Themba Dlamini has spent his life working on farms in the mountains of Swaziland. After working his way up to a management position with a local vegetable farm, he saw an opportunity to have a bigger impact on his struggling community when the farm came up for sale in 2004.

Themba recognized that Swaziland’s climate offered an untapped business potential: growing baby vegetables year-round for export. He also knew that due to the labor-intensive process involved in growing these vegetables, he could employ many people from his community and provide opportunities for other local farmers to augment his supply.

“I decided to buy the farm because of the impact farming could have on poor rural people, people like me,” he says.

As a new entrepreneur unfamiliar with the business aspects of farming, Themba was faced with many challenges when he finally took over the farm after a lengthy negotiation process. In 2006 he turned to TechnoServe for help.

TechnoServe helped Themba to secure financing needed to run Sdemane and linked him to more lucrative local markets, as well as to steady export markets in Europe, the Middle East and South Africa.

“Alone it would have been impossible,” he says.

TechnoServe advisors are training Themba’s staff in areas such as accounting and financial management, as well as providing technical advice and market linkages. TechnoServe is also working with Themba to achieve EurepGAP certification that will allow him to export directly to international markets, namely Europe. Additionally, he has learned better farming practices that have already boosted his yield by more than 50 percent.

His farm currently employs 35 people, with plans to expand to over 200 staff as his exports continue to grow. The business is creating job opportunities for locals with few other prospects, enabling them to provide for their families.

“I’m the first in my family to have a job,” says Gugu Happiness Maphanga, one of his packing plant employees. “I work so I can buy food for my parents and siblings. Without this job, things would be so bad.”

Sdemane also provides a much-needed platform through which small-scale rural farmers can access stable markets.

Themba places utmost importance on being a good employer and role model. He says he wants to show his community that there are good people willing to help them. He makes a point to explain decisions to his employees, to give them a sense of ownership and involvement in the business. He’s also set up a day-care facility for his employees’ children. In 2006 Sdemane was recognized as the Community-Based Business of the Year in the Swaziland Entrepreneur of the Year awards ceremony.

Despite numerous obstacles and mishaps such as severe weather and road accidents, Themba perseveres because he believes in the potential impact of his business. He is on his way to fulfilling his vision of a better future for his children and his community. With TechnoServe’s assistance, he’s becoming a model of success, inspiring other entrepreneurs across the region to pursue similar dreams.

(Story updated 2007)