Hydro-Farming is Empowering a New Generation of Youngsters to Tackle Job Crisis and Food Insecurity

Agriculture can be a powerful engine for jobs, entrepreneurship and community growth. A new pilot in Diepsloot is backing 20 young people whose Hydro-Coop start-ups aren’t just farming for today,... The post Hydro-Farming is Empowering a New Generation of Youngsters to Tackle Job Crisis and Food Insecurity appeared first on Good Things Guy.

May 14, 2026 - 14:11

Hydro-Farming is Empowering a New Generation of Youngsters to Tackle Job Crisis and Food Insecurity

Agriculture can be a powerful engine for jobs, entrepreneurship and community growth. A new pilot in Diepsloot is backing 20 young people whose Hydro-Coop start-ups aren’t just farming for today, but are building the businesses of tomorrow.

Diepsloot, South Africa (14 May 2026) – As our nation grapples with two interconnected challenges, high youth unemployment and declining local food production, a bold new pilot project is proving we can tackle both at once!

By transforming unemployed youth into “agri-preneurs,” Afrika Tikkun has launched a farming initiative that does more than just grow crops; it’s giving young people a real opportunity to earn an income and build sustainable livelihoods. In doing so, they are directly strengthening local food security and fueling economic growth.

At the heart of this movement is the Green Acres Hydro-Coop programme in Diepsloot, which is equipping and empowering a cohort of 20 trailblazers. These include 19 resilient young women and one determined young man with a disability to run revenue-generating micro-farming ventures using Hydro-Coop units designed to function in urban, rural and remote environments with limited infrastructure.

The Hydro-Coop unit is a smart farming system that combines poultry production with hydroponic vegetable growing. It is solar-powered, compact, movable and uses substantially less water than conventional farming methods. Crops are grown using sustainable, biodiversity-friendly farming methods, giving young people access to innovative agricultural skills.

The pilot began in February, with the participants entering a practical development phase that combines training with live business operations. Since then, the young farmers have participated in programmes covering hydroponics, farm management and entrepreneurship, while simultaneously launching their own micro-enterprises.

Beyond Farming: Building Market-Ready Businesses.

Over the past three months of a 12-month programme, participants have moved from training into early-stage entrepreneurship, building and running their own agricultural enterprises.

Afrika Tikkun has also partnered with Garden Fresh at Nine Yards, Joburg’s new green town square, and other retail outlets to sell the produce. Participants will work in a customer-designed retail space, gaining hands-on experience in sales and customer service alongside their farming training.

If targets are met, the 20 enterprises are expected to produce annually:

22,400 chickens
60,000 vegetables
Around 228,000 meals
Up to 1.5 million litres of water saved

“When skills development is combined with long-term mentorship, farming stops being just a chore and becomes a sustainable career. These youth aren’t just farming for today; they are building the businesses of tomorrow, and it’s up to us to make sure that path remains accessible for them,” says Marc Lubner, Group CEO of Afrika Tikkun.

Women at the Centre of the Pilot.

Lubner says the first intake was structured as an almost all-female cohort, aimed at women with limited access to formal employment or business opportunities.

“This focus reflects a wider economic reality. Women, particularly younger women, face higher unemployment rates, lower business ownership levels and weaker access to startup capital than their male counterparts,” he says.

Rather than placing participants into temporary work, the project is designed around ownership.

“Agriculture can be a powerful engine for jobs, entrepreneurship and community growth. By giving young people access to infrastructure, practical training and market opportunities, we are helping them build viable businesses and long-term income. At the same time, we are strengthening local food security and creating a model that can be scaled to reach many more young people in the years ahead,” Lubner adds.

A Scalable Model and Success Story.

The Green Acres Hydro-Coop model forms part of Afrika Tikkun’s broader agricultural programmes, which provide hands-on experience by integrating training, enterprise development and commercial operations to help turn knowledge into income-generating opportunities.

“Agripreneurship is a lifeline for our youth. It creates opportunities for unemployed young people to become entrepreneurs through Afrika Tikkun’s Cradle to Career model,” says Lubner.

One of the programme’s success stories is Debra Dagada, who joined the organisation’s agricultural learnership in Gauteng and completed an NQF Level 2 qualification in Plant Production.

After completing the programme, Dagada moved into entrepreneurship through Green Acres and launched her own farming operation with starter inputs, mentorship and technical support. She later secured her own land at Northern Farm in Diepsloot, transitioning from trainee to independent farmer.

Now that’s skills development that enables young people to participate meaningfully in the economy – not just through skills development, but through ownership and the ability to generate income over time.

Afrika Tikkun plans to introduce a new cohort of 20 participants in 2027, with the long-term goal of scaling the model across more communities in South Africa.