Practicing ergonomic balance in order to avoid the inevitable addiction to cheap labor: The case of Greenway Farms

Greenway Farms is a family business owned by two families located 80km northwest of Johannesburg. It was started by Vincent Sequeira in 1988, as a typical mixed crop market garden. Today, Greenway Farms supplies 40% of Southern Africa's fresh carrots, and is marketed under the Rugani Carrot brand. This is a case study of a typical emerging farming initiative that transformed itself into a highly productive modern agricultural enterprise. The journey of transformation was extremely challenging as the owners had to embrace concepts that were foreign to them. Quantum leaps in practice will challenge the mind-set of any small farmer immersed in an undeveloped agricultural world. The most dificult concept to rise above was the myth that labor is cheap. An abundance of labor means low wages, but low wages does not mean cheap labor.