Jacqueline Valombola is an agricultural professional and an agripreneur in Windhoek, Khomas region. After completing her studies in crop science at the University of Namibia in 2019, Valombola saw a gap in the agricultural space and decided to start her agribusiness.
She specialises in making urban gardening kits, also known as hydroponic kits, for people living in urban areas. Her passion for urban agriculture led her to start her own business.
With the increase in urban migration, Valombola believes it is high time people started growing their food – whether in their backyard or apartment building.
“I make different types of hydroponic kits suitable for the needs of people in different environments. I also make gardening boxes using pallet wood for those with interlocks at their homes,” she said. On character building, Valombola stated her agribusiness journey made her strong, especially towards adversity. She said no matter what she faces in her agribusiness journey, she will never give up.
Valombola stated her most challenging experience was marketing her business when she started in 2020. “Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I could not market my business as much as I wanted to. I worked from home as I was unable to reach out to my target audience,” she stated. In 2021, Valombola decided to make hydroponic kits for herself and grow her produce. She posted her results on her social media platforms and shared them with friends, who further shared them on their social media platforms. The response was overwhelming.
She got orders to make kits for individuals and a mining company; she then decided to increase her brand awareness by attending expos.
As such, she considers these as some of her best experiences in her career in agriculture. “To my fellow youth, do not give up on your dreams or goals. Secondly, start with what you have, and everything else will follow suit. Lastly, to my fellow female agriculturalists, create opportunities for yourselves. I know we are somewhat disadvantaged; however, that should not stop us from creating opportunities for ourselves,” Valombola advised.
– Agribank