Africa-Press – Eswatini. From a small maize field on his family’s land in 2023 to a growing agribusiness, Thulani Dlamini is steadily making his mark in farming. “I started farming on a small scale in late 2023 on my family’s land, beginning with maize,” said Dlamini, adding that he had little experience at the time and relied on social media to learn more about agriculture.
“I started following agriculture pages on social media, then one day I saw a post on Facebook on the Eswatini National Youth Council page. They were looking for applicants on agriculture start-up business. I applied and ENYC came to assess the area,” he said.
Dlamini said he was later given a grant with inputs worth E10,000, which helped him expand his farming operations. He added that in January 2026 he moved to a larger piece of land to increase production. As his business grew, he later secured a contract to supply baby vegetables to Nambord.
“To stay relevant, I attend workshops related to farming like the Women Farmer Foundation on agribusiness and organic farming, on how to make your records, how to keep your records, because as a business person you have to keep track of what you are doing,” he said.
Dlamini explained that these workshops have helped him treat farming as a business and improve his record-keeping. He also noted that he hires people from the community to assist him in the fields, contributing to local livelihoods.
He highlighted weather conditions as a major challenge affecting his crops.
“Some of the challenges I face as a farmer are hail storms which destroy the crops and sometimes the sun can be too sunny, also burning the crops,” he said.
Dlamini said his work is now being recognised in the community because of the service he provides. He added that he has diversified into Makhaya chicken farming to grow his income streams.
He expressed appreciation for the support received from the Eswatini National Youth Council and the Women Farmer Foundation, noting that such initiatives play a key role in empowering young entrepreneurs.
“Young people must follow social media pages. Yes, we live in the era of cybercrime, but the government gives out those grants,” he said.
Looking ahead, Dlamini said he hopes to expand further and own his own farm one day.
“I want to own my own farm. Right now I use my family’s land, but I need help if anyone is willing to help. I see myself as a big farmer in Eswatini who will contribute to the country’s economy,” he said.
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