In this Youth Day episode of Farmer’s Inside Track… Fourty-five years after the Soweto youth uprising, disillusion reigns for many youth. We exclusively report on agriculture minister Thoko Didiza’s expectations of the youth in building a better South Africa.

Agricultural economist Kulani Siweya unpacks President Cyril Ramaphosa’s surprise announcement on plans to reform the energy sector…And we explore practical ways to farm off the grid. This, as annual tariff increases and load shedding forces farmers to think out of the box.  

In our farmer development segment, we’re joined by FarmSol managing director Aron Kole. He actively seeks partners throughout the agricultural value chain to assist new farmers to grow.

We also meet Cleopatra Bandas, a crop farmer from Mpumalanga. She now wears the crown as this week’s Soil Sista, powered by Food For Mzansi and Corteva Agriscience. Our book of the week, as selected by our listeners, is The soul of Sorbet by entrepreneur Ian Fuhr. 

And our farmer tip of the week comes from science PhD candidate and vegetable farmer Mawande Sigwinta.