By Tumelo Tlabuane Khubu, Founder, Khubu Agriculture Hub
Across South Africa, a troubling pattern is taking hold. Young people are turning away from
agriculture in growing numbers. The sector that has long sustained our rural communities and
fed our nation is increasingly seen as outdated, physically demanding, and without a future
worth pursuing. Youth unemployment continues to rise, yet fewer young people are
considering farming as a path forward. The average age of South African farmers rises each
year, and too little is being done to reverse that trend.
This is not simply a farming problem. It is a national challenge, one with serious implications
for food security, rural development, and economic growth.
I founded Khubu Agriculture Hub in Kuruman, Northern Cape, because I believe this
narrative can change. More importantly, I believe it must.
The barriers facing those who want to enter agriculture are real. Limited access to inputs,
inadequate technical support, restricted market opportunities, and a lack of development
resources have made it difficult for many farmers and aspiring agricultural entrepreneurs to
succeed. These are not excuses; they are structural realities that the sector must confront
honestly.
Through Khubu Agriculture Hub, my focus has been on addressing exactly these gaps:
strengthening connections across the agricultural value chain and working with schools,
communities, farmers, and commercial partners to build a more inclusive and sustainable
agricultural sector.
Beyond the practical work, however, there is a deeper issue that must be addressed—the way
we talk about agriculture and the story we tell young people about what it can offer them.
Agriculture is not an industry of the past. It is one of South Africa’s most significant and
underutilised opportunities. It has the capacity to create meaningful employment, strengthen
food systems, uplift rural communities, and drive inclusive economic growth. What it needs
is investment, not only financial investment, but investment in people, ideas, and the next
generation of leaders willing to see its potential.
To young South Africans, I say this: the challenges in agriculture are real, but so is the
opportunity. The sector is not asking you to accept things as they are. It is asking you to be
part of changing them.
The future of South African agriculture will not be secured by looking away from it. It will be
built by those willing to engage with it seriously, innovatively, and with a long-term vision
for what our rural economies can become.
That is the work we are committed to at Khubu Agriculture Hub. And it is a commitment I
believe more young South Africans are ready to make.
About the Author
Tumelo Tlabuane Khubu is the Founder of Khubu Agriculture Hub, a Kuruman-based
agricultural enterprise focused on improving access to resources, knowledge, and market
opportunities for farmers and communities. The organisation is committed to advancing
sustainable agriculture, supporting rural development, and empowering the next generation of
agricultural leaders.
