A farmstead called Dit-n-Dat

If you had told them five years ago that by 2025 they would be farmers, they would have laughed at youYes, they were always nature and outdoor people, always loved gardening and animals and are both passionate about the environment. And for many years Sylvia and Richard Thompson sporadically, but not always successfully, experimented with growing their own food. But there was a definite gradual build-up, says Sylvia, where “wouldn’t it be cool to have chickens andgrow our own food sustainably?” turned into a “Let’s do this!”.The Thompson’s journey to being owners of a farmstead was was inspired by permaculture greats and regenerative agriculture pioneers suchas Geoff Lawton and Joel Salatin. Locally, we admired the landscape rehabilitation workdone at Krumhuk farm, explains Sylvia.The Thompson’s heard of a development in the Stampriet area and spontaneously went to go look atthe land. While the kids were initially very sceptical of the rather arid piece of undevelopedland, with neither home nor internet, Sylvia and Richard immediately felt a strong connection to the land.They bought the small plot 10 km north of Stampriet and completely underdeveloped and heavily overgrazed, in 2022. For the first two years, work and development on the plot was limited to the odd weekend or holiday visit. Eventually, In 2024, Richard moved to the plot permanently, to start developing the farming infrastructure. Sylvia and their two children visit every chance they get and it’s always “all hands-on-deck” with the children successfully transformed from citykids to farmers-in-the-making! Weekdays, Richard has the company of their rescue cats, thedogs, Saanen goats, geese, egg layers as well as pigs. The original residents, some Capehare and steenbokkies, in the meantime, graciously tolerate them all, says Sylvia. “In turn, of course, for the occasional nibble in the farmstead garden!”Their first and most important aims are to live healthier lives, to live self-sustainably and tocontribute in some way to the health of our environment, explains Sylvia. “We want to ensure that we farmethically and never at a cost to the environment.”Richard worked as a sound engineer and Sylvia is spatial analyst. “We were not farmers when we decided to do this!” The day the Thompson’s decided to buy the plot, they embarked on an exponential learning curve. And the learning just hasn’t stopped, says Sylvia. “Every day on the farmstead, you learnsomething new. Almost nothing went according to plan. But we learned very early on that in every challenge, there is a hidden blessing. And today, we are very grateful for that!”Challenges ensure they have a small yet precious group of friends and also helped them in avoiding some nasty pitfalls, says Sylvia. And whilst the amazing world of social media, the World-Wide Web and YouTube offer a host of information and knowledge, nothing will ever prepare you for your specific environment, your specific soil, your specific climate and your specific socio-economic environment, she admits.But, they did know, that whatever they did, they wanted to farm sustainably, ethically, mindfullyand in an environmentally friendly manner. “The irony is, because we were forced to becomecrash-course farmers, we could dictate the way we wanted to do things.”Stampriet is incredibly hot, semi-arid, the community very poor and unemployment is high, explains Sylvia. “And our part of the Kalahari provides us with an added challenge: we live on a rockyoutcrop. So much so, that finding a suitable penetrable spot to plant a tree may take you halfa day!”While planning is an essential component to farming, few days ever go as planned. Budgetsare broken by unforeseen circumstances. The climate is erratic, extreme and unforgiving.“Things break, all the time! Animals cause heartbreak and make you feel helpless at times. The environment can be unforgiving and you accept that you cannot plant 10 trees in a day because the soil is too rocky. And you appreciate that not everybody will agree with your philosophies and the way you want to farm.”So, you learn to take the wins with gratitude, says Sylvia, you learn to pace yourself and your reaction to unforeseen circumstances, to acceptthat not everything is in your control and sometimes, you need to trust in the Maker’s plan nudging you into a different direction. But most of all, you learn to embark on each day with a healthy dose of patience.There comes a day when you realise that the house, the car, the phone and the job don’t fill the longing for a more fulfilled life, admits Sylvia. When you realise that your happiest moments in life areshared with loved ones around a dinner table, enjoying a delicious meal. “You start realising that a meal of simple, pure and organic food is so much more delicious than a five-star meal. You realise that a sunrise or sunset enjoyed in silence in nature fills you with a deep sense of fulfillment and appreciation.”And the more you realise how very little you need to be happy, the more grateful you will become and the more you will appreciate the truly simple things in life.“Even though I have always enjoyed my job, I have to admit that I have found unrivalledsatisfaction from living a more natural uncluttered life, growing our own food, spending timewith our animals, caring for our environment and appreciating those simple basic things in life.” With their “pig stories” for Dis-n-Dat Farmstead shared on social media, the Thompsons want to convey the message that whatever they produce and offer to their clients are not just products. “We, as a family, are our first customers. We offer nothing that we don’t use in our lifestyle as well.” Everything they do and everything they produce, are so that their family is physically healthier. But also, that they live happier and more satisfied lives. “Our first motivation was not to create our homestead for financial gain. It is our passion that drives us. Our passion for producing healthy clean food,while at the same time, ensuring that we farm ethically and in harmony with our environment.”In the end their journey is thanks to so many people who make the time to share theirstories and experiences on social media and who inspired them in the first place.Sylvia admits the stories she shares were initially supposed to be much less personal and more matter-of-factly. But, the stories quicklyevolved to reflect the passion and conviction the Thompsons bring to their little farmstead. With them, they let you know why they do what they do. And how they as a family have learned to live morebalanced lives.But, explains Sylvia, the stories are also fulfilling a goal she wanted to start working on a very long time ago: sharing and documenting recipes, tips and experiences for her children.Their lives are definitely not glamorous, she says. “You will work harder than you ever imagined possible, you will forget all about vanity and outward impressions, and you will become scarily comfortableand content with solitude.”But at the same time, you relish every roosters’ crow at the crack of dawn, you will never miss an opportunity to appreciate the sunrise with a cup of pure coffee, you can’t wait to get to your daily chores, and you will happily work until there is nomore light in the day left for you to see what you are doing, admits Sylvia. “And even after a long night up, spent with your livestock, you will still find that you are the happiest person in the world for being given the opportunity to live such a privileged life.”The Thompsons produce their vegetables 100% organically, while their pork and eggs are produced as organically as is possible right now. This means no hormones, stimulants or post-slaughterinjections. To be truly organic, they need to produce their own feed for their animals. This is challenging, as they live in the semi-arid Kalahari. “To grow your own feed, you’d ideally need more land and more rainfall. Our environment is harsh and our only water resource, the Stampriet Aquifer groundwater resource, is a protected finite resource.”This very resource may very well be jeopardised by in-situ Uranium mining in the future, but they remain positive that the Namibian government also recognises the importance of it for the food and water security for Namibia. “We are working towards being self-reliant livestock farmers, by exploring unconventional crops suitable for our specific Kalahari landscape, that will eventually help us produce our own livestock feed.”With Namibia’s climate being very erratic and becoming increasingly unpredictable, it is prudent to diversify, says Sylvia. This means as a farmer, you need to ensure fallbacks.While their main income resource is meant to be their ethically farmed pork, they still want todiversify a bit more. “As we grow into our new roles as farmers, we are confident, that our offering will continuegrowing as well. We do what makes our hearts and souls happy. And quite simply put, wewill do a little bit of this and a little bit of that. This and that, which in Namlish is then turned into Dis-n-Dat!” Their only regret - not having done this sooner, says Sylvia. And their biggest advice - if you want to do it,start now! “You will work harder than you ever did before, but you will be happier and more satisfied than you could have ever imagined.” Facebook: Dis-n-Dat Farmstead; sylviadet@gmail.com

A farmstead called Dit-n-Dat

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A farmstead called Dit-n-Dat

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