Young farmers need opportunities

September 2026

In agriculture, the conversation often focusses on how to attract more young people into farming. However, the reality is that many young people are already farming. Their challenge is no longer deciding whether agriculture is for them, but finding the support, opportunities and resources needed to grow.

A YOUNG THIRD-GENERATION FARMER SHARES

Kelebogile Magogodi is a young grain farmer from Makgobistad in North West, who recently joined the PGP Farmer Development Programme (FDP). As a third-generation farmer producing maize and groundnuts, Kelebogile’s connection to agriculture began long before she managed her own fields. What started as childhood memories gradually became a passion and eventually a career.

Today, agriculture is not only part of her family’s legacy – it is the future she is actively building for herself. But like many young farmers across South Africa, the road has not been without challenges. Access to capital remains one of the biggest barriers to growth. Modern farming equipment is expensive, and financing is often difficult to secure.

For Kelebogile, the absence of critical machinery has directly impacted her operation. Without access to modern equipment, harvesting becomes more labour-intensive, more costly and less efficient. Delays during critical periods of the season can affect productivity and profitability.

Despite these challenges, Kelebogile remains focussed on the future. Her vision extends beyond producing maize and groundnuts. She wants to expand her farming operation, access additional land, improve mechanisation and eventually participate in value addition and agro-processing.

In many ways, her ambitions reflect a broader shift among young farmers. They are not only interested in producing commodities. They are looking for opportunities throughout the agricultural value chain. They want to build businesses, create employment and contribute to economic growth in their communities.

Kelebogile is not asking for shortcuts, but for opportunities. ‘Once you are already farming, practical support becomes much more important than encouragement,’ she says. Motivation may help someone start the journey, but access to finance, markets, mechanisation, mentorship and technical support often determines whether that journey can continue. This is where farmer development programmes play an important role in helping young farmers move from potential to progress.

Kelebogile Magogodi, a young North West farmer, who is producing maize and groundnuts.

Although Kelebogile is still new to the FDP, she is optimistic about the opportunities it presents and the role it can play in her development as a young grain farmer. For her, one of the programme’s most valuable aspects is the opportunity to receive mentorship from successful commercial producers.

Through the PGP FDP, developing farmers are introduced to learning opportunities, mentorship, technical guidance and industry networks that can help strengthen their farming businesses over time.

For Kelebogile, this support is closely linked to her long-term vision. ‘I am confident that the programme will play an important role in my development as a young grain farmer and help me achieve my long-term goal of building a sustainable commercial farming operation.’

Kelebogile’s story offers an important reminder: The future of agriculture is not something that lies decades ahead. It is already taking shape in fields across the country, where young farmers are planting crops, taking risks, learning from setbacks and building businesses despite significant challenges.

The question is no longer whether young people have a place in agriculture. The question is whether the sector is creating enough opportunities for them to succeed. For PGP, the answer lies in continued investment in farmer development, mentorship, skills development and the creation of pathways for growth.

Supporting young farmers is not simply about helping individuals build successful businesses. It is about strengthening food security, supporting rural economies and securing the future of South African agriculture. Young farmers do not need to be convinced that agriculture matters. They are already proving it every day. What they need is the opportunity to grow.

Publication: September 2026

Section: Pula/Imvula

Author: NOLO BAKWA − COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER: GRAIN SA