Sustainable Agriculture.

QueenAgri operates a 20-hectare farm in Limpopo, where it produces livestock and crops used for products that are supplied to retailers such as Spar, Choppies and OK supermarkets. The business was started in the backyard of founder Fellistus Mmankopodi Sekgale in Mphanama village. Today, the land is developed and is a thriving and valuable enterprise. Sekgale, who has a diploma from Tompi Seleka College of Agriculture and a BTech in agricultural development and extension, built it from scratch. QueenAgri’s slogan is “making sustainable agriculture fashionable”, reflecting its ethos of promoting sustainable farming methods. It aims to be profitable by maximising production while practising sustainable agriculture. QueenAgri is accredited with AgricSeta to offer training and teaches farmers and other people to practise sustainable agriculture, empowering and developing rural people with skills and knowledge, especially women and the youth. In addition, it provides a place for local farmers, who struggle to find a market, to sell their produce. It also offers consulting and mentorship services. QueenAgri plays an important role in the community of Mphanama by improving food security and alleviating poverty by producing fresh, nutritious food at affordable prices. It improves the livelihoods of people by creating employment and giving business to small local enterprises. In 2022, it won the Nestlé Agri Competition for the Southern and Eastern African regions.

Educational Qualifications

• Diploma in Agriculture in Animal Production, Tompi Seleka College of Agriculture
• Btech in Agriculture Development and Extension, Tshwane University of Technology 
• Assessor Training Course from Ndzalama training

Greatest achievements

1. The business was started in the backyard of the founder and has been able to grow and move to the farm.
2. The farm was bought as virgin, empty land which has been developed into a valuable enterprise.
3. The business has established a guaranteed market for the products and  
4. In 2022, the business took first prize while representing South Africa at the Nestlé Agri Competition for the Southern and Eastern African regions.

What advice would you give to future generations?

Take care of the planet because it takes care of us. Take care of all natural resources so that when we are gone, future generations can find it as beautiful as we found it. All living things depend on nature. Out of all these living things, it’s only humans that have the ability to destroy or take care of the Earth.