The Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (LDARD) held its annual Persons with Disability in Agriculture and Rural Development Awards (PDARD) at the Fhulufhelo Special School's main hall on Wednesday, 23 November. The competition is aimed at encouraging and recognising people living with disabilities who contribute towards rural development and job creation.
Acting district director for the department in Vhembe Mr Masindi Mariba said that people with disabilities used to be forgotten in the past when the LDARD organized award functions for farmers and youths. This, however, changed in 2009 when the PDARD was established.
"We are very impressed by how serious the people living with disabilities in our region are about farming. As government, we want to empower and recognise individuals and cooperatives owned by persons with disabilities who contribute to the sector through food security, job creation, economic growth, and poverty alleviation," Mariba said.
Altogether 11 entries were received in the different categories of the competition, such as Household Consumption and Informal Market. Ms Mavis Siphugu from Nzhelele won the Top Producer: Subsistence category, while Mr Godfrey Mudalahothe from Tshilapfene won the Small Holder of the Year award. Each winner received a cheque of R10 000, a trophy and certificate.
Mudalahothe was over the moon about winning an award. He runs his farming enterprise on a six-hectare piece of land, with 39 cattle, 60 goats, and 30 sheep. He also plants vegetable crops and litchis.
One of the speakers at the function, Mr Chillyboy Rathando, who is a well-known disabled farmer in the region, urged disabled people to take up farming to grow their businesses - not only to sustain themselves or to participate in agricultural competitions such as the PDARD, but also to make a meaningful contribution to society.
"We need more disabled farmers who can take farming seriously, give each other advice on how to survive in this tough life and help create jobs for other disabled people," said Rathando.