South Africa has a thriving agricultural sector, but for many aspiring farmers, getting started remains a difficult journey. Access to land, resources, information and practical support can stand between people and the opportunity to grow food or build a farming business. Yet one farmer is showing that sometimes, knowledge can be as powerful a resource as the land itself.
Njabulo Yamhlaba Mabaso grew up surrounded by agriculture. His parents were farmers, and from an early age, he learnt about the work and possibilities that came with growing food. But as an adult, Mabaso took a different path, working as a social media marketer, he told Beautiful News.
When the COVID-19 pandemic brought his career to an end, Mabaso returned to the place where his journey had begun: the farm.
As he rebuilt his life through agriculture, he began noticing how difficult it was for others to find reliable, accessible information about farming. He decided to share what he was learning, hoping to make the industry less intimidating for people considering taking their first steps.
“Because there is so little information easily accessible about agriculture, many people are afraid to start,” Mabaso says.
Working from a two-hectare plot in Ermelo, where he grows spinach, pumpkins, cabbages and chillies, Mabaso began recording videos about his experiences and sharing them on TikTok.
“I began sharing insights that I have learned, from starting a business to what pesticides work with which plants,” he says.
What started as a way of documenting his own farming journey soon became a source of information for people across the country. Since posting his first videos in 2020, Mabaso has attracted a growing audience of people interested in agriculture, many of whom turn to him with questions about farming.
“I was so surprised at how many people started asking questions about farming,” he says.
His online presence has even earned him a nickname: “The TikTok Farmer”.
But for Mabaso, social media is about more than gaining followers. Each video is an opportunity to make agricultural knowledge more accessible and encourage someone else to take the first step towards growing food or starting a business.
“We all have something to offer and social media is a great place to do that,” Mabaso says. “Sharing information will help the whole South Africa.”
From a two-hectare farm in Ermelo to the screens of aspiring farmers around the country, Mabaso is demonstrating how knowledge can travel far beyond the fields where it is cultivated.
Through his willingness to share what he knows, he is helping others see agriculture not simply as a profession, but as an opportunity to create livelihoods, grow food and build a more self-reliant future.
Description
After returning to farming during the COVID-19 pandemic, Njabulo Yamhlaba Mabaso began sharing his agricultural knowledge on TikTok, inspiring aspiring farmers across South Africa to grow food, start businesses and believe that farming is within their reach.
Editor’s Note
South Africa has a thriving agricultural sector, yet many aspiring farmers struggle to access the information, resources and support they need to get started. Njabulo Yamhlaba Mabaso is helping to bridge this gap by using social media to share practical farming knowledge and encourage others to explore agriculture as a livelihood.
