Africa-Press – Eswatini. Pastor Thabsile Methula, 60, of Jubukweni, has been growing sweet potatoes, maize, beans, peanuts, cabbages, and spinach since 2013 to feed her family and supply the local community. Methula has turned a personal mission into a small scale enterprise.
She started farming since she is preaching in rural areas, wanting to provide her family with nutritious food while also generating income. “I wanted to feed my family and support my community,” she says. Farming, Methula explains, is not just work, it is a calling that demands dedication and patience.
The journey has come with challenges. In the early days, her garden was unfenced, and roaming animals often destroyed her crops. She recalls waking up at dawn to protect her produce. “It was difficult, but I didn’t give up,” she says. Relief came when her church, Mbabane Church of the Nazarene, helped her fence the garden. Today, her main challenge is water scarcity, which sometimes limits how much she can grow.
To keep her crops healthy and her yields steady, Methula relies on both organic and inorganic farming methods. She uses natural practices such as composting and crop rotation, while also applying fertilisers and other inputs when necessary to boost production. This blend, she says, helps her balance sustainability with the demands of feeding her family and selling to the market.
Methula draws much of her knowledge from her upbringing, where farming for family consumption was part of daily life, and from later learning opportunities that enhanced her skills. Despite the physically demanding nature of the work, she manages most of the farm herself, though passersby and neighbours occasionally lend a hand.
Looking ahead, Methula hopes to expand her farm to reach more customers and create employment opportunities. “Farming takes energy, and as you get older, it becomes harder. I want to build something sustainable for the future,” she says.
For aspiring farmers, she offers simple but vital advice: “You must love farming, because it requires full dedication. Money is in the soil, you can make a living if you commit to it.”
Through persistence, community support, and a deep love for the land, Pastor Thabsile Methula shows that passion and faith can grow alongside crops, feeding both body and soul.
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