Celebrating educated young black farmers
Lizzy Nyathi is a member of the youth network ACTIVATE! Change Drivers who used a seedling donation by the network to plant a business that has grown its fruits and influence in many communities, and as a supplier to many retail stores.
Lisima Farming Project employs four permanent staff who work at the farm and four seasonal labourers.
Her story may not have drawn the attention of the Oval Office on 21 May; however, her commitment to sustainable farming and developing the next generation of young African farmers is adding to the good South African story of the immeasurable role of agriculture
Lizzy Nyathi is a member of the youth network ACTIVATE! Change Drivers who used a seedling donation by the network to plant a business that has grown its fruits and influence in many communities, and as a supplier to many retail stores. An educated black female farmer, she is from Mpumalanga and the director of the Lisima farming project (Lisima Trading and project) that is based in the Bushbuckridge Municipality, in a small village called Welverdiend. Educated and passionate about sustainable farming
Lizzy holds a degree in agricultural management from the University of Limpopo. For Lizzy, the idea to farm was born during her years as a student, and it grew its legs when she began to facilitate agricultural programs that focused on plant production and horticulture. Through her friends and family's support, she managed to raise funds to the sum of R50,000 to start crop farming.
In 2023, she cleared 1ha (hectare) out of 3 and fenced it and started producing from it and ultimately made her first sale in August 2023 to Lebamba Hoedspruit.
Nearly two years later, Lizzy has never looked back and recounts both challenges and opportunities that farming has brought her way. Some of her achievements include being a local crop supplier at Spar, Makhoma, Roots, Boxer, Lebamba, Street vendors, community members and several game lodges.
Farming requires you to innovate
As a small-scale farmer, Lizzy reflects on the challenges of having sufficient resources to meet the demands and make a profit.
'Sometimes our crops get affected when there are seasonal changes, but I kept it up throughout the whole year. With me now supplying the game lodges, I had to consider planting special crops and herbs. I then realised we, as small-scale farmers, incurred so many losses in our production due to an unplanned production system', Nyathi.
'We also tend to have more losses of products like tomatoes because they have a short shelf life. I came up with a way of preserving it for a different function. Now we are happy to say we also produce sun-dried tomatoes, pepper sauce and basil pesto, which we supply to many game lodges, and we also make spices from the herbs we plant on the farm. Some of these dried herbs are used on our processed products', she adds elated.
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Zamayirha Peter is an Advocacy Communications Specialist with over eight (8) years of experience in multimedia journalism and communications.
Image: Supplied
Giving back to those in need
Lizzy's approach to farming has been multifaceted and comprised of dynamic interventions to get to her bottom line. Lisima Farming Project not only focuses on growing crops and livestock but also provides a space to teach the next generation of farmers and gives back to the communities that support the business through their social investment project.
'Some of our products are allocated to those in need. We go into households that are without food, and schools that cater for minor kids, such as creches, and we have a program in the community that annually gives Christmas hampers to the needy households on Christmas Day', Nyathi.
For Lizzy, farming does not begin and end with what you plant, but with your impact at the community level.
'As a business, we comply with the South African Good Agricultural Practices (SAGAP) standard, and we are HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point) certified', Nyathi.
'For us, farming is not just about production, but we also ensure that we produce food that is healthy to consume, we minimise the use of agrochemicals, and in any way possible, we avoid them altogether', she adds.
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Celebrating educated young black farmers
Zamayirha Peter | Published 3 hours ago Lizzy Nyathi is a member of the youth network ACTIVATE! Change Drivers who used a seedling donation by the network to plant a business that has grown its fruits and influence in many communities, and as a supplier to many retail stores. Lisima Farming Project employs four permanent staff who work at the farm and four seasonal labourers. Her story may not have drawn the attention of the Oval Office on 21 May; however, her commitment to sustainable farming and developing the next generation of young African farmers is adding to the good South African story of the immeasurable role of agriculture Lizzy Nyathi is a member of the youth network ACTIVATE! Change Drivers who used a seedling donation by the network to plant a business that has grown its fruits and influence in many communities, and as a supplier to many retail stores. An educated black female farmer, she is from Mpumalanga and the director of the Lisima farming project (Lisima Trading and project) that is based in the Bushbuckridge Municipality, in a small village called Welverdiend. Educated and passionate about sustainable farming Lizzy holds a degree in agricultural management from the University of Limpopo. For Lizzy, the idea to farm was born during her years as a student, and it grew its legs when she began to facilitate agricultural programs that focused on plant production and horticulture. Through her friends and family's support, she managed to raise funds to the sum of R50,000 to start crop farming. In 2023, she cleared 1ha (hectare) out of 3 and fenced it and started producing from it and ultimately made her first sale in August 2023 to Lebamba Hoedspruit. Nearly two years later, Lizzy has never looked back and recounts both challenges and opportunities that farming has brought her way. Some of her achievements include being a local crop supplier at Spar, Makhoma, Roots, Boxer, Lebamba, Street vendors, community members and several game lodges. As a small-scale farmer, Lizzy reflects on the challenges of having sufficient resources to meet the demands and make a profit. 'Sometimes our crops get affected when there are seasonal changes, but I kept it up throughout the whole year. With me now supplying the game lodges, I had to consider planting special crops and herbs. I then realised we, as small-scale farmers, incurred so many losses in our production due to an unplanned production system', Nyathi. 'We also tend to have more losses of products like tomatoes because they have a short shelf life. I came up with a way of preserving it for a different function. Now we are happy to say we also produce sun-dried tomatoes, pepper sauce and basil pesto, which we supply to many game lodges, and we also make spices from the herbs we plant on the farm. Some of these dried herbs are used on our processed products', she adds elated. Lizzy's approach to farming has been multifaceted and comprised of dynamic interventions to get to her bottom line. Lisima Farming Project not only focuses on growing crops and livestock but also provides a space to teach the next generation of farmers and gives back to the communities that support the business through their social investment project. 