“There is a particular kind of frustration that comes from watching a solvable problem go unsolved,” said Reginald Mayekiso, founder of OTE Hydraulics in the Northern Cape. “The connection between land and people has been neglected.”

People are willing to work, there is sufficient land, and yet “almost 14-million people go to bed hungry every night”.

For too long, food insecurity has been framed primarily as a shortage of resources, not enough funding, not enough infrastructure, not enough intervention, he added. “While these constraints are real, they are not the full story.

“The truth is more uncomfortable. The foundational resources already exist, but the missing link is coordination, consistency, and long-term commitment,” says Mayekiso.

He started his journey in 2013 with just 13 ewe lambs and a belief that rural land, when properly supported, could become an engine of economic activity. It’s grown into Olifantshoek Trading Enterprise (OTE) Hydraulics.

“We don’t approach agriculture as a once-off intervention. We prepare land, introduce mechanisation, and support livestock and poultry operations that generate food and income. We have learned that emerging farmers need a consistent partnership.

Reginald Mayekiso, founder of OTE Hydraulics and driver of projects to uplift farmers. Photo: Reginald Mayekiso

Through the revival of the Olifantshoek Small Scale Farmers Association, results are seen when farmers are organised, supported, and connected.

When rural communities produce their own food, they become more resilient, he said. When agriculture is activated, it creates jobs not only on farms, but across the supply chains, transport, and local markets.

“One of the greatest failures in rural development has been the tendency to intervene and then withdraw. Training is delivered, resources are allocated, and then communities are left to navigate complex agricultural systems alone.”

By integrating agriculture with services like mechanical repair and mining support, local economies can become more stable and more inclusive. He added. “We cannot continue to accept a reality where hunger and unused land exist side by side.”

OFM Agri/Isabel van Tonder sm

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