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How this student turned his hydroponic farming dream into a reality

How this student turned his hydroponic farming dream into a reality

Date: 2022-03-23
As the ENGEN Pitch & Polish programme celebrates its twelfth year running and calls for new inventors and innovators to enter, it takes a look back at some of the amazing success stories to come out of the competition. Here, Mongezi Dlamini, a contestant in 2018 and owner of Anonaya Gardens, shares his experiences of the competition and his entrepreneurial journey so far.


"I grew up in Ixopo on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal and studied micro and cell biology at the University of KZN. The idea for my business started when we were doing a practical in class. We were testing the effects of nutrients on plants and I was intrigued that this could be done without the use of soil so I started researching hydroponics."

"I started by growing vegetables but the market wasn't really good so I have been researching how to grow special food using hydroponics. I have been growing strawberries and other berries.

I'm also introducing bell peppers, which is a whole new thing in hydroponics (I'm not ready to share my secrets yet). Because I am at a university with great minds, I have consulted with lecturers about making hydroponics organic and cost efficient ( conventional hydroponics make use of chemical fertilisers). I was told that this would take time to achieve and am working with a lecturer to help me make the project more scientific and agricultural. Right now we are working on how to use algae as a fertiliser instead of chemicals. Algae is cost effective and very nutritious so we are really aiming to be ahead of the rest."


"I attended the Pitch & Polish programme in Durban as a workshop delegate. I was very impressed; it was something I had never seen before so I entered the competition the following year. I made it to the semi-finals and,on our last day of training at Raizcorp's offices in Sandton, Allon Raiz asked me what I was doing differently. When I told him, he said my idlea was still immature and that I didn't have a unique selling proposition. He said that when people became more familiar with the concept of hydroponics, I would just be another guy who does it. That hurt me a lot but now I know he was telling the truth and that I need to be different. It's one of the main reasons I am researching the organic side and trying to grow new and different products."


"Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of patience and discipline. It's not an overnight thing so you need to be obsessed rather than passionate because passion dies. I am so grateful and thankful for the all the teaching and the opportunity I was able to walk away with from partaking in this competition."


Visit https://www.pitchandpolish.com for more information or to register for the 2022 ENGEN Pitch & Polish workshops and competition.