Op-Ed: Empowering Gauteng’s Youth Through Agriculture

In a country where youth unemployment and food insecurity are pressing challenges, the Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDSD) has taken steps towards building an inclusive economy, one that not only addresses poverty but also unlocks the potential of our youth.

At the heart of these efforts lies the Agri-Youth Skills Development Programme, an intervention that reflects GDSD’s commitment to the “Growing Gauteng Together 2030” vision. This provincial strategy envisages a Gauteng where hunger is a thing of the past, where the economy is representative, and where no citizen, especially the youth is left behind.

It is within this broader framework that the GDSD, through its Sustainable Livelihoods Directorate and in partnership with the Rebafenyi Development Centre, is changing lives on the ground. Their recent launch of Agri-Youth Skills Development Programme site in Hammanskraal (Mashimong) in City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality is not just another programme but a concrete response to youth unemployment, food insecurity, and the lack of skills among our young people.

The initiative is as practical as it is visionary. By targeting 100 beneficiaries in Hammanskraal, 50 in Khutsong, 50 in Swanville, 40 in Tembisa, 30 in Clayville and 30 in Doornkop, the programme trains, mentors, and empowers youth with essential agricultural and entrepreneurial skills.

Through a hands-on approach to learning where participants move from classroom theory to cultivating real land parcels, the young people are not only learning to feed themselves but also to build primary agricultural cooperatives that can feed entire communities.

This is not charity, it’s economic development at grassroots level. The results speak volumes from registering cooperatives with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), to establishing supply partnerships with major retailers like Pick n Pay and Boxer, as well as local vendors and markets. 

These youth-led agricultural enterprises are being positioned as viable players in the province’s food production ecosystem.

By April 2025, the programme had already recruited a considerable number of participants, employed 11 staff members, and helped establish several cooperatives. These cooperatives are not just farming ventures, they are symbols of independence, and a breakaway from the cycle of dependency on social grants.

Importantly, the programme does not treat agriculture as an isolated skill. It incorporates personal development, mental health support, work readiness, and exposure to the business environment. With modules in crop production, entrepreneurship, and cooperative development, young people are equipped to launch their own agricultural ventures and succeed.

As we celebrate Youth Month this June, the GDSD in partnership with Rebafenyi Development Centre, has officially launched the Hammanskraal Agricultural Park, bringing together stakeholders including Amandebele-A-Lebelo Tribal Authority, Small Enterprise Development Agency, and the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARDE). 

The launch is more than ceremonial, but a showcase of what is possible when government, civil society, and private stakeholders work together.

What sets this initiative apart is its sustainability. The goal is not just to offer temporary skills or seasonal projects, but to build a future where young people are confident agricultural entrepreneurs, ready to lead cooperatives, feed communities, and contribute meaningfully to the economy.

Upon completion of the six-month intensive Crop Agric skills development programme, young people who are beneficiaries for this project will be celebrated in a graduation ceremony, an important milestone that acknowledges not just what they’ve achieved, but what lies ahead.

In a province as dynamic and diverse as Gauteng, solutions must be equally innovative and inclusive.

The Agri-Youth Skills Development Programme is one such solution, a catalyst for youth empowerment, a builder of food security, and a model of what government and community partnerships can achieve.

This may be a far cry for the Gauteng we dream of, where hope works, no wanders, but even in the shadow of staggering unemployment, the dream must not die. It is a reminder that real transformation happens not only in boardrooms, but in the fields – one seed, one skill, one cooperative at a time.

Busi Kheswa, Gauteng Department of Social Development