Mwanaka, who started his business in his landlord's back garden in North London, has defied his critics and is now running a successful commercial business – driven by his passion for white maize and his frustration that it is not grown in the UK.
Mwanaka, a journalist and writer of poetry, short stories and plays, arrived in Britain in 1991, escaping from the lack of a free press back in Zimbabwe, and hoping to get a job as a journalist.
However, despite getting qualifications in journalism and sociology in the UK, he was still unable to find the job he wanted. So he decided to try his hand at farming.
While working as a parking attendant, in factories and at a bank he began to experiment with growing the crop in his landlord's back garden in North London, much to the frustration of his wife Brenda and the amusement of his three children, Jonathan, Ruth and Miriam.
“I spoke to some of the best agrarian experts in this country, I remember one man slammed the phone down after telling me I was wasting his time when I tried to seek some advice. I wanted to prove all of my critics wrong,” he said.
After six years, he finally managed to get a crop of the delicious maize. He now farms 100 acres, working his fields with his family and renting land in Wiltshire and Leicestershire. As well as white maize, he produces kale, mustard leaves, sweet potatoes and pumpkins.
Post published in: News