in June 2026, where access to land, finance and markets featured prominently in the discussion.

Finance Comes With Its Own Requirements

Agricultural finance is not limited to commercial banks. The Land Bank provides agricultural finance, while government programmes such as the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme (CASP) and Ilima/Letsema provide support through provincial agricultural departments. For 2024/25, CASP supported 8,674 black producers with infrastructure, and Ilima/Letsema supported 73,966 black farmers with production inputs, on a budget allocation of R448.3 million.

A farmer applying for finance still needs to account for production costs, expected income, existing debt and the timing of cash entering and leaving the business.

A farm can be profitable one season and under pressure the next. Fertiliser, fuel, feed, chemicals and machinery costs can change, while drought, disease and lower commodity prices can reduce income. A farmer has to account for those changes when deciding what to plant, how many animals to keep and how much money to put into the next production cycle.

Finding a Buyer

Growing a crop or raising livestock does not complete the transaction. The produce still has to reach a buyer at a price that covers the costs of producing it.

Grain farmers have established commodity markets, while livestock can be sold through auctions, abattoirs or private buyers. Vegetable producers may supply fresh-produce markets, retailers, restaurants, processors or customers directly. Fruit producers selling internationally have to meet export requirements and manage the logistics of getting the crop to overseas markets.

For Rossouw's table-grape operation in the Hex River Valley, the market extends well beyond the farm itself. His time visiting markets in Europe, East Asia and the United Kingdom gave him experience of the customers and trading environments into which South African table grapes are sold.

For a smaller farmer, the problem can be much closer to home. Transport costs, volumes, quality requirements and the reliability of a buyer can determine whether a harvest produces a useful return.

Agriculture Creates Businesses Outside the Farm Gate

The commercial agricultural industry includes much more than primary production. A farm requires suppliers and service providers.

A software developer can build tools for farmers. A mechanic can specialise in agricultural machinery. An entrepreneur can establish a transport business. A trained accountant can work with agricultural businesses. A technician can install irrigation systems or livestock-monitoring equipment. None of these paths require owning land.

Farming Is Becoming More Technical

Phakoe has used cattle-tracking technology to monitor livestock and cut theft. Pelser uses production data, soil analysis and cost calculations when making crop decisions. Rossouw's table-grape operation has incorporated precision agriculture and automated irrigation into daily management.

The equipment can be expensive, but the underlying shift is straightforward: more information lets farmers make decisions at a smaller scale. An animal can be monitored without being physically checked every day. Soil information can influence what gets planted in a particular field. A production record can reveal which part of an operation is actually making money.

Government Support and Private Finance

Access differs according to the farmer, province, commodity, business structure and programme. A farmer with a registered company, production records, a lease or title, a realistic business plan and an established market is in a different position from someone who has only identified land and wants to begin. That difference affects the type of finance available and the level of risk involved.

Sources

Statistics South Africa, Agricultural Industry, 2023 (Report No. 11-01-01), released 26 June 2025 · Statistics South Africa, Quarterly Labour Force Survey, Q1:2026, released 12 May 2026 · Parliamentary Monitoring Group, Questions NW3846 and NW2543 to the Minister of Agriculture (2026) · Food For Mzansi, Kgodiso Development Fund, African Farming (Mabuza) · Farmer's Weekly, African Farming, Food For Mzansi (Kaschula) · Farmers Review Africa (Phakoe) · SA Grain Magazine (Mabuza's qualification) · Farmer's Weekly, Harvest SA (Rossouw) · AgriOrbit / RSG Landbou (Pelser).

Note: earlier drafts of this article circulating online contained a named agricultural college, a specific company name and lease term for Lehlohonolo Phakoe, and inflated income/employment totals, none of which could be verified. Those details have been left out or corrected here.