Fred Junior – Young Aspiring Farmer Wins at Nampo 2023
Fred Junior MacCarthy, a passionate 12-year-old farmer from Brits was hosted by Engen at NAMPO and contributed R20 000 to his garden school project.
The company was a gold sponsor of Nampo Harvest Day and once again welcomed visitors to their Vintage Tractor museum, interactive stand.
Fred, who dreams of helping feed the children of South Africa, received R20 000 during the recent Nampo Harvest Day to help him make his dream a reality. Junior, as Fred is affectionately known, is the founder and CEO of Junior Farm Park which seeks to draw young South Africans into commercial farming.
Engen hosted Junior as a VIP guest along with 13 of his friends (aged between 7-13) during Nampo’s celebration of all things farming. Junior believes that teaching young people about farming will help achieve his vision of ending hunger.
“My ambition is to build a Junior Farm Park where young people can visit and learn all about commercial farming and how they can help sustain the environment,” he says enthusiastically.
Design plans for the Junior Farm Park have been finalised and Junior is currently seeking funding.
In the meantime, he has launched a Garden School Project where he plans to visit various schools to teach children about the basics of growing vegetables.
The Golden sponsor is so inspired by Junior’s love for farming and his vision for Junior Farm Park and his garden project that it pledged to support Junior’s vision with a R20 000 donation. The funds will be used to purchase garden forks, rakes and spades, and watering cans and wheelbarrows.
Junior thanked the company for their generous contribution and spoke about his passion for farming and plans for his garden project and Junior Farm Park.
“I love that such a major company believed in me and my vision when I started this project, they were the first to come and help,” commented Junior.
“I was grateful to get the chance to visit Nampo again and take 13 of my friends. What I loved about Nampo was learning about modern farming techniques and seeing all the BIG toys. I’d love to have the Tractor Museum exhibit at Junior Farm Park one day, so that kids can see how much farming has evolved.”
Commercial business head, Drikus Kotze: “As part of our commitment to inspiring and empowering budding farmers we were honoured to host Fred Junior and his friends.”
“Nampo is an ideal platform for us to demonstrate our commitment to growing and sustaining the agricultural sector through our innovative product solutions,” added Kotze.