In 2018, Phetole and his friend from the University of Forte Hare, Andile Gcaza, started a company called Evergrow. Initially, it was intended to be a company that manufactured hydroponic farming equipment, but it soon developed into a successful business selling seedlings to farmers.
While getting the business going, Phetole worked in the Department of Agriculture, consulting with farmers about their crop choices and advising them on how and when to get the best yields. This gave him an understanding of which crops were the most marketable and an insight into the level of food insecurity in South Africa.
In the Soweto suburb of Tladi, there are a number of schools that have closed down. The buildings have gone to ruin, but subsistence farmers have taken over much of the land to host vegetable gardens. Evergrow runs out of the grounds of one of these schools. They have transformed part of the land to house their seedlings operation, and the other half is used for their outreach projects.
Giving back to the community is important to Phetole, he grew up in the area, and he knows the struggles that many people have to put healthy food on the table. “When I think that food actually comes easy on my table…why can’t I make it simple and also efficient? Food is not just something you can give people whenever you feel like it. Access to food is a human right.”
Read more at msn.com