Explore the Strength in Resiliency December 13

Experience the resolve demanded to survive nationwide cultural collapse

Zimbabwe farmer, Philip Johan (PJ) Odendaal, grew up on a cattle and tobacco farm that the government took from his family when he was young via land reform. This was his first experience of monumental hardship and far from his last. 

Philip will share stories of the trials and experiences he endured to remain a farmer in Zimbabwe at the Global Crop Production Virtual Conference December 13. Through these stories, he’ll highlight the importance of resilience and summoning the strength to overcome difficulties in the bleakest of situations. He hopes to share key points to fortifying your mental health and attitude to inspire you to overcome the unpredictable obstacles the world can throw at you, including the veil of uncertainty farmers around the globe find themselves moving towards. 

Determined to stay in Zimbabwe, Philip started his career with a focus on conservation through safari hunting. This endeavour lasted a few years before he discovered his passion for farming and working with livestock and returned to the agriculture industry.  

After attempting to farm potato and tomato in an unstable economic environment, Philip moved to successfully manage a dairy farm and now oversees 4,660 sows and a feed-mill producing 780 tonnes of finished feed per month at Triple C Pigs.  

He also authored two self-published novels gaining local recognition for his book, The Rise of the Vaesons – a futuristic fantasy centered around the possibility of mankind’s survival being in the hands of wildlife and the internal struggle following thousands of years of horrors.