'Some of our products are allocated to those in need. We go into households that are without food, and schools that cater for minor kids, such as creches, and we have a program in the community that annually gives Christmas hampers to the needy households on Christmas Day', Nyathi. For Lizzy, farming does not begin and end with what you plant, but with your impact at the community level. 'As a business, we comply with the South African Good Agricultural Practices (SAGAP) standard, and we are HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point) certified', Nyathi. 'For us, farming is not just about production, but we also ensure that we produce food that is healthy to consume, we minimise the use of agrochemicals, and in any way possible, we avoid them altogether', she adds. Now, Lisima Farming Project employs four permanent staff who work at the farm and four seasonal labourers. 'From May 2025, they were entrusted by WILD IMPACT to host two of their interns for practical training. Last year, we received a grant from the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) to the value of R50 000, and they helped me get a website and paid the subscription for the whole year of 2025. 'We used the NYDA grant to fence the other 2ha (hectare) and buy some water reservoirs. The remaining 2ha is not yet in production because we only have 1 borehole, which cannot cater for the other 2ha. We are planning on planting and producing on the other 2ha (hectare) as soon as we get the second borehole, because the demand for fresh produce is higher than our capacity now'. Lisima Farming Project is a testament to a good South African story when a village comes together (businesses, family, government), to support one young person, who comes from a marginalised community, has a will to study, a passion for sustainable farming and a commitment to mix profits with meaningful impact at the community level. To support the Lisima Farming Project, you can get in touch via their website on or give them a call on 013 880 2246. Zamayirha Peter is an Advocacy Communications Specialist with over eight (8) years of experience in multimedia journalism and communications. Her passion is using development communications to contribute to the advancement and empowerment of communities, particularly the youth, across the continent and influence global conversations through using strategic communication tools.
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Celebrating educated young black farmers
Lizzy Nyathi is a member of the youth network ACTIVATE! Change Drivers who used a seedling donation by the network to plant a business that has grown its fruits and influence in many communities, and as a supplier to many retail stores. Lisima Farming Project employs four permanent staff who work at the farm and four seasonal labourers. Her story may not have drawn the attention of the Oval Office on 21 May; however, her commitment to sustainable farming and developing the next generation of young African farmers is adding to the good South African story of the immeasurable role of agriculture Lizzy Nyathi is a member of the youth network ACTIVATE! Change Drivers who used a seedling donation by the network to plant a business that has grown its fruits and influence in many communities, and as a supplier to many retail stores. An educated black female farmer, she is from Mpumalanga and the director of the Lisima farming project (Lisima Trading and project) that is based in the Bushbuckridge Municipality, in a small village called Welverdiend. Educated and passionate about sustainable farming Lizzy holds a degree in agricultural management from the University of Limpopo. For Lizzy, the idea to farm was born during her years as a student, and it grew its legs when she began to facilitate agricultural programs that focused on plant production and horticulture. Through her friends and family's support, she managed to raise funds to the sum of R50,000 to start crop farming. In 2023, she cleared 1ha (hectare) out of 3 and fenced it and started producing from it and ultimately made her first sale in August 2023 to Lebamba Hoedspruit. Nearly two years later, Lizzy has never looked back and recounts both challenges and opportunities that farming has brought her way. Some of her achievements include being a local crop supplier at Spar, Makhoma, Roots, Boxer, Lebamba, Street vendors, community members and several game lodges. Farming requires you to innovate As a small-scale farmer, Lizzy reflects on the challenges of having sufficient resources to meet the demands and make a profit. 'Sometimes our crops get affected when there are seasonal changes, but I kept it up throughout the whole year. With me now supplying the game lodges, I had to consider planting special crops and herbs. I then realised we, as small-scale farmers, incurred so many losses in our production due to an unplanned production system', Nyathi. 'We also tend to have more losses of products like tomatoes because they have a short shelf life. I came up with a way of preserving it for a different function. Now we are happy to say we also produce sun-dried tomatoes, pepper sauce and basil pesto, which we supply to many game lodges, and we also make spices from the herbs we plant on the farm. Some of these dried herbs are used on our processed products', she adds elated. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Zamayirha Peter is an Advocacy Communications Specialist with over eight (8) years of experience in multimedia journalism and communications. Image: Supplied Giving back to those in need Lizzy's approach to farming has been multifaceted and comprised of dynamic interventions to get to her bottom line. Lisima Farming Project not only focuses on growing crops and livestock but also provides a space to teach the next generation of farmers and gives back to the communities that support the business through their social investment project. 'Some of our products are allocated to those in need. We go into households that are without food, and schools that cater for minor kids, such as creches, and we have a program in the community that annually gives Christmas hampers to the needy households on Christmas Day', Nyathi. For Lizzy, farming does not begin and end with what you plant, but with your impact at the community level. 'As a business, we comply with the South African Good Agricultural Practices (SAGAP) standard, and we are HACCP (Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point) certified', Nyathi. 'For us, farming is not just about production, but we also ensure that we produce food that is healthy to consume, we minimise the use of agrochemicals, and in any way possible, we avoid them altogether', she adds.
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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Despite these obstacles, Famous Brands maintained its expansion momentum. Chairperson Chris Boulle praised the resilience of franchise partners who, he said, continued to open and refurbish outlets despite rising electricity, labour, and input costs. Famous Brands has a healthy pipeline of new restaurant openings planned for 2026. 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