Suburban
A twelve-year-old Vainona boy has shown a great zeal for farming and has been growing crops at his parents’ house in the suburb making use of the space in the backyard since last year.
Peter Tanyanyiwa Suburban Reporter
Lucas Desfountain developed an interest in farming during the first Covid-19 lockdown last year, which has since developed into a thriving maize, cabbage and sugar bean growing venture. So passionate is Lucas about farming he has started selling fresh produce outside his parents’ house and to the Pomona Farmer’s Market. He has also started leasing land from their neighbour so he can expand his farming project. Local fertilizer company Super Fert recently came on board and has pledged to help Lucas with his farming project.
Super Fert has given the young farmer two big bags of fertilizer, caps, hats, T-shirts and they have promised to give him more fertilizer for all his future cropping.
Lucas with SuperFert officials.
A Grade 7 pupil at St John’s College Preparatory, Lucas is being helped by his mother Mrs Estée Desfountain who is managing his farming activities.
Mrs Desfountain’s spoke about her son’s passion for farming saying she was helping him market his produce and encouraging him to work hard, which is not a difficult task, as Lucas is naturally a hard worker.
“My 12-year-old son Lucas started small farming projects at home when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. I managed to market Lucas’ potatoes on various chat groups, and before we knew it, they went all over Harare. Lucas’s pictures ended up in Holland through the Agrico agents here. He was invited to a farm last week by PHI Commodities to see how they harvest with machinery, and Super Fert came and sponsored him. He is being given two big bags of fertilizer, caps, hats, T-shirts and they have promised to give him fertilizer for all his future projects. They even said they will try find him a bigger piece of land,” she said.
She added that young Lucas started his farming project from their vegetable garden and expanded it. She said her son displays tremendous traits of responsibility as he does not spend money recklessly but saves it and pays their gardener who usually helps him.
Lucas in his sugar bean crop.
The young farmer is determined to farm on a much bigger piece of land and also get farming machinery to help him expand his project.
“Lucas is farming from our home in Vainona. Lucas first started his projects from our vegetable garden and then we expanded it. He kept wanting to go bigger and bigger, so he asked our neighbour if he could lease some of her land (as she has no water) he then planted maize, sugar beans, and then the potatoes. Currently he is busy preparing that field for maize again. I have been his constant support and encouraging him daily to follow his dreams and work hard. To him working hard is fun, he has an endless amount of energy. Lucas doesn’t spend his money; he saves it and also pays our gardener Tapiwa extra who helps him. It’s his dream to become a farmer and he says he’s going to save his money till he is a big farmer and owns his own John Deere combine harvester,” said Mrs Desfountain.
So determined is young Lucas to make a mark in farming that during winter he would set his alarm so he could get up as early as 3am to irrigate his crops and prevent his crops from suffering the effects of frost.
Lucas loves big farm machinery such as combine harvesters and tractors.
He is exceptionally good at planting and he doesn’t own any computer or gaming devices like many kids of his age.
