3. Reality Check – The Pivot from Chickens to Veggies

The chicken dream had wings, but reality clipped them.While I was raising hens and selling eggs, I was juggling more than just a business. I was juggling life.The little income I made from selling eggs wasn’t just business capital it was family survival money. I had to stretch it across personal needs, buying food at home, helping where I could. Progress was there, yes but it was painfully slow. Every step forward felt like dragging a heavy load uphill. And then, the hill got steeper.In 2021, everything changed. You remember the July unrest?“On 9 July 2021, the same day Pietermaritzburg High Court upheld his conviction and prison sentence, the unrest began…”That headline? It wasn’t just news. It was my life unraveling in slow motion.KwaZulu-Natal my province became the centre of chaos. Shops were looted. Farms were hit. Businesses collapsed overnight. People were scared. Supplies dried up. Prices of chicken feed and supplies skyrocketed. And for someone like me, who was already walking a financial tightrope, that was the final push that sent everything tumbling.
I couldn’t afford more stock. I couldn’t expand. Even sustaining what I had became nearly impossible. It wasn’t about passion anymore it was about survival.But here’s the thing about pressure it doesn’t always break you. Sometimes, it shapes you.While I was still trying to make chickens work, I had been paying attention. In the same way I once tested the egg market, I had started noticing something else: a growing hunger for fresh vegetables.Even online, I kept seeing the same question pop up:“Where can I find fresh veggies?”People were struggling to access healthy, local food especially during lockdowns. That’s when it hit me: Maybe the answer isn’t chickens right now… maybe it’s veggies.
So I made a bold but quiet move.I cleared a small piece of land in my backyard and started planting. Nothing fancy just a few basics to test the market. Like I did with eggs, I started small, watched, learned, and sold.To my surprise it worked.People responded. Customers came. They wanted more.That one small experiment planted something big in me hope.From there, I started preparing the bigger land. I cut trees. Cleared grass. Bit by bit, I shaped that space into something that could grow more, feed more, and possibly change everything. I wasn’t just planting crops I was planting a new future.
The chicken dream hadn’t failed it had redirected me. What I learned from that hustle, I carried with me into this new journey. And this time, I wasn’t just trying to survive. I was planning to build something bigger

During the 2021 unrest, everything changed. The sudden rise in food prices and supply shortages made it clear that depending on outside sources wasn’t sustainable. This was the wake-up call that pushed me to think differently about food security for our community.
I began transforming a simple backyard patch into a living garden. It wasn’t much at first, but it was a step towards self-reliance and a way to provide fresh food right at home
Every day, I put in the work—watering, weeding, learning as I went. There were setbacks, but with patience and care, I watched the first green shoots break through the soil, showing me that even small beginnings can lead to big results.
Harvest time brought excitement and pride. The veggies from our first small garden weren’t just for our table—they became something to share and sell within the community, turning hard work into opportunity and hope.
Seeing the success of the backyard plot inspired me to expand. I cleared new ground, prepared fresh soil, and planned for a bigger harvest. This was more than just gardening, it was building the foundation for something that could help many families.
Looking at the land before and after the efforts reminds me of what’s possible when you commit to a vision. I took unused space and turned it into a productive, green landscape, a clear sign of what hardwork and persistence can do.
Cabbages were one of the biggest successes. Each row planted was a lesson in patience, and every healthy head that formed felt like a personal victory. Watching the garden fill out was proof that I was on the right path.
Potatoes taught me to trust the process. Buried underground, their growth wasn’t visible at first, but with care and time, they multiplied. Harvesting them was like uncovering hidden treasure a reminder that hard work often pays off below the surface.
Beans quickly became a symbol of growth and renewal. As you can see here all the stages and processes of beans from ground to table ready
home page
Scroll to Top