Nicholas Mhlanga

Nicholas Mhlanga

Seedlings Programme Manager

I am Nicholas Mhlanga from Schoemansdal, a 29-year-old who grew up with a love for nature and wildlife. After finishing school, I studied conservation at Nelson Mandela University in George, Eastern Cape. As my field study experience, I thoroughly enjoyed working on a game farm nearby. Here I met volunteers from overseas countries and, along with learning about nature, I shared in different cultures and different world views. My hobbies include research in health and medicine, fitness training, hiking and researching biodiversity. My long-term dream is to make an impact in my community through agriculture. I want to equip people with knowledge and be an example by having passion for farming. I would like to see more people farming as a way of life, so families will benefit by eating healthy food, creating jobs and improving their lives through agriculture.

I am the Manager for our seedlings project which involves many responsibilities. Including strategic planning, operating efficiently, managing staff, research work on pest control, sustainable water usage, seed production, meeting customer demands, visiting farmers and advising them on crop production, facilitating after school care gardens and educating children about farming. I also communicate with staff and management on production.
I motivate my team by giving them an understanding and a broader picture of how important their job is for our community. Our community faces challenges such as poverty and unemployment and producing crops improves food security and creates jobs. I show my team that it is not just about a job, it is about our impact and serving people. 
I believe in leading by example and letting your team learn and follow what is required of them. I motivate my team by working with them, not just giving orders. I also empathise with them and look out for their well-being. It is important that people know that they are cared for as employees. Saying thank you is important as is appreciating what they do. I respect them and give them a platform to communicate freely and be open to add valuable ideas to the project.  
 I believe you must love what you do and do what you love, and your job must empower you rather than just employ you. My job empowers me because it gives me the platform to create and implement innovative ideas for the project. The benefits that agriculture brings to families and boosting food security gives me great joy daily. The most important part of my job is that it improves lives and I serve people. 

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