Representing a new generation
Keatlegile Mnguni from South Africa took part in the International Young Farmers’ Forum in Berlin. She is committed to the future of the agricultural sector.
Interview: Johannes Göbel,
11.07.2024 
Ms Mnguni, how did you get into farming?
My parents bought a farm in 2015; in 2019 I began working there with them, and a year later launched my business. My company Agrinouri makes sauces out of the chilies I grow myself. I am also politically active and in 2020 was elected national youth chairperson of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA).
What challenges do you face in your work?
The biggest challenge for me as a young entrepreneur is to get long-term finance to pay for equipment and infrastructure so that I can produce chili on a larger scale and meet the necessary market standards to supply retailers and build up a brand for different chili varieties. I would like to employ more staff, especially women and young people. I also want my business to have a socioeconomic and ecological impact, creating economic opportunities in my community and promoting sustainability.
How did your exchange with colleagues at the International Young Farmers’ Forum 2024 in Berlin come about?
I was invited in my role as representative of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (AFASA) to take part in the exchange and help draw up the joint statement of young farmers from different countries around the world. We made it clear in our statement that the farming community is ageing and that young people are struggling to access land, knowledge, finance and other productive assets. Globally, we are experiencing the gradual loss of food producers. We are calling upon governments to make greater effort to counter this trend. I was also able to forge international contacts who had nothing to do with my work on the statement. For example, I have benefitted from the cooperation between the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) and the Andreas Hermes Academy, the further education institution of the German agriculture and food sector. The training provided for young agricultural entrepreneurs supports us, the new generation, in efficiently meeting and adapting to the current requirements of the agricultural sector.
