Lima Mzansi (Plant South Africa), a non-profit organisation, was established by a group of people inspired after their years of experience training in the communities and making a difference, in the best way they know how, by training and developing the previously disadvantaged, youth, women, people living with disabilities, people from rural communities giving them the scarce, critical skills and competencies they need to make a future in farming for themselves, their families and providing food for their communities and South Africa.
Agriculture is threatened by the lack of skill and knowledge (scarce and critical skills) because they are so many ageing farmers and so few young, women, people living with disabilities, previously disadvantaged people and people from rural communities entering the sector. There has been a lot of research done on this which we take cognise of the negative connotation associated with farming, research also shows that learnerships and practical skills enable improved motivation and greater impact on the willingness of learners to enter the agricultural field.
Vision
To empower South Africans to connect with their communities and create a sustainable future through mixed farming, thereby growing the economy and feeding the nation, whilst creating purpose within individuals.
Mission
To ensure that every rural and urban community in South Africa is equipped with the skills to farm and how to make a living off of farming, and to develop small enterprises. “Teaching the farmer how to farm for food security”
Values
Integrity – We value our consistency in being open and honest at all times. Respect – We respect people, value diversity, and are committed to equality. Openness – We are committed to a culture of team work and collaboration. Participation – We value and recognise the contribution of people within the organisation and the communities. Growth – Creating opportunities for learning and investment. Change – To promote change in the country by working together to achieve mutually beneficial results. Commitment – We are committed in all our endeavours to be successful.
Our Objective:
Our Objective is to go into every rural and urban community in South Africa and equip people with the skills to farm and how to make a living off of farming, and to develop small enterprises. The focus of this development will be on the youth, women, previous disadvantage individuals, people with disabilitiesThere is a dire need to educate people on the critical and scarce skills on how to farm and produce food effectively. Lima Nathi is aimed at the development of previously disadvantaged individuals, women, the youth, the disabled and the rural communities in agriculture.
Aligning to the international mission:
By 2050, the world population is estimated to be 9 billion people. In order to provide everybody with food, the amount of food planted and grown needs to be increased by at least 70%, otherwise people will not have food on the table. It is important that we teach people to become subsistence and commercial farmers regardless of size, to ensure that we can sustain and meet the demands for food.
This project has its roots in South Africa, but in the future, we would like to bring this project and its impact on food security to the whole of Africa and the rest of the world.
What we believe in
Empowering Women
Women have always been excluded from farming and agriculture. Our goal is to educate women in critical and scarce skills on how to farm.
Empowering The Disabled
People living with disabilities do not always have the same opportunities as the abled. We intend to change this by enriching them with a set of scarce skills.
Rural Development
To create a sustainable futre, we have to start by developing our rural communities. By educating the ruaral communities we create more job opportunities that enhances the future of South-Africa.
Educating The Youth
HOPE2 Ignite The impact of COVID-19 has also reduced the employment rate further, therefore providing skills for starting a new venture creates livelihood opportunities and adds value as part of the informal sector. Hopeful Opportunity for Purposeful Employability and Entrepreneurship With the high unemployment rate for South Africa’s youth, they need encouragement to harness their talents and grow their skill set to enter the labour market.