Mapitsi Mashego Transitions from Nursing to Full-Time Farming in Limpopo
Mapitsi Mashego, a 58-year-old South African, has retired from a decades-long career in nursing to dedicate herself full-time to farming in Roossenekal, Limpopo. Mashego's farming journey began five years ago while she was still working as a nurse, gradually building a mixed farming operation. Her enterprise now includes cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs, alongside crops such as maize, sugar beans, soya beans, African bird's eye chillies, and experimental vegetables like cabbage, beetroot, and onions. She operates on 222 hectares of mountain veld for her cattle and leases an additional 50 hectares from the Ndebele Tribal Authority for crop production. This transition marks a return to her roots, as she spent her childhood school holidays working on a farm to support her family, an experience that instilled in her a deep connection to agriculture.
