Education doesn’t only happen in classrooms. It happens wherever people are supported to learn by doing, where knowledge meets reality, mistakes become lessons, and confidence grows through contribution. Across South Africa, farms are becoming exactly these kinds of learning spaces through the Social Employment Fund (SEF), implemented via the Social Employment Network.
Through Solidaridad’s SEF project, more than 1,700 unemployed young people are engaged in work-based learning across agricultural value chains. On active farms and food gardens, participants gain hands-on experience in soil preparation, crop maintenance, pest and disease management, irrigation, record-keeping, and enterprise development. Guided by experienced farmers and Solidaridad technical staff, the learning is rooted in real production and real livelihoods.
Learning by Doing: Education That Connects Knowledge to Purpose
South Africa’s youth unemployment rate (ages 15–34) hovers between 40% and 50%, far above the national average. For many young people, access to meaningful education and work experience remains unequal.
“We need to start by acknowledging the context,” says Sade Balogun, Programme Manager at Solidaridad. “Most SEF participants are youth who have been locked out of both education and work. Learning on farms connects knowledge with purpose. Participants don’t just acquire technical skills—they learn communication, teamwork, planning, and responsibility. This learning is tied directly to real production and real outcomes, which makes it transformative.”
Through social employment, education becomes practical, dignified, and socially useful. Participants receive a stipend that provides stability while contributing to food production that serves their communities.
From Setback to Strength: A Farmer’s Journey
For Tonic Moshobane, the SEF journey was marked by hardship and resilience. “Our seeds were stolen. I picked up what was left and started farming,” she recalls. After graduating from SEF at Rayon Integrated Farm, her group’s seeds, water tank, and pumps were stolen in December 2024, leaving her to farm alone.
“I farmed on my hands and knees. I cried out to Solidaridad, and instead of leaving me alone, they continued supporting me with skills, advice, and mentorship,” she says. With this support, she competed in a local farming competition—and won. Solidaridad then placed 10 SEF participants on her farm, providing labour, learning, and dignity for others.
Despite setbacks, Moshobane registered her own farm in January 2025. By March, she was harvesting spinach for her community, strengthening local food security. Today, she hosts 10 SEF participants, plants over 7,000 spinach seedlings, and mentors other youth in agriculture.
“The stipend helped me survive financially,” she says, “but the real change came from skills transfer, mentorship, and continued support. Even after graduation, SEF did not leave me.”
Growing Skills, Markets, and Food Systems
Another former SEF participant, Lethlogonolo Mnguni, now farms at scale. A postgraduate in Crop Science from Tshwane University of Technology, he leases 8 hectares and plants over 100,000 heads of cabbage, along with spinach and tomatoes.
“SEF taught me to be detailed… from seed quality and soil preparation to identifying markets and managing time,” Mnguni explains. He supplies produce to Joburg Market and retailers such as Spar, crediting continued SEF mentorship for his growth. “My mentor still visits on weekends to advise on fertiliser, pest management, and crop planning. That ongoing support is rare and life-changing.”
According to Dumisani Ngonyama, SEF Project Coordinator at Solidaridad, learning on farms is what makes social employment effective. “It’s not enough to teach people how to grow crops. We help participants collaborate, pool produce, and access markets. Some now supply retailers like Pick n Pay by working together. Social employment strengthens food systems, not just individuals.”
Beyond income and skills, SEF delivers social value: participants contribute food to households, schools, and communities; farmers gain labour and mentorship experience; youth move from exclusion to confidence, dignity, and pathways into employment, self-employment, or enterprise.
“Like seedlings production,” Ngonyama reflects, “it gives me real joy to watch participants grow and bear fruit. The Social Employment Fund, in partnership with Solidaridad, is truly rooted in changing the lives of youth in South Africa. I see it every day.”
On this International Day of Education (24 January 2026), SEF reminds us that education is not confined to classrooms. Sometimes it grows best in the soil, nurtured through work, mentorship, and the dignity of contribution.
