The Soil Remembers Her Hands
The soil remembers her hands is a podcast celebrating South African women who are transforming agriculture and the wine industry from the ground up. Produced by the Graça Machel Trust, the podcast demonstrates how through their hands, we see dignity, employment, and generational change take root—reminding us that when women lead, communities flourish. We are a non-profit organisation whose mission is to advance systemic change so that African women and girls thrive.
The Soil Remembers Her Hands
4. Refiloe Molefe – The fight to feed a generation
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
“Each woman I train cultivates more than food, she cultivates independence.”
Refiloe Molefe, a farmer, agro-processor, and community activist, founded Precious Harvest, a social farming initiative based in Johannesburg, South Africa. A mother of seven and caregiver to many more vulnerable children, Refiloe began her journey by transforming a neglected bowling green in the inner city into a thriving vegetable garden to feed hungry children. Her commitment grew into a multi-site urban farming project that supplies organic produce, juices, and chilli sauces to local markets and schools. Refiloe trains young people, women, and unemployed community members, in sustainable farming, often using her hands as her only tools.