By Staff Writer

Nonhlanhla Joye, affectionately known as Ma’ Joye, the founder of Umgibe Farming Organics and Training Institute, in Empolweni, Wartburg, KwaZulu-Natal, is on a bold mission to help one million people feed themselves by 2030. Her movement has already transformed thousands of lives. Her story, however, began long before she became the celebrated farmer, trainer and award-winning social entrepreneur that she is today.

Ma’ Joye grew up in rural KwaZulu-Natal, in a family where farming was a way of life. After finishing high school, she left her simple village life and travelled to the United States, where she studied herbology, an experience that opened her eyes to the vital role food plays in health and disease prevention. “Quality food and proper nutrition is essential for health, for fighting disease and for living with dignity,” she recalls.

Despite the opportunities abroad, her heart eventually called her back home to South Africa. Here, she threw herself into community work, focusing on those most in need.

Farming Out Of Necessity
In 2014, her life changed dramatically. Diagnosed with cancer and unable to return to work, Ma’ Joye faced the frightening reality of not being able to provide for her family. But adversity sparked her ingenuity. She returned to farming and planted vegetables in her backyard in Cato Manor.

Her first attempt was a disaster. Chickens devoured her crops, leaving her devastated. But giving up was not an option. “When you’re a mother and you know you have to feed your children, you come up with a solution. No matter what, I had to find a way,” she recalls.

That solution was nothing short of revolutionary. With just R400, she created a frugal, climate-smart system using discarded plastic bags filled with soil and suspended from a wooden structure.

The design kept chickens away, conserved water, and turned small spaces into productive gardens. “You save water. The yields are higher. It can be erected anywhere,” she explains. What began as a desperate bid to feed her family soon grew into a business.

Her first harvest earned her R13 500 in sales. “Before I knew it, I had more food than I needed, and I became a farmer,” she says proudly. From this innovation came Umgibe Farming Organics and Training Institute – ‘umgibe’ meaning “rope of hope.” Today, Umgibe partners with more than 51 cooperatives, providing agricultural training, business management skills and a practical path to food security.

The patented Umgibe System has become a ground-breaking agroecological innovation. It maximises space, requires no chemical fertilisers or pesticides, conserves water, and can be used by anyone, from schoolchildren to the elderly, and even people living with disabilities.

More than just farming, it represents empowerment, self-reliance and dignity. “The system is accessible to everyone. It doesn’t require physical labour, and it creates jobs while reducing waste,” she says. The use of plastic bags not only repurposes waste but also reduces carbon emissions by encouraging local food production.

Her work has not gone unnoticed. In 2017, she was named IMPACT² Global Female Entrepreneur of the Year in Paris. She went on to win the Pan African Awards Continental Winner – Africa’s Most Influential Woman in Business & Government (Agricultural Sector) in 2020, ASEB Startup Ecosystem Builder of the Year in 2023, and ASEB Entrepreneur Education Champion of the Year in 2024.

But for Ma’ Joye, the recognition is not the end goal. “My purpose in life is to stop hunger,” she says simply.

Building communities and stopping hidden hunger
Through the Stop Hidden Hunger initiative, Umgibe has extended its reach into schools, communities and homes. The institute has trained more than 600 aspiring farmers to date, with a strong emphasis on women and youth empowerment.

By combining practical agricultural training with entrepreneurial skills, she ensures that her beneficiaries are not just growing food but building sustainable businesses. “Unemployment in the rural areas could be a thing of the past,” she says with conviction. “We already have the resources and the knowledge. What we need are platforms to put them into action.”

Lessons in resilience
Ma’ Joye’s journey is a testament to resilience. From fighting cancer to reinventing herself as a farmer and social entrepreneur, she embodies the power of turning hardship into hope. “I started my garden with R400 between me and my poverty,” she says. “I had to go back to basics, to what my parents did. Farming taught me resilience, creativity and the importance of giving back.”

For her, farming is not just about crops and soil, it is about restoring dignity. “The true meaning of life is often said to be finding your gift, and the purpose is to give it away. When I discovered my gift in Umgibe Farming, I didn’t hesitate to share it,” she reflects.

Asked what she believes farming’s role is in South Africa today, Ma’ Joye is clear. “Farming is the backbone of our survival. It can fight hunger, create jobs, empower women and youth, and protect our environment. We need to see farming not as old- fashioned, but as the future.”

Her dream is for governments, businesses and communities to adopt the Umgibe system as a social franchise, scaling it across the nation to eradicate hunger.

“Food is power,” she says. “If you can feed yourself, you can free yourself.”
To learn more about Umgibe, visit www.umgibe.org or email info@umgibe.org or call 071 137 7779