South African commercial female farmer Zandile Kumalo has won the Agrivuno Award 2025 for her role in running hydroponic farms. The visionary Kumalo owns two impactful agribusinesses: HyHarvest and Neighbour Roots. Through her innovative farms, she transforms underutilized urban spaces into productive green hubs supplying fresh, local produce.
Starting with a 2 000m2² backyard, Zandile now leads in climate-smart, circular farming, and her work has been recognized nationally.
"We grow, harvest and distribute premium-quality vegetables to restaurants and retail markets across urban centres. We operate two innovative climate-smart hydroponic farms, one strategically located on the rooftop of Morningside Shopping Centre and the other at Riversquare Shopping Centre.
"These farms not only showcase our ability to transform underutilised urban spaces into productive agricultural hubs, but also serve as hands-on training grounds. Through our skills development initiative, we empower young people aged 18 to 30 by equipping them with practical experience and cutting-edge technologies in the agriculture sector," said Kumalo.
